The Way Orthodox Fellowship in English for adults - All ages 7:30 PM
Wednesday:
Mass 8:30 – 11 AM
Hymns class for adults 7 – 8:30 PM
English Bible Study 7:30 PM
Thursday
Mass 8:30 - 11 AM
English Midnight Praises 7:30 PM
Friday:
Mass 8:30 – 11 AM
Youth meeting 25 and above 7-9 PM
Discipleship Class 7-8:30 PM
Saturday:
Mass: 8:30 – 11 AM
Scouts 1:30 – 3 PM
Choirs and Theatre 2 – 4 PM
Vespers Praises 2:45 – 4 PM
Sunday School for grades 7-10 4 – 6:30 PM
Sunday School for primary 4:30 – 6 PM
Vespers & youth meeting 7-8:30pm English
Vespers &Bible Study Arabic 6-7:30 PM
Midnight Praises 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Sunday:
1st Mass 6:30 - 8:30 Arabic & English
2nd Mass.8:30 - 10:30 English - St Mary’s
Church
3rd Mass 8:30 - 10:30 Arabic - St John’s
Chrysostom
Psalmist School of Hymnology 11:15 AM –12:15 PM
Church Priests:
Fr Tadros Sharobeam 0414251251
Email: frtadros@me.com
Fr Habib Girgis Younan: 0401238177 – 94498871
Email: habibgirgisyounan@hotmail.com
Fr Michael Salib: 0422431821
Email: frmichael@sac.edu.au
Church Address: 5 Epsom Rd., Kensington Vic 3031 Tel: 93766651
Fr Kyrillos Tawadros 0411 518 399
Fr John Makary 0433 445 636
The Departure of St. Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem. 20th April -
12th Baramouda
On this day, the holy father Anba Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, departed. This holy father was Bishop of Cappadocia, and he came to the city of Jerusalem to receive the blessing of the holy places and then return to his country. St. Narcissus, who was the Bishop of Jerusalem at that time )Second century - his departure on the first day of Baramhat(, was advanced in age and had reached over 110 years. He often asked his people that he wished to retire from his See, but they refused. When St. Alexander finished his visit and decided to return to his Chair in Cappadocia, the people of Jerusalem heard a voice from heaven saying: “Go to the gate of the city, and the first one to enter it, seize him and make him stay with Narcissus to assist him.” When they went to the gate they met the Bishop Alexander, and they pleaded with him to stay with Abba Narcissus to assist him. He refused because he could not leave his flock that the Lord Christ had entrusted him with. They told him about the voice which they had heard from heaven and that it was God’s Will. He accepted and wrote to the people of his parish what had happened, apologized, and allowed them to appoint another bishop in his place. He remained in Jerusalem, assisting its bishop Anba Narcissus, for about 5 years.
After the departure of St. Narcissus, he continued to shepherd the people of Jerusalem with the best of care, until Maximianus, the infidel, seized him, inflicted him with severe tortures of every kind, and then imprisoned him. When Gordianus reigned, he released him, and when he died and Philip reigned, he released the rest of the confessors. This father sat in quietness and peace until Decius rose, killed Philip, and reigned in his stead. Decius afflicted the Christians exceedingly; he seized this holy father and many others, and tortured them, especially this father. He beat him cruelly with sharp pins until he broke his ribs, then commanded to drag him by his feet and throw him in prison. He remained there until he delivered his pure soul in the hand of the Lord, and received the kingdom which is prepared for the saints. His prayers be with us. Amen.
The Departure of Pope Yoannis the Seventeenth, the 15th. Patriarch of Alexandria.
21st April - 13th Baramouda
On this day also, the distinguished Pope and prudent pontiff, Anba Yoannis the seventeenth, 15th Patriarch of Alexandria, departed. The parents of this father were pious Christians from the city of Mallawy, in Upper Egypt. When he was 25 years old, he left this futile world and went to the monastery of St. Antonios. He became a monk there and his name was Abdel Sayed. Then he went to the monastery of Anba Paula, after its renovation. He exerted himself in worship, and educated himself. He learned reading and writing, for he was illiterate, then he thoroughly studied the holy books. After he exerted himself in asceticism and a virtuous life, studying the church subjects and its books, the fathers the monks chose him as a priest for them. Pope Yoannis, 13rd
Patriarch ordained him along with his fellow Mourgan El-Assuity, who became, later on, Pope Petros VI, 14th Patriarch.
