Felix Maria Ghebre Amlak
Felix Maria Ghebre Amlak OCist (born June 23, 1895 in Eritrea ; † June 8, 1934 in Casamari ) was a priest who made a significant contribution to bringing the Cistercian order to Ethiopia .
His parents were Roman Catholic and raised him in the faith. At age 12 he entered the minor seminary of Keren one. After his ordination on September 22, 1918, as a diocesan priest, he endeavored to reconcile the Monophysite and Orthodox Christians of his homeland with the Roman Church. Since the monastic tradition is highly regarded in Ethiopia, Amlak decided to become a monk and continue his apostolate of unity through monastic work.
In 1925 he was transferred to Rome to serve as a spiritual director at the Ethiopian College there. He used this opportunity to find out more about western monasticism, he was particularly interested in the Order of Cîteaux . He sought contact with the nearby monasteries of St. Paul Outside the Walls (Blessed Ildefons Schuster worked there ), as well as Farfa . On December 7, 1930, he entered the Casamari Monastery . When he entered the cloister, he said: These are the gates to paradise. As a temporary profession he fell ill with tuberculosis and died on June 8th, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus , in 1934. In view of the approaching death, he was allowed to make the solemn profession early, otherwise he would have until December 8th, 1934 have to wait. His last words were: Jesus, I love you and I always want to love you . He is buried in the monks' cemetery at Casamari.
Other Ethiopians who were interested in founding a monastery in their homeland soon entered Casamari. Today there are five Cistercian monasteries in the home of Fr. Felix. Adoration for the servant of God soon set in, especially among Ethiopian priests who studied in Italy and prayed at his grave. The desire for a beatification procedure became known in 1955; the official process began in 1969. In 1989 the Vatican confirmed the heroic virtue .
literature
- Columbano De Cristofaro: Il servo di Dio D. Felice Maria Ghebre Amlak (Abba Haylé Mariam) . Istitutore e primo monaco del monachesimo cattolico etiopico. Casamari 1959.
- Sorana beatificationis et canonizationis servi Dei Felicis Mariae Ghebre Amlak, sacerdotis professi Sacri Ordinis Cisterciensis . Information super dubio. Romae 1970.
Web links
- Felix Maria Ghebre Amlak in Biographia Cisterciensis (Cistercian Biography)
Individual evidence
- ^ Sorana beatificationis (1970), p. 9
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Amlak, Felix Maria Ghebre |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Amlak, Felix Maria Ghebre OCist |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Ethiopian religious |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 23, 1895 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Eritrea |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 8, 1934 |
| Place of death | Casamari |