AN INITIATIVE OF THE MEDIA COMMITTEE - DIOCESE OF SYDNEY & AFFILIATED REGIONS

Copts’ News“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.” - Luke 2:52

11th Babah 1729

21st Oct 2012

Volume 1, Issue 151

Volume 2, Issue 63

SUNDAY

8 Pages

50c Thankyou for your

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editor@elmanara.org.au 22nd Abeeb 1728

Find this issue online at www.elmanara.org.au

by JOESIAN BESHAY

On Friday 28th October, Saint Anthony and Saint Paul’s youth departed for their annual youth camp held at Merroo Chriatian Conference Centre.

There was evidently a sense of excitement and anticipation when we arrived at approximately 10pm ready for the four-day spiritual

camp. The night began with fun icebreakers for everyone to get to know one another. The theme of the camp this year was ‘The Vow’, which focused on the beautiful verse from Ezekiel 16:8, “…I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you and you became Mine,” says the Lord God. This beautiful verse was explored in our workshops and discussions that we all saw as a spiritual revival between our relationship with Christ.

The HSC examinations com-menced this week with the English standard paper on Monday 15th of October. El-

Manara Newspaper wishes all the HSC students the best and asks its readers to pray for them that God may bless

by Dr. MAKRAM GIRGIS

The Mespero Youth Association These brave young men (most of whom suffered injuries during ‘Egypt’s Blackest Day’ – 9/10/11), have immediately formed this wonderful association, fighting hard to bring the criminals to justice. On that Black Day, my daughter and I were watching the news on television and suddenly we saw an armoured army vehicle driving on the body of a young man. Then soon the ugly criminal driver, looking through his car window, realised that the man did not die because his fiancé was pulling him away. The man, with determination quickly made a u-turn and crushed the ‘Coptic Martyr’. The poor young lady (clearly an innocent face Coptic) clutched the innocent man crying, ‘they have murdered my fiancé’.

It was such a traumatic experience for us; I found myself crying loudly, ‘Coptic Revolution’. Yes indeed, I immediately

wrote three articles in our respected Coptic magazine, El Manara, entitled: ‘THE COPTIC REVOLUTION, from the Arabic Spring to the Coptic Winter’. These young men who were murdered were not soccer hooligans. They were beautiful, law abiding, peaceful, Coptic young men, demonstrating because the Copts were killed and their Churches were burnt (not to mention the Alexandrian barbaric bombing of the Qidisin Church earlier that year).

When the Coptic youth arrived close to the Mespero TV station near the River Nile, the Muslem announcer, Mrs. Rasha Magdi said, ‘The honourable citizens should quickly come and protect the Army from the Coptic violence.’ Of course, the

‘The Vow’ - Saint Anthony & Saint Paul’s 2012 Annual Youth CampThe Anniversary of the

Mespero Massacre

The start of the 2012 HSC examinations

Heads of Christian denominations along with government officials and other dignitaries gathered at St Mark’s Church to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the enthronment of HG Bishop Daniel.

The celebration took place on Saturday 13th of October. Congratulations to HG Bishop Daniel on 10 years as the Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Sydney & Affiliated Regions.

WHo Are THe 5 reMAining CAndidATeS for THe 118TH PAPAl SeAT

The Papal election process is nearing completion and there are now only five candidates remaining. Turn to page 4 to read more information on the five remaining candidates

THE DIOCESE OF SYDNEYINVITES YOU TO CELEBRATE

THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ENTHRONMENT OF

His Grace Bishop DanielAS

BISHOP OF SYDNEY AND AFFILIATED REGIONS

SUNDAY 21ST OCTOBER, 2012

AT 5:30PMAT ARCHANGEL & ST BISHOY

CHURCH,MT DRUITT

2 editor@elmanara.org.au

21st October 2012

By HG BISHOP DANIEL

The gospel reading of today is about our beloved Lord calling St Peter to be an apostle.

But, it also contains many messages that can fill us with great joy and comfort.

1) It shows the importance and fruits of spending time with God:St Peter spent a short time talking with God, and the result was that his activities were blessed and fruitful.

When we start our day with the Lord, we will continue the day with many blessings. Our whole day will be happy and successful because our worldly activities have been sanctified through prayer and spending time with God.

Peter felt very happy after he spent time talking to the Lord – so much that he gave up everything to spend full time with the Lord. Just like David when he says in the Psalm: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8

It is the same thing with the person who experiences the presence of God – they will always want to be in His presence, and will give up everything – even time itself, in order to be with the Lord.

The great St Arsanious used to commence his prayers as soon as the sun would rise, and would continue standing in prayer until the sun would

set, without noticing the time go by.

2) It shows the importance of being obedient in the service:The fishermen caught nothing all day, but when the Lord told them to put down their nets, they obeyed Him immediately, and saw the fruits.Sometimes in service, it is easy to give up when you don’t see the fruits straight away. But the Lord is telling us not to give up, but to rely on God and not on our own abilities. Then we will see the fruits.

3) It shows how the Lord strengthens us in our weakness:

Like Peter, we must see ourselves as weak and sinful, so that our trust and strength can be in God, and not on ourselves. Without God, we are nothing and can achieve nothing.

Everything good and everything perfect is from God. But a proud person will never realize his need for God. For this reason, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

When St Peter realized his weakness and sin, he said “Depart from me for I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8 and yet, the Lord did not depart from him, but accepted him and gave him a great responsibility.

It is the same with us. When we realize our need for God, He will come to us and accept us, and make everything

we do successful through Him.

Instead of asking the Lord to depart from us, because we are sinful, we should beg Him to come and dwell in our hearts, so that the Lord may transform and cleanse them.

