Sunday:

Liturgy

8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Sunday School and

St. Pauls Meetng
11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Servants Meetng
1:00 PM-2:00 PM
Choir and Music Class

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Wednesday:
Arabic and Coptc Liturgy
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Thursday:
Arabic Youth Meetng
7:00 PM-9:00 PM
Friday:
English Liturgy

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Bible Study
7:30 PM-9:30 PM
Saturday:
Sandwhich Run
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Vespers and

Orthodox Teaching
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
THEOTOKOS
May 2014 Newsletter
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
I congratulate you my beloved with the
Glorious Resurrection Feast that is the
crown of our feasts and joy. Christs
Resurrection is the main foundation
in our Christianity, our Church, our
evangelism and our daily life. Christs
Resurrection is considered everything to
us. The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
is considered our new life that we can
live in.
In Christs Resurrection, we
have three main aspects. (1) Before
Crucifxion and Resurrection, Our
Lord Jesus Christ was a teacher and a
shepherd. (2) During Crucifxion until
Resurrection, He was a reconciliator and
a liberator. (3) After Resurrection, our
Lord Jesus Christ was present and be-
came a companion to every man. How?
Before Crucifxion and Res-
urrection, our Lord Jesus Christ was a
teacher. He taught the multitude and
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VIRGIN MARY AND ARCHANGEL MICHAEL COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
Papal Easter
Message
Pg. 1-2
individuals. He used all available means
at that time. He gave sermons, inter-
views, and meetings. He performed
miracles and gave many various and dif-
ferent parables. In His service, He met
all people from all levels; He met people
from upper classes in society and others
from lower classes in the community.
He met great multitudes and individuals,
in different dialogues. He met Zacchae-
us at the tree and the Samaritan woman
at the well. At night, He met with Nico-
demos. Teaching was the starting point
as well as to infuence change. Before
Crucifxion, our Lord Jesus Christ was a
teacher and a shepherd.
From the time of Crucifxion
until the Resurrection, Christ was a rec-
onciliator and a liberator for mankind.
Man looks for freedom at all times.
Freedom became desirable for mankind.
Man looks for it in any form, as it takes
For forty days after His resurrection,
Jesus presented Himself alive to His
disciples with many infallible proofs.
He appeared to them several times and
spoke with them about things pertaining
to the kingdom of God. He commanded
them not to depart from Jerusalem, but
to wait for the Promise of the Father,
the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He said
to them, for John truly baptized with
water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.
(Acts 1:5)
Then the disciples asked our
Lord: Lord, will you at this time restore
the kingdom to Israel? They asked that
question because they were still under
the impression that our Lord will
establish an earthly kingdom and
liberate Israel from the domination of
foreign powers such as the Romans.
However, the kingdom of God that Jesus
had been talking about is not an earthly
kingdom. It is a spiritual kingdom that
can only be realized through the gift of
the Holy Spirit.
So, He answered them and
said, It is not for you to know times
or seasons which the Father has put in
His own authority. But you shall receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you shall be witnesses to
Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
(Acts 1:6-7)
When He had spoken this, He
raised His hands to bless them, and
while they were watching Him, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out
of their sight (Acts 1:9). The cloud
signifed the presence of the Father as in
Jesus Transfguration event (Matthew
17:1-5).
CHRIST IS RISEN. INDEED HE IS RISEN.
The Ascension of Jesus Christ
By Archdeacon Ibrahim Hefzallah
In Genesis, God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrafce his
son Isaac. Abraham proved that he would do whatever God
asked him to do, which made God very happy.
In a paragraph, explain why you think God tests us. Tell us about
a time when you were tested--when you had to make a hard
desicion but chose to do the right thing.
The winning entry will be featured in next months newsletter!
Email your response to kgconigliaro@gmail.com
As the disciples were looking up
constantly toward heaven as Jesus went
up, two men stood by them in white
apparel, and said, Men of Galilee, why
do you stand gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, who was taken up from
you into heaven, will so come in like
manner as you saw Him go into
heaven. (Acts 1:10-11)
In these verses the angles are
referring to the Second Coming of Jesus.
After that the disciples returned to Jeru-
salem with great joy, and were continu-
ally in the temple praising and blessing
God. (Luke 24: 50-53)
It is very interesting to note
that after crucifxion, the disciples were
afraid, but after the Ascension they were
joyful and praising God.
Ten days later, when they were
all gathered in one place, suddenly
there came a sound from heaven, as of
a rushing mighty wind, and it flled the
whole house where they were sitting.
Then there appeared to them divided
tongues, as of fre, and one sat upon
each of them. They were all flled with
the Holy Spirit and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
Kids Story Contest!
The 2014 Papal Easter Message from H.H. Pope Tawadros II
www.coptnet.com www.facebook.com/VMAMCOCofCT
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Copyright: Sweet Publishing/FreeBibleImages
many forms, colors and kinds. There is
social freedom, civil freedom, family
freedom, religious freedom, etc. But the
true freedom is the freedom that comes
from inside a man, the freedom from the
sin. Sin is the only disaster of this world
as said St. John Chrysostom. Freedom
from the sin is gained only through the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
ascended to the cross specifcally to give
us this freedom. Through the cross, He
gave us the freedom from sins that He
carried. We were granted forgiveness
of sins and became free when we were
forgiven. The cross became the key for
