Eparchy of Bahirdar -Dessie

Bishop

Bishop Lisane-Christos Matheos Semahun Bishop of Eparchy of Bahir Dar – Dessie

Birth Place: Addis Ababa Birth Date: 19 Dec 1959

Ordained Priest: 8 May 1988

Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Addis Ababa: 5 Jan 2010

Appointed Bishop of Bahir Dar – Dessie: 19 Jan 2015

The Bahir Dar-Dessie Eparchy (Diocese) of the Ethiopian Catholic Church was established on January 19, 2015. It was formed by splitting territory from the Archeparchy of Addis Ababa, which was its metropolitan archdiocese. The first Eparch of Bahir Dar-Dessie was previously an auxiliary bishop in Addis Ababa.  It is one of the four dioceses in central and northern Ethiopia that primarily use the Ethiopian (Ge’ez) rite. The Eparchy of Bahir Dar-Dessie is relatively young, with the Catholic Church first reaching the Gumuz people in the area about 15 years before its establishment. The Eparchy’s jurisdiction includes both Latin and Ethiopian traditions, and it falls under the jurisdiction of the Oriental Congregation. The Eparch of Bahir Dar-Dessie is the youngest ecclesiastical jurisdiction within the Ethiopian Catholic Church. 

EXTENT

The Eparchy is geographically located in northern Ethiopia, encompassing the towns of Bahir Dar and Dessie, among others.  Covering an area of 224,350 km².

APPROXIMATE FIGURES

The human population of the 22,117,000 total of 18,000 Catholics, with 14 parishes, and 5 missions.