Our Services
When this parish gathers, and the hours the Church appoints for prayer.
When This Parish Gathers
This parish’s service times have not been published yet.
Most Tewahedo parishes begin the Liturgy at dawn, around 6 a.m. This parish has not confirmed its hour, so please ask before travelling.
141 Jubert Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Get directions
What time the Liturgy begins
- Sundays: the service usually commences at 6 a.m., and may begin earlier.
- Monasteries: the usual hour is 5 a.m.
- Some city churches: 7 a.m. on Sundays, 8 a.m. on Saturdays — except Holy Saturday, when the service is at midday.
- During the fasts: services begin at 1 p.m., sometimes as late as 3 p.m.
These are the hours the Church keeps generally. A Tewahedo Liturgy is a morning service — if you have seen a mid-morning start time for this parish, confirm it before travelling.
The Order of Sunday Worship
A Tewahedo Sunday begins the night before and ends in the morning
Wazema
The evening service on the eve of the feast or Sunday. Worship begins before the day itself does.
Sebhata Nagh
The night office, or matins. It begins in the middle of the night and finishes around 3 a.m. Clergy who have not kept it do not serve at the Liturgy that follows.
Mahlet
The extended chant of the Sunday office, sung by the debteras from the books of St Yared.
Kidase — the Divine Liturgy
The Eucharist itself, served in Ge’ez. It lasts about two hours and is the centre of the whole cycle.
The Great Feasts
The principal celebrations of the year, and the hours the Church keeps them
- Genna — the Nativityታኅሳስ 297 January
- The Liturgy is kept in the small hours; the faithful gather in church from about 4 a.m.
- Timkat — the Baptism of Christጥር 1119 January (20 in a leap year)
- The tabot is carried out in procession on the eve and the water is blessed at dawn.
- Fasika — the ResurrectionየሚንቀሳቀስMovable — falls in April or May
- The vigil runs through the night; the Mass is celebrated at about 1 a.m. and the fast is broken around 3 a.m.
- Meskel — the Finding of the True Crossመስከረም 1727 September
- The Demera bonfire is lit on the eve, with the Liturgy the following morning.
Dates follow the Ethiopian calendar. See the Church Calendar for the full year of feasts, fasts, and monthly commemorations.
The Hours of Prayer
Seven times a day, as the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church teaches — not a Pretoria-specific schedule
The two services above are when this parish gathers as a congregation. Beyond those, the Church teaches that every believer prays at seven set points across each day, each hour carrying its own remembrance.
Morning
Commemorates the creation of Adam, the hour the guardian angels change their watch, and the hour Christ stood before Pilate for trial.
The Third Hour
Commemorates the creation of Eve, the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, Christ's scourging before Pilate, and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.
The Sixth Hour
Commemorates the Passion of Christ and His suffering on Calvary.
The Ninth Hour
Commemorates the parting of Christ's holy soul from His body on the Cross.
Evening
Commemorates the taking down of Christ's body from the Cross and His burial.
Before Sleep
A prayer of thanksgiving and for protection through the night, recalling Christ's own teaching on watchfulness at Gethsemane.
Midnight
Commemorates the birth of Christ, His Resurrection, and His Second Coming.
Morning and evening prayer are kept in church, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. The other five are kept at home — or, where that is not possible, in the heart alone.
Fasting hours: no food or drink before noon at the earliest; in Holy Week, not before 1 p.m.
Ethiopian Orthodox Tradition
Our Rich Heritage & Worship Style
What to Expect
Language: The Liturgy is served in Ge’ez, which has been the liturgical language of the Church since the coming of the Nine Saints in the fifth century, with Amharic alongside it. Ge’ez is not “ancient Amharic” — it is a distinct language, the parent of both Amharic and Tigrinya.
The tabot: What is consecrated is not the building but the tabot — the ark dedicated to the church’s patron, kept in the inner sanctuary and carried in procession on the great feasts.
Where people stand: An Ethiopian church has three parts. The Maqdes, the Holy of Holies, holds the tabot and is entered only by priests and deacons. The Keddist is for those receiving communion. Most of the congregation stands in the outer Qene Mahelet, where the debteras chant. Men and women stand separately, and women enter by the southern door. Standing at the back on a first visit is entirely normal.
Dress: Modest dress is the custom, and many women cover their heads with a white netela. Shoes are removed before entering.
Chant: The hymnody descends from St Yared, the sixth-century deacon of Aksum who composed the chant of the Ethiopian Church. His Digua and the books that follow it are still what the debteras sing from.
Anaphoras: The Ethiopian Church has fourteen Anaphoras — a thing no other Church possesses — each appointed to its own occasion.
All are welcome to worship with us.
Whether you are a lifelong member of the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition or exploring our faith for the first time, we invite you to experience the beauty and depth of our worship.
Come and Worship
The doors are open to anyone who wishes to come. Shoes are left at the entrance, and a visitor who does not know the order of the service is welcome simply to stand and watch.