4) The Story contains many symbolic messages about spiritual fishing:

THE BOAT: 1) Because Jesus is present in the boat, the boat becomes a symbol of the church.2) The boat is the church that gives life and saves lives. Like a boat that transports us from one destination to another, this boat (which is the church) will transport us safely from this world to the next.3) Although there were 2 boats, the Lord got into Peter’s, symbolizing that the Lord is in the midst of the church. And because the Lord is in the boat, He will protect it, drive it and keep those inside safe, from the storms happening outside of the boat.4) And as a dove brought the sign of peace to Noah’s ark after the world was destroyed by the flood, the Lord will bring the joy of peace to the Church when judgment is over.

THE FISH:1) The fish symbolize the gentiles.2) The great quantity of fish which they caught, symbolize the great number of gentiles, who were caught

and converted by the apostles - who became ‘fishers of men’

THE DEEP SEA:1) The ‘deep sea’ symbolizes the world, and those who live in the waves of worldly things.

THE NET:1) The ‘net’ that was cast into the deep sea, represents the word of God that was cast into the world.

2) The ‘net’ that the fish were caught in, represents the word of God, which will save and secure all the fish together.

Glory be to God.

Bishop DanielWith the Grace of GodBishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Sydney & Affiliated Regions

goSPel reAding (luke 5:1-11)PETER IS CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE

The visit of Hg Bishop daniel Bishop of the Diocese of Sydney & Affiliated Regions

to St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox CollegeOn Friday 12th October, His Grace Bishop Daniel was welcomed to our College. Unfortunately, the weather was inclement with wild winds and persistant rain, but His Grace still managed to visit a number of classrooms, spoke to students and offered His blessing.

After meeting the students in the classrooms Monica Winefield (Yr10) played a piano solo, the Waltz, Rhea Varughese (Yr11) sang and accompanied on piano a composed piece of work by Peter Georgi. The song was, “I’m Giving It All For You”. Peter wrote it for the Christian Music Competition for the monastery. His Grace was overwhelmed by their talents and asked if He could be given a CD of their music. Later He toured the College grounds to view the new Sports Centre and Food Technology Kitchen. His Grace blessed the new building and was impressed by the facilities that have been established, after excellent planning from the College Board. It was a wonderful day and the students were very excited meeting His Grace and receiving a blessing. On behalf of the College Community, I thank His Grace for giving His time so generously to visit the College and for His return to the Diocese of Sydney and Affiliated Regions. We wish Him well with His service and thank Him for being with us last Friday.

Year 12 Valedictory Liturgy & Parents’ LuncheonOn Friday 14th September Year 12 were farewelled by the school community and by the Vicar General, The Very Reverend Fr Tadros Simon who conducted the Liturgy and was supported by the Very Reverend Fr Shenouda Mansour, Fr Yousef Fanous and Fr Suriel.

The School Captains Mina Shehata and Mariam Demian and Vice Captains, Jonathan Tanios and Annasimone Abdelmalek made a special thank you and farewell address that outlined their life at the school and how fortunate they were to be students at St Mark’s College. Monica Botros of Year 11, replied on behalf of the College Community, emphasising what wonderful role models, Year 12 have been. The address of encouragement was made by Mr David, the Deputy Head of the College. He highlighted the challenges they have faced in reaching their final year of schooling and where they will head in the future.The following week, a Special Luncheon for Year 12 Parents was held at St Paul and St Anthony’s Church. It was a wonderful function and I would like to thank our special guest The Very Reverend Fr Tadros Simon for his attendance and for his beautiful words of wisdom. Speaking on behalf of the Year 12 Parents, Mr Demian, the father of our School Captain Mariam, gave a beautiful address emphasising the trials and

tribulations, as well as the joy of being a parent. In response, the School Captains gave a respectful address, thanking their parents for their love and support in preparing them so well for the future. It was an emotionally charged function that brought together our community, the Church and the School.On behalf of the College Community I thank the parents dearly for supporting the College over the years and I wish Year 12 all the very best for their upcoming HSC Examinations and for their future tertiary studies.

Published by the Diocese of Sydney & its Affiliated Regions 3

11th Babah 1729 Copts’ News

THe PAPAl SeleCTion ProCeSS1. The vacancy of the See of Saint Mark2. The electoral process3. Those eligible to vote4. Diagrammatic timeline

1. The vacancy of the See of Saint MarkOver the past two thousand years, the Coptic Orthodox Church has existed in Egypt, and since that time there has been an unbroken line of shepherds of the Church, commencing with the great evangelist Saint Mark, and extending to His Holiness, the late Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark.

After the departure of His Holiness on 17 March 2012, we find ourselves in need of a shepherd for the Church, and are confident that God, who promises that He will never leave us orphans, will provide a shepherd according to His own heart.Over the coming months, the Holy Synod (the council of metropolitans and bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church), the General Lay Council (the long-existing body of laity that sees to the administrative matters of the Church) and the Coptic community in general will be called to faithfully carry out their part in placing our desires before God according to His instruction to us, while at the same time being prayerfully confident that He will be with us every step of the way. What we must also remember is that this process leads up to the Altar Ballot at the final stage, through which God will choose the right shepherd for us.

2. The electoral processThe process for electing the new pope was formulated by the Coptic Orthodox Church and made law by the Egyptian Parliament, creating the 1957 Statute. This statute requires that within seven days of the passing of the Pope, the most senior metropolitan of the Holy Synod calls a meeting of the Holy Synod in order to elect an Interim Patriarch. HE Metropolitan Mikhail of Assiut, the most senior metropolitan, delegated HE Metropolitan Pakhomious to convene the meeting. At that joint meeting of the Holy Synod and the General Lay Council of 22 March 2012, HE Metropolitan Pakhomious was unanimously voted as Interim Patriarch.