When Pope Petros VI, 14th Patriarch departed, the fathers the bishops, priests, and lay leaders discussed who would be fit for the Patriarchal Chair. They chose this father among others, and brought them from the monasteries to Cairo. After they prayed the Divine Liturgy for three days, they cast the lot, which fell on this father. He was ordained a Patriarch in the church of the martyr Mercurius Abu Saifain, in Old Cairo, on Sunday, the sixth of Tubah, 1443 A.M. )January 12th., 1727 A.D.(. After his ordination and before the reading of the Gospel, they opened the door to the tomb of the fathers the Patriarchs, as the custom, for the newly elected Pope to go down and take the cross and staff from the hand of his departed predecessor. After he went down and took the cross, the bones in the tomb crepitated, and he was terrified, so he ordered to stop this practice, saying that the crosses and staffs were in abundance. The purpose of this custom was that the successor will take a lesson from his departed predecessor, so he would not be deceived by the position and become arrogant, and seeing the fate of his predecessor would be a lesson and example before him always. The Pope stayed after his enthronement a week in Old Cairo, then went to the Patriarchal residence in Haret El-Rum. This Pope dedicated himself to building churches and monasteries, their renovation and consecration. During his Papacy, a wonderful church was built in the monastery of Anba Paula, the first hermit in the Nemr Mount, and consecrated it himself. He was accompanied by Anba Ebraam, Bishop of El-Bahnasa, and an assembly of the notables. Among them was the archon Girgis El-Sourogy, who paid for the building of this church. After that, Pope Youannis built a church, refectory, and other buildings in the monastery of the honorable saint Anba Antonios, the father of all monks. He consecrated it by his blessed hands and ordained there hegumens, priests, and deacons. The honorable archon Girgis El-Sourogy also paid for these buildings.
In the ninth year of his Papacy, in 1451 A.M., the Sultan ordered to raise the taxes for the Christians and Jews three folds. Later, these taxes were raised more and imposed over the monks, priests, children, poor, and beggars without exempting anyone, so the time of this father was difficult and sorrowful for the poor, professionals and trade workers.
During his time, there was also a great increase in prices and a severe earthquake shook Cairo in the middle of the night, which lasted for about an hour. The foundation of the earth violently shook, houses were destroyed, and people trembled then God Had mercy on his people and removed from them these bitter tribulations.
When Anba Khristozolo III, 12nd Metropolitan of the Chair of Ethiopia, departed, a group of Ethiopian lay leaders came to Pope Yoannis, in the 17th year of his
Papacy, in 1460 A.M. )1744 AD.(, and asked him to ordain for them a Metropolitan. He ordained for them the monk
John )Youhanna(, one of the priests of the monastery of our great father Anba Antonios, and called him Youannis XIV, and returned with joy with him.
This Pope lived long and lived until a good old age shepherding his flock with the best of care. When he finished his strife, he fell sick for a short illness and then departed in peace on the Monday of the Paschal week, the thirteenth of Baramoudah, year 1461 A.M. )April 20th., 1745 A.D.( He sat on the Chair 18 years, 3 months, and 8 days, and was buried in the tomb of the Patriarchs in the church of St. Mercurius Abu-Saifain in Old Cairo. He was contemporary to the Sultan Ahmed III and the Sultan Mahmoud I. The Chair remained vacant one month and ten days after his departure.
His blessings be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
The Martyrdom of St. James the Apostle Brother of St. John the Apostle.
25th April - 17th Paramouda
On this day, St. James the Apostle, the son of Zebedee, and the brother of St. John, the Apostle, was martyred. After he had preached the Gospel in Judea and Samaria, he went to Spain. He preached the Gospel there, and its people believed in the Lord Christ. He returned to Jerusalem and pursued his ministry.
