On Saturday, August 25, 2012, the Diocese community gathered at St. Mark Church and St. Mary and St. Athanasius Church around our beloved father, Bishop Serapion, for the 2012 Mahragan Al Keraza Competition. This year, for the first time, the competition was divided between two churches because of the sheer number of teams participating.  Over 140 teams from almost 30 parishes participated in this wonderful event after preparing for months. Approximately 60 teams gathered at St. – …

With God’s grace, we present to you the schedule of testing for the 2012 Mahragan Al Keraza Competition that will be held, God willing, at both St. Mary and St. Athanasius (Northridge) and St. Mark Church (LA). The following churches will be at St. Mark Church: Archangel Michael Church (Santa Ana) St. Demiana Church (San Diego) St. George Church (Bellflower) St. Marina Church St. Mark Church (Los Angeles) St. Mary Church (Victorville) St. Mary Magdalene Church – …

We’re approaching that time of year again when we all converge upon one location and enjoy each other’s company at the Annual GYP Fall Convention. This year’s retreat is extra special since it will be our 10th Anniversary – marked by a commemorative event. In honor of this milestone, you will also have the opportunity to compete in a string of challenges that are sure to give you an opportunity to demonstrate your sportsmanship, mind-bending – …

On Saturday, August 18, 2012, the Diocese community gathered at St. John Coptic Church around our beloved father, Bishop Serapion, for the 2012 Youth Spiritual Competition. Over 800 youth from 27 parishes participated in this wonderful event after preparing for months. The day began with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by His Grace Bishop Serapion and several diocesan priests, including Fr. Gawargious Kolta, Fr. Michael Gabriel, Fr. Shenouda Ghattas, Fr. Boules Baky, Fr. Daniel – …

With God’s grace, we present to you the schedule of testing for the 2012 Youth Spiritual Competition that will be held, God willing, at St. John Coptic Orthodox Church in Covina, CA. The day will begin with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by His Grace Bishop Serapion and the diocese clergy followed by brunch and immediate testing according to the schedules below. Please download the appropriate PDF for your team and be at the – …

Over the last few days, our Diocese has been migrating to this new website. As part of the transition, some of the curriculum and FAQ pages for both the YSC and Mahragan were reverted to older versions from about a month ago. Thankfully, we heard from several coaches, parents, and youth over the past couple of days who alerted us to the problem. Thank God, the pages have been updated to reflect the most recent – …

Registrations for Keraza competition and Youth Spiritual Competition are now open. Please register your teams at http://www.ysc-keraza.org. Early registration for Keraza competition is encouraged to receive your church hymns appointment. Please be reminded that the maximum per team allowed is 12 people. Registration Deadline for the Mahragan Al Keraza is July 29th Registration Deadline for the Youth Spiritual Competition is August 1st. Once registration is closed, late registration will not be allowed.

The Diocese joyfully announces its annual Mission Trip to Hawai’i from August 19-30, 2012 under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Serapion. Previous participants outlined what they did in this trip: We serve homeless families on O’ahu in many ways. We involve ourselves in programs such as a parent-child participatory preschool for at-risk families near coastal beach parks and homeless families living at beach parks. Families also receive canned and dried goods as well as – …

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, – …

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 God’s grace, the elementry school children of the Diocese of Los Angeles as well as few Adults teams participated in the third annual Keraza Competition on Saturday, August 27, 2011. The competition was graciously hosted by the priests and congregation of St. John Church in Covina under the auspices and guidance of our beloved father, His Grace Bishop Serapion. Also in attendance were several diocesan priests. The participants of each church were accompanied by – …

Keraza 2011 Hymns testing will be conducted on Saturday, August 13, 2011.Three centers will be hosting the testing of multiple teams from multiple churches. Each Team will be video recorded at the center with a test conductor present to administer the test. The video file will be scored at a later date by a team of judges to determine the hymns score of the competition. Elementary school participants will be responsible for all audio files – …