Services at St Mary’s Church
Monday:
Mass 9 - 11 am
Tuesday
Liturgy 5:30 - 7am
7:30pm The Way Orthodox Fellowship in Englisg for adults - All ages
Wednesday: Mass 9 – 11 am
6:30-8pm School of Deacons Adults
Thursday
Mass 9 - 11 am - English
English Midnight Praises 7:30pm
English Bible Study 7:30pm
Friday: Mass Mass 9 – 11 am
Youth 25 and above 7-9pm
Discipleship Clas Class 7-8:30pm
Saturday: Mass: 8:30 – 11am
Sunday School 4 – 5.30pm
Vespers & youth meeting 7-8:30pm English
Vespers &Bible Study Arabic 5:30-7pm
Scouts 1:30 - 3pm
School of Deaconsgip 3 - 4pm
Sunday:
1st Mass 6:30 - 8:30 Arabic & English
2nd Mass.8:30 - 10:30 English - St Mary’s Church
3rd Mass 8:30 - 10:30 Arabic - St John’s
Chrysostom Church
Family Meeting fortnightly 11:30am
Hymns Class - English 11:45 - 12:30pm
Church Priests:
Fr Tadros Sharobeam 0414251251
Email: frtadros@me.com
Fr Habib Girgis Younan: 0401238177 – 94498871
Email: habibgirgisyounan@hotmail.com
Fr Michael Salib: 0422431821
Email: frmichael@sac.edu.au
Church Address: 5 Epsom Rd., Kensington Vic 3031 Tel: 93766651
Fr Kerillos Tawadros 0411 518 399
Fr John Makary 0433 445 636
The Martyrdom of St. Justus, Son of Emperor Numerian.
17th February - 10th Amsher
On this day also, St. Justus, son of Emperor Numerian, was martyred. When he returned from war, he found that Emperor Diocletian had married his sister and had become the new emperor. Emperor Diocletian had apostatized the faith in the Lord Christ, and St. Justus was greatly sorrowful for what happened.
When the nobles of the empire met together to enthrone him in place of his father, he did not accept, for he preferred the heavenly kingdom over the earthly. He came before Diocletian and declared his faith in the Lord Christ. The Emperor sent St. Justus with his son Abali and his wife Theoclea to the Governor of Alexandria, and commanded him to persuade them first and to behead them if they did not obey.
When they arrived in Alexandria, the Governor received them and treated them well to persuade them. As he could not change their deep conviction in their faith in the Lord Christ, to Whom is the Glory, he sent St. Justus to Antinoe (Ansena(, Abali, his son, to Basta (near Zagazig, Sharkia(, and Theoclea to Sa (Salhagar, Gharbia(. Each of them took a servant with him so when they completed their strife, the servant would take care of the body. They tortured them, beheaded them, and they received the crown of martyrdom. Their prayers be with us all. Amen.
The Departure of St. Isidore of Pelusium. 17th February - 10th Amsher
On this day also, the ascetic, scholar and holy man, Anba Isidore of Pelusium (El-Pharma(, departed. His parents were among the rich and noble people of Egypt. He was related to Pope Cyril and Pope Theophilus, patriarchs of Alexandria. He was the only child of his parents, who cared about his education. They taught him the books of the church, and the Greek language in which he excelled and surpassed many. He was also ascetic and humble. When he knew that the people of Alexandria and the bishops wanted to make him the Patriarch of Alexandria, he took flight by night to Pelusium and became a monk in a monastery there. Then he went to a small cave where he lived alone for several years. During these years, he wrote many books about emperors and governors. He also commented on many books of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. His epistles that he sent to bishops and patriarchs were counted as eighteen thousand epistles. The gifts of the Holy Spirit poured upon him, and he reached a good old age, then departed to the Lord in peace.
His prayers be with us all. Amen.
The Martyrdom of St. James the Apostle, Son of Alphaeus.
17th February - 10th Amsher
On this day, St. James the Apostle, son of Alphaeus, was martyred. After he had preached the Gospel in many cities, he returned to Jerusalem and entered the temple of the Jews. He preached the gospel publicly and proclaimed the faith of the Lord Christ and His resurrection.
The Jews abducted him and brought him to Claudius, the deputy of the Roman emperor, and told him that he was preaching another king instead of Caesar. Claudius ordered him to be stoned to death, until he departed in peace. The faithful took his body and buried him beside the temple. His prayers be with us all. Amen.
The Martyrdom of St. Fabianus (Fabrianus(, Pope of Rome.
