Obituary: Abba (Fr.) Kibrom Tseggai 1947 - 2024

Obituary: Abba (Fr.) Kibrom Tseggai 1947 - 2024

Fr. Kibrom Tseggai, a distinguished Eritrean Catholic priest, passed away at the age of 77 on the morning of June 21, 2024, at Nyaho Clinic in Accra, Ghana. His death was announced by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, C.S.Sp. Since 2008, Fr. Tseggai had served in Accra as an assistant priest and consultant archivist on Church literature in Ghana and Africa. He was buried on the 18th of July in Keren, Eritrea.

Fr. Tseggai's contributions extended beyond traditional pastoral duties. He was deeply committed to social justice and compassion, working on numerous initiatives to improve the lives of both Ghanaians and Eritreans in Eritrea and Ghana. His legacy includes efforts in promoting education, healthcare, and support for the marginalized. He was social, friendly and committed to helping the needy.

I had the privilege of meeting Abba (Fr.) Kibrom during one of my visits to Ghana, and we became close friends due to our shared passion for Eritrean and regional history. Fr. Kibrom was resourceful and full of innovative ideas. He was not  a priest, but also a nationalist deeply interested in Eritrean history. He was fluent in Blin, Tigre, Tigrinya, Amharic, Italian, and English. He possessed a small yet rich library with rare Italian books on Eritrea and was knowledgeable about the local history of areas such as Ashera, Shetel, and Mensura, the intersection point between the Blin and the Beni Amer. I have shared some of his writings on my blog. He had shared important Italian documents regarding the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia with Eritrean government officials, during the work of the Eritrean-Ethiopian Boundary Commission's work.

Fr. Tseggai published his first book, "Short History of Ashera," in 2020, covering 170 years of history from 1850 to 2020, with a focus on the Church's history in Ashera from 1982 to 1991. Although the book primarily discussed Ashera, it also addressed broader aspects of Eritrean history. He was working on several projects, including the history of Keren.

Like most Eritreans he came from a nationalist family. His brother Mebrahtu, nick named Getaa, joined the Eritrean liberation Front (ELF) at an early stage and participated in the daring ELF operation at Haikota in 1963. He was also one the fighters who took custody of the Americans whose helicopter, which was on a geological survey. landed at an ELF controlled area in March 1974. He was martyred  later in the same year. Another of his brothers fought with the EPLF. 

Born on March 24, 1947, in Biledba (ቢለድባ)/Begu village, formerly Senhit or Anseba province in Eritrea, to Tseggai Gebremichael and Halima Hishal, Fr. Tseggai began his elementary education in October 1959 at Geab (ገዓብ)//Begu. He studied for seven years at the Catholic Seminary in Keren and continued his religious education at the Seminary in Asmara from 1968 to 1978, where he was ordained as a priest.

Fr. Tseggai pursued higher education abroad, earning an MSc in Technology from the Urbaniana University in Rome, Italy, in 1982, an MA in Communications from the University of Ghana in 2006, and a Diploma in Journalism from Tanzania in 1998. From 1982 to 1995, he served in Eritrea as a priest in the villages of Ashera, Halibmentel, and Anseba, among others. He was the editor of the Eritrean Catholic Church’s publication, "Truth and Life," from 1998 to 2004. During his time in Ghana, he visited several African countries to assist with archiving the Catholic Churches’ documents and was a member of the International Council on Archives.

Fr. Kibrom Tseggai will be deeply missed. May his soul rest in peace, and may God provide comfort to his family and friends.