[Oe List ...] Fwd: Father Michael Taffesse
John Epps
jlepps39 at gmail.com
Wed Mar 7 08:35:13 PST 2018
Seeing his photo from Jim & Judy and reading of his life events from
Margaret, I was reminded of the words of a song we sang in the Perkins
Seminary Singers based on a text from Eccliasticus and set to music by R.
Vaughn Williams. The words go something like this:
Let us now praise famous men
and our Fathers who begat us.
in whom the Lord showed forth his mighty
power in days of old.
This portion was sung in a triumphant mode. Then the basses continued in a
subdued minor key:
But some there be who have no memorial
Who are forgotten
as though they had not been.
I can’t recall the rest of the words, but the upshot was that even these
are honored for their contributions without which the historical drama
could not have occurred.
Thank you, Father Michael.
On Wed, Mar 7, 2018 at 8:12 AM, Paula Philbrook via OE <
oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
> Age was a debate with my Mom, Marge Philbrook. They both thought they
> were oldest. She is 89. He only knew what year he attended seminary. So
> he estimated he was older than Marge. Paula
>
> On Wed, Mar 7, 2018 at 8:32 AM, Dharmalingam Vinasithamby <
> dvinasithamby at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Yes, Father Michael was a familiar figure for me during my years in
>> Kemper although I did not know him that well. Does anyone know how old he
>> was when he died? Or can make an educated guess?
>>
>> Dharma
>>
>>
>>
>> Wednesday, 7 March 2018, 21:46:25 GMT+8, Paula Philbrook via OE <
>> oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Father Michael saw himself as the Pastor for each & everyone of us. He
>> visited the Hospital each time one of my girls were born.
>>
>> Father Michael was the Pastor for the Ethopian Community of the US. The
>> churches in Chicago, San Francisco, DC were his doing. The Philbrook's had
>> a tradition of sharing an annual dinner @ the Ethopian Diamond on
>> Broadway. As we came into the restaurant, out came his cross from his
>> pocket and he blessed everyone as they knelt/bowed for his blessings.
>>
>> Shortly after he arrived in the community back in the 1970's, he
>> accompanied us to New Orleans for the Christmas holidays. He was going to
>> spend his time with Ruth Kleopfer and her family. He also found Louisiana's
>> Hot Sauce. He was so happy! He thought there was no hot spicy food in the
>> US. After that he never went anywhere without it.
>>
>> So wherever you are find an Ethiopian Restaurant or hot sauce. Celebrate
>> the life of Father Michael!
>>
>> Paula Philbrook
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 7, 2018, 6:00 AM James Wiegel via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Yes, always seemed a holy man, and so kind. I also have memories of him
>> walking the hall, behind a little one, hands out and down ready to catch a
>> fall. I also remember Fr. Michael on elevator duty. Judy found this
>> picture.
>> [image: image1.PNG]
>> Jim Wiegel
>> 401 North Beverly Way, Tolleson, Arizona 85353
>> Tel. 011-623-936-8671 or 011-623-363-3277
>> jfwiegel at yahoo.com <marilyn.oyler at gmail.com>
>> www.partnersinparticipation.com
>>
>> Loneliness does not come from having no people around you. But from being
>> unable to communicate the things that seem important to you. Carl Jung
>>
>> On Mar 6, 2018, at 21:24, Jann McGuire via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Thank you for letting us know. I was telling friends about Fr. Michael
>> last week. after he appeared in my very ordinary dream. I didn't know him
>> well because I was very much in awe of his presence, which seemed holy to
>> me.
>>
>> Jann McGuire
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 6:51 PM, E B via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Thank you so much Margaret for sharing your story about Fr. Michael. When
>> Addi and I arrived in Chicago, we immediately made deep connection with Fr.
>> Michael. I wondered if it was Addi and his shared experience as political
>> prisoners that drew them close together. Fr Michael was always a great soul
>> to visit every time we had a chance.
>>
>> Elsa Batica
>> Minneapolis, MN
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* Margaret Aiseayew via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> *To:* 'Order Ecumenical Community' <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> *Cc:* Margaret Aiseayew <aiseayew at netins.net>
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 6, 2018 2:45 PM
>>
>> *Subject:* Re: [Oe List ...] Fwd: Father Michael Taffesse
>>
>> Fr. Michael was a spiritual advisor to Haile Selassie. Selassie was
>> referred to as the Lion of Judah and his lineage went back into the 1100’s
>> I think. If you don’t have an image of Selassie google President Kennedy’s
>> funeral and you will see the miniature Selassie walking beside the gigantic
>> Charles De Gaulle of France. They were in the front rank of the
>> dignitaries attending.
>> Our first International Training Institute in Africa was in Ethiopia and
>> Fr. Michael was a participant. He was imprisoned when the Derg took over
>> the government and killed Selassie. He was in prison for quite a while and
>> tortured while he was there. I can’t imagine what information they thought
>> they would get from a priest, but he had large burn marks on his arms which
>> is why even in the hottest of summers, he would still be wearing a long
>> sleeved shirt. (He would sometimes wear short sleeves in his room and I
>> saw/and talked to him one of those days in the hall on the way from the
>> bathroom.) He was scheduled for execution, but that was apparently not done
>> in the prison which I believe was in Addis Ababa. As he was being
>> transported to his execution he was smuggled into Egypt by a leader of the
>> Coptic church there whose name I cannot remember at the moment. We used
>> to talk about him as he had also sent participants to the ITI. Fr. Michael
>> did some healing in Egypt and we worked with our government and the church
>> there to bring him to the US under the auspices of the Ecumenical
>> Institute. In spite of all the changes we went through as a community, he
>> insisted on staying in the building. His gratitude for our participation
>> in his rescue was unlimited.