18th February - 11th Amsher
On this day, St. Fabianus, Pope of Rome, was martyred. This father was a righteous scholar. He was ordained Pope for the city of Rome, so he taught his people and guided them in the way of Christian perfection.
Decius, the head of the army, killed Emperor Philip, and replaced him as emperor. Decius incited a severe persecution against the Christians, and many were martyred. This infidel built a huge temple in the middle of the city of Ephesus, and erected in it idols, where he offered sacrifices to them. He then ordered to behead everyone who refused to sacrifice to these gods.
When Decius knew that St. Fabianus was against the worship of idols and that he was teaching the faithful to be steadfast in their faith, he brought him to Ephesus. Decius commanded St. Fabianus to sacrifice to the idols. St. Fabianus did not yield to him and ridiculed his idols. The Emperor punished him with many tortures for a long time and at the end, he beheaded him with the sword. St. Fabianus thus received the crown of martyrdom. This pope stayed on the throne for 12 years, the major part of which was tranquil and peaceful. His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
The Departure of St. Gelasius.
19th February – 12th Amsher
Also on this day, St. Gelasius, the struggling ascetic, departed. He was born of Christian parents, who brought him up in the Christian faith. They taught him the church subjects, and then he was ordained a deacon in the church. He labored in his obedience to
Christ and in carrying His yoke. He went to the wilderness of Shiheet and became a monk. Afterwards, he was ordained a priest, and the angel of the Lord guided him to a distant place where many monks gathered around him, and he was a great example for them. He considered himself as one of them. He was patient and long suffering to the point that he transcribed the Holy Bible and placed it in the church for the other monks to read.
One day a stranger visited him and stole the transcribed Bible and went to try to sell it to someone. That person wanted to know its value, so he went to St. Gelasius and showed him the Bible. St. Gelasius knew that it was his book and asked him, “For how much did he sell it to you?” He answered, “For sixteen Dinari.” The saint said to him that it was cheap, and so the man took it and went to his home.
When the seller came back to him to pick up the price, he said to him, “I have shown the Bible to Father Gelasius and he said that the price was too high.” The seller asked, “Did the father tell you anything else?” The buyer replied, “No.” The man who stole the Bible said, “I do not want to sell it.” He took the book and went to Father Gelasius and gave it to him weeping and regretting what he did. The saint did not accept it from him. However, after the man had insisted with many tears, the saint at last accepted it from him.
God granted this saint the gift of performing miracles. One day, the monastery was presented with an amount of fish. After they were cooked, the cook asked one of the servants to guard it, but the servant ate a great part of it. When the cook knew what had happened, he was angry at that servant, for he ate before the time of eating and before the elders had blessed it. The cook beat him with a deadly hit that killed him.
The cook was afraid of what he had done and went to St. Gelasius and told him what had happened. The saint told him to take the body and put it in the church in front of the altar and to leave it there. The saint and the monks came to the church, prayed the Vespers prayer, and then the saint departed from the church, and the boy rose up and followed him. The monks did not know of this miracle until the saint had departed.
When this father finished the course of his life in a good old age, the Lord wanted him to rest from the labors of this world, and he departed leaving us with this good memory.
His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
The Departure of St. Severus, Patriarch of Antioch. 21st February – 14th Amsher
On this day of the year 538 A.D., the holy father St. Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, departed. He was from Asia Minor. His grandfather, whose name was also Severus, saw in a vision someone telling him, “The child who is for your son will strengthen Orthodoxy, and his name will be after your name.” When his son had this saint, he called him Severus. He was taught the Greek wisdom and church subjects.
Once, the saint was strolling outside the city, a shut-in saint came out of his cave crying, “Welcome to you Severus, teacher of Orthodoxy, and Patriarch of Antioch.” Severus marvelled at how he called him by his name, for he did not know him before, and how he foretold what would become of him.
Severus grew in virtue and became a monk in the monastery of St. Romanus. The fame of his righteousness and his ascetic life spread out. When the Patriarch of Antioch departed, the bishops had a consensus to ordain him the Patriarch of the city in the year 512 A.D. The church was illuminated by his teachings which spread to all the universe, and he was one of the fathers who attended the Universal Council at Ephesus.
Shortly after, Emperor Anastasius died and Justinian, who was Chalcedonian in faith, reigned after him. He called upon this holy father and gave him great honors to persuade him to change his stand and to follow the Emperor’s belief, but the Saint refused. The Emperor became angry, but the Saint did not fear his anger, and so the Emperor ordered him to be killed. Theodora, the Emperor’s wife who was Orthodox in faith, knew about what the Emperor intended to do, so she told the saint to flee from his face.