He always advised his flock to give alms to the poor, the needy, and the weak. They accused him before Herod who called him and asked him: «Are you the one that instigating the people not to give the taxes to Caesar but to give it to the poor and the churches?» Then he smote him with the sword, cutting off his head, and St. James received the crown of martyrdom.
Clement of Alexandria, from the fathers of the second century, said: «The soldier that seized the Saint, when he saw his courage, he realized that there must be a better life and asked the Saint for his forgiveness. Then the soldier confessed Christianity and received the crown of martyrdom )Acts 12:1,2( along with the Apostle in the year 44 A.D.» Because Herod saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. So when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. )Acts 12:3-4(
So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, «The voice of a god and not of a man!» Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. )Acts 12:21-23(
As of the body of St. James, the believers took it, shrouded it, and buried it by the Temple. It was said that the body of St. James was translated to Spain, where James the elder considered to be its Apostle. His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Feast of Resurrection
John 20: 1-18
Christ is Risen.. Indeed He is Risen
This is the Feast of Feasts. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. The greatest day of mankind for salvation has been accomplished. Humanity was saved from the captivity and servitude of Satan. Today the way to heaven has become open after it was closed to humans for many generations, the sting of death was broken, and the power of the abyss was defeated. The captives set out from slavery to a life of victory and salvation. Death is no longer a frightening and terrifying enemy, for the Lord triumphed over death and is risen. Hence, death became a crossing point for the resurrection to heaven, after it was a ladder leading down into the abyss.
Today the Lord rose from the dead and left behind him an empty tomb, a testimony to all humanity, that the children of God are no longer residents of the graves or residents of the abyss. Rather, they have become citizens of heaven. Today, the Lord set out from the closed tomb, entered through the closed doors, announcing that there are no longer locks or barricades on the way to heaven for everyone who carries his cross and follows Him in his victory parade. And around the empty tomb, there were faces looking down, faces flying in the heaven, and faces oscillating between the earth and heaven. Nearby the empty tomb there were those who were crushed and defeated by the Resurrection, so they returned to the empty tomb looking for a rest among the dead. But there were those The Resurrection set them up, so they set out from the darkness of the graves to the freedom and glory of the children of God. There were those who rejoiced in the resurrection and went in the procession of its victory and triumphed, and there were those who were defeated, terrified by the resurrection and fled from its power and greatness.
“They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” There was fear and hesitation. The words and promises of the Lord were still in their ears; that on the third day He would rise and that he would have to rise. In front of the cross their human
weakness appeared; there are those who denied and those He escaped. However, today they have become like a cocoon, whose time has come for the butterfly to set off to freedom and light. This is how the disciples were; the resurrection did a miracle in them. Peter, who denied the Lord before a maid, on the fiftieth day stood strong and testified “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses…“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” )Acts 2: 32, 36( ( Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of the Church, who was a witness to the stoning of Stephen, Paul would become the apostles of struggle who laboured more abundantly than all the apostles.
The Twelve, the Lord chose them from among the foolish and ignorant people of the world. They had no sword, knowledge, or human wisdom, but after Resurrection they set out to preach to the whole world witnessing to the resurrection of Christ. They had seduced the entire world. The work of the resurrection is marvellous, it turned the fornicators into virgins; Augustine turned from a life of sin to a depth of repentance and a life of purity. The mighty black Moses, the mighty thief, turns into a meek saint, with whom the whole church will be blessed. The Resurrection opened closed doors and closed eyes were also opened. The disciples of Emmaus in their grief did not know the Lord, but the risen Christ shone His light within them and when the bread was broken, their eyes were opened and they knew Him.
