Washington
An Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Washington preserves ancient traditions amid modern challenges – WTOP News
In the U.S. capital, hundreds of Ethiopians dressed in traditional white shawls chant in the ancient liturgical language of one of the oldest branches of Christianity.
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the U.S. capital, hundreds of Ethiopians dressed in traditional white shawls chant in the ancient liturgical language of one of the oldest branches of Christianity.
During hourslong worship services, the Ge’ez language reverberates throughout DSK Mariam Church. Congregants prostrate themselves in reverence to God and bow when a priest walks among them swinging a censer burning incense.
Formally known as Re’ese Adbarat Debre Selam Kidist Mariam Church, it was founded in Washington in 1987. It now has more than 1,500 registered members, and church leaders say more than 4,000 people attend services each week.
DSK Mariam is part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Churches — one of the oldest Christian faiths in Africa. There’s keen interest in preserving Ge’ez, and other traditions of the faith, for future generations in the bustling District of Columbia region — home to the largest Ethiopian diaspora community in the United States.
“Our tradition is full of values that are relevant for today, for the modern age. So, these kids, if they learn the tradition, the language, and also the faith — they can balance,” Abraham Habte-Sellassie, a “kesis” or priest, said ahead of a recent Lent service that started at midnight and ended at midday.
“Life here is very hectic, and it’s geared toward material profit.”
Ethiopian diaspora in the US has grown over 50 years
Many Ethiopian families have come to the U.S. over the past 50 years, having left their home country after the 1974 overthrow of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, who is worshipped by most members of the Rastafari faith.
Estimates range widely on the number of Ethiopians in the U.S, from more than 250,000 to unofficial estimates by diaspora leaders that it’s closer to 1 million. By far the largest Ethiopian community is in the D.C. metro area — notably the Maryland and Virginia counties close to Washington.
They contribute significantly to the area’s economic well-being and cultural vitality, said Tsehaye Teferra, founder and president of a D.C.-based refugee resettlement agency, Ethiopian Community Development Council.
To reach young people and new converts, DSK Mariam also offers services in Amharic and English. Congregants can follow the prayers on large plasma TVs that hang from church columns decorated with the green, yellow and red colors of the Ethiopian flag.
“It really feels like home,” said Kannazegelila Mezgebu, a 21-year-old born in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
“The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has so many beautiful rituals and services. … Every day has its own meaning and a very deep one,” said Mezgebu, a senior at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
Sometimes, she said, it can be a struggle to keep up with traditions amid so many distractions in the city. But it’s worth it, she said, for the church to encourage other young Ethiopian Americans to find a fulfilling spiritual path and reconnect with their roots.
“Everything is so beautiful and so interesting to learn,” she said. “That’s what makes me really love this church.”
Symbolism is woven throughout their faith practice
“There’s so many deep, rooted meanings behind every tradition,” said Beza Bililigne, a youth ministry leader.
He pointed out examples: Congregants take off their shoes before they enter the church as a sign of respect.
The “netela,” the white scarf-like cotton cloth worn by worshippers, signifies modesty and purity and symbolizes the cloth they believe Jesus was wrapped in at birth and crucifixion, Bililigne said. The incense from the censer, he said, represents the Virgin Mary, and the coal that burns it, the divinity of Jesus.
Worship is intergenerational and incorporates the senses. During the recent service, children’s laughter mixed with the priests’ chants as deacons held an umbrella, a symbolic covering of their holy liturgy.
When bells tolled for Communion, congregants lined up to receive it, waiting their turn for a priest to break bread and place a piece into their mouths.
Some worshippers lit candles and asked for heavenly intercession to safeguard relatives back home. Ethiopia faces recurring conflict in several of its regions; millions of people are in need of food aid and health care.
“People who are here in our congregation, some have some relatives imprisoned or killed back home,” said Habte-Sellassie. “They come here and pour out their soul before the Lord so that God can bring peace to the country.”
At the end of the service, church members recorded a video of an elder chanting a liturgy passed on from his ancestors. The footage is posted on the church’s YouTube channel to preserve it for future generations in hopes they maintain the tradition.
“A lot of our traditions, a lot of our prayers are asked for us to know by memory,” Bililigne said. “As long as the person is alive, the traditions will stay alive.”
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Washington
The Church of Jesus Christ has announced its 384th temple
The state of Washington is getting a seventh temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Marysville Washington Temple was announced Sunday night during a devotional in the Marysville Washington Stake by Elder Hugo E. Martinez, a General Authority Seventy in the church’s United States West Area Presidency.
