BIOGRAPHY OF HIS GRACE ABUNA THADDAEUS GIDEY
His Grace Abuna Thaddaeus Gidey, formerly Abba Wolde Gabriel Wolde Selassie, was born in the province of Wollo, Ethiopia in the year 1942. He attended the traditional church school, where young boys between the ages of five (5) and seven (7) studied. This was at the request of their parents, according to their ability. He was fortunate to be taught by his uncle who was then a teacher of the school.
At the age of fourteen (14), a then Wolde Gabriel Wolde Selassie became a Deacon. He then decided he would pursue a higher education, which was only attained at Cathedrals and Monasteries. At an early age he was attracted to monastic life, and in 1958 he became a monk priest and served for six (6) years at Karetsa Mariam Monastery in Tigray Province. He then moved to Shoa Province and served for four (4) years at Managesha Amba Mariam Monastery.
The level of education His Grace attained at these Monasteries was:
o Zema (Liturgical Music)
o Tiguame Metsahift (commentary of the New Testament)
o Kenye (Poetry)
One of his desires was to attain a modern education, so he went to Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, where he worked and studied for four (4) years. In 1972, Abba Wolde Gabriel Wolde Selassie together with the late Archmandrite Abba Haddis Gessese was sent by the Mother Church to serve the faithful in Trinidad and Tobago. They arrived on October 22nd 1972, where he served as Priest in Charge of Trinidad and Tobago for twenty (20) years. In 1993, a then Abba Wolde Gabriel Wolde Selassie was recalled to Ethiopia by the Holy Synod. On February 7th 1993 in recognition of his long service and dedication in Trinidad and Tobago, he was consecrated Bishop and assigned to the Diocese of the Caribbean & Latin America.
Two years later, on the 8th of February 1995 he was elevated to the office of Archbishop of the Archdiocese.
On his return to Trinidad and Tobago, which is the seat of the Archdiocese, His Grace continued his hard work of developing the churches in Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Archdiocese. Under his spiritual guidance four (4) new churches were built; in Trinidad, Medhane Alem Church in Arouca, St. Peter’s Church in San Fernando, St. Mark’s Church in Claxton Bay and Holy Trinity Church in Port of Spain.
Presently, under his guidance, a building is being constructed which would house an Information Technology Centre (a computer training facility), Conference Room, housing for clergy training and temporary housing for the establishment of the St. Yared Orthodox Theological Seminary. This building will be completed in the near future.
As part of his continued outreach to the faithful, three (3) Branch churches were recently established in the following regions; in Martinique, Guadeloupe and Antigua Barbuda.
Under his stewardship, there are presently over forty (40) clergymen serving the Archdiocese.
His Grace Abuna Thaddaeus Gidey is a caring, dedicated and loving shepherd who is presently one of the longest serving Ethiopian priests in the Western Hemisphere. He has served the people of the Caribbean, especially Trinidad and Tobago, for thirty-eight (38) years. He continues to be that beacon for our churches here in this Archdiocese. May Almighty God keep him for many years in good health and strength and may he fulfill all that God has given him, to continue to gather and feed the lost sheep and people in general.
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