The two saints were kinsmen (in the flesh). Born in the city of Akhmim, they went to one of the monasteries of Upper Egypt, became monks, and stayed their for twenty years. When the Arian heresy attacked the church through the mediation of the devil, the Arians came in the church, brought offerings, and were offering. The saints stood up, defended their faith, and proclaimed, “He who has not been baptized in the Name of – …

St. Abanoub was born to pure, Christian parents who raised him in the upright faith. Diocletian came to reign, ruling that all Christians should be martyred. When St. Abanoub heard of that (at the age of 12), he longed to shed his blood for Christ. When he got to church one day, he heard the reverend father preaching everyone, strengthening their faith, telling them to never worship idols, and encouraging their martyrdom for the Lord’s – …

Thursday, July 30th, 2009, is the commemoration of St. Marina the Martyr who overcame the Devil. St. Marina was born to noble pagan parents in Antioch. Her mother passed away, so her father sent to her to be raised by a nanny. The nanny played a great role in the life of St. Marina, especially her salvation. The nanny preached to St. Marina about Christ, the faith, and the saints. Through the nanny’s narration of – …

Glory to God, the 2009 Diocese College Convention concluded as a great success. This year, our featured speakers were His Grace Bishop Serapion, His Grace Bishop Suriel of the Diocese of Melbourne, Australia, and former Los Angeles Lakers player A.C. Green. The single topic for all of the lectures was "The New Martyrdom," which relates to maintaining purity in a society that constantly reinforces the opposite message. The convention commenced with registration and an introduction by – …

St. John was born in the city of Rome to a wealthy family. His father’s name was Atrofius (Trabius). His father gave him a copy of the Gospel of St. John written in letters of gold with a golden cover: That is the reasoning for his name. There was a monk, visiting from Jerusalem, who came to visit his father’s house. St. John asked if he could come with him, but the monk told him – …

On the 15th of Abib, the 22nd of July, our church commemorates our venerable father, St. Ephraim the Syrian (c. 306 – 373). He was born in the city of Nissibis in Mesopotamia, at the beginning of the fourth century (around the year 306 AD). Certain sources maintain that he was born form Christian parents, while other sources hold that he was born from pagan parents, and later was converted by St. James of Nissibis. – …

On Sunday, July 19, the church celebrates the commemoration of the honorable Archangel Michael, the perpetual intercessor of the human race before God the Pantocrator. Scripture and Tradition The name Michael means "like unto God" or "Who is like unto God?" Michael first appears in the Old Testament in the book of Joshua’s account of the fall of Jericho. Though Michael is not mentioned by name in the text, it is said that Joshua "looked – …

St. Pishoy was born in 320 A.D. in Shansa, which corresponds to present-day Al Manoufia. His mother saw an angel in a vision asking her to give God one of her children, St. Pishoy, despite the fact he was the smallest and most frail of his brothers. When the mother tried to give the angel one of her stronger children, the angel refused and chose St. Pishoy instead. When he was 20 years old, St. – …

On July 10-11, 2009, Saint Athanasius and Saint Cyril Theological Library held its Third Annual Patristics Conference featuring His Grace Bishop Serapion, the Reverend Protopresbyter Father George Dion. Dragas, and Deacon Severus Mikhail. With God’s grace and through your prayers, the conference was a tremendous blessing and success. The conference commenced with a general youth meeting at St. Maurice Coptic Orthodox Church on Friday, July 10, 2009. Earlier that morning, the church celebrated the Feast – …

On June 7, 2009, the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church convened on the Glorious Feast of Pentecost to discuss several important issues in the life of the church and its faithful. The attached file, compiled by Fr. Youhanna Mouris, contains an explanation of all of the Holy Synod’s decrees in Arabic and English. Decrees of the Holy Synod 2009_E&A.pdf204 KB

On this day, the ascetic father, St. Shenoute the Archimandrite, departed. As a child, he was entrusted with his father’s sheep. He spent his days tending the sheep and fasting. One day, his father took him to Abba Pigol, his uncle, for a blessing. A voice came from heaven saying, "Shenoute has become the Archimandrite." From that time, he increased his ascetic life until he succeeded Abba Pigol as head of the White Monastery in – …

With great joy and enthusiasm, the Diocese announces the publication of a new book, On the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyril of Alexandria. Published by the Saint Paul Brotherhood Press, this book features a collection of eight homilies delivered by Saint Cyril on the Lord’s Prayer ("Our Father Who art in heaven…") As His Grace Bishop Serapion wrote in the Preface, In the following homilies, the reader will be inspired by the intense, theological depth – …