Message from the Bishop
Bishop Dejene Hidoto Gamo, O.F.M. Cap
Grace and Peace to You in Christ!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
With immense joy and gratitude to God, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all the faithful, clergy, religious, and people of goodwill who journey together in faith and service within the Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo. It is a great blessing to address you through this new and dynamic platform, our official website which marks a significant step in our mission of evangelization and social transformation.
In today’s fast-changing world, the Church must embrace new and effective means of communication to fulfill its pastoral and social responsibilities. As Vatican Council II reminds us, “The Church, our Mother, knows that if these media are properly used they can be of considerable benefit to mankind. They contribute greatly to the enlargement and enrichment of men's minds and to the propagation and consolidation of the kingdom of God” (Inter Mirifica, 2). This website serves as a bridge, connecting our faith community, ministries, social and development programs with the wider society. It is not just an information hub but a space where we can share the Good News, strengthen our faith, and foster a spirit of unity and collaboration.
A Church that Embraces Holistic Development
Our Apostolic Vicariate has been entrusted with the sacred mission of guiding the faithful toward spiritual growth while also addressing the pressing social and economic challenges of our time. The teachings of Christ call us to a life of faith, hope, and charity. Through our Pastoral Commission, we remain committed to nurturing a strong faith foundation by deepening catechesis, strengthening the sacraments, and promoting a culture of prayer, justice, and peace.
At the same time, our Social and Development Commission continues to be a beacon of hope for the marginalized and vulnerable members of our society.
Inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, we work tirelessly in areas such as education, health care, environmental stewardship, youth empowerment, and economic development. Our commitment to human dignity and integral development compels us to engage actively in issues affecting our communities, including poverty alleviation, sustainable agriculture, and gender equality.
A Voice for Justice and Peace
As a Church, we recognize our prophetic role in promoting justice, peace, and reconciliation. We live in a time where social, economic, and political challenges weigh heavily on individuals and families. As followers of Christ, we must be instruments of peace and advocates for the common good. Our website will serve as a resource for social justice advocacy, providing a platform for dialogue, education, and action toward a more just and harmonious society.
Strengthening Our Communication Ministry
The establishment of our Communication Department and this website marks a pivotal moment for our Apostolic Vicariate. Communication is at the heart of evangelization, and we are called to use digital tools responsibly and effectively to spread the Gospel and serve our communities. Pope Francis reminds us that “the digital world can expose us to the risk of self-enclosure and isolation, but it can also become a space for encounter” (Christus Vivit, 87). We must ensure that our digital presence fosters real relationships and builds a sense of belonging in the Church.
At the same time, we must be aware of the risks that come with digital communication. Misinformation, fake news, and the spread of harmful ideologies can mislead and divide people. The Church must promote truthful and responsible communication, ensuring that digital tools serve the common good and uphold the dignity of every person.
In today’s globalized world, “the media can help us to feel closer to one another, creating a sense of the unity of the human family which in turn can inspire solidarity and serious efforts to ensure a more dignified life for all”. (Fratelli Tutti, 205).
The recent Synod on Synodality has emphasized the need for the Church to be a listening community, engaging in dialogue with people from all walks of life. The digital world provides a unique opportunity to practice synodality by making the Church more accessible, interactive, and engaged with the joys and struggles of the faithful. As the Synod document highlights, “A synodal Church is a Church that listens. The digital environment can help us to reach out, but it requires discernment so that it fosters communion rather than division.”
Through this platform, we will share pastoral messages, news updates, inspirational stories, and resources to deepen our faith and knowledge. It will also enhance transparency, accessibility, and engagement among the faithful. I invite all of you to make full use of this website to stay connected, informed, and spiritually nourished. May it be a source of inspiration, dialogue, and community building. I encourage everyone to contribute, interact, and take part in our shared mission of witnessing Christ’s love in word and action.
