Christ our Lord was in Capernaum, the city that hosted Him during much of His earthly ministry, residing in one of the houses along with His disciples. St. Peter, however, was outside this house when certain tax collectors came and asked him whether our Lord paid something called the “temple tax.” Peter responded, “Yes,” and […] The post Christ Above the Temple Tax appeared first on Become Orthodox.

From October 17-19, 2017, we, the Coptic Orthodox bishops of North America, gathered for our semi-annual conference in Titusville, Florida and discussed the acts of sectarian violence directed against our beloved brethren in Egypt. The most recent of these events resulted in the martyrdom of Hegumen Samaan Shehata from the Diocese of Beba and El Fashen. We joyfully commend the righteous soul of this father, the martyr Hegumen Samaan Shehata, to the Paradise of Joy, – …

Under the auspices and presence of our beloved Metropolitan Abba Serapion and Bishop Abraham, the Diocese would like to invite all the servants who are serving in the following social services: 1- Seniors ministry 2- New Comers Service 3- Arabic Youth Service 4- Free Indeed Ministry (addiction) 5- Prisons Ministry 6- Foster Homes Services … to attend the first Diakonia & Service Day at St. John Coptic Orthodox Church, Covina on Saturday October 21, 2017 – …

We humans, have become very mean. I think meaner than I remember as a kid. We yell a lot. We pontificate a lot. We let others know how we feel about things, invited or uninvited. Who of us has not felt the sting of hurt? I imagine the question is rhetorical, because the only person … Continue reading Hurting people. →

Astana, Kazakhstan, June 29, 2017 From June 27-30, 2017 the Commission for Bilateral Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church held its second meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan generously hosted by His Grace Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, co-chairman of the Commission. Present at the meeting were His Grace Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), Secretary for Inter-Christian Affairs from the Department of External Church Relations (DECR), the Very Rev. Father Oleg – …

The Diocese joyfully announces the visit of His Grace Bishop Arsany of Amsterdam and all the Netherlands. His Grace will bless us at the following events: Thursday, July 6 – Archangel Michael Church, Santa Ana Youth Meeting at 7:30p Friday, July 7 – St. George Church, Bellflower Youth Meeting at 7:30p Sunday, July 8 – St. Maurice Church, Pomona Youth Meeting We encourage our youth to attend and be enriched by His Grace.

In this meditation, His Eminence speaks about Christian unity in light of recent ecumenical events (Arabic). https://www.dropbox.com/s/sl26it5q0qtjmoy/towards%20Chritian%20Unity.m4a?dl=0

“And I’ll tell you this, my child, that the days will come when the Christians will add to and will take away from, and will alter the books of the Holy Evangelists, and of the Holy Apostles, and of the Divine Prophets, and of the Holy Fathers. They will tone down the Holy Scriptures and […] The post A Prophecy of Abba Pambo appeared first on Become Orthodox.

Our good Lord allowed our churches in Egypt to suffer terrorist attacks, such as those that impacted the churches of El Botrosiyya in Cairo, St. Mark Cathedral in Alexandria, and Mar Gergis (St. George) in Fanta, which led to the martyrdom of many and numerous others who were wounded. Despite all the pain we felt in those incidents, we saw the soothing hand of the Lord in protecting His Church and people. In the attack – …

St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church in Santa Monica is planning to hold its Orthodox Day of Praise on Saturday, May 13. This is a unique and a joyous event where the different Orthodox churches praise the Resurrected Christ in one unified language: the language of praise and music The admission, food and child activities are all for FREE. Orthodox Day of Praise

Download the messages in both Arabic and English (PDF) Resurrection 2017 – Arabic Resurrection 2017 – English   “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7) My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! It is my pleasure to wish all of you the blessings of the Glorious Feast of the Res-urrection. We rejoice in the Resurrection of our Lord, because it gives us – …

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnez′zar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.[a] 18 But if not, be … Continue reading Between joy and sadness: Hail New Martyrs! →