St. Severus escaped to the land of Egypt and traveled everywhere and visited monasteries disguised as a monk. He strengthened the faith of the believers in the Orthodox doctrine. He dwelt in the city of Sakha in the home of a holy lay leader called Doretheos. God performed through him many miracles. He departed in the city of Sakha, and his body was relocated to the monastery of El-Zugag. His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Meditations of the bible readings
Second Sunday of the blessed month of Amsheer John 6: 5-14
“So, when they were filled, He said to His disciples, gather up the fragments that remain” John 6:13
Once more, we meet the Lord Jesus in the miracle of feeding the multitudes with five loaves and two fishes, and in last time (we looked at this miracle(, we reflected on the subject of the “spiritual hunger” but in this reflection, we will meditate together on the spiritual fulfilment …
Just as the spiritual hunger has its own symptoms which is like the indications of physical bodily hunger … similarly, the spiritual fulfilment has its own signs which is similar to the signs of physical fulfilment … In physical fulfilment, one feels fulfilment … comfort … respite …
And in the spiritual fulfilment there are too; fulfilment … comfort … peace … with an essential difference … that is; the physical fulfilment is always followed with hunger … but the spiritual fulfilment is not followed with hunger … in the physical bodily fulfilment; man still worries about food … and man continue to think of tomorrow (and its needs( … but with the spiritual fulfilment there is no worries … and man no longer is concerned with tomorrow’s dilemmas … for the man who is fulfilled spiritually is filled with all wisdom and all grace … comforted and will not be troubled or frightened.
+ In Spiritual fulfilment … Satisfaction +++
And Fulfilment is the opposite of emptiness … for the man who is spiritually hungry, has a (spiritual( emptiness … a harsh emptiness which one struggle to fulfil … but often (man( will fill this emptiness with things which increases the emptiness even more … exactly like a balloon … the more air you pump into it the larger is the size of the empty balloon (only full of air( …
This emptiness is extremely harsh and a (good ground( for Satan and the world to expand in it …
Moses … in pharaoh’s palace was fulfilled with the wisdom of Egypt … but this (wisdom( did not fulfil the emptiness within him … in his childhood he had tasted the sweetness of spiritual fulfilment … tasted this wetness through his nearness to his mother and God and his sister … but when he became a young man, he found himself alone with inner emptiness except for a world wisdom, which was of no value in anything, and when he tried to fulfil his desire and will to do good for his people … but alas the emptiness
within him produced nothing of benefit … (only( produced fighting … killing … rage … then escaping to the desert (of Midian( for forty years to be filled with every spiritual wisdom and grace which made him prepared for the great works that God had set for him (Exodus 1-11( … he learned to be calm … learned tranquillity … he became humble more than all the people of the earth … he learned the true wisdom … and long suffering and patience … he was filled and fulfilled within himself to the extent of overflowing (the fulfilment( on others too …
David … great difference between David and his brothers … his brothers were men of war and fighting while David was a shepherd boy tending to a flock of sheep … spending his days in the wilderness in a holy companionship and true enjoyment with God in a life full of prayers and praises … a man fulfilled … therefore when he stood before goliath … while we find his older brothers, the soldiers, are frightened and scared because the emptiness within … but, David in absolute calmness and in full strength faces Goliath with true fulfilment with love of God and faith in His care (1 Samuel 17( … Look at Saul the king … the emptiness within him, puts him a very precarious position … wanting to kill … and avenge …loses his composure and mind … but David, even in his flight from Saul, still was strong and composed … loving because of his fulfilment … forgiving and merciful and his heart had no hate or envy … because such had noplace in a fulfilled heart … Also, consider (St( Paul when he was filled and had fulfilment from God … and compare between this and Saul of Tarsus who was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel the teacher of the law (Acts 22( … who was full of every jealousy … but in fact was empty within … and he tried to fill this emptiness with persecuting the church (of Christ( with no-avail … but when he was fulfilled and content with his inner-self … became a fighter … fulfilled … being persecuted … preaching evangelist … (while( the empty person always tries to fill this emptiness with pleasures … Others … think of envy and revenge … jealous of others … seeking appearances … all are symptoms of emptiness and spiritual dryness … Many are the ways the empty person tries to fulfil this emptiness … such as lured music … seeking
attention with unsuitable clothing … watching films that arose as sex and violent films … gluttony in food without limit … false pretences … and on the opposite totally is the person who is fulfilled with God and filled this emptiness … such will not care with appearances … and does not care if he or she were ignored by others … lover of quietness and discreet things … does not like violence and promiscuity … + In spiritual fulfilment; peace +++