At the same meeting, the Nominations Committee was appointed by the Holy Synod, and its role is to receive and process nominations for Papacy from the Holy Synod and the General Lay Council. This Committee comprises eighteen members in total, nine from the Holy Synod and nine from the General Lay Council.Out of respect for the memory of our departed father His Holiness Pope Shenouda III and the feelings of the Church in general, the Holy Synod unanimously decided that it would not make or receive nominations until the forty-day memorial period for His Holiness was concluded on 26 April 2012. This period has now come to an end, and nominations are being received by the Nominations Committee.

Candidates, who must be at least forty years of age and have been in monasticism for at least 15 years, can be nominated by either six members of the Holy Synod or twelve members of the General Lay Council. Nominations are accepted by the

Nominations Committee for up to sixty days after the departure of the late Pope.The Nominations Committee considers all nominations and applies the criteria previously decided by the Holy Synod to all nominees. This committee accordingly undertakes an elimination process until a final list of candidates is determined. These names are then publicly announced and posted for a fifteen-day period, during which time challenges by eligible voters may be presented to the Nominations Challenges Committee. This committee comprises three members of the Holy Synod and two members of the General Lay Council.There is a thirty-day period for the processing of objections and appeals against those objections, after which the ruling of this committee is final and a list of five to seven candidates is announced. A date is then determined for the papal elections; this date should be no more than thirty days after the determination of the names of those candidates.On the first Sunday after the announcement of the election results, the names of the three candidates who receive the most votes are placed on the altar at a Liturgy celebrated by all the members of the Holy Synod and thousands of Coptic faithful. At the end of that Liturgy, one of the three names is chosen from upon the altar, known as the ‘Altar Ballot’; usually by a child. This is done by the drawing of one of the three folded papers, each containing one candidate’s name; the folded paper is then opened, the name read out and held up to display before the people, announcing the next shepherd of the Coptic Orthodox Church as the 118th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark. To finalise the process the other two papers are also opened.

3. Those eligible to voteRunning parallel to this process is the appointment of those who will vote in the papal election, and this is administered by an Electoral Committee that is made up of members of the Holy Synod and General Lay Council.

Each diocese is represented by twelve lay members as well as members of clergy with official roles. Once the lists of those nominated to vote are presented to the Electoral C o m m i t t e e , that committee ascertains their eligibility and compliance with the

general criteria in accordance with the statute. Once the final list is published and posted, there is a subsequent fifteen-day period for other voters to make any challenge to the proposed voters in writing to the Electoral Committee. Again, only those eligible to vote can object.Those eligible to vote are: members of the Holy Synod, current and former members of the General Lay Council, twelve representative lay members from every diocese, specific members of Clergy who hold official responsibilities within the diocese, current and former Christian government ministers and members of the Egyptian parliament, as well as Christian Journalists who work for daily newspapers and are registered with the Egyptian Press Association.

One matter that has been considered quite closely by the Holy Synod and the Electoral Committee is that of dioceses and parishes outside Egypt. When this process was formulated in 1957, there were only a handful of these parishes, but they now number in the hundreds, serving between ten and fifteen percent of Coptic Orthodox Christians globally.For the purposes of this election, where there are existing dioceses outside Egypt, these are treated in the same manner as those in Egypt with respect to the assignment of voters to represent that diocese; but where there are churches that do not fall within a particular diocese they are grouped within a long-term diocesan model and are treated as papal dioceses such as Cairo or Alexandria. In this case, they are also assigned twelve voters to represent them.

For the purposes of the papal elections, the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland are divided into four dioceses, and

within each diocese those eligible to vote are: the bishop, twelve lay voters representing the diocese, and priests who hold official responsibilities. According to the papal election process, there may be, if the bishop chooses, a Consultative Committee of five lay members to assist him in determining the twelve voters from the diocese. The final voter selection represents as wide a demographic distribution as possible, taking into account parishes, geography, gender and age.The entire electoral process is estimated to take approximately six months, with the expectation that the elections will be held around September 2012, subject to any extensions or unexpected delays. All dioceses will vote on the same day, and the Holy Synod will decide the voting day pursuant to the statute.

Within these steps we find a robust process that includes: nominations from peers within the Holy Synod, nominations from laity through the General Lay Council, systematic scrutiny with a process of challenges and appeals, representative democratic election, and above all, the Altar Ballot that encompasses this whole process with a spirit of prayer and trustful submission to the will of God.

4. Diagrammatic TimelineWhile the chronological order of stages will not change, these dates are set based on the stipulation of the electoral statute and may change as committees find the need for extensions to their allotted timescale, which will in turn have an effect upon the following stages.

An Explanation by HG Bishop AngaelosGeneral Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom

4 editor@elmanara.org.au

21st October 2012

St Mark’s Church welcomes fr Mark Basilyrest is history; the honourable Army soon

obliged and their armoured vehicles crushed innocent men.

In a very sad speech following the Mespero Massacre, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III said, ‘400 young men were injured and of the 27 who were murdered, two thirds had bullet wounds and the other one third were crushed by the Army armoured vehicles. He said that the blood of these young men is dear to us; these are martyrs who are up there in heaven praying for us. Sadly, soon after this, the BBC showed a Salafi teacher talking to 8 year old school children asking, ‘What can we do to the Copts who are killing our people?’ All the students quickly shouted, ‘We should kill them until we drain all their blood.’

The court case for Mespero Massacre has been delayed many times. The Egyptian President, a friend of the Army Chief, helped him retire. I heard on a Christian TV station, a disgruntled man shouting, ‘You can run away but you cannot hide; the law will eventually catch up with you!’ The brave Mespero Youth Association is diligently following the progress of this court case.