Resurrection has broken barriers of doubt and reluctance; Mary Magdalene in one word, after calling her name, the veil disappeared from her eyes, and she knew Him, and she began to preach and became the first to preach the resurrection. Resurrection broke the barrier of silence and fear; Nicodemus, the silent and fearful one, became )according to the Church’s tradition( among the witnesses and preachers of the Resurrection. The silent Virgin Mary, who keeps all things in her heart, her wondrous
silence became a source of radiance, strength, intercession and support for all fathers and apostles, for the whole Church and for all generations. If Magdalene says, “We do not know” before resurrection, through the power of the resurrection she became preaching the risen Christ.”
And you, beloved, what did the resurrection do to you? Are you still going around the empty tomb? Do you still hesitate? Do you still fear and close the doors? Do you still submit to the captivity and servitude of Satan? Hurry and get up, for Christ has risen, conquering darkness, saving us from captivity, and giving us the power to see the light and rejoice the holy life in the Risen Lord from the dead. Beware, beloved, there are many who did not bear the lights and splendour of the resurrection. There are many who were crushed by the resurrection. There are many who were complacent and did not care to rise up with the resurrected Christ. These are the ones who cared about the empty tomb and lost the glory and victory of the Resurrection.
+ ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ +++
Poor is this man who did not know yet that Christ has risen. Unfortunate really is this man who sees the resurrection but keeps denying its existence. Some of them were blinded by its light and some couldn’t tolerate the lights of the Resurrection. Poor Judas Iscariot, the resurrection was a few hours away from him. He only saw the cross; he thought that the cross was the end. He got despair, lost and perished. As for Peter, who denied His Master, through tears of repentance he saw behind the cross, he saw the resurrection, so he had hope and he shared the joys of the victors.
The tomb guards, the powerful Roman guards, must have been mocking themselves and mocking those who sent them to guard a grave. Do the livings fear the dead! Sorry for those guards because they only understood the language of the world; strength, oppression, tyranny, violence, money, bribery. As for the resurrection of the dead, it was something far from their thinking, so their eyes were blinded and did not see the resurrection though they were around the tomb. How strange are these guards! They believed others and disbe-
lieved their own eyes. Not only their eyes were blinded, but also their hearts became blind. The lights of the Resurrection are not seen by those who do not understand its type and its elements, those who think that power and oppression opens closed doors for them, those who think that money achieves impossible goals for them. Therefore, the simple and the ignorant saw the resurrection but the great and the educated did not see it.
The chief priests, Caiaphas the High Priest, himself prophesied that the Lord Jesus would die for the nation to gather the children of God dispersed into one. They fulfilled all the prophecies in the Old Testament literally in the Lord Jesus. They saw with their own eyes and with eternal action the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus. But in front of the resurrection they collided and collapsed. The lights of the resurrection exposed their hypocrisy and their deceit. So they hastened to hide from the lights of the Resurrection, and resorted to lies and deceit, fleeing from the truth of the Resurrection. Really miserable those people, because the Resurrection has crushed them. How many of those who, instead of repenting, resist and continue in the path of error? They deceive themselves and believe the lies they are living in.
The Lord has left behind an empty tomb. He left linen cloths that still bear witness to the truth of His resurrection. But be careful lest the resurrection for you ends on standing at the empty tomb only.
Be careful that resurrection for you is just a worldly joy and exultation. Resurrection is a launch; in order to live in the resurrection, you must rise with the risen Christ, over the world and the evils of the world. Go with Him above the barriers of the body and the barriers of time. Go and preach the whole world. Bear witness to all that Christ has risen and has become the first fruit of the dead. Make the resurrection a resurrection of your spiritual life, and be free from all restrictions. It is an opportunity to live in the glories and joys of heaven.
The Joy Of The Resurrection
By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
The angels proclaimed the news of Christ’s resurrection to the women saying, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He is risen” )Luke 24: 5-6( The news of the risen Christ brought tremendous joy to the disciples, but terrified the Jewish leaders. As much as the day of the crucifixion was painful emotionally, it was a day of salvation. However, people did not see Christ opening the doors of paradise, they only saw the suffering, insults and nails. As much as the disciples were disturbed and sad on Friday, they were very joyful on Sunday. The promise of the Lord to them was fulfilled when He said, “But I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” )John 16:22(.