>> I don’t know exactly when he became involved in building the Ethiopian
>> Coptic congregation in the Chicago area. For many years, they rented the
>> chapel of the Evanston First United Methodist Church. They outgrew the
>> space and eventually purchased the church on the southside. I met
>> Ethiopian Methodists in Iowa that asked as soon as I mentioned that I had
>> spent time in Chicago if I knew Fr. Michael.
>> Father Michael and my dad hit it off immediately. They were both global
>> churchmen. From their first meeting, there was never a time I came home to
>> visit that Dad didn’t ask about Father Michael or Father Michael ask about
>> my dad when I returned. It was a bit as if they had looked into each
>> other’s souls and found peace residing there.
>> Sorry, Linda, but you asked and now I have run on far too long again.
>> Blessings, Margaret
>> *From:* OE [mailto:oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net] *On Behalf Of *Lynda
>> C via OE
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 6, 2018 1:03 PM
>> *To:* Order Ecumenical Community
>> *Cc:* Lynda C
>> *Subject:* Re: [Oe List ...] Fwd: Father Michael Taffesse
>>
>> Margaret, what a heartfelt sharing! We also experienced his special
>> blessing when we told him about our adopted grandson Caleb from Ethiopia.
>> He kept asking us to say his name again, which we southerners pronounce as
>> Kay lub. He asked us to spell it and as we did, his eyes brightened and he
>> said “ Ah, Ca’ Lib” (Cah’lib), and told us that Caleb was one of the first
>> disciples. So we share your delight in that memory of the connection of
>> importance of one’s name. He was a special presence and so revered and
>> loved by his congregation.
>>
>> Please tell us more about Father Michael. I know very little of history,
>> other than he was in danger. I will not be bored.
>>
>> Journey On, Father Michael!
>>
>> *From: *OE <oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net> on behalf of OE List <
>> oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> *Reply-To: *OE List <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> *Date: *Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at 1:50 PM
>> *To: *OE List <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>> *Cc: *Margaret Aiseayew <aiseayew at netins.net>
>> *Subject: *Re: [Oe List ...] Fwd: Father Michael Taffesse
>>
>> Dear colleagues,
>> When we were assigned back to Chicago from Rome, we were housed next to
>> Father Michael. Naomi was just a year old, but she had risen to her feet
>> three months earlier to chase her sister. When she walked down the
>> hallway, she looked like a gyroscope on a loose string. I have so many
>> images from that year of Father Michael going down the hall behind her,
>> bent over with both hands outstretched to catch her if she fell. I always
>> felt that a part of our deep friendship was that my daughters were named
>> Esther and Naomi. Their names had given me great credibility in his eyes.
>> I remember the privilege of walking around uptown with Father Michael and
>> having to stop sometimes two or three times as we went to a community
>> meeting so he could bless parishioners coming our way. Father Michael’s
>> driving skills were legendarily poor. When we completed the new parking
>> lot, I went out and painted his name on the stopper for the first parking
>> spot to the left. (Those to the right were not angled to be as helpful.)
>> I have always hoped that this ended his accidents in the parking lot. I
>> took great grief from many of our tenants at that time for giving him the
>> only reserved space. When I reminded them of his driving skills they
>> usually got off my back.
>> One day Fr. Michael came into the building with some of his parishioners
>> and I was cleaning the floor of the elevator on my knees. I told them they
>> were welcome to come in and go up to his floor. Fr. Michael introduced me
>> to them as the mother of his first Naomi. One of the parish members with
>> him also had a daughter named Naomi.
>> Fr. Michael also came to Naomi and Colin’s wedding and participated in
>> the baptism of Austin that day with the Ethiopian cross he had given the
>> minister of their ceremony. It was used to sprinkle him in the name of the
>> Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He had given it sharing the story that it was
>> from his local church there and they had given it to him the last time he
>> had been home before he left for his full orders. I believe he said he was
>> 17 at that time.
>> I feel as if I could go on and on and I do not want to bore you. I was
>> simply concerned that some of us may not have known him as well as others.
>> Personally, it is a bit as if my father has died again.
>> Emmanuel, Margaret Aiseayew
>>
>> Fwd: Father Michael Taffesse
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Hello Colleagues,
>>
>> Regretfully, I am informing you that Father Michael Taffesse, a longtime
>> resident of the ICA community and colleague passed away Sunday morning. He
>> will be greatly missed. His services are this Saturday March 10th . Mass
>> is being held at 9805 South Commercial Ave. Chicago, IL
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=9805+South+Commercial+Ave.+Chicago,+IL&entry=gmail&source=g>
>> at 7am with visitation until noon. As more information presents itself, I
>> will email it to you. I will be paying my respects and invite anyone who
>> would like to pay theirs a ride with me. If you would like to ride along
>> please let me know at your earliest convenience.
>>
>> *And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are
>> those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, saying the Spirit, they are
>> blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good
>> deeds follow them!’*
>>
>> *Revelation 14:13 *
>>
>> Best Regards,
>> Lesley
>>
>>
>> Lesley Showers
>> Property Manager
>> ICA-USA
>> Ecumenical Institute
>> 4750 N. Sheridan Rd.
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=4750+N.+Sheridan+Rd.+Chicago,+IL+60640+(773&entry=gmail&source=g>
>> Chicago, IL 60640
>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=4750+N.+Sheridan+Rd.+Chicago,+IL+60640+(773&entry=gmail&source=g>
>> (773) 769-6363 P
>> (773) 944-1257 F
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Paula
>
> "The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to
> give it away."
> Pablo Picasso
>
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