Alexandrian
From the Church of St Mark in Egypt
Churches of this rite3
Coptic Catholic Church
| Rite | Alexandrian |
|---|---|
| Apostle | St Mark, by tradition |
| Hierarchy | Patriarchal Church: a Patriarch with eparchies in Egypt |
| Where | Cairo, Egypt. Led by a Patriarch. |
| Dioceses | 9 |
| Members | About 253,000 |
Origins
The Church of Egypt traces its founding to St Mark. Its faith produced St Athanasius, St Cyril and the first desert monks, among them St Antony.
History
Most Egyptian Christians separated from Rome and Constantinople after the Council of Chalcedon in 451. In 1741 a Coptic bishop, Athanasius, entered communion with Rome. Leo XIII restored the patriarchate in 1895.
Worship
The liturgies of St Basil, St Gregory and St Cyril, in Coptic and Arabic.
Today
A small community in a mostly Muslim country, known for its schools, hospitals and work with the poor.
Eritrean Catholic Church
| Rite | Alexandrian |
|---|---|
| Apostle | St Mark through Alexandria; St Frumentius evangelised the region |
| Hierarchy | Metropolitan Church: Asmara with suffragan eparchies |
| Where | Asmara, Eritrea. Led by a Metropolitan. |
| Dioceses | 4 |
| Members | About 173,000 |
Origins
Eritrea shares the ancient Christianity of the Ethiopian highlands, which goes back to St Frumentius in the 4th century.
History
Catholic mission work grew in the 19th century, and Eritrea became a separate country in 1993. In 2015 Pope Francis made Eritrean Catholics a Church of their own, separate from the Ethiopian Church.
Worship
The Ge’ez rite, shared with Ethiopia, with Ge’ez and Tigrinya.
Today
The youngest of the 24 Churches, serving a country where religious life is under strict state control.
Ethiopian Catholic Church
| Rite | Alexandrian |
|---|---|
| Apostle | St Mark through Alexandria; St Frumentius, called Apostle of Ethiopia |
| Hierarchy | Metropolitan Church: Addis Ababa with suffragan eparchies |
| Where | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Led by a Metropolitan. |
| Dioceses | 4 |
| Members | About 81,000 |
Origins
Ethiopia received Christianity in the 4th century through St Frumentius. The Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8 is remembered as the first fruit of that faith.
History
St Justin de Jacobis led the Catholic mission from 1839, and his Ethiopian disciple Blessed Ghebre Michael died for the faith in 1855. A hierarchy of its own followed, with the metropolia of Addis Ababa established in 1961.
Worship
The Ge’ez rite, with Ge’ez and Amharic.
Today
A small Church known for its schools and health care, serving many peoples and languages.
| Population | About 507,000 |
|---|---|
| Geography | Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea, with communities abroad |
| Dioceses | 17 |
| Apostle | St Mark, who by tradition founded the Church of Alexandria |
| Liturgy | The liturgies of St Basil, St Gregory and St Cyril in Egypt. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Anaphora of the Apostles and many others |
| Language | Coptic, Ge’ez, Arabic, Amharic and Tigrinya |
| Music | Coptic chant with cymbals and triangle. Ethiopian chant, credited to St Yared, with drums and the sistrum |
| Hierarchy | One Patriarch (Coptic) and two Metropolitans (Ethiopian and Eritrean) |
| Year | Follows the ancient Coptic and Ethiopian calendars, with 13 months in the traditional reckoning |
History
Christianity in Egypt goes back to the first centuries. Alexandria was a great school of theology, home to St Athanasius and St Cyril, and the Egyptian desert gave the Church its first monks. Ethiopia received the faith in the 4th century. After the Council of Chalcedon in 451, these Churches separated from Rome. Catholic communities formed from the 18th century.