Never, in the history of humanity, has anything similar to the Mespero Massacre happened. During the famous Tiananmen Square Massacre, a young man stood in front of a big tank. The driver did not crush him as the Army did in Egypt.

On Friday 28th October, Saint Anthony and Saint Paul’s youth departed for their annual youth camp held at Merroo Chriatian Conference Centre.

(...continued from cover)

Bethany Christian Ladies Group

St Mary & St Merkorious "Abu Sefein" Church

Annual Fete 02 December 2012

The Church invites you to its annual Fete. Come and join us after the Holy Mass.

Large variety of craft, books, toys, jewellery, kitchenware, electronics, Christmas hampers, flowers,

and much more

ء مريم والشھيد تعلن كنيسة السيدة العذراي سيفين عن معرضھا أب العظيم مرقوريوس

2012ديسمبر 2السنوي يوم االحد الموافق

Date: 2 December 2012 Where: St Mary & St Merkorious "Abu Sefein" Church 2 Cavell Avenue, Rhodes

Also don’t miss out our Food Festival on Monday night 3rd of December @ 7.00pm

.

WHo Are THe 5 reMAining CAndidATeS for THe 118TH PAPAl SeAT

The Anniversary of the Mespero Massacre

“You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek” Ps 110:4

On Tuesday 16th of Oc-tober, St Mark’s church clergy and congregation welcomed newly ordained Fr. Mark Basily to the church with a procession according to the rite of welcoming a new priest.

The packed church was decorated with palm leaves and the pews were full of people eager to welcome Fr. Mark and congratulate him on his ordination.

Name: H.G. Bishop Rafael General Bishop for Central Cairo. Age: 54 years. D.O.B. 1958 Cairo Name before Monasticism: Micheal Erian Halim. Monastery: El Baramous. Ordination as Monk: 1990 by the name of Fr. Yustus. Ordination as Bishop: 1997. Qualification: Degree in Medicine & Surgery University of Eian Shams & Theological College. Job before Monasticism: Doctor.

Name: H.G. Bishop Tawadros General Bishop for Beheria. Age: 60 years. D.O.B. 1952 at Elmansora. Name before Monasticism: Wagih Sobhi Bagi Soliman. Monastery: St. Bishoy. Ordination as Monk: 1988. Ordination as Bishop: 1997. Qualification: Chemist Degree University of Alexandria, Theological College Cairo graduate and member of International health organization U.K. Job before Monasticism: Manager Medicine factory at Daman-hour.

Name: Very Rev. Fr. Rafael Ava Mina. Age: 70 years. D.O.B. 1942 at Cairo. Name before Monasticism: Rafael Sobhi Tawfik. Monastery: St. Mina. Ordination as Monk: 1969. Qualification: Degree in Law University of Eian Shams. Job before Monasticism: Chosen by H.H. Late Pope Kyrillos vi to be his personal Deacon.

Name: Very Rev. Fr. Seraphim El Suriany. Age: 53 years. D.O.B. 1959 at Cairo. Name before Monasticism: Aziz Ghali Sabri Aziz. Monastery: El Surian. Ordination as Monk: 1993. Qualification: Degree in Science University of Eian Shams. Job before Monasticism: Researcher at The American Medical Cairo.

Name: Very Rev. Fr. Bakhomious El Suriany. Age: 49 years. D.O.B. 1963 at Aswan Upper Egypt. Name before Monasticism: Magid Karam Salieh Lawandi. Monastery: El Surian. Ordination as Monk: 1992. Qualification: Degree in Science and Teaching. Job before Monasticism: Teacher in Mathematics .

Published by the Diocese of Sydney & its Affiliated Regions 5

11th Babah 1729 Copts’ News

After unpacking it was time to fall asleep… at least we thought we would get some sleep. Whilst some youth had called it a night, ready for the thrilling next day, others seemed too excited to sleep and stayed awake for the majority of the night; hours of sleep for night one: less than five.

The following day, with exhaustion, we gathered for breakfast and then moved into the hall for our next set of icebreakers. It was an interesting experience meeting new people, and growing closer to old friends. With activities ranging from exercise led by our very own body builder to games like musical chairs that brought the inner child out of all of us, there was some friendly competition and determination- even seeing one youth leap to the ground and haul into multiple chairs just to win points for their team.

Our beloved priest Father Moses who kindly travelled from Melbourne to stay with us for the camp held the first talk. With the theme in mind, he led a wonderful reflection on his journey to the Coptic Orthodox Church, a true blue Aussie (literally) who searched for the truth for twenty-seven years and found it in our Orthodox faith and now standing before us as a Coptic Orthodox priest. His testimony and love for Christ was powerful and inspiring. It was so moving to perceive his passion for Orthodoxy, his immense zeal and love for the church that he encouraged all of us to feel when listening. Each person was asked to find a place in the campsite to contemplate and talk to God alone. How often in our busy lives do we find the time to sit in silence and just talk to our Heavenly Father? Over the four days we had a series of three workshops that explored Christ’s relationship to the church in- depth.

The first workshop looked at God’s love for the church as a father’s love to his child. The second workshop on Sunday focused on the idea of the “Faithless and Faithful”. In our groups we discussed the necessary elements of a loving relationship and Christ’s relationship with the church as one of marriage with a beautiful verse from 1 Corinthians 13, 7:8, “Love… bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…” Our final workshop held on Monday focused on Christ’s renewed love with His children through the Eucharist and the notion that Jesus Himself is an icon to show us what we can become by God’s grace; sons and daughters and partakers of the Eucharist. These workshops were a great way to explore challenging ideas and rekindle our relationship with Christ, which were lead by our great servants.

