Who Was St. Yared?

Around 505 AD, St. Yared’s story began in Aksum, Ethiopia’s holy city of stone churches and bustling markets, where Christian faith thrived. Tradition says he was born to devout parents—his father, a scholar, and his mother, a prayerful woman—growing up with the rhythms of liturgy and the scent of incense at St. Mary of Zion. Curious but shy, Yared loved watching priests chant in Ge’ez, but school was hard. He struggled memorizing Psalms, unlike his quick-learning friends, and tradition says classmates teased him, calling him slow, making him doubt himself. Some days, he hid by St. Mary of Zion, too embarrassed to face his teacher, yet his steadfast faith kept him praying to Jesus.

Tradition says Yared’s family wasn’t rich, and he helped with chores like fetching water or tending goats, learning humility. One day, tradition says, his teacher, frustrated by a poor recitation, sent him home. As he walked, head down, a woman at the market saw his frown and said, “God is guiding you, little one.” That night, tradition says, he prayed harder, clutching a cross his mother gave him, and his confidence grew in trusting God. Another time, tradition says, he sat by a well near St. Mary of Zion, watching a cantor practice hymns. Too shy to join, he prayed for courage, and a breeze seemed to encourage him, as if guided by God. These moments hinted at his future—music would be his path. From Aksum’s streets to its holy altars, Yared’s struggles built his faith, preparing him to sing for Christ with a gift that would shine in Ethiopia’s worship.