“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). On the 26th of Koiahk, we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Anastasia. St. Anastasia was born in the city of Rome in the year 275 A.D. She was born to a pagan father whose name was “Britastanos” and Christian mother…

Father Mina Abood “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) Father Mina Abood is one of the most beloved modern saints of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He was born on September 16, 1974, in Aswan to Christian parents. At a young age, his father passed away in a…

1st Tout 1742 A.M., September 11th 2025 The Feast of Nayrouz holds a place of great importance in the Coptic Church, serving as the crown of the Coptic liturgical year. The term Nayrouz (also spelled Nerooz) originates from the Persian language, meaning “the New Day.” It became associated with the Coptic New Year following the…

St. Longinus the Soldier “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV) The Lord works in mysterious ways. Things that, to our knowledge and perception, appear to be heading in one direction, could, through God’s Providence, conclude with an entirely unexpected result. The story…

The Martyrdom MonthCelebrating The Coptic Church’s Martyrs The 21 Martyrs of Libya The 21 Martyrs of Libya stand as one of the most vivid testimonies of the Coptic Church faith in modern times.  The 20 Coptic Egyptians were simple laborers in Libya to provide for their families back home. The twenty-first was Matthew Ayariga, a Ghanaian…

Martyrdom of St. MarkFounder of the Church of AlexandriaPashons 1, 1741 – May 8, 2025 St. Mark was born in the city of Cyrene in Pentapolis, the western part of Libya. He was born of Jewish parents–Aristopoulos and Mary. His parents taught him in Greek and Hebrew, and he studied the Old Testament since he…

The First Christian Martyr and Deacon St. Stephen is known in Christianity as the first Martyr and Deacon. His story came to us through St. Luke’s testimony in Acts 6-7 about the apostolic period after Jesus’ Resurrection & Assentation. During the apostolic period, as the number of early Christians increased, the twelve Apostles struggled to…

On the 29th of Amshir, we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Polycarp of Smyrna (also known as Izmir). St. Polycarp was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist’s. In St. John’s vision, an angel instructed him to write a message for St. Polycarp: “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things…

“I am the wheat of God and let me be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.” These powerful words were written by St. Ignatius of Antioch in his epistle to the Romans as he was escorted over 1,500 miles from Antioch to Rome, where…

The Martyrdom of St. Abakragoun On the 25th of Epep, St. Abakragoun from El-Batanoon was martyred. St. Abakragoun, who was a thief, had joined two young men in a plan to steal from a monks cell. When they had arrived at the monk’s cell they found him deep in prayer. They decide to wait for…