Home > In the news > Woman claims to be St. Mary, out from monastery

Woman claims to be St. Mary, out from monastery

A woman who claims to be St. Mary reincarnated was thrown out of Wocnhi Monastery in Western Shoa.

Head of the local Holy Synod, Abba Haile Girorgis Terfe told Sima Tsidqe, the bimonthly official Ethiopian Orthodox Church newspaper, that the unnamed woman has been disseminating heresies in Addis Ababa and other towns before moving to Wonchi St. Kirkos Monastery, near Ambo two years ago, where she established her own sect and made claims like, “My mother having been resurrected was taken up to Heaven. I am St. Mary reincarnated. I will give birth to Christ soon.”

The head told the paper that the Wonchi Holy Synod had reported the case to the Addis Ababa Holy Synod and brought the case to Wonchi woreda court.

The woman managed to gather a sizable amount of followers from the locality and tried to take control of the church, creating confusion and division amongst the faithful, says the paper. The church authorities, after giving her some grace period, finally decided to eject her from the monastery.

Two years ago, the woman in cahoots with a former soldier has led astray followers at Entoto mamere Noh Kidane Meheret Church in Addis Ababa following through her mission that she was Messiah or Christ. She once attempted to crucify herself before police stopped her.

Categories: In the news
  1. Mesay
    February 15, 2009 at 11:44 am

    Thanks Arefe.
    Very interesting.I think that was the woman once reported in the sub Saharan informer.
    I couldn’t get the SSI article o nthe web, idid from ESAI.

    Alledged devotional crucifixion thwarted, residents
    By Hallelujah Lulie

    ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – A nun in Addis Ababa who what many believe is a member of a breakaway sect of the Ethiopian Orthodox church was briefly arrested on Thursday by police following reports that she was attempting to go through a devotional crucifixion.

    Sun Apr 15, 2007 7:43 pm Reply with quote

    Alledged devotional crucifixion thwarted, residents
    By Hallelujah Lulie

    ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – A nun in Addis Ababa who what many believe is a member of a breakaway sect of the Ethiopian Orthodox church was briefly arrested on Thursday by police following reports that she was attempting to go through a devotional crucifixion.

    The nun who some five months ago had established her own sect after leaving the Entoto Kidane Mihret monastery in Shiro Meda, located in north Addis Ababa had apparently told her followers that following here crucifixion she would be resurrected three days later just as Jesus Christ is believed to have done.

    Devotional crucifixion is not a common phenomenon in Ethiopia unlike other places in the world where the person portraying Jesus is nailed to a cross, subjected to flagellation and wears a crown of thorns. However, word of the alleged attempted devotional crucifixion has created uproar among the community in the area. According to people SSI talked to in the area the nun and her husband who is a mason [she had taken a vow of chastity after years of marriage] have establishing what they called their own sect and moved into a compound in front of the church.

    In the past months they have attracted a steady flow of followers that by most estimates have reached between 50-60 attendants in their church. The followers are expected to take off their shoes while entering the compound and the nun has been reported to have conducted exorcisms and holy water treatment without the concet of the the Ethiopian Orthodox church prompting charges being brought against her as well as a series of arrests. Details of the affair continue to be sketchy untill the time of print.

    Described as usually keeping to herself before she started her sect most remember her as a devout Christian that often would go on pilgrimages usually on barefoot and observed strict doctrines of the church. “ She is a person of God, I do not believe that she would attempt such a thing unless she has seen some visions”, said preist Getachew Alemu, who seemed perplexed by the whole incident.

    SSI attempts to get details of the incident from the police only ended up with a confirmation of her brief custody under the police. Devotional crucifixion are uncommon in Ethiopia and cases have not been earlier reported.
    The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the only pre-colonial Christian church of Sub-Saharan Africa, and is the largest Christain denomination in Ethiopia. According to wikipedia.org the Ethiopian church places a heavier emphasis on Old Testament teachings than one might find in the Roman Catholic or Protestant churches, and its followers adhere to certain practices that one finds in Orthodox or Conservative Judaism.

    Ethiopian Christians, like some other Eastern Christians, traditionally follow dietary rules that are similar to Jewish Kashrut, specifically with regard to how an animal is slaughtered. Similarly, pork is prohibited, though unlike Kashrut, Ethiopian cuisine does mix dairy products with meat, which in turn makes it even closer to Islamic dietary laws. Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers remove their shoes when entering a church, in accordance with Exodus 3:5 (in which Moses, while viewing the burning bush, is commanded to remove his shoes while standing on holy ground).

    Source: Sub-Saharan Informer

  2. Ephrem
    February 16, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    this looks a bit the church’s defense.would have been nice if you meet the lady herself and find out her side of the story.

  3. February 17, 2009 at 6:53 am

    Hmm… did anybody feel her pulse?

  4. gabre medhin ( Dante M. Alonzo)
    January 23, 2010 at 5:07 am

    my opinion is false about her claim, that she is the re incarnate of the holy mother of our lord jesus.and first of all jesus won’t be born again the bible said that he will come as just as he left on earth. and to compare about our holy mother to this woman she is far away from being an holy woman,she was maried and beguiled even she was a good follower of the orthodox christian, i think she has to put her mind back and herself.what jesus has done in the Bible is already revealed to us and its done. all we have to do is to thank him always,and praise him aswell, staying in his true church the oriental churches.eg. ethiopian tewahedo orthodox church, the coptic orthodox church, the syrrian orthodox church, the arminian orthodox church, and the malabar orthodox church.this are the church who can really guide us on our spiritual life, and wait for the second coming of our lord.
    just remember lord jesus said in his teaching believed them not, when they said he his in the desert, do not go. he his in the secret chambers; believe it not, beware of the false prophet….
    THE LORD GOD WHO DWELL IN THE ARK WAS WRITTEN IN EXODUS 25: 22 AND PSALMS 132; 13 . IS NOW IN AXUM. HISTORICALY AND WELL KEPT TO THIS DAY.
    MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND GIUDE YOU, AS HE GUIDED ME.
    EIGZEHABIER EMESGEN.

  5. kitcho
    September 3, 2011 at 1:57 am

    Give her the confused lady a break. Dreaming might be the healer of delusional mind. In a time as such, when the tribalist melese is ruling with iron hand, anything is possible.

  1. February 15, 2009 at 3:23 pm

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