On this day, the church celebrates the commemoration of the transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor. The disciples, Peter, James and John, were with Him, and about whom the Lord said, " …. there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom." (Mt. 16:28) He fulfilled His promise, for six days later, He took His three disciples, up – …

The Diocese joyfully announces its annual Young Professional Dinner Cruise on Sunday, August 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The cruise is a spiritual and social event focusing on graduate youth under the supervision of His Grace Bishop Serapion. This year’s featured speaker will be Dr. Dina Zayat of St. Marina Coptic Orthodox Church and the Santa Monica Family Education Committee. You may find additional information, including sign up and payment details, at the – …

The written portion of Al Keraza Spiritual Competition will take place for 3rd-5th grade children in the following locations: Test Location Coordinator St. Maurice – Pomona Fr. Mina Girgis Ezzat Petros St. Mark – Los Angeles Fr. Raphael Hanna Fr. Ishak Boules Archangel Michael – Santa Ana Tasony Raphaela Tasony Gabriela St. George – Bellflower — At the church — At Big Bear Fr, Boules Baky Fr. Mauritius Mikhail St. Abanoub – Norco Fr. Antony – …

I would like to congratulate you on the blessed fast of St. Mary wishing you many returns of the blessed fast and a joyful feast. The fast of the Virgin St. Mary is a beautiful spiritual time and a blessed opportunity to contemplate on the virtues of the Holy Virgin Mary. St. Mary is a treasure of virtues. In her life we see an example of strong faith and a life of submission. She is – …

1. The Queen who is by the Right Side of The King. In this, we mention the words of the psalm “At your hand standsthe queen in gold from Ophir” (Ps. 45:9). That is why, in her icon, she isportrayed at the right hand of the Christ our Lord. And we say about herin the divine mass “the Lady and the Queen of us all” 2. Our Mother the Holy Virgin. When the Christ our – …

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 – …