The man who is fulfilled spiritually will not easily be disturbed or alarmed …
The person who is spiritually hungry … is scared and alarmed quickly … the smallest thing will frighten him or her and be alarmed, worried unable to sleep or relax …
Consider Elisha and Gehazi … the armies of the enemies surrounded the mountain where Elisha lived … Gehazi was very frightened and alarmed and thought that his painful end is near and maybe he regrated that he was associated with Elisha the man of God … while Elisha in a total calmness and amazing assurance prayed that God opens the eyes of the servant to see the whole mountain is full of chariots of fire surrounding and protecting them (2Kings 6( … those who are with them are much greater than those against them …
Look at Paul and Silas … in the darkness of the prison and its coldness … they were praising God in absolute amazing calmness (Acts 16:116-40( … there were no fears of anything or alarmed at all …
Job the righteous man … no man was tempted as Job was tried … he lost everything …
Despite all these, he did not loose his calmness and humbleness and his insistence on being righteous … and a complete assurance and faith said his famous saying …. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD” ... “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity” … “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there” (Job 1 -2( …
The saintly fathers lived in the wilderness and the crevasses of the earth … they lived in caves … dwelt with animals and earth crawlers … but had an amazing inner peace and calmness … It is the fulfilment of God … the inner fulfilment which made them do not fear anything or care for anything …
And you beloved … tell when are you content with spiritual hunger … and inner emptiness … a life of troubles and alarms … tell when will wounder around this world searching for leaky (and faulty( wells which does not contain waters … tell when your interest is only seeking physical bodily comforts … to satisfy your lusts and physical instincts … on your physical appearance and did you become fulfilled from all these??????? It is time to start in fulfilling the spiritual hunger you have … but how???????? + Nothing will fulfill man like the Word of God … in the Holy Bible … in spiritual readings … make a Holy time evey day for the Word of God … in (this time( study the holy bible … concentrate on spiritual readings which is of benefit … to you and your children and all your family members … be assured, if your children are not fulfilled of God’s word, they go outside seeking an external fulfilment … and you know very well what food does this world offer to our children???
+ where is your family altar … an altar of prayers … do you have set times for prayers in the morning, the evening and during the day … do you have a common prayer with all the family members …
Beloved, you will not be fulfilled (spiritually( unless you have a strong relationship with God … start from now in your house hold … while the chances are still possible before your sons and young daughters be lost (to the world( and melt into the whirlpool of this world, then it becomes very hard to return to a holy life with God …
Beloved … in the physical bodily fulfillment, there are no fragments left over from you … this is because there is no blessings in it … but the spiritual fulfillment … then from five loaves and two fished, you will be fulfilled and you shall take twelve baskets full of fragments … which will satisfy you and all your family members and all those around with no limit +++
++ Amen Lord … fill my soul with You ++ ++ with You Lord, I shall not hunger except for Your Word ++
++ with You Lord, I fear no harm ++
++ with You Lord, Fulfilled spiritually, I shall not weaken to sins ++
The 21 Martyrs of Libya: Videotaped Instanteous Sainthood
Bishop Youssef Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern
United States
The 21 men of Libya are men of valor and courage. We need to respect them for who they are and what befall them. The 21 martyrs of Libya are to be commended for allowing those of all beliefs, nationalities, and political platforms to bear witness to instantaneous sainthood through videography. In today’s contemporary world bearing witness to murder can easily be accomplished with malice aforethought.
Malice aforethought is a premeditated state of mind to harm another in a most desecrated bodily way. Beheading occurred in Biblical antiquity and was considered one of the harshest of punishments such as that of St. John the Baptist. King Herod took the life of St. John the Baptist--in particular he had him beheaded. The king then took the head put it on a platter and placed it in the midst of a party.
King Herod’s reckless indifference to human life fulfilled no land gain to his kingdom, improved no relations between countries, and did not gain him wealth. It actually did not gain him the admiration of a woman he was ardently seeking to secure. All it accomplished in the historical sense was to display before the world a malignant heart.
We recognize that the extremeness of taking human life through murder disrupts orderliness of society. Look at the world’s war torn lands, lands that can no longer produce crops, roads that can no longer promote transportation, children that live in fear for their very lives. Women who are desecrated because of their faith-- Of what greater good can this serve?