“We are pleased to announce the construction of a temple in Marysville, Washington,” the First Presidency said in a statement. “The specific location and timing of the construction will be announced later. This is a reason for all of us to rejoice and express gratitude for such a significant blessing — one that will allow more frequent access to the ordinances, covenants and power that can only be found in the house of the Lord.”
The other temples in Washington are the Columbia River, Moses Lake, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver temples.
The church has 214 temples in operation. Plans for another 170 temples have been announced; many of those temples are in various stages of planning and construction.
Sunday’s temple announcement follows the new practice of the church’s First Presidency, which determines where temples will be built — and when and how they will be announced.
The First Presidency directed a General Authority Seventy to announce the first temple in Maine at a fireside there in December.
In January, church President Dallin H. Oaks said the Maine announcement set the pattern for future temple announcements.
“The best place to announce a temple is in that temple district,” he told the Deseret News.
The First Presidency will continue to decide where future temples will be built. It then will “assign someone else to make the announcement in the place where the temple will be built,” he said.
This pattern came to him as a strong impression after he assumed leadership of the church in October, following the death of his friend, President Russell M. Nelson.
This came as a strong impression to him shortly after he assumed the leadership of the church, President Oaks said.
The church remains in the midst of an aggressive temple-building era. President Nelson announced 200 new temples from 2018 to 2025. All but one were announced at general conference.
Five dozen temples are now under construction.
President Oaks now has overseen the announcement of two temples, neither at a general conference.
At the October conference he said that “with the large number of temples now in the very earliest phases of planning and construction, it is appropriate that we slow down the announcement of new temples.”
Ten new temples are scheduled to be dedicated in the next six months.
- May 3: Davao Philippines Temple.
- May 3: Lindon Utah Temple.
- May 31: Bacolod Philippines Temple.
- June 7: Yorba Linda California Temple.
- June 7: Willamette Valley Oregon Temple.
- Aug. 16: Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple.
- Aug. 16: Cleveland Ohio Temple.
- Aug. 30: Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple.
- Oct. 11: Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple.
- Oct. 18: Managua Nicaragua Temple.
Two-thirds of the 170 temples still to be built are outside the United States.
Temples are distinct from the meetinghouses where Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ each Sunday. Temples are closed on Sundays, but they open during the week as sanctuaries where church members go to find peace, make covenants with God and perform proxy ordinances for deceased relatives.
Washington
Washington football displays depth, talent at first spring scrimmage
On a perfect day in Seattle for football, Washington took the field inside Husky Stadium for its first scrimmage of spring practice, and ahead of his third season at the helm, Jedd Fisch seemed pleased with the results.
“Guys played and competed their ass off,” he said after the Huskies ran 120 plays. “That’s the type of day we want to have…We have a lot to work on, but we’re excited that today gave us this opportunity.”
The 120 plays had a little bit of everything, but the biggest thing the Huskies showed during the day was that, despite the inexperience that Fisch’s coaching staff is looking to lean on at several positions, there’s plenty of talent littering the roster. The best example of that is sophomore safety Paul Mencke Jr., who had his best practice in a Husky uniform after Fisch announced on Saturday that senior CJ Christian is out for the year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during Tuesday’s practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
“Paul’s done a great job of competing and being physical and playing fast, and you could see over these three years, he’s really grown into understanding now the system, and what’s asked of him as a safety,” Fisch said. “I think there’s a lot of in him that he wants to be like (safeties coach Taylor) Mays. He sees himself as a tall, linear, big hitter. So when you have your coach that is known for that type of play, I think Paul has done a great job.”
Mencke was all over the field. Not only did he lay some big hits, just like his safeties coach did during his time at USC, but the former four-star recruit also tallied a pair of pass breakups, an interception in a 7-on-7 period, and multiple strong tackles to hold ball carriers to limited yards.
While the defense did a good job getting pressure throughout the day and making the quarterbacks hold the ball with different looks on the back end, with safety Alex McLaughlin, linebacker Donovan Robinson, and edge rusher Logan George all among the players credited for a sack, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. got an opportunity to show off how he’s improved ahead of his junior year.
Early on, he showed off his well-known speed and athleticism, making the correct decision on a read option, pulling the ball and scampering for a 25-yard gain before displaying his touch. Throughout the day, his favorite target was junior receiver Rashid Williams, whom he found on several layered throws of 15-plus yards in the various scrimmage periods of practice.
On a day when every able-bodied member of the team was able to get several reps of live action, here are some of the other noteworthy plays from the day.
Spring practice notebook
- Freshman cornerback Jeron Jones was unable to participate in the scrimmage and was spotted working off to the side with the rest of the players rehabbing their injuries.
