St. Mary
the virgin,
the mother
of God (Theotokos)
Our beloved and holy Mother Saint Mary, the mother of God (Theotokos), was born to devout parents in the city of Nazareth. St. Joachim and St. Anna entreated God for a child for St. Anna was barren and advanced in years. God, who hears the prayers of the righteous, sent Archangel Gabriel to announce to St. Joachim the joy that St. Anna would conceive and give birth to a child. Greatly rejoicing, they vowed that the child would become a servant in the house of the Lord all the days of her life.
Consecrated to God, St. Mary entered the Temple of Jerusalem at the age of three where she served the Lord for nine years receiving food from the hands of angels. When she was twelve years old, Zacharias the priest wanted to find a suitable guardian to care for St. Mary and so he gathered the canes of twelve men from the house of David of the tribe of Judah and placed them in the Temple. The following day, just as Aaron’s rod once budded, so too did St. Joseph the Carpenter’s cane bud, signaling God’s choice for him as caretaker.
After St. Mary and St. Joseph’s betrothal, before they came together, St. Mary was found with child of the Holy Spirit, for Archangel Gabriel announced to her the birth of our Savior.
After the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ to heaven, she lived in the house of St. John the beloved for 15 years. She visited the holy sepulcher often to pray there. She was informed by the Holy Spirit about the time of her departure, and she rejoiced. Our fathers the apostles gathered around her and our lady the Virgin blessed them. Then the Lord Jesus Christ came in person surrounded by His holy angels. The Lord received her pure spirit and ascended with it to heaven.
The apostles prepared her pure body in a fitting manner and carried it to Gethsemane to be entombed there. On their way, one of the Jews tried to prevent them from doing so and seized the coffin. His arms were separated instantly from his body, and they remained attached to the coffin. He regretted his evil deed and wept bitterly. Through the supplications of the holy apostles, his arms were re-attached to his body again. He believed immediately in the Lord Jesus. The apostles continued their procession until they arrived at Gethsemane where they buried her with great veneration. The years of her life on earth were about sixty years.
Our Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates several feasts in commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary first among the saints and more honored than the Seraphim and the Cherubim.
Annunciation of Her Birth August 13 | Mesore 7
The Birth of St. Mary May 9 | Pashons 1
Entry into the Temple December 12 | Koiahk 3
Her Departure January 29 | Tobe 21
Assumption of Her Body August 22 | Mesore 16
Consecration of the Church in her name June 28 | Paone 21
Her Apparition in Zeiton April 2 | Paremhotep 24
For two thousand years, the Church has preserved the memory of Virgin Mary as the prototype of all Christians for she was truly pure and unconditionally obedient to God. St. Mary is also our model in that she was the first person to receive our Lord Jesus Christ. As she bore our Lord physically, all Christians now have the privilege of bearing God within them spiritually.
May her intercession be with us. Glory be to God forever. Amen.
The Coptic Church or the Church of Alexandria is called "Sees of St. Mark"; one of the earliest four sees: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome.
The Copts are proud of the apostolicity of their Church, whose founder is St. Mark; one of the seventy Apostles (Mk 10:10), and one of the four Evangelists. He is regarded by the Coptic hierarchy as the first of their unbroken 117 patriarchs, and also the first of a stream of Egyptian martyrs.
St. Mark was an African native of Jewish parents who belonged to the Levites' tribe. His family lived in Cyrenaica until they were attacked by some barbarians and lost their property. Consequently, they moved to Jerusalem with their child John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37). Apparently, he was given a good education and became conversant in both Greek and Latin in addition to Hebrew. His family was highly religious and in close relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. His cousin was St. Barnabas and his father's cousin was St. Peter. His mother, Mary, played an important part in the early days of the Church in Jerusalem. Her upper room became the first Christian church in the world where the Lord Jesus Christ Himself instituted the Holy Eucharist (Mk 14:12-26). Also, this is the same place where the Lord appeared to the disciples after His resurrection and His Holy Spirit came upon them. Young Mark was always associated with the Lord, who chose him as one of the seventy.
At first, St. Mark accompanied St. Peter on his missionary journeys inside Jerusalem and Judea. Then he accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Antioch, Cyprus and Asia Minor. On their second trip, St. Barnabas was separated from St. Paul and went to Cyprus with his cousin St. Mark (Acts 15:36-41).
