An Urgent Appeal from Le’ul Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Ethiopian Crown Council
January 1, 2023 / Tahisas 23, 2015 EC – The Ethiopian Crown Council is organizing a fundraiser to benefit the International Society of the Order of the Star of Ethiopia to aid Menbere Tsebaot (“Altar of Victory”) Cathedral – more commonly known as Holy Trinity Cathedral – in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, now eighty years old and in serious need of renovation.
Holy Trinity Cathedral is one of the crown jewels of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. It commemorates Ethiopia’s victory over the Italian occupation and is the final resting place of HIM Emperor Haile Selassie I; his wife, HIM Empress Menen; many members of the Ethiopian Imperial family; and the Ethiopian Patriarchs Abuna Takla Haymanot, Abune Merkorios, and Abuna Paulos. It is also the burial place of those who fought against the Fascist occupation, as well as prominent figures of Ethiopian society from various fields. It is where Patriarchs of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are enthroned and its Bishops consecrated, and where many ceremonies of both national and religious significance are carried out.
Over the history of this magnificent house of worship, while it has been expanded twice under the direction of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, other than minor repairs of inconsistent quality, the Cathedral has never received a proper total renovation. This has resulted in the building now being in a very poor state.
The Parish Council, under the leadership of Dean of the Cathedral, has launched a multi-million-dollar campaign to finance a complete and comprehensive renovation to the cathedral building. Structural damage due to a variety of factors will be addressed, along with secondary and tertiary effects, such as stains and fungus caused by water damage, damage to murals, updating the electrical systems, plumbing, damage to stained glass windows, a complete renovation of the crypt containing the tombs of HIM Emperor Amha Selassie and the other members of the Imperial family, and restoring the main and side altars of the Church. The work is being carried out with the assistance of experts on renovations of historic buildings, by one of the most prominent and reputable construction firms in the country.
On November 4, 2022 (Tiqimt 25, 2015 EC), Holy Trinity Cathedral held a special welcoming ceremony for Le’ul Ermias and other members of the Ethiopian Imperial family. After the ceremony, Cathedral officials invited Le’ul Ermias to serve as an official ambassador of the Cathedral’s fundraising efforts for its renovation. Le’ul Ermias has in turn pledged to use all of the resources at his disposal to raise a significant contribution towards the Cathedral’s total fundraising goal.
Now we have an opportunity to help Le’ul Ermias and Trinity Cathedral at the same time.
With the approval of Le’ul Ermias and the International Society for the Imperial Ethiopian Orders, we have launched a GoFundMe page for His Highness’s fundraising efforts for Trinity Cathedral at https://gofund.me/5553e593. We respectfully ask you to visit the page and contribute as soon as you are able. Donations of any size will make a difference, so feel free to circulate this information as widely as possible.
At the completion of the campaign, Le’ul Ermias hopes to present the Society’s total contributions to the Cathedral renovation in person at a special ceremony in Addis Ababa, and we anticipate inviting significant donors to participate in accompanying celebrations. This campaign is a vital step towards renewed recognition of the monarchy in Ethiopia, and a special symbol of the age-old relationship between Ethiopia’s church and crown.
We are grateful in advance for your help and participation.
