Beloved Philadelphia priest Addisalem Mekonnen dead at 42

Fr Addisalem Mekonnen, a priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, died suddenly on Dec. 21. No cause of death was released, but an obituary states that he died “peacefully.” He was 42 years old.

The Ethiopian-American clergyman, who pastored the historically Black St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, was found dead at his residence.

“He did not show up for Mass on Saturday morning and it was requested that somebody go to his room to see where he is, and they found him on the floor,” said Msgr Frederico Britto, who addressed parishioners at the parish during Mass on Sunday.

Born to Teshager and Tsadu Mekonnen in 1982 under military rule in what is now Ethiopia, Mekonnen immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of two. He was raised in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but received a Catholic education and attended Mass as a child before converting as an adult.

Prior to entering seminary, Mekonnen studied at the Community College of Philadelphia and worked at the Philadelphia International Airport, according to Catholic Philly. He began studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in 2007 and there received his bachelor’s and Master of Divinity degrees.

Mekonnen was ordained to the priesthood in 2015, ten years after being received into the Church, and later served at Nativity of Our Lord Church in Warminster, St. Anselm Church in Philadelphia, and at his final assignment with St. Martin de Porres since 2020.

Having consecrated himself to Jesus through Mary shortly before his conversion, Mekonnen remained devoted to Marian spirituality and served as the archdiocesan spiritual director for the Legion of Mary. He was also a devotee of Venerable Augustus Tolton, the nation’s first openly Black Catholic priest, from whom Mekonnen drew inspiration during his time in seminary.

Mekonnen had served as chaplain of West Catholic Preparatory High School in Philadelphia since June 2023, when he was also named pastor of St. Martin de Porres after a term as parochial administrator. In the same year, Mekonnen made waves in the archdiocese with his 26-mile walk to raise funds for a wheelchair lift at the church’s parish hall.

“He was an amazing brother priest,” said Fr John Ọkpara on social media following Mekonnen’s death. “A joyful priest who was passionate about his faith and vocation.”

Mekonnen is survived by his parents; his siblings Eskiar, Eyob, Solomon, Semere, and Daniel; and several nieces and nephews. He was ten days shy of his 43rd birthday at the time of his death.

A viewing has been scheduled for Friday, Dec. 27, at 8:30am ET at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Philadelphia, Mekonnen’s childhood parish. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at the church by Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez at 10:30am the same day. Burial will follow at Ss. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Springfield.

Donations can be made in memory of Mekonnen to his alma mater, St. Francis de Sales Catholic School, on the school website.

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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