Ambo
Located 125km West of Addis Ababa, Ambo is a town where the Lazarist Fathers have been working for over 50 years. They are involved in several projects that aim to support the local community, including:
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St. Justin's Parish. Learn more about this project here.
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Social Housing Project. This project began as a response to the needs of people living with leprosy, and has since built over 50 basic homes for poor families.
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St. Justin's KG School.
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Ambo Lazarist Deaf School.
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St. Joseph's Parish, Guder, located 10km west of Ambo.
The Lazarist Fathers are well-known in Ambo and are highly respected for their genuine care of the poor. In recent years, they have become known for their work in providing education for Deaf children and for modelling early learning for pre-school children
Slide Show: Ambo
Our Marrion Group meet once a month on the feast day of Mary. They gather in each others homes, pray, break bread and share their faith with each other. They conclude the gathering by processing to the home of the next host with the image of Our Lady which resides there for the month.
Procession to home of the next host.
Our Marrion Group meet once a month on the feast day of Mary. They gather in each others homes, pray, break bread and share their faith with each other. They conclude the gathering by processing to the home of the next host with the image of Our Lady which resides there for the month.
St. Justin's Parish
The Lazarist Fathers have been working in Ambo since 1960. Although the congregation at St. Justin's Parish is small, it has a significant impact on the local area. The parish is named after an Italian saint who ministered in Ethiopia from 1839 to 1860. He was unique among many missionaries of his time because he had great respect for local traditions and customs, and was one of the first missionaries to practice inculturation. While other missionaries were perceived to have a colonial approach to their work, St. Justin took an ecumenical and harmonious approach to his work.
During the school year, Catholic students from all over Ethiopia who attend Ambo University also attend services at the parish. Additionally, the Lazarist Fathers are involved in several works in the district, including the social housing project, St. Justin's KG School, and the Ambo Lazarist Deaf School. With a population of approximately 200,000 people, the Catholic Church and the Lazarist Fathers are well-respected in Ambo for their genuine care for the poor.