Moreover, we had lots of free time to hang around, chat and take advantage of the facilities like the pool and of course the swing set. After lunch and more free time

we had a second talk by the lovely Monica Mazioun who explored the transition between the covenant of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Following afternoon prayers and dinner, it was time for us to gather in the theatre for the well- anticipated first part of the skit. We were enthusiastically waiting all day for the skit as a large amount of work had amounted to preparing it. The boys performed a comical, humorous and spiritual play, which told the story of a university student with a lukewarm spiritual life. He became involved with the bad habits of non- Christian people. Despite constant warnings from his closest friend to return to church, the protagonist ignored the warnings only to conclude the first part of the skit with the tragic news his closest friend had passed away… We were left to wait in anticipation for part two held the following day. After the hype of the skit we embraced the cold and assembled around a campfire singing hymns, roasting marshmallows and listening to the wise words of our beloved Father Souriel, Father Moses and Father Youseff followed by Tasbeha and prayers in preparation for the early mass on Sunday morning. After an amazing day, some people headed to bed, while others stayed up all night continuing with games and all the fun that was provided.

Both Sunday and Monday morning saw an early start in order to attend the heavenly mass led by the wonderful Father Souriel, Father Shenouda, Father Youseff and Father Moses. The Holy Liturgies were quite a moving experience. How often do we attend liturgies and forget the beauty of it all? It was truly heaven on Earth and a genuinely surreal experience. After the mass on Sunday we gathered for breakfast and then to the hall for more icebreakers and hymns, with a beautiful new hymn taught called, ‘Soon Very Soon’. Followed by lunch and our second workshop, we then had our final talk led once again by Father Moses discussing ‘A Renewed Love’. With every word he mentioned, as youth we were spiritually encouraged to reignite our communion with Jesus.

Following this, we partook in the much awaited scavenger hunt. After getting into groups of five people we were given envelopes. The envelopes contained a list of thirty items, such as, “hitchhiking” and “The awkward moment when…” The group was required to take a photo of each of these items; the more creative the photo, the more points the group received. We had about two hours to complete this exciting game (at the same time the boys along with the priests were well engaged with the football finals. With the majority cheering for the Bulldogs and many sad faces with the result- better luck next year boys). May I say; the creativity of some photos were amazing and very original. We won’t give too much away; you might just

have to wait for next year.

It was an incredible two hours of pleasure and enthusiasm. The groups were excited to find out who the winners were. All the photos were placed in a power point and we soon saw who the clear winners were. Seeing men having pillow fights was probably the most entertaining of all photos. After fun challenges in our trivia contests we gathered in the theatre for the second part of the amazing skit. It was really impressive to see how the audience was involved as we were asked to wear black shirts to begin the funeral. The opening scene was poignant and saw everyone in silence and in awe.

However, that overwhelming sadness was transformed into a night of hilarity as soon as our very own Antony Mansour who played the role of leading parish priest walked on stage- the resemblance between him and Father Shenouda was uncanny. With guidance from his spiritual Father, the protagonist Paul was soon able to disregard the radical dance moves of the non- Christian group and return to God’s house. We were left in elation and complete stiches with the humour that was unfolding before us, the echo of laughter filled the room as the skit was concluding. The moral of the story was to never lose hope in God’s plan for your life and how He works in mysterious ways for your goodness. We must mention the great acting performed by the whole group, what a great job!

This was followed by heavenly tasbeha prayers at night where we all challenged ourselves to stay up all night in the hall. With some servants bringing us food from McDonald’s, an intense game of FIFA and UNO, it was time well spent in each other’s company getting to mingle with one another and further developing our friendships.

We started the final day with another beautiful liturgy and were treated to pancakes for breakfast. After our workshops it was sadly time to pack up. With the camp unfortunately drawing to an end, we reminisced on the past couple of days; on the new friends we had made, the old ones we had further connected with and the new strength in our relationship with our loving Christ. It was a wonderfully organised camp, which I pray you will join us next year.

We thank God first and foremost for the success of the camp, Fr. Souriel, Father Shenouda, Father Youseff and Father Moses for their support and attendance during the camp. A HUGE thank you is commended to all the servants who orgnanised the camp and spent countless hours preparing to make it such a success. God willing, we hope to see you there next year at Saint Paul & Saint Anthony’s Annual Youth Camp.

(...continued from cover)

‘The Vow’ - Saint Anthony & Saint Paul’s2012 Annual Youth Camp

6 editor@elmanara.org.au

21st October 2012

Decree 18/10/12Formation of 2012 Elections’ Committee

for Electing the Board of Deacons in all the Churches of the Diocese of Sydney &

Affiliated Regions‘Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come’ (Revelation 1:4).

With the Grace of God the Father, the Power of His Only Begotten Son and the Guidance of the Holy Spirit and in accordance with the Constitution of the Coptic Orthodox Church signed by the Trice-blessed HH Pope Shenouda III on 8 October 2002, and in compliance with RULE(6) of the Constitution, and following the Decision of the Administration Committee in its Meeting of 14th of October 2012, I hereby issue Decree No. 18/10/12 with the following Clauses:

Clause 1: To appoint a Committee to prepare for 2012 Elections for the Board of Deacons in all the Churches of the Diocese.

Clause 2: The Committee members will be:

1. Mr. John Nakhla Chairman2. Mr. Yasser Ghattas Secretary3. Mrs. Nahid Khalil Member4. Mr. Rami Attia Acting as Legal Consultant for the Committee5.Mr. Simon Michail Diocese Representative Clause 3: The Committee to appoint an Assisting Committee to help in the process of Elections.

Clause 4: The Elections will be held in November 2012.Clause 6: The Job description for the Committee is as follows:1.To carry out the Elections as mentioned in Clause 4.2.To seek help from the Assisting Committee.3.To set the control system to ensure proper Elections is carried out.4.To set the plan for carrying out the Elections in time.5.To update me with regular reports.