The 21 martyrs of Libya travelled to Libya to support their families. They did not go for riches to secure. They did not go to ensure a college fund for their children. Rather they travelled to Libya out of the need to provide the necessities for their families. What father would not want his children to have the basic fundamentals of life? These 21 Coptic men are to be commended for their desire not to let their families succumb to poverty and its devastating nature.
Rather they evaluated and by choice determined their families were worth the risk that could confront them in Libya with the ever-growing extremist activity. These 21 martyrs
were not going to desk jobs, were not recruited for a specialized skill set but rather were voluntarily travelling to Libya most in hopes of construction type labor. Hard working, devoted family men, who carried no weapons, and were not involved in any activities considered taunting the extremistists to the beheading which awaited each of them.
Many believe the stories of our saints to be over exaggerated and beautified. The martyrdom of the 21 of Libya is a living history today of the more than 2000 years of Coptic Christianity and the history it holds so dear. Before God and before the world-it is common knowledge that the blood of these 21 martyrs survives and flows in their sons and daughters as history aligns itself once again.
As horrifying as the scene and the beheading must have been, they will be forever immortalized in Coptic History, perhaps even one day honored through a book such as the Synaxarium.
“Those holy martyrs who were once with us, are now seated with Christ. They are sharers in His kingdom and partakers with Him in His judgment. They act as His judicial assessors.” Dionysius of Alexandria (c.262(.
Stories will grow of their courage, of their steadfastness, of their love of the Lord first and then of their families. Let us not destroy their great reputations by angry, hating hearts. Rather let us pray for those who seem to have a need to kill, to hate, and to live their lives accordingly. Is it truly a wise God’s will to murder a certain sect of people-if it is then why create them at all?
Sometimes I believe the challenge of understanding martyrdom is two fold; first to bring honor to our Lord through a willingness to die for our beloved Coptic Christianity; second it is to spread our faith through the world with the blood of the martyr. This includes our enemies.
The military has the job of securing peaceful time; we have the job of praying for them and those who disrupt peace through murder. While turmoil will always exist in this world, and grieving to following it we must not lose sight of the men that died because they were Christian. Christian to the end of their world, Christian’s who were martyred and began life in the eternal world.
As with the all knowing, all-purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ this too must have a meaning. God calls all throughout martyrs to repent, to change, and to reform into that person we are all created to be. To show compassion and love even unto those who persecute us.
“In the baptism of blood, life itself is laid down. Thus, love covers the multitude of sins” (Tertullian (c.213((.
Our beloved St. Moses the Strong killed Christians by his sword and he now has monasteries that bear his name. St. Paul stood nearby and watched the stoning of St. Stephen and perhaps even threw a stone. Lest we forget, our Coptic Church honors St. Paul by the addition of his name to the Holy Apostles. Reformation is a mighty act. Conversion to Christianity is a greater act.
Our Lord Jesus Christ did not act as a soldier, was not vindictive, nor did he take a single life while on this earth. Rather he gave life to all those who would believe upon Him. He chose disciples that were prayerful not those who were warriors. He chose those men who would run from a fight rather than be on the front lines yelling and throwing stones.
While this seems cowardice it must also be realized that a greater strength of man evolvedOur Lord also chose those who could be baptized with the baptism of blood,
“But Jesus answered them and said, ‘you do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?“ (Matthew 20:22(
What is the message these martyrs confirmed? The 21 martyrs of Libya could drink of the cup and be baptized with the blood. Further by the advent of videotape, these martyrs in a single moment of time with a single event spread the Holy Gospel to the entire world. AND THE WORLD LISTENED. They earned their heavenly reward, drank from the cup and were baptized with the blood in the most brutal of actions-and much more than this, they proved to be worthy of sainthood in a single day forever captured on videotape without dispute.
Praise be to God!
May we all pay homage to these 21 martyrs of Libya in our Great Fast Prayers, their families who continue the same strength of bloodline and pray for those whom despise us and persecute us for HIS NAME SAKE,
Blessed Marriage
Christopher Soliman & Mishtah Ratanjee Saturday 8th February 2025
St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College Full Assembly - Excellence Award Cermony - Monday 10th February 2025
New Church, New Building and Car Park are ready We started to use the New Building and church last on Lazarus Saturday 27th April 2024. church services are continuing as normal as in the Timetable inside the Bulletin. You can donate monthly contribution using Direct Debit forms available in the church or downloaded from church website. We thank Our Lord for this great Gift Cost of building works is around $13,000,000. Your support and donations will be blessing and very appreciated.
Donations to St Mary’s Church and Building project can be made by the following Link
https://www.stmc.org.au/donate (Copy & Paste on Web Browser(