St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church New Orleans - Louisiana Calendar and News February 1998

Coptic Orthodox Diocese Of

The Southern United States

St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church New Orleans - Louisiana

February 1998

Church News Letter & Activities Calendar

CONTEMPORANEOUS YOUTH

By "contemporaneous" we mean that we should not deny our essence and tradition, but live our reality and our present conditions, adapting to contemporary changes, and dealing with the new issues that we face in the different areas of our daily life. Our Coptic Orthodox Church has taught us how to adjust to reality, deal with our age, grasp its sciences and cultures, and have a specific attitude toward its thoughts, principles, conduct, and current trends. Our Church has never been as hard and inflexible as some think it is, or as some would like it to be. Tradition, from the point of view of the Church, is a living being that grows from generation to generation and from age to age. Here are some examples which show how our Church lives the age without denying its glorious tradition:

1 - The School of Alexandria:

As soon as Saint Mark noticed the different scientific teachings, the philosophical ideas, and the different cultures, such as the Greek, Oriental, and Jewish cultures, he founded the Theological School of Alexandria in order to deal with this fact. Its approach was a reasonable and a spiritual one, as it did not attack these philosophies with fanaticism, but rather, it studied these philosophies and grasped them, and then singled out the Christian attitude toward them, with a big heart and broad mind. Thus, it was able to attract the philosophers, baptize the pagans, lead the Jews to the Christian Faith, and make the Church of Egypt a lighthouse for the whole Christian world, being a leader of ecumenical councils, a teacher in theology, a pioneer in monasticism, and an everlasting spring for the blood of martyrs.

2 - Ritual Flexibility

There is no development and no flexibility in faith or in doctrines; for the Faith in Christ, the Trinity, Incarnation, Resurrection, Ascension, and the Redemption through Christ, Who is the hope of all Christians until the Second Coming, and all believers in eternity, is essential faith for our salvation; faith which does not alter or develop, whose source is the Holy Bible and Church Tradition, with all the sayings of the Fathers that it contains. Doctrines also do not develop, as they are essential for our salvation, and our spiritual life depends on them. The Church, as the Body of Christ, the Holy Sacraments, Church Tradition, intercession, and prayers for the deceased are doctrines derived from the Word of God and received from the Fathers. These doctrines make our Christianity an Orthodox Christianity, and our Creed, and upright Creed, that can give glory to God in our lives. As for the rites, they do not change in essence, but in the way of expressing our faith and doctrines, and the way of teaching the following generations. Here are some proofs of the flexibility of the Church rites:

    a) Re-organizing the prayers of the Passover to suit people's circumstances
    b) Adding the belief of the one nature to the Bassilian Liturgy
    c) Translating the Liturgy into the languages that people can understand in every place
        in which our Church has reached; that is, Arabic, English, French, Dutch, German,
        Italian, as well as others.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1 Divine Liturgy "English" New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	2	3	4 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30 - 11:00 AM	5	6 Vespers & Bible Study Mobile, AL. 7:00PM-9:00PM	7 Divine Liturgy Mobile, AL. 9:00AM-12:30PM Aghapi ------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
8 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	9 Divine Liturgy New Orleans Beginning of Jonahs Fast 12:00 -3:00 PM	10 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 2nd day of Jonahs Fast 12:00 -3:00 PM	11 Divine Liturgy New Orleans Last day of Jonahs Fast 12:00 -3:00 PM	12 Divine Liturgy New Orleans Jonahs Feast 6:00 - 8:00 AM	13 Vespers & Midnight Birmingham, AL. 7:00PM	14 Divine Liturgy Birmingham, AL. 9:00AM ------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
15 Divine Liturgy New Orleans Presentation of Jesus into the Temple 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	16 Diocese's Priests Meeting, San Antonio, TX.	17 Diocese's Priests Meeting, San Antonio, TX.	18 Diocese's Priests Meeting, San Antonio, TX.	19 Diocese's Priests Meeting, San Antonio, TX.	20 Vespers & Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM	21 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-11:30PM Aghapi
22 Divine Liturgy Pre-Lent Sunday Destine, FL. 9:00AM-12:30PM Aghapi	23 Beginning Of The Great Lent	24	25	26	27 Vespers & Midnight Melbourne, FL.	28 Divine Liturgy Melbourne, FL. ------------ Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
1 March Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	2	3	4	5	6	7 Divine Liturgy Mobile, AL. 9:00AM-12:30PM Aghapi ------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM

Church News:

Jonahs Fast will last for three days from Feb. 9 - 11 with Jonahs Feast on the 12th. No seafood is allowed during fasting.
Abouna will pray the Divine Liturgy on Saturday, the 21st instead of Sunday, the 22nd.
The Church is considering to have a family retreat in Destine, FL, from Sat., the 21st - Tues., the 24th. See Abouna for more details.
The Great Lent will start on Feb. 23rd and will last for 55 days through April 18th. No seafood is allowed during fasting.
The Church congratulates Magdy & Niveen Sorial for the birth of their newborn son Daniel.
The Church also congratulates Samuel & Odette Gadalla for the birth of their newborn son John.
Remember the first Sunday Liturgy of every month will be celebrated in English.

Church Condolences:

The Church and congregation offer condolences to Lisa Gad for the departure of here father.
The Church and congregation offer condolences to Nawal Ghobrial for the departure of here cousin.

Happy Birthday:

Sara Rizk .......................................... Feb 12

Alexis Nawal Menasko .................. Feb 13

Bishoy Samir Ramzy ..................... Feb 24

If you have any comments or suggestion, Please send me an E-mail me at

Click To Go Back

Last Modified 2/18/1998