Clause 7: This Decree has been issued under my signature on the 17th of October 2012 May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you.Bishop DanielWith the Grace of God Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Sydney & Affiliated Regions

The First visit of HG Bishop Daniel to the Newly Established St Peter & St Paul Church -34 Illawon Street, Berkely - NSW 2506-

Illwara AreaWhere he prayed the Holy Mass and ordained Deacons

On Saturday 6th of October 2012

“The righteous will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43)Thanks and 40 Day Remembrance Service

Mrs Helana Hemaya Mikhaeel Ibrahim

The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to all those who offered their condolences, prayers and support. We also thank HG Bishop Daniel of Sydney, HE Metropolitan Abraham of Jerusalem and HG Bishop Aghathon of Brazil for their prayers and

condolences. We also thank all our fathers the priests of Sydney who partook in the funeral prayers with a special thanks to the beloved priests of St George Church Kensington for their prayers and support. The Forty Day Requiem Holy Liturgy will be prayed on 21/10/12 at St George Coptic

Orthodox Church Kensington, Sydney. To a virtuous wife, dear mother, beloved grandmother and adored great-grandmother:

Truly a wife of noble character is worth far more than rubies. You, our dear mother are worth far more than rubies, you lived with virtue, love, humility and obedience in the joy and simplicity of complete

submission to the Lord Jesus. You tolerated your pain with thanksgiving and you departed with angelic peacefulness during the season of martyrs. You were blessed by the

martyrs’ feast and the joy of meeting them. Remember us in front of the throne of grace until we meet again. Your loving husband of 65 years Naguib Iskander Ibrahim

The families of Samy Iskander, the late Boshra Farah and Zakaria Farah

Published by the Diocese of Sydney & its Affiliated Regions 7

Copts’ News11th Babah 1729

CopticWorld – The Coptic Church’s Official Online Platform

We are excited to introduce CopticWorld.org, a global Coptic Church initiative to connect all Copts in the world. Under the guidance and blessing of His Grace Bishop Daniel, we are launching our own chapter of CopticWorld in the Diocese of Sydney and Affiliated Regions.

CopticWorld.org is the online presence of the Coptic Church. It was blessed by HH the late Pope Shenouda III in 2007 and by the Holy Synod in 2012 to become the official online platform for the Coptic Church.

CopticWorld facilitates communication, similar to a virtual meeting room where all Coptic Christians can communicate with one another and discuss and address the various challenges we face. This includes effective communication amongst the clergy, the congregation as well as between the clergy and the congregation.

CopticWorld is officially the world’s most complete directory of Coptic Churches with almost 1600 churches registered worldwide. Each one of those churches has its own mini website within CopticWorld that allows it to have its own live stream, calendar of events, community board, classifieds, member networking section and business networking section. Soon it will also have its own Sunday school application, prayer request feature, trip planner, bookstore, and a way to receive tithing. CopticWorld then integrates all churches into cities, states, countries and the whole world in one platform! CopticWorld is currently streaming 38 churches in 5 different countries with the goal of live streaming every Coptic church in the world.

CopticWorld will also allow you to stay on top of the church news. It allows the Pope to reach the whole world with the click of a button. Bishops can reach their diocese in a similar way. Priests can reach their congregations also just as quickly.

We ask that you SIGN UP TO CopticWorld TODAY! His Grace Bishop Daniel encourages you, your family, and your friends to register at CopticWorld.org and get everyone connected. Remember, for this project to really benefit the global church, we need as many people to sign up as possible.

For more details, please watch the video on our homepage to learn how this new and exciting platform works.

God bless you all and we ask that you please pray for CopticWorld.

CopticWorld - Sydney Diocese Team

For more information on CopticWorld, please email support@CopticWorld.org or call 0406 049 587 or 0417 772 500.

Day Date AM Service PM Service

Sunday 21/10/2012 9:00H. Mass @ St Mark’s Church -

ARNCLIFFE

MONDAY 22/10/2012

TUESDAY 23/10/2012

Wednesday 24/10/2012 9:00H. Mass @ St. Mary & St Mina

Cathedral - BEXLEY

Thursday 25/10/2012 Visiting Brisbane

Friday 26/10/2012 Visiting Brisbane

Saturday 27/10/2012 Visiting Brisbane 7:30 Vesper @ St. George Church - KENSINGTON

Sunday 28/10/2012 9:00H. Mass @ St. Antonious & St Paul

Church-GUILDFORD7:00

Fund Raising Dinner For St Shenouda Monastery The Epping Club, 45 Rawson Street, Epping,

NSW 2121

MONDAY 29/10/2012

TUESDAY 30/10/2012

Wednesday 31/10/2012

Thursday 1/11/2012 7:00 Vespers @ St. Mary, St Bakhomious & St Shenouda Church – KIRRAWEE

PROGRAMME FOR THE VISIT OFHIS GRACE BISHOP AGHATHON

BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF (SAO PAULO) BRAZIL 24TH OF OCTOBER – 1st OF NOVEMBER 2012

 