Through His resurrection, they rejoiced that the resurrection is possible and realistic. He was the evidence. That is why St. John describes Him, “whom we have seen with our eyes and touched with our hands” )1Jn 1: 1(. St. Peter also bears witness that “we have eaten and drank with Him after His resurrection from the dead.” )Acts 10: 41(. Through the resurrection, the fear of the disciples was turned into courage and indifference to all the powers that were fighting them. All their enemies could do is threaten to kill them, but what can the threat of death do to one who believes in the resurrection and has seen it!
In the resurrection, the disciples felt that they were under the wings of a powerful God. The One in whom they believe holds the keys to life and death. He is the resurrection and the life. He is the source of life, not only on earth. but eternal life also. The disciples rejoiced because God fulfilled His promise to them, when they saw the promise of His resurrection fulfilled, they were reassured of the outcome of all the other promises, like, “I go to prepare a place for you… and I will come again and take you, so that where I am, there you will be also” Jn. 14: 2-3(. They believed His promise that He is with us until the end of days )Matt. 28:20(. Thus, all His promises gave them power, comfort and joy.
Through the resurrection, the cross became a glorious crown, instead of a symbol of suffering. That is why St. Paul says, “I rejoice ‘in weaknesses and insults and persecutions for Christ’s sake” )2 Cor. 12: 10(. He also says, “we suffer with Him, so we can be glorified with Him also” )Rom. 8:17(.
The resurrection of Christ gave believers hope for an after life and for an eternal fellowship with Christ. This hope enabled them to put all their treasures in heaven and live as strangers in this world. St. Paul described life in heaven as, “what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor entered the mind of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him” )I Cor. 2:9(. The resurrection, then, is not an end in itself, but a means to the end which is everlasting life with God.
The disciples rejoiced for the heavenly body that comes with the resurrection. Christ will raise our bodies also as He Himself rose. Human nature will be glorified in the resurrection from death. St. Paul says that “the body which is sown in corruption will rise in incorruption, and that which is sown in weakness will be raised in power” )1 Cor. 15:4244(. He also said that the Lord will change the body of humility into the image of His glorious body )Philippians 3 :21(.
The disciples rejoiced because in the resurrection, Christ revisited them. Christ spent a period of forty days with them, healing their wounds and doubts and forgiving their weaknesses. It was a period to prepare them for the upcoming mission. The resurrection gave the Christian mission faith and confidence. Confidence in the risen Christ whose disciples lived with Him for forty days after the resurrection, showing Himself to them with many proofs and talking to them about matters of the kingdom of God. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord and their joy became a way of life for them and Christians after them.
The Coptic Calendar )1( 1(
HH Pope Tawadros II
Article published in E-Keraza March 2025
The mathematical reckoning of time is fundamentally a cultural and civilizational matter related to astronomy, in which the ancient Egyptians excelled. This extended to their daily lives and the festival seasons. Calendars have varied across different civilizations geographically, historically, and socially, to the extent that each region, society, or group of countries had its calendar—one that did not necessarily have the same starting point, name, or division. It is entirely separate from faith and inherited doctrine in every civilization. It is purely an astronomical and mathematical matter, no more and no less, but over time, standards, values, and traditions have been added to it in different places, making it well-known and well-established.
The Greek historian Herodotus )who lived about three centuries before Christ( wrote about the Coptic )Egyptian( calendar, stating:
“The ancient Egyptians were the first to devise the calculation of the year. They divided it into twelve parts based on their knowledge of the stars, and it appears to me that they are more skillful than the Greeks (Hellenes), for the Egyptians calculated the month as thirty days and added five days to the year so that the season would revolve and return to its starting point.”
The Egyptians, 4,200 years before Christ, divided the year into 12 constellations across three seasons—the inundation, the cultivation, and the harvest—with each season lasting four months. They also divided the year into weeks and days, the day into 24 hours, the hour into 60 minutes, the minute into 60 seconds, and the second itself into 60 divisions.
