St. Gabriel is one of the most celebrated archangels among the Ethiopian Orthodox people. Many St.Gabriel churches can be found throughout Ethiopia, some established dating back over a thousand years. The Ethiopian Orthodox church celebrates the Feast of St. Gabriel twice a year, once in July and another in December

The Ethiopian Immigrants that have settled in San Diego had carried this same tradition and established the church in 1983 by holding weekly church mass and St. Gabriel’s feast days in December and July out of Greek Orthodox or other Christian entitles, as time and space were available by the host rental Church. In 1996 the current St. Gabriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church of San Diego was incorporated. As the result of the active pledging members growing and demand for a bigger Church, the members voted and purchased their Church at 4808 –4810 Trojan Avenue, San Diego California in 1998.​