St. Frumentius
Patron saint of Ethiopia.
Frumentius was a Phonecian from Tyre. When he was a boy, he and his brother were captured off of a ship on its way to Abyssinia. The crew was massacred and Frumentius and his brother given as slaves to the king of Axum. After the king's death, the men were freed, but the queen asked Frumentius to stay and teach the young prince until he was old enough to rule. Frumentius stayed until the prince was of age.
Frumentius convinced St. Athanasius to send priests to Abyssinia and worked extensively to convert the natives to Christianity. He encouraged public worship of Christians in open meeting places, and build several churches. He was consecrated bishop of Abyssinia in 328 A.D. The people called him "our father" and Abyssinian tradition credits Frumentius with the first translation of the New Testament into Ethiopian.
Links of Interest:
Overview of Abyssinia and Christianity from the Catholic Encyclopedia
History of the Catholic Church in Ethiopia
Image credit: www.christopherklitou.com
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