Gratitude for Our Partners in Mission: As we move forward, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all who contribute tirelessly to the mission of the Vicariate. To our priests, religious men and women, catechists, pastoral workers, parishioners, and all the lay faithful, your dedication to the Gospel and commitment to evangelization is truly inspiring. I also extend my sincere appreciation to our partners, benefactors, and supporters who stand with us in our pastoral, social and development efforts. Your generosity and collaboration make it possible for us to reach those most in need and to bring Christ’s love to the world.
United in Mission and Faith: As we embark on this new chapter, I ask for your prayers and collaboration. May our efforts in faith and service continue to bear fruit for the glory of God and the good of His people. Let us walk together as one body, guided by the Holy Spirit, and committed to building a vibrant Church and a just society.
May our Lady of Lourdes, the patroness of our Apostolic Vicariate, our Mother, intercede for us, and may the Lord continue to bless you abundantly.
In Christ,
Bishop Dejene Hidoto Gamo, O.F.M. Cap
Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo, Ethiopia
Profile of AVS-Ethiopia
The Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo, located in Ethiopia, serves a diverse and expansive region within the South Ethiopia Region. Covering approximately 45,500 square kilometers, it encompasses the administrative zones of Wolaita, Gamo, Gofa, South Omo, Aari, Konso, Gardula, Kore, Basketo, Ale, Dawuro, and Konta
Historical Background
Established on February 13, 1940, as the Prefecture Apostolic of Hosanna, the jurisdiction underwent several transformations:
- December 30, 1977: Renamed as the Prefecture Apostolic of Soddo-Hosanna.
- October 15, 1982: Elevated to the status of Apostolic Vicariate.
- January 20, 2010: Reorganized, leading to the creation of the Apostolic Vicariate of Hosanna, and adopting its current name, the Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo.
Demographics and Pastoral Structure
As of December 31, 2019, the Vicariate ministered to approximately 203,000 Catholics, representing 3.4% of a total population of nearly 5.98 million. The pastoral infrastructure includes 36 parishes and 5 mission stations. The clergy comprises 58 priests, with a nearly even split between diocesan (31) and religious (27) priests. Additionally, there are 65 religious members (30 brothers and 35 sisters) and 4 seminarians contributing to the Vicariate's mission.
Leadership
The Vicariate has been shepherded by several dedicated leaders:
- Bishop Domenico Crescentino Marinozzi, O.F.M. Cap.: Led from October 15, 1982, to January 5, 2007.
- Bishop Rodrigo Mejía Saldarriaga, S.J.: Served from January 5, 2007, to January 12, 2014.
- Bishop Tsegaye Keneni Derara: Guided the Vicariate from January 12, 2014, until his retirement on November 23, 2023.
- Bishop Dejene Hidoto Gamo, O.F.M. Cap.: Appointed on June 19, 2024, he is the current Vicar Apostolic.
Social and Development Initiatives
Beyond its spiritual mission, the Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo is deeply committed to social development:
- Education: Operates 36 schools, including 26 kindergartens, 3 primary schools, 4 high schools, and 3 preparatory schools, collectively serving over 10,245 students annually.
- Healthcare: Manages 7 health institutions 1 hospital, 2 health centers, and 4 clinics—located in areas such as Dubbo, Humbo, Mokonisa, Bukama, Bacho, Gesa Chere, and Duga. These facilities cater to the healthcare needs of over 350,000 individuals each year.
- Community Engagement: The Vicariate benefits from the dedication of 808 full-time and volunteer catechists who actively participate in various socio-pastoral activities across the region.
Through these comprehensive efforts, the Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo continues to play a pivotal role in promoting integral human development, ensuring that the spiritual, educational, and health needs of the communities it serves are met with compassion and dedication.