The Coptic calendar is stellar-sidereal, meaning it is linked to the cycle of the star Sirius, the brightest star in the Canis Major )Greater Dog( constellation. The Egyptians observed the heliacal rising of this star—when it first became visible at
dawn before sunrise—aligned with the nose of the Great Sphinx. This event marked the feast of their great deity, coinciding with the arrival of the Nile floodwaters at Memphis, near Giza.
They calculated the length of the year based on the cycle of this star as 365 days. However, they noticed that their fixed festivals only returned to their proper astronomical positions once every 1,460 years. They then divided 365 by 1,460 and found that the result was 14/ of a day. Thus, they added 14/ of a day to the length of the year, making it 365 days and a quarter—adding a full extra day every fourth year )leap year(. This correction ensured that their festivals remained in their proper astronomical positions, aligning with the length of the day and night. This adjustment was made when Egyptian priest-astronomers convened )around three centuries before Christ( at Canopus )modern-day Abu Qir near Alexandria(. They discovered this discrepancy and decided to correct it in the famous decree issued by Ptolemy III, known as the Decree of Canopus.
The months of the Coptic year are, in order: Tout, Baba, Hatoor, Kiahk, Toba, Amshir, Baramhat, Baramouda, Bashans, Baona, Apip, and Mesra, in addition to the Little Month called “Nasie” that consists of five days or six days in a leap year. These months are still used in Egypt today, not only in the liturgical calendar but also popularly, especially in agriculture.
The Copts adopted the year in which Emperor Diocletian took the throne (284
AD) as the starting point of their Church calendar because he persecuted and killed hundreds of thousands of Copts )around 800,000 martyrs(. This calendar was therefore named the Era of the Martyrs, Anno Martyrum.
The Julian Calendar
The Julian calendar was named after Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler who instructed an Egyptian astronomer from the famous Alexandrian School, named Sosigenes, to establish March 25 as the vernal equinox. Sosigenes modeled the Roman year after the Egyptian year, making it exactly 365 days and 6 hours )a quarter-day(. He then adjusted the months by adding extra days so that the ordinary year would be 365 days, and the leap year would be 366 days. This
calendar remained in use both in the East and the West until Pope Gregory XIII of Rome, based on the advice of astronomers, modified it in 1582, skipping 10 days by making October 4 immediately followed by October 15. This change became known as the Gregorian Reform.
The Revised (Gregorian) Calendar
Pope Gregory XIII noticed a discrepancy in the date of the vernal equinox compared to its position at the time of the Council of Nicaea )325 AD(—amounting to a shift of ten days. The equinox, which had been on March 21 )corresponding to 25 Baramhat( in 325 AD, had drifted forward to March 11 by 1582 AD. Since this was an astronomical issue, not a theological one, Pope Gregory XIII consulted astronomers, who explained that the problem was due to the method of calculating the length of the year. The actual time taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. However, the Julian calendar had assumed a year length of 365 days and 6 hours, causing a discrepancy of 11 minutes and 14 seconds per year. This accumulated to 1 day every 128 years. From the Council of Nicaea )325 AD( to the time of Pope Gregory XIII )1582 AD(, this error had accumulated to 10 days, shifting the date of all fixed feasts. This difference has now increased to 13 days in our present time.
The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used in the modern world. It was first adopted by Catholic countries, including Rome, France, Spain, and Portugal. It was later introduced in England in 1752, Japan in 1872, and Egypt in 1875 during the reign of Khedive Ismail. As for Eastern Churches, they continued to rely on the Julian system, which was based on the ancient Egyptian calendar. The Julian leap-year rule simply added one extra day every four years without exception. This resulted in the current 13-day difference from the time of the Council of Nicaea until now, which is why the Coptic Nativity )Christmas( on 29 Kiahk now falls on January 7 in the Gregorian calendar.
One year ago on Lazarus Saturday 27th April 2024 we thank our Lord who sup� . ported us through the prayers of ST Mary and all the saints. We are waiting to start Child Care Service soon
