“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16)
Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate – The Church of Alexandria

St. Mary & St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church
Reaching out to Somerset and Hunterdon Counties in NJ

Resources on Apostles Fast

Apostles Feast

Suffering in EvangelismCelebrating the martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul Each year on the 5th of Epep, our Church celebrates this feast, which marks the conclusion of the Apostles’ Fast. Throughout this fast, we are reminded that the apostolic life is not reserved only for the Twelve or the Seventy, but is a calling…

St. Peter

St. PeterFounder of the Syriac Orthodox Church The foundation of the Syriac Orthodox Church can be traced directly back to the early Christian community at Antioch in the ancient Roman province of Syria, where the converts were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Thus, the Church in Antioch was the first established Church for all the…

Saint Matthew the Evangelist & Saint Philip the Apostle

Founders of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Churches The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest and most traditional Christian denominations, as its history is deeply intertwined with the missionaries of both St. Matthew the Evangelist and St. Philip the Apostle. These apostles first introduced Christianity to the region, converting many from worshipping idols to…

St. Mark

St. MarkFounder of the Church of Alexandria St. Mark was born in the city of Cyrene in Pentapolis, the western part of Libya. He was born of Jewish parents, Aristopolus and Mary, many years after the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His parents educated him with Greek and Hebrew and he was…

1st Sunday of Apostles Fast

The Apostles FastSaints Thaddeus and Bartholomew St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew are credited with establishing the Armenian Orthodox Church. St. Matthew and St. Luke both indicate that they were apostles in their respective gospels (Matthew 10:2-5, Mark 3:16-19, and Luke 6:14-16). Interactions between both St. Thaddeus and Christ and St. Bartholomew and Christ are recorded…