SAN DIEGO — “God, with all his power and greatness, became a baby. He did that in order to be like us, to be with us.”
That was the message of the homily proclaimed by Father Tesfaldet Tekie Tsada at the monthly Eritrean Mass celebrated on Jan. 4 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in San Diego.
The Mass also was a celebration of Christmas, since the Eritrean Catholics follow the Julian calendar, different than the Gregorian one primarily used by Roman Catholics.
The Mass followed the ancient Ge’ez Rite, one of 23 Eastern Rites that maintain their unique liturgical and spiritual traditions and are in full communion with the pope.
The rite follows the familiar Mass structure, however there is much greater dialogue among the priest, deacon and the faithful, much of it sung in beautiful hymns, Father Tsada said.
The Eritrean Catholic community in the San Diego area is a small one, with about 120 households, said Rezene Michael, the community’s chairman. He said a smaller number participates actively.
Most members arrived in the San Diego area starting in the 1970s, fleeing a war in their home region, which is located in the Horn of Africa. In the latest conflict there, which officially ended in 2022, nearly 600,000 died.
Locally, Michael said the Eritrean community is shrinking as younger families move away, unable to afford the area’s high cost of living.
Father Tsada, associate pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Los Angeles, is the chaplain for the Eritrean Catholic community in the areas of Los Angeles and San Diego. For 10 years, he has been traveling from Los Angeles on the first Saturday of every month to celebrate Mass for the local community.
After the Jan. 4 Mass, he said many in the immigrant community, especially newcomers, are anxious about changes the new Trump administration may order that would make life more difficult for them or their loved ones.
In his homily, he told the faithful that God is always with them.
“He came as a baby in order to approach him more easily. We have to love him.”