GOVERNMENT CONGRATULATES NEW MEMBERS OF MIDDLE EASTERN MINISTERIAL CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE Posted September 17, 2012The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP, the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Senator Kate Lundy, Member for Calwell, Maria Vamvakinou MP, and Member for Parramatta, Julie Owens MP, today announced the members of the new Middle Eastern Ministerial Consultative Committee.“The Middle Eastern Ministerial Consultative Committee will help to inform the Government of the views of Australia’s Middle Eastern community,” Mr Bowen said.“I congratulate the new members of the committee and look forward to meeting with them.”Senator Lundy said the members of the new committee would build on the significant contribution the Middle Eastern community has made to Australia.“As a Government, we recognise the important role the Australian Middle Eastern community has played in our national story over generations, enhancing our social fabric and enriching our communities,” Senator Lundy said.“The new committee will provide a platform for the Middle Eastern community to directly engage in a dialogue with government and continue to contribute to the success and prosperity of our nation.”Committee co-chairs, Ms Vamvakinou and Ms Owens, said they were confident those chosen for the committee would represent their community well.“The calibre of members on the committee will further the representation of the Middle Eastern Community,” Ms Vamvakinou said.“This committee will be instrumental in assisting the Government in understanding the issues faced by the community, and how we can work effectively together in addressing them.”“I look forward to working with the new committee members, who represent a vast and dynamic part of the Australian community,” Ms Owens said. “I think this committee will be a great opportunity to strengthen the ties between us.”The Ministerial Consultative Committee is comprised

of 15 members drawn from Middle Eastern community leaders around Australia:Dr Waleed Alkhazrajy: Islamic Society of South Australia.Mrs Madonna Awad: Coptic Orthodox Women’s Association.Mr Nail Aykan: General Manager of the Islamic Council of Victoria.Mrs Amal Bousamra: Maronite Church of Australia.Mr Kaled Kheir: Lebanese Muslim Association.Mr Ecevit Demir: President of the Australian Turkish Friendship Association; Director of the Australian Turkish Mutual Alliance. Mr Louie Josef: Australian Chaldean Federation; Chaldean Social Cultural and Welfare Association of Australia.Mr Kamal Kahla: Alawi Islamic Association of Victoria.Mr Hassan Moussa: Founder and Secretary of the Australian Arab Business Network; former President of the Arab Council of Australia.Mr John Nour: Egyptian Coptic Community of New South Wales.Ms Diana Rahman: President of Australian Muslim Voice; Deputy Chair of the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum; Member of the ACT Muslim Advisory Council.Mr Michael Rizk: Australian-Lebanese Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the Melkite Catholic Eparchy Australia; Member of the Christian-Muslim Friendship Association.Ms Omeima Sukkarieh: Auburn Community Development Network; Auburn Youth Centre; Olivetree Women’s Network; Justice and Arts Network.Mr Dinkha Warda: Assyrian Australian Association; Assyrian Church of the East; Assyrian Resource Centre.Mr Salim Youssef: Founding member of the Australian Arab Association; former Vice-President of the Muslim Community of Western Australia.The committee will meet regularly with the co-chairs and at least twice a year with Ministers Bowen and Lundy. The Government will also hold an annual forum for the committee to facilitate access to the Prime Minister and other senior Government ministers.

Federal Member for McMahonMinister for Immigration and Citizenship

8 editor@elmanara.org.au

21st October 2012

Published by the Diocese of Sydney & its Affiliated Regions 9

Copts’ News11th Babah 1729

A message from St Shenouda Monastery-Sydney Australia.Re: The Fund Raiser Dinner to support the New Project.

The Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you All. please note the following:

1. The Fund Raiser Dinner is at the door, will be on Sunday: 28/10/2012, at 6.30pm.

2. Only 2 weeks to sell all the Tickets, last chance to sell tickets is on Sunday: 21/10/2012.

3. There will be no tickets sold at the Reception Hall on the Actual Day.4. All Fathers, Please announce about this Function and encourage your People

to come.5. The Dinner will be at: The Epping Club: 45 Rawson Street. Epping.NSW. At

6.30pm sharp.6. People must bring with them the Tickets and come early.7. Kids are not allowed unless they have a full Ticket- $100. (All Donations-

Thanks).8. Dear Fathers please confirm your attendance with Samuel Mikhael on: 0416

061 601.9. There will be very nice Coptic Icons from Monasteries of Egypt for sale and

Auctions.10. There will be 5 honoured Bishops blessing the Function.11. There will be a professional Photographer taking Photos and can be processed

and sold on the Spot.12. There is a hope to have the Function broadcasted live on Air through the CYC

channel.13. Any enquires needed please contact: Samuel Mikhael on: 0416 061 601. Or

Email:Samuel.mikhael@hotmail.com.14. Please pray for the success of this Function and support the New Project at

the Monastery.Thank you and God bless you All.Yours Sincerely,Bishop Anba Daniel.Monday: 8/10/2012.

SOME PEOPLE ARE TOO TIRED TO GIVE YOU A SMILE. GIVE THEM ONE OF YOURS AS NO ONE NEEDS A SMILE SO MUCH AS HE WHO HAS NO MORE TO GIVE!!!!!!WHENEVER YOU ‘R DOWN AND OUT...LIFT UP YOUR HEAD ...SMILE!!!!!THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE HAPPILY WITH FOLKS IS TO OVERLOOK THEIR FAULTS AND ADMIRE THEIR VIRTUES!!!!!!I KNOW A LITTLE SUFFERING IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL,BUT SOMEBODY MUST BE TRYING TO MAKE A SAINT OUT OF ME!!!!!!YESTERDAY IS EXPERIENCE ...TOMORROW IS HOPE...TODAY IS GETTING FROM ON TO THE OTHER!!!!!I DIDN’T CAUSE IT...I CANNOT CONTROL IT...NOR CAN I CURE IT...BUT GOD CAN!WEHAVE TWO CHOICES WHEN WE ARE FACED WITH DRAWAND BECOME BITTER,GROWING OLD BEFORE OUR TIME AND DYING INWARDLY. OR WE CAN REACH OUT TO GOD AND GROW IN WARDLY..WE HAVE GOD’S PROMISE THAT IT WILL HAPPEN!!!!GOD CAN SEE EACH FALLING TEARS...HE SEES THE HEART THAT,S SAD DREAR...HE KNOW THE PATH THAT’S FULL OF FEAR...DON’T GIVE UP FOR HE IS NEAR!!!!!!SOHEIR KALDASTHE HEAD THINKS,THE HANDS LABOR,BUT IT’STHE HEART THAT LAUGHS!!!!!PARENTS NATURALLY WANT TO BRING ABOUT IMMEDIATE CHANGES IN THEIR KIDS LIVES;;BUT GOD DID’NT COMMAND US TO CHANGE THEM,HE ONLY COMMAND US TO LOVE THEM. IT IS GOD WHO MAKES THE CHANGES IN ANY OF US!!!!!!

