Divine Liturgy
ቅዳሴThe central act of worship of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, celebrated in Ge'ez.
FaithTraditionCommunity
Seattle Debre Mihret St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
የሲያትል ደብረ ምሕረት ቅዱስ ሚካኤል የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያንWelcome to our church community.
We are an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo parish in south Seattle. Our doors are open to families who have worshipped in this tradition all their lives, and to anyone who wishes to come and pray with us.
- Where we meet10056 Renton Ave S, Seattle, WA 98178
- Service timesPlease contact the church for the current schedule.
- Church calendarFeasts and fasts of the year
- Latest newsOur Facebook page
A church older than most nationsስለ ቤተ ክርስቲያናችን
Our parish belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of the oldest Christian traditions in the world. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated in Ge'ez, the ancient liturgical language, with prayer, teaching and fellowship in Amharic and English.
The church serves people from East Africa and others throughout south Seattle and King County through faith, counselling and teaching.
The sentence above is drawn from the church's own description published by Puget Sound Sage. See the Church Information Sources section of the README.
If you are visiting for the first time, come as you are. Arrive when you can, stand where there is room, and ask anyone near you if you are unsure what is happening.
Written for this website, not an official statement of the church.
The work of the parishየቤተ ክርስቲያኒቱ አገልግሎት
Four things a parish is for, in this tradition as in every other place the Church has taken root.
Worship
አምልኮThe Divine Liturgy, the prayers of the hours, and the great feasts of the Church year.
Sacraments
ምስጢራትBaptism, communion, confession, matrimony, and the rites that accompany a family through life.
Teaching
ትምህርትPassing on the faith, the language and the chant to children born far from Ethiopia.
Care
እንክብካቤCounselling, hospitality and practical help for households across south Seattle.
The Church keeps its own calendarየቀን መቁጠሪያ
The Ethiopian calendar has thirteen months and runs seven to eight years behind the Gregorian one. Feasts and fasts are reckoned by it, which is why Genna falls on 7 January and Fasika rarely lands with Western Easter.
Today's date in both calendars, and the feasts coming next, are shown here and worked out fresh each time the page loads.
Today in the Ethiopian calendar
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Coming next
- See the calendar pageThe feasts and fasts of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Worship and sacramentsአገልግሎትና ምስጢራት
The Divine Liturgy, the sacraments and the daily prayers of the Church are offered here.
Service schedule to be supplied by the church
No service times have been verified from the church's own published information, so none are listed. Please contact the church for the current schedule. Instructions for adding it are in the README.
Sacraments
ምስጢራትBaptism, Holy Communion, matrimony, confession and funeral services are arranged through the church.
Feast days
በዓላትThe great feasts are kept according to the Ethiopian calendar, including the feasts of Saint Michael.
Coming for the first timeለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ሲመጡ
Nothing is required of a visitor except the willingness to be present. Here is roughly how a first visit goes.
Written for this website. It describes customs common to Ethiopian Orthodox parishes and should be reviewed by the clergy.
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Find the church
10056 Renton Ave S, Seattle, WA 98178, in Rainier Beach. Parking and transit details are on the contact page.
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Arrive when you can
The Liturgy is long and people come and go through it. Arriving partway through is ordinary, not rude.
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Remove your shoes at the door
Worshippers traditionally enter barefoot or in socks, as a sign that the ground is holy.
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Stand where there is room
Men and women traditionally stand on separate sides of the nave, and many worshippers cover their heads. Neither is required of you in order to be welcome.
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Stay afterwards if you can
Much of the life of the parish happens in the conversation after the Liturgy ends.
Announcementsማስታወቂያ
No events published on this site yet
Nothing is listed because no upcoming events have been verified. The church's Facebook page carries current announcements, and the events page explains how to add events here.
Reflectionsነጸብራቅ
Abstract light and color, offered in place of photographs, evoking the worship and community of the parish.
- Light of the Liturgy
Light of the Liturgy - The gathered community
The gathered community - Feasts through the year
Feasts through the year - Growth and renewal
Growth and renewal
Find usአድራሻችን
The church is in the Rainier Beach neighbourhood of south Seattle.
- Address10056 Renton Ave S
Seattle, WA 98178 - Telephone(206) 349-0915
From the church's public nonprofit record. Please confirm before publishing. - FacebookSeattle Debre Mihret St. Michael
You are welcome here
Whether you have kept these feasts your whole life or have never set foot in an Orthodox church, there is room for you at the Liturgy.