We’re approaching that time of year again where we put away our meat and dairy products, fast ‘til sunset, and immerse ourselves in the full love of Christ through prayer and thanksgiving. Yes, the Great Lent is approaching us and what better way to enhance your journey during the fast and prepare yourself for Holy Week than by attending the Annual GYP Lenten Retreat? We are very fortunate and blessed to have with us this – …

On Sunday, March 16, 2014, His Grace Bishop Serapion along with the priests and congregation of St. John Coptic Orthodox Church unveiled a permanent dedication in honor of the Thrice-Blessed Pope Shenouda III at the corner of Cienega Ave and Valley Center Ave in Covina, California. Also present at the ceremony was the Hon. Walter Allen III, Mayor of Covina along with several other dignitaries. The memorial, which commemorates the second anniversary of the departure of – …

On Monday, March 17, 2014, the Church celebrates the second annual commemoration of the Thrice-Blessed Pope Shenouda III of blessed memory who departed into eternal joy on March 17, 2012 after shepherding the Church and presiding over Her unprecedented growth for over 40 years. For this reason, every parish of the Diocese will remember his pure soul in the Sunday Divine Liturgy on March 16. Additionally, the fathers in every parish will say a few – …

CrossmapEgypt’s Young Coptic Christians Energized to Fight for Civil RightsAINAThe group, formed to fight for civil rights, rejects the mostly passive role Christian Copts played before the revolution, when the church’s patriarch served as proxy for the Coptic community in all matters political. It targets younger people — a …Open season on Christians in LibyaThe CommentatorWhy So Many Christians Killed or Under Persecution in the World ，Will …Crossmapall 7 news articles »

I. An Historical Session The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, under the auspices of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, agreed on new regulations for electing the Pope, who is the Patriarch of the See of St. Mark the Apostle, the Archbishop of Alexandria, and the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church worldwide. In a special session that lasted seven hours, the Holy Synod voted on the following regulations which were presented by the – …

The Great Holy Fast, sometimes known as Lent, is a 55-day period of intense prayer, fasting, charity, and repentance. Throughout these holy days, the faithful make a conscious effort to immerse themselves more in the life of the Church, especially through attendance of Divine Liturgies as often as possible. To help faithful throughout the diocese find available services in their area, the attached PDF has been prepared at the direction of Bishop Serapion. It lists – …

FRANCE 24Murder of 7 Coptic Egyptians in Libya met with indifferenceFRANCE 24Seven Egyptian nationals, stone masons by trade and Coptic Christians, were executed Sunday in Benghazi. The city, which was the cradle of the Libyan revolution, is sinking ever deeper into chaos. The crime, which was likely committed for religious …Coptic Christians killed ‘execution style’ in LibyaChristianTodayCoptic Solidarity Condemns Inadequate Response to Murder of 7 Copts in LibyaCanada Free PressCoptic Orthodox Church condemns killing of Egyptians – …

Ahram OnlineFuneral held in Egypt’s main Coptic church for 7 Egyptians killed in LibyaAhram OnlineThe funeral for the seven Egyptians who were found shot dead in Libya took place on Wednesday in the main Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo’s Abbasiya district. The bodies of the seven men arrived in Cairo earlier on Wednesday. Egypt’s army chief …Military helicopter to transfer bodies of slain Egyptian Copts on arrival from …Daily News Egyptall 5 news articles »

swissinfo.chEgyptians, possibly Coptic Christians, shot to death near BenghaziUPI.comThe Egyptian Coptic Christian community has been under attack in recent years in Libya, the Herald said. Two people were killed In 2012 in an explosion near the Coptic Orthodox Church in Misurata. The main Coptic church in Benghazi was closed after it …Gunmen Go Door-to-Door to Find and Execute Christians in LibyaChristian PostSeven Egyptian Christians Were Killed on Monday Near the Libyan City of …CrossmapSeven Christians Found – …

The Diocese, under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Serapion, joyfully announces the establishment and opening of a new parish in Hawthorne, California by the name of Holy Annunciation Coptic Orthodox Church. This new parish will continue and grow the Diocese’s service to Orthodox faithful living in Hawthorne and other cities in South Los Angeles County. On Saturday, March 1, 2014, the faithful will celebrate the inaugural Divine Liturgy from 8:00-11:00 a.m. All faithful are – …

Christian unity is an exalted goal that all faithful seek. We pray that God may grant His children to be united in faith. In order to achieve this unity, we must return to the Early Church, especially the Apostolic Era, to understand Christian unity. In the Book of Acts, we read, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as – …

On Sunday, January 12, His Grace Bishop Serapion laid hands on, and ordained, Deacon Michael Guirgus as a presbyter with the name Father Angelos Guirgus to serve the Diocese at St. Mercurius and St. Abraam Church in Torrance. Participating in the ordination were the honored hierarchs, Bishop Tadros of Port Said and Bishop Youssef of the Southern United States. Father Angelos will travel, God willing, to the Monastery of Abba Antony in the California desert – …