St. Mark's real labor lays in Africa. He left Rome and traveled to Egypt, and entered Alexandria in 61 A.D. On his arrival, the strap of his sandal was loose. He went to a cobbler to mend it. When the cobbler - Anianos - took an awl to work on it, he accidentally pierced his hand and cried aloud "O One God". At this utterance, St. Mark rejoiced and after miraculously healing the man's wound, took courage and began to preach to the hungry ears of his convert. The spark ignited and Anianos took the Apostle home with him. He and his family were baptized, and many others followed.
The spread of Christianity must have been quite remarkable because pagans were furious and ought St. Mark everywhere. Smelling the danger, the Apostle ordained a bishop (Anianos), three priests and seven deacons to look after the congregation if anything befell him. In the year 68 AD, St. Mark was seized, dragged with a rope through the main streets of the city till death.
St. Mark was a broad-minded Apostle. His ministry was quite productive and covered large field of activities. These include:
Preaching in Egypt, Pentapolis, Judea, Asia Minor, and Italy during which time he ordained bishops, priests, and deacons.
Establishing the "School of Alexandria" which defended Christianity against philosophical school of Alexandria and conceived a large number of great Fathers.
Writing the Divine Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist which was modified later by St. Cyril to the Divine Liturgy known today as the Divine Liturgy of St. Cyril.
St. Mark
the Evangelist,
The Founder
St. Rouis,
St. Freig
(Abba Tegi, Anba Rouis)
On the 21st of Paope (31st of October), our Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the departure of a great man, St. Rouis.
St. Freig, who is known as Abba Rouis, was from a_small_village called Miniet-Yamin, El-Gharbiah Governorate. His father's name was Isaac and his mother's name was Sarah. When he was born, they called him Freig. As a poor farmer he had a harsh upbringing. At times he helped his father in farming and other times he sold salt carried on a small camel. He called the camel "Rouis" (i.e. small head). Because of his humility and honesty, the people loved him. When he was twenty years old, he went to Cairo then to Upper Egypt. He changed his name from Freig to Rouis after the name of his small camel as a means of humility and self-denial.
He moved from one place to another not having a house or shelter or any belongings. He was a man of few words, many fasts, and vigils. He ate very little simple food. He partook of the holy mysteries diligently with a wholly prepared heart and in fear and trembling. He always said; "No one is worthy to partake of these Holy Mysteries except the one that his entrails are pure as those of our pure lady St. Mary that were worthy to carry the Lord Christ."
He saw the glory of God coming upon the Holy Mysteries on the altar. Anba Rouis had reached an eminent degree of spirituality that he was able to move from one place to another for he has reached the level of an anchorite (hermit). God had granted him the gift of knowing hidden secrets, so the church gave him the title "Theophanius" - “who God appear to.”
Some evil men, thru the envy of the devil, one time plotted against him, so they delivered him to prince Sodon after they have painfully beaten him. The prince asked him for the reason why they had seized him. When he did not answer, the prince ordered to beat him till they tore his flesh, and his blood flew on the ground. Then he ordered to parade him in the streets ridiculing him and striking him along with one of his disciples. What they had received from torture on that day could not be described; finally, they imprisoned them. He raised his eyes to heaven and thankfully prayed to God.
Pope Mettaos came and released him and his disciple from prison and took him to treat his wounds. He stayed with him for a period until he was healed. The Pope asked him to remain with him in the papal residence, but he refused and resumed his wondering as his custom.
Anba Rouis was merciful and compassionate to the widows, and the orphans. He treated everyone gently and kindly. God granted him the gift of prophesy and he foretold many things to come.
During the later part of the life of this saint, he became severely ill and was bedridden for nine years in the house of one of his disciples called Michael the builder. During his illness he was consoled, patient, and thankful to the Lord.
When the time of his departure drew near, the Virgin St. Mary, whom he loved much, came to encourage, and comfort him. He signed himself with the sign of the cross and delivered his pure spirit in the hand of the Lord. His body was buried in Dair El-Khandaq which was re-named later after his name.
Our Coptic Church commemorates this saint not only on his feast day but also in the Divine Liturgy when we mention Abba Tegi in the Diptych. Many churches are built after his name. Icons of St. Rouis are common in our churches depicting him wearing his simple clothing and his camel by his side.
May his life of humility, prayer, self-control and endurance be an inspiration to each one of us and may his blessings be upon us all and glory be to our God for ever. Amen.