- The running backs delivered a pair of big blows on the day. First, cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was on the receiving end of a big hit from redshirt freshman Quaid Carr before the former three-star recruit ripped off a 13-yard touchdown run on the next play. Later on, every player on offense had a lot of fun cheering on freshman Ansu Sanoe after he leveled Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, letting the sophomore linebacker hear all about it when the play was whistled dead.
- Sophomore wide receiver Justice Williams put together a strong day with several contested catches, showing off his strong hands and 6-foot-4 frame, including a 25-yard catch and run off a drag route from backup quarterback Elijah Brown.
- Of all the tackles for a loss the Huskies were able to rack up throughout the day, two stood out. First, junior defensive tackle Elinneus Davis burst through the middle of the line to wrap up freshman running back Brian Bonner. Later on, freshman outside linebacker Ramzak Fruean wasn’t even touched as he shot through a gap in the offensive line to track down a play from behind, letting the entire offensive sideline know about the play on his way back to his own bench.
- The Huskies experimented with several defensive line combinations on Saturday, and for the first time this spring, it felt like freshman Derek Colman-Brusa took the majority of his reps alongside someone other than Davis, who he said has taken on an older brother role to help mentor the top-ranked in-state prospect in the 2026 class.
“Elinneus is a phenomenal guy. Great work ethic. He’s kind of taken on that older brother mentor for me. He’s been a great help just to learn plays and learn the scheme. Can’t say enough good things about the guy.”
- Ball State transfer Darin Conley took a handful of reps with the first team, while rotating with Colman-Brusa, who got a lot of work in alongside Sacramento State transfer DeSean Watts.
Washington
Sioux Falls art teachers show ‘incredible’ work at Washington Pavilion
Twenty Sioux Falls School District art teachers have their own original pieces on display at the Washington Pavilion’s University Gallery now through May 31.
The “Teachers as Artists” exhibit showcases their work not just as educators, but as artists inside and outside of the classroom, and highlights how art education builds critical thinking, creative problem-solving and self-expression skills.
Edison Middle School art teacher Meagan Turbak-Fogarty said she dreamt of such a showcase since her first year teaching.
She and Kathy Dang, an art teacher at Marcella LeBeau Elementary School who also serves on the city’s Visual Arts Committee, partnered with the city and Washington Pavilion to bring the showcase to life.
Turbak-Fogarty has taught at Edison for five years and said her passion for art is “instantly felt” on her classroom walls, but that students have asked where they could see her art in the classroom, or what kind of art she creates in her own time.
“I always felt the feeling that I stand in front of all these kids every single day and preach about how much I love art, and how art has changed my life,” Turbak-Fogarty said. “That got me thinking, ‘I want to show them.’”
Some of her works on display at the Pavilion include art she created in her first year teaching, including a large Cheetos bag she created as an example for her eighth grade classroom when they were working on a large chip bag project. Turbak-Fogarty said she loves painting, working with acrylics and unconventional materials.
“I wanted to show my students that art can be anything,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be hanging up in a museum to be considered art.”
Continuing to do her own art while teaching the subject helps keep her inspired, Turbak-Fogarty explained, adding that it helps her push her own creativity when it comes to projects she works on with students.
Samantha Levisay, an art teacher at John Harris Elementary School, showed three pieces in the show — “Moments in Time,” “Midnight Butterfly Garden” and “Whimsy” — with the same mixed media, watercolor and printmaking skills that she teaches in different units at every elementary grade.
Levisay educates her students that “art is everywhere.” She said her favorite memories as an art teacher are “moments when I show students a lesson, and they take it even further.”
“Kids are so creative; I marvel at them all the time,” she said. “They inspire me every day with their endless creativity and imagination.”
Roosevelt High School art teacher Ruth Hillman showed two pieces in the show: “The Potato on the Wall,” a mixed media work, and a collection of her handmade clay charms in a shadow box.
She also wore some of her art — miniature potato earrings made of clay.
Hillman is in her third year at RHS. When she’s not teaching art, she’s also making art, and sells her charms at shows like the Art Collective.
Washington High School art teacher Mollie Potter displayed a three-part painting series at the show that she said were inspired by her English language learner students’ stories, and how teachers help students “take flight,” as represented by balloons, parachutes and kites in her work.
Porter said she is often inspired by her students’ art in the classroom; for example, one former student was obsessed with swans, and Porter said she later created a painting inspired by one of the student’s stories about swans.
At an April 17 reception, Mayor Paul TenHaken emphasized the arts as an “important economic driver in the community,” and said the show honored educators “who are artists in and of themselves,” but who might not have had a chance to display their art outside the classroom before.
“This is a way for us to honor them and show their incredible work,” TenHaken said.
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