10 editor@elmanara.org.au

21st October 2012

Announcement to the Coptic Community

As you are aware, St Maurice committee has been established to oversee and take responsibility of the planning and development of Aged Care facilities in Sydney to service the needs of the elderly in the diocese.

With the Grace of God, we wish to advise you of the progress thus far

1. St Maurice Aged Care Ltd has been registered as a company limited by guarantee under the Corporations Act 2001. For your reference, please find the ACN and ABN details as follows:-

St Maurice Aged Care LtdACN: 160 441 770ABN: 16 160 441 770

2. A new bank account for the company has been established. Please forward donations to either;

Please make cheque’s payable to;

St Maurice Aged Care LtdPO Box 757ROSE BAY NSW 2029

Electronic Funds Transfers can be made to;

St Maurice Aged Care LtdBank: Commonwealth BankBSB: 062 136Account: 10362649

3. The board has had the pleasure in welcoming 3 new directors to the board of the Company. The board welcomes Mr Hany Salib FCPA, Dr Assad Malek and Dr Atef Ghaly. The board has now been finalised as follows:

•Dr Farag Gobran (Chairman)•Mr Hammam Awad (Deputy Chairman)•Mr Ramy Mikhael (Secretary)•Mr Hany Salib (Treasurer)•Prof Abd El-Messih Malek•Dr Assad Malek •Mr Saad Sefein•Dr Atef Ghaly•Cr Maurice Hanna, OAM •Mrs Tako Tadros•Mr Anthony Hanna•Hon Member Sister Elham 4. St Maurice Aged Care Ltd is tax deductible gift recipient. All donations made to St Maurice Aged

Care Ltd of $2 or more are fully tax deductible. We appreciate your contributions and support which are vital to the success of the facility and services to the elders of the community.

God BlessFarag Gobran Ramy Mikhael Chairman Secretary

SalvationFr. Alexander Schmemann

“First, let us stop to consider the word salvation. We need to dwell on this because we are dealing here with a concept so familiar to every believer, a concept to which he has become so accustomed that he no longer hears its full significance. Christianity is a religion of salvation. This means that it is not merely a ‘life improvement’ plan, it is not a scheme for overcoming life’s day to day adversities, nor is it a set of abstract principles and norms of behaviour.

Salvation presupposes that one is perishing. A drowning man, a man whose home is engulfed in flames, a man falling over the edge of a cliff does not pray for comfort or comforting words, but for salvation. Yet it is just this sense of perishing, and therefore the experience of Christianity as salvation, that has been suffocated over the long centuries of Christianity.

The vast majority of Christians continue out of habit to say words such as ‘Savior’, ‘salvation’, ‘save us’, but within themselves they now unconsciously experience these words in a different way than did the early Christians. Within Christianity itself a peculiar substitution of words has taken place, or rather, not of words, because the terminology stays the same, but of meaning, how the words are heard.

This substitution has taken place because we have stopped viewing ourselves as beings who are truly perishing, beings whose life is rushing inexorably toward meaningless collapse, whose life is engulfed by evil, by senselessness, by the horror of dying and death, by the bestial struggle for survival, by the terrible lust for power, by the war of all against all, by lies which poison the very sources of life, by ignorance and by the universal sentence of death; in other words, we are engulfed by everything which our so called civilization uses – alas, successfully – to suffocate life and deface it.”

iMPorTAnT uPdATeS on THe 118TH PAPAl

VoTing ProCeSSThe Holy Synod has approved the final list of voters.

There are 2411 voters who will take part in this historical event.The voting process for the 118th Pope of the See of Alexandria involves two steps:

1) Reducing the list of nominees:Thanks be to God, the first step of reducing the list of nominees to 5 names has been completed. The names are listed below:• Fr. Bakhomios al Souriany• Bishop Tawadrous• Bishop Raphael• Fr. Raphael Ava Mina• Fr. Seraphim al Souriany2) Election Day:The election date will be Monday 29th of October.• Voters within Egypt:

All voters within Egypt will be voting in person on the tentative election day which will be announced soon.

• Voters Outside Egypt:According to the 1957 by-laws, voters outside of Egypt have two options for voting:

1. Travel to Egypt and vote in person for voting on the tentative election day2. Go to your local Egyptian Embassy or Consulate to get a letter of power of attorney for the person who will be voting in Egypt instead of you. This person will take this letter and will vote in person instead of you.

Process of the BallotThe ballot will contain the final list of the 5 nominees. The voter will vote by scratching out with a pen all names in which he/she does not vote for. There can only be a maximum of 3 unscratched names, otherwise the ballot will be rejected.

As we go through this historical event, the presence and guidance of our Lord is vital. Thus the Church will be fasting 3 first degree fast (similar to the Wednesday and Friday fasts).1. 1st to 3rd October, 2012: prior to studying the objections of the nominees; reducing the list of nominees from seventeen to 5-7 names. This has already been comleted.

2. 22nd to 24th October: prior to the election day on 29th October.

3. 31st October to 2nd November: prior to the Altar Ballot on 4th November

We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ guide us through this process and help us to choose a good shepherd for His church according to His will.