On Sunday, March 4, 2012, H.G. Bishop Serapion celebrated the first Divine Liturgy for the newly established parish of St. Paul American Coptic Orthodox Church. Also celebrating with His Grace were the reverend fathers, Fr. Gregory Bishay, Fr. David Abdelsayed, and Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim. By the grace of God, over two hundred people came to participate in the celebration. Welcoming packets which included information about the Coptic Orthodox Church and the mission of St. Paul – …

The Diocese joyfully announces its Third Annual Graduates and Young Professionals (GYP) Lenten Retreat from March 30 to April 1, 2012 at the Mission Renewal Center in Santa Barbara, CA. This year, the retreat will be blessed by the joint presence of our bishop, His Grace Bishop Serapion, and His Grace Bishop Youssef of the Diocese of the Southern United States. The topic for this year is “Eat, Pray, Agape.” For more information and prices, – …

Dear Reverend Fathers and blessed congregations, I wish you blessed Great Lent. I am pleased to advise you that a new parish church under the name of St. Paul American Coptic Orthodox Church is established under the the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles. The mission of St. Paul Church is “to be an open multi-cultured community where people of all ethnic backgrounds who join our Church can feel welcome and at home.” The mission – …

With great joy, the Diocese announces the opening of a new parish in Orange County: St. Paul American Coptic Orthodox Church. As the name suggests, this parish is missionary in nature, aiming to reflect the light of Orthodox Christianity to people from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds while serving primarily non-Egyptian members of the Diocese. The parish will operate under the close supervision and guidance of our beloved father, His Grace Bishop Serapion, and will be – …

With great joy, the Diocese announces the ordination of a new priest on Sunday, January 15, 2012 to serve in the Diocese at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Los Angeles. Emad Gorgy was ordained as Deacon Cyril on Saturday, January 14, 2012 and ordained as Fr. Cyril on Sunday, January 15, 2012 at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church through the laying of hands by His Grace Bishop Serapion. He will spend his 40 days of fasting – …

On Sunday, January 8, His Grace Bishop Serapion attended a service and reception at St. Nicholas Cathedral honoring the Antiochian Orthodox Archbishop Joseph (Zehlaoui) who was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV on December 11, 2011. Archbishop Joseph is the hierarch of the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of the West. On behalf of the Diocese, Bishop Serapion relayed congratulations and wishes for a long and blessed service to the newly – …

Michelle and I wish Coptic Orthodox Christians in the United States and around the world a blessed and joyous Christmas. On this special day, we give thanks for the extraordinary contributions that Coptic Christians have made to the United States. I want to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to work for the protection of Christian and other religious minorities around the world. As events in Egypt and elsewhere have illustrated, and as history – …

Participating in sports activites is not only about physical gain. It’s about teaching our youth life lessons and mainly about building their psychological and spiritual strength and experience. “More Than Just Sports” presents the real benefits behind playing sports. Prepared and presented by Fr. James Soliman and produced in a professional, energetic pace, this video is a wonderful educational tool for all family members. To order your DVD, please send a check or money order – …

With great joy, the Diocese announces the ordination of a new priest on Sunday, November 27, 2011 to serve in the Diocese at Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Santa Ana. The candidate, Habeeb Hanna, was ordained Deacon Maurice Hanna on Friday, November 25 at St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church by His Grace Bishop Serapion. Attending this blessed event were several priests from the Diocese and many faithful who came to take the blessing of – …

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, H.H. Patriarch Mar Ignatius Zakka I, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, H.H. Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Orthodox Church and H.H. Abuna Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, give thanks to God for bringing us together – …

The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation held its 81st meeting at St Paul’s College in Washington October 27-28. The meeting was chaired by Catholic Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans. The Eastern Orthodox co-chairman since 1987, Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh, has retired, and a successor has not yet been named. During this meeting the members heard reports about major events in the lives of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches and issued a brief statement, “On – …

The Diocese encourages all her children to participate in a study of Copts living outside of Egypt through the following survey. Please review carefully the message below from GWU Professor Jennifer Brinkerhoof. ______ Given current events in Egypt it is more important than ever that thevoice of the Copts living in diaspora (outside of Egypt) is heard.  George Washington University, in conjunction with Coptic Orphans, is conducting the first large scale survey of the Coptic – …