Come get your blessings...

[RedTulipMom]

There are three main Liturgies in the Coptic Church: The Liturgy according to Saint Basil, Bishop of Caesarea; The Liturgy according to Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople; and The Liturgy according to Saint Cyril I, the 24th Pope of the Coptic Church. The bulk of Saint Cyril's Liturgy is from the one that Saint Mark used (in Greek) in the first century.

 

[RedTulipMom]

The worship of Saints is expressly forbidden by the Church; however, asking for their intercessions (e.g. Marian Praise) is central in any Coptic service.

 

[RedTulipMom]

Any Coptic Church is named after a Patron Saint. Among all Saints, the Virgin Saint Mary (Theotokos) occupies a special place in the heart of all Copts. Her repeated daily appearances in a small Church in Elzaytoun district of Cairo for over a month in April of 1968 was wittnessed by thousands of Egyptians, both Copts and Muslims and was even broadcast on International TV

 

[RedTulipMom]

Copts celebrate seven major Holy feasts and seven minor Holy feasts.

 

[RedTulipMom]

The Copts have seasons of fasting matched by no other Christian community. Out of the 365 days of the year, Copts fast for over 210 days. During fasting, no animal products (meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, butter, etc.) are allowed. Moreover, no food or drink whatsoever may be taken between sunrise and sunset. These strict fasting rules are usually relaxed by priests on an individual basis to accomodate for illness or weakness.

 

[RedTulipMom]

Lent, known as "the Great Fast", is largely observed by all Copts. It starts with a pre-Lent fast of one week, followed by a 40-day fast commemorating Christ's fasting on the mountain, followed by the Holy week, the most sacred week (called Pascha) of the Coptic Calendar, which climaxes with the Crucifix on Good Friday and ends with the joyous Easter.

 

[RedTulipMom]

The Coptic Orthodox Church's clergy is headed by the Pope of Alexandria and includes Bishops who oversee the priests ordained in their dioceses. Both the Pope and the Bishops must be monks; they are all members of the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod (Council), which meets regularly to oversee matters of faith and pastorship in the Church. The Pope of the Coptic Church, although highly regarded by all Copts, does not enjoy any state of supremacy or infallibility.

 

[RedTulipMom]

Today, there are over 60 Coptic Bishops governing dioceses inside Egypt as well as dioceses outside Egypt, such as in Jerusalem, Sudan, Western Africa, France, England, and the United States.

 

[RedTulipMom]

The direct pastoral responsibility of Coptic congregations in any of these dioceses falls on Priests, who must be married and must attend the Catechetical School before being ordained.

 

[RedTulipMom]

There are two other non-clerical bodies who participate in taking care of Church affairs. The first is a popularly-elected Coptic Lay Council, which appeared on the stage in 1883 A.D. to act as a liaison between the Church and the Government. The second is a joint lay-clerical committee, which appeared on the stage in 1928 A.D. to oversee and monitor the management of the Coptic Church's endowments in accordance with the Egyptian laws.

 

[CopticGirl]

Today, there are over 60 Coptic Bishops governing dioceses inside Egypt as well as dioceses outside Egypt, such as in Jerusalem, Sudan, Western Africa, France, England, and the United States.

I didn't know there were over 60...another 200 bonus blessings.

God Bless.

 

[RedTulipMom]

Daily, in all Coptic Churches all over the world, Copts pray for the reunion of all Christian Churches. They pray for Egypt, its Nile, its crops, its president, its army, its government, and above all its people. They pray for the world's peace and for the well-being of the human race.

 

[RedTulipMom]

I didn't know there were over 60...another 200 bonus blessings.

God Bless.

WOW! well thanks! I am done for now! i will give someone else a chancE! it helped me get my posts closer to the 10,000 and helped me learn about the Coptic church which was very interesting! thanks!

 

[CopticGirl]

No problem, so far karenmarie has received 660 blessings.

We still have through post #40 as well as a chance for a bonus 50 blessings for the most detailed post and 200 blessings for anything I didn't know.

I may wait till the morning to check in again!

God Bless,
Elizabeth

 

[Victory of the Cross]

There is even coptic churches in wales in the united kingdom.
there is one in my villiage, i helped the priest load a bedframe into his car from a supermarket, and the church was opened by the coptic pope in 1993. he drove through risca where i live in a limo.

 

[CopticGirl]

There is even coptic churches in wales in the united kingdom.
there is one in my villiage, i helped the priest load a bedframe into his car from a supermarket, and the church was opened by the coptic pope in 1993. he drove through risca where i live in a limo.

lol, Okay obviously I didn't know you loaded a bedframe into a priest's car....but I did know there are Coptic Churches in Wales and all over the United Kingdom.

This post isn't very fair, I mean this isn't so much about the Coptic Church, as it is about a personal experience of yours.

I'm gonna have to think about the 200 blessings on this one...I'll let you know.

 

[little_lily613]

The church is one of the Oriental churches

 

[little_lily613]

Your pope is Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of the Holy See of Saint Mark. The current one is named: Pope Shenouda III.

 

[little_lily613]

A fragment of the Gospel of John was found in Egypt and was written in Coptic

 

[little_lily613]

The Catechetical School of Alexandria is the oldest catechetical school in the world