wiping out the sin of man. Therefore
if the Son makes you free, you shall be
free indeed. (John 8:36)
The true freedom is the freedom
of man from the sin. That is why the
cross became the reconciliator and the
liberator of man. Man was reconciled
with God and with the Resurrection,
man started the new covenant with God.
After Crucifxion and Resur-
rection, Christ became a companion
to everyone. After His Resurrection,
Christ appeared to individuals like Mary
Magdalene, then to the two disciples of
Emmaus. Then to the disciples without
Thomas, then to them with Thomas with
them, then to others, etc. The appear-
ance of our Lord Jesus Christ during the
forty days after His Resurrection meant
that Christ was present there. He also
appeared during catching the 153 fshes
for both St. Peter and St. John. The ap-
pearance of our Lord Jesus Christ meant
His presence.
And after His Ascension to the
heavens, after the 40 days of His Res-
urrection, He remained a companion to
mankind. If you read the last verse of
the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the
Lord says: I am with you always, even
to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20).
Christ is present and a companion to
man. He is now present and walks with
everyone all times. He knows the life of
everyone and guides it. That is why we
pray in the third hour of the Agpeya and
say: Blessed is the Lord day by day. He
prepares our way, for He is God of our
salvation. Christ walks with man day
after day; He prepares means that He
makes it in best condition. As He is our
God of our salvation, He desires all men
to be saved and to come to the knowl-
edge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)
This is the new glorious Resur-
rection, and these are the fruits we get
from the Cross and Resurrection. He
says: In the world you will have tribu-
lation This tribulation could be our
cross that we should carry. but be of
good cheer, I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33). This Overcoming is the
new Resurrection He grants to every
man.
I congratulate you for the
Glorious Resurrection Feast. I hope
for all our churches, families, youths,
children everywhere to rejoice with the
Glorious Resurrection.
It is so blessed to have the
Glorious Resurrection feast to be at the
same day for all Christians at the whole
world. This is a good starting point for
all Christians, in hope of unifying our
feasts, starting with the Feast of the
Glorious Resurrection to be in one date
in the whole world. We pray for this,
and we work for this. May the Lord
fulfl His work. May the resurrected
Christ bless you. And bless your lives,
works, services, and all that is in your
hands. May the Lord keep you in His
holy Name. To Whom is all glory and
blessing, from now and forever.
Amen.
St. Mark the Apostle, Evangelist and Martyr
By Mina Khella, 7th Grade
St. Mark the evangelist was one of
Jesuss 70 disciples and one of the four
evangelists. No one knows when he was
born, but they do know that he was born
in Cyrene, Libya. His original name was
John and his surname was Mark.
There was more to his life. He
was a follower of God. He wrote the
second gospel, The Gospel Accord-
ing to St Mark. St Mark founded the
Coptic Orthodox Church. According
to H.G. Bishop Youssef, St. Mark was
an apostle who was specifcally chosen
by our Lord Jesus Christ, founded the
Coptic Orthodox Church.
1
He came to
Alexandria in the year 61 AD to preach
the Gospel.
Through the grace of God and
the work of the Holy Spirit, St. Mark
was a brave man. Facing death in
Alexandria, he was dragged through the
streets until his head ripped of his body
For someone to know whats going to
happen to them if they dont give up
their belief in Jesus, he stood anyway
for what he believed in and took the
consequences, receiving the crown of
martyrdom on April 26, the year 68 AD.
1.H.G. Bishop Youssef Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Dio-
cese of the Southern United States, St. Mark: Steadfast
and Strong from Youth, www.suscopts.org/resources/
Throughout the Coptic year there are
many feasts honoring Saint Mary.
1
The
Fast of St. Mary which lasts for 15 days
from 1st of Misra to the 16th of Misra,
(August 7th through August 22nd ) is
a well-observed fast by many Copts.
Through this fast the Copts recognize
the assumption of Saint Marys body
to heaven. Another feast of St Mary
occurs, on the frst of Pashans, May 9th,
when we commemorate the birth of our
mother, Virgin Mary, the Theotokos.
Before she was born, her parents
were very dismayed and saddened that
they did not have a child to offer to God.
Her father, Joachim, was especially dis-
traught, and often prayed to God asking
for a child. According to Gods will, the
Lord sent down his angel to Joachim
on a mountain, and told him, The Lord
will give you offspring through whom
salvation comes to the world.
We know now that he was refer-
ring to the fact that his daughter would
be the mother of Christ, who would save
us from our sins. Joachim immediately
believed, and ran to his wife, Anna, and
told her about all the things that had
occurred. She instantly exalted God, and
promised that her child would be a de-
voted servant in the house of God. She
conceived and gave birth to a baby girl,
and named her Mary. This baby grew
up and delivered our Savior, Who has
saved the whole world from sin, and has
granted salvation to those who believe
in Him.
1. Albair Gamal Mikhail, Fast and Feasts of the Virgin
Mary www.copticheritage.org/rites/25_fast_and_
feasts_of_the_virgin_mary
The Birth
of St. Mary
By Tommy Boutros, 10th Grade
Happy Mothers Day!
My Mom Is
Always
By George Morkos, 4th Grade
and Jonathan Morkos, 4th Grade
My Mom is always
Loving me.
You make me happy,
Give comfort
And warmth,
But most of all,
You love me
Unconditionally.
My Mom is always
Supporting me,
You are there whenever I call.
You always kiss me,
Hug me,
Nurture me,
And support me,
You mean everything to me.
I always think that you are
Simply the best,
I will love you, Mom
Forevermore.
+ O Mark the Apostle, and the
Evangelist, the witness to the
Passion, of the only-begotten
God.
+ You have come and enlightened
us, through your Gospel, and
taught us the Father and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
+ Hail to you O martyr, hail to the
Evangelist, hail to the Apostle, Mark
the beholder of God.
+ Pray to the Lord on our behalf, O
beholder of God and evangelist, Saint
Mark the Apostle, that He may for-
give us our sins.