News and Recent Events
Episcopal Consecration of New Bishop for Soddo Vicariate
The Episcopal consecration of the new Bishop for the Vicariate of Soddo, was held on 15th September 2024. Bishop-elect Dejene Hidoto was ordained in a solemn ceremony at the Holy Trinity Catholic Cathedral in Soddo, Ethiopia. The celebration began with a warm reception as Bishop-elect Dejene arrived from his preparation at the Tikur Weha retreat center near Hawassa, Ethiopia. In attendance were the City Mayor, esteemed Bishops, local government officials, and guests from across the country.
ልዩ ፕሮግራም የሆቤቻ ትምህርት ቤት ወላይታ ሶዶ አገረስብከት
በኢትዮጵያ ካቶሊካዊት ቤተክርስቲያን በሶዶ ሀገረ ስብከት ማህበራዊና ልማት ማስተባበሪያ ጽ/ቤት በወላይታ ዞን አባላ አባያ ወረዳ አባያ ጮካሬ ቀበሌ በቀን 7-10-2024 እ.አ.አ የሀገረ ስብከቱ ጻጻስ ክቡር አቡነ ደጀኔ ሂዶቶ እና የልማት ጽ/ቤቱ ዳይሬክተር አቶ ሙሉነህ ተሰፋዬ፤ የወረዳዉ ከፍተኛ የመንግስት ባለስልጣናት የአከባቢዉ ህዘብ፤የዘርፉ ባለሙያዎችና ኃላፊዎች፤ የሀገር ሽማግሌዎችና የየኃይማኖት መሪዎች በተገኙበት ከካሪታሰ ቼክ እና ከቼክ መንግስት በተገኛ የገንዘብ ድጋፍ የተሠራዉን ንፁ የመጠጥ ዉሃ አሰመርቆ ለህብረተሰቡ አገልግሎት እንዲሰጥ ክፍት አድርገዋል፡፡
በተጨማሪም የአከባቢውን ህዝብ ፍላጎት መነሻ ያደረገ የመጠጥ ዉሃን ተደራሽ ለማድረግና አገልግሎት የማይሰጡ ነባር የዉሃ መስመሮች ሥራን ዉጤታማ ለማድረግ ከህዝብና ከመንግስት ጋር የሚሰራዉ ሥራ ተጠናክሮ የሚቀጥል መሆኑንንም ክቡር አቡነ ደጀኔ ሂዶቶ አስረድተው የማህበረሰቡን ጥያቄን ለመፍታት ከዘርፉ ባለሙያዎች ጋር መስክ ምልከታና በአከባቢ የሚሰራዉን የአከባቢ ጥበቃ ፕሮጀክት ያለበት ደረጃ ከወረዳ ዋና አሰተዳዳሪ፤ የፓርቲ ጽ/ቤት፤ ግብርና ልማት ጽ/ቤትና ከዉሃዉ ሴክተር ጋር ዉይይት በማድረግና በቦታዉ የችግኝ ተከላ ፕሮግራም በማድረግ በአከባቢ የሚሰሩ ሎሎች የካቶሊክ ልማት ጽ/ቤት ፕሮጀክት ዉጤታማነትን ለማስቀጠልና አዳደስ ፕሮጀክቶችን ለማስጀመር ከተለያዩ እርዳታ ሰጪ ድርጅቶች ጋር የሚደረገዉ ቅንጅት ከመቼዉም ጊዜ በላይ ርብርብ እንደሚጠይቅ ተናግረዋል፡፡
አያይዘዉም ለሥራዉ ስከት የራሳቸዉን አሻራ ከጅምር ጀምሮ ለሳረፉ ለመንግስትና ለፓርቲ አመራሮች፤ ለባለሙያዎችና ለህዝብ ትልቅ አክብሮታቸዉንና ፍቅራቸዉን ገልፀዋል፡፡
Find us on Social Media for More information
Address
AVS-Ethiopia
Wolaita Soddo, Ethiopia
Phone
00.251.046.551.20.61
Connect us on social media
Contact AVS
For inquiries or to schedule a consultation, appointments, and others services please fill out the form below.
Location
AVS-Ethiopia
Soddo, Ethiopia