Rev. Gobezayehu Getachew is the new bishop of Hawassa in Ethiopia

 “We thank the Lord for such a gift to our Vicariate – said Fr. Juan Núñez –.” And he informed: “Until his consecration (within the period of three months), the Apostolic Administrator will continue in office. Contemporarily, in the hall of the Vicariate of Hawassa and in the presence of a numerous group of priests, Sisters and employees of the Vicariate, the Attache of Affairs of the Nunciature, Mgr Massimo Catterin, made the same official announcement, reading also a short curriculum vitae of the new appointed Vicar and the letter that Abba Gobezayehu addressed to the priests, sisters and lay Christians. Let us rejoice in the Lord.”

Mgr Gobezayehu is the fifth bishop of Hawassa, succeeding three Combonis and a Salesian, all Italian. The Apostolic Vicariate of Hawassa covers a triangle-shaped territory of more than 100 square kilometres, home to the Sidama, Guji, Guedeo, Borana and Amaro ethnic groups. It is the largest Catholic jurisdiction in Ethiopia in terms of faithful. In December 2023, it had almost 280,000 registered Catholics.

The Apostolic Prefecture of Hawassa was started by the Comboni Missionaries in 1969 with the territory of the former Apostolic Prefecture of Negele and the Sidama part of that of Hosanna. It became an Apostolic Vicariate ten years later. It has 22 mission parishes with 558 chapels, served by 49 priests, 22 diocesan and 27 missionaries (Combonis, Spiritans, Apostles of Jesus, Salesians and Capuchins), eight brothers, 69 sisters, and 109 full-time and 531 part-time catechists. It also has a local women's congregation. Its 62 schools from kindergarten to secondary level are attended by around 24,000 pupils, who are taught by 656 teachers.

The Vicariate has 13 health centres, including a Mather and Child Health Hospital. Around a thousand patients a day are attended by 27 doctors and 120 nurses in all its health facilities. The Hawassa Catholic Church employs more than 760 workers in its various missions.

A diocese under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for Evangelisation is called an Apostolic Vicariate. Technically, the prelate is the Bishop of Rome. Hence the title of Vicar Apostolic given to the local bishop.

Short Curriculum Vitae of Rev. Father Gobezayehu Getachew Yilma

• Rev. Dr. Gobezayehu Getachew Yilma was born on the 4th of December 1978 in Dodola, Bale Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia.
• He Studied Agriculture at Jima University of Agriculture before he joined the Capuchin Franciscan Institute in Addis Ababa where he studied philosophy and theology.
• He holds Diploma in Philosophy with very great distinction and BA degree in Theology from Urbaniana Pontifical University, Rome with Summa Cum Laude.
• He was ordained a priest on the 16th of January 2005 by his Excellency Bishop Abraham Desta.
• He worked as a Secretary of the Bishop of Meki and Youth Coordinator of the Vicariate from 2004 to 2005.
• He was appointed to work as Deputy Secretary General and later as Secretary General of Meki Catholic Secretariat from year 2006 to 2009.
• As Secretary General, he was responsible to coordinate the social and development activities, projects and programs of the whole Vicariate.
• In the year 2009, he went to Ireland for his further studies. In Ireland, he studied Masters in Development Studies at Kimmage Development Studies Institute, in Dublin and STL/Licentiate in Divinity, specialized in Catholic Social Teaching at the Pontifical University of Maynooth, Ireland.
• He went on to do his PhD in the same University with a dissertation focused on An Ethical Evaluation of the Developmental State Paradigm based on the Christian anthropology of John Paul Il in his social teaching and the Capability Approach of Amartya Sen (the Nobel Prize winner in economics and Thomas W Lamont University Professor, the Professor of Economics, at Harvard University).
• His External Examiner was Rev. Dr. Daniel Groody, CSC, Associate Professor of Theology and Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, USA.
• Rev. Dr. Gobezayehu was back to Ethiopia in August, 2016 and since September 2016, he has been appointed to hold two positions: Vicar Delegate of the Apostolic Vicariate of Meki and Executive Director of the Diocesan Caritas (Meki Catholic Secretariat).
• As a Vicar Delegate, he is administrating the priests, property, finance and personnel of the Vicariate delegating the bishop.
• As an Executive Director of Caritas, he is planning, directing, coordinating, and supervising social and development projects and leading and working with more than 1,800 professional staff who are serving 11 million direct beneficiaries of Caritas Meki Projects. These projects are focused on helping people at dire poverty in the area of delivering quality education and health services; providing potable water and sanitation facilities; Empowering young girls and vulnerable women to strengthen their Education, Socio-cultural and economic capabilities to reach for their potential; and implementing food security and emergency programs for the rural poor community in the Apostolic Vicariate of Meki.

We offer our prayer for him and his new appointment, thanking God for his generosity to the service to the church he was asked to fulfill. May the Lord also bless all the Christians in the Vicariate of Hawassa.

Comboni Missionaries