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. Moses (Moisees( and his Sister Sarah. ( 1st September - 26th
Mesra
On this day, St. Moses (Moisees( and his righteous sister Sarah, were martyred. They were born to rich, Christian parents. When their parents departed, St. Moisees wanted to give his sister in marriage, and to hand over to her all their possessions, and to go and become a monk. She answered him and said, “If you would get married first, then I also can get married.” He said, “I have committed many sins, and I want to become a monk to blot out my sins. I can not attend to the marriage and the salvation of my soul at the same time.” She answered him saying, “O my brother, how can you cast me to the snares of this transitory world, while you seek to save your own soul?” He said, “Whatever you wish, I will do.” She said, “What you do for your self, I likewise will do for myself.”
When he saw her strong determination, he dispersed all their money to the poor and the needy. He took his sister to a convent for virgins, which was outside Alexandria. He also entered one of the monasteries for men. They did not see each other for ten years.
When Emperor Decius incited persecution against the Christians, during the papacy of Pope Demetrius, the twelfth Patriarch of Alexandria, many were martyred. St. Moses (Moisees( sent to his sister Sarah to bid her farewell and to inform her that he wished to shed his blood in the Name of the Lord Christ. She rose up immediately and asked the abbess to release her. After she took the blessings of her sisters the nuns, she joined her brother on his way to Alexandria. They confessed the Lord Christ before the governor. After they had been tortured severely, their heads were cut off, and they received the crowns of martyrdom. May their prayers be with us. Amen.
The holy Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
3rd September - 28th Mesra
On this day, the church celebrates the holy Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
1. Our father Abraham
Who can describe the virtues of he who became father to many nations? He believed in God, obeyed Him, and did not doubt His promises. The Lord appeared to him in a vision at night and told him, “Get out of your country, away from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2(
Then the Lord appeared to Abraham in the form of three men. He welcomed them, for they were strangers, and God promised him the birth of Isaac. Abraham was then one hundred years old; Sarah, his wife, was advanced in age, and they believed the promise of God. When Isaac was born, Abraham, his father, circumcised him on the eighth day of his birth. Although he was sure that through his procreation all the nations of the earth would be blessed, God told him, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him there as a burnt offering.” He did not doubt the promise of God. He began to
offer his son as a sacrifice, confident that God would raise him, and raise offspring through him. When he fulfilled the sacrifice of Isaac by intention, God revealed his virtues to the generations to come by saying, “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven.” (Genesis 22:1-18( That was fulfilled and he was called the father of Christ in flesh. (Luke 3:34( He departed in peace when he was one hundred seventy-five years old. May his prayers be with us. Amen.
2. Our father Isaac
He was born by a divine promise, and he was perfect in piety and obedience to God and to his father. He was willing to be sacrificed by his father as an offering to God, although he was the son of the promise, and his father begot him when he was one hundred years old. Isaac was not a child then, for the Bible said, “So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and went to the place which was afar off.” Some historians say that Isaac’s age then was about thirty-seven years old. He obeyed his father, and laid down his neck for slaying, but the angel of the Lord ordered his father not to lay his hand on the lad. As it was considered that Abraham had fulfilled the sacrifice of his son by intention, it was also considered that Isaac was sacrificed by intention. He suffered many tribulations and sorrows. God gave him two sons, Esau and Jacob. Isaac loved Esau for his bravery. When Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him, “My son ... behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please ... go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food ... that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. She spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “... Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves ... that he may bless you before his death.”
Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son.” (Genesis 27:1-29( She did that by a divine inspiration. Jacob did as his mother ordered him, and his father ate and blessed him. Isaac departed in peace when he was one hundred eighty years old. May his prayers be with us. Amen.
3. The father of the Tribes Jacob Esau, his brother, hated him for he took the blessing of their father from him. Jacob feared Esau, and fled to Laban, his uncle. He shepherded Laban’s sheep for seven years and Laban gave Jacob his daughter, Leah, in marriage. Then Jacob served another seven years, and Laban gave him his second daughter, Rachel, in marriage. (Genesis 29:15-30( Then Laban, his uncle, told him, “The sheep that are streaked shall be your wages, then
all the flocks bore streaked.” (Genesis 31:4-8(
God made him exceedingly wealthy. He returned with his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and God blessed him with twelve sons. He saw God face to face and wrestled with him until the breaking of day, and God called him Israel. He suffered many sorrows and tribulations, such as the selling of Joseph his son as a servant to the Egyptians, the loss of his sight, the severe famine, and others as mentioned in the Holy Bible. His son Joseph then rose to power and became the second man in Egypt after the Pharaoh, and he tried until he was able to bring his father Jacob to Egypt, where he stayed for seventeen years. When his departure drew near he called his twelve sons and blessed them. When he blessed Judah, he said, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”
That was a prophesy about the coming of the Lord Christ from his seed. When he was one hundred forty-seven years, he departed in peace, after commanding that he be buried in the tomb of his fathers. Joseph carried him in the chariot of Pharaoh, brought him to the land of Canaan, where he was buried with his fathers. May his prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
The
Departure of St. Malachi, the Prophet.
5th September - 30th Mesra
On this day, the great prophet, Malachi, one of the twelve minor prophets, departed. He prophesied about the return of the people from captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem. He rebuked the children of Israel because of their transgression against God and His Law. He also admonished them because of their vile offerings, and prophesied about the acceptance of the Gentiles when he said, “For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations.” (Malachi 1:11( He pointed out to them that they did not give the tithes nor their first fruits, by saying, “’Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3:10-11( He prophesied about the coming of St. John the baptizer before the Lord, the Savior of the World, by saying, “’Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1( He also prophesied about the coming of Elijah before the Lord at His second coming, saying, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a
curse.” (Malachi 4:5-6(
Having pleased God by his strife, and having completed his days in peace, he departed to God Whom he loved. May his prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
The Departure of St. Eutychus.
6th September
- 1 Nasie
On this day, St. Eutychus, the disciple of St. John the Evangelist, departed. After he spent some time with the apostle, Eutychus asked for his permission to go to St. Paul, the Apostle, and St. John allowed him. He went to St. Paul and preached the Name of Christ with him, and returned many of the Jews and the pagans to the Lord Christ and baptized them. He converted temples of idols to churches, and he endured tribulations, imprisonment, and beatings for many days. He was cast in the fire, but he was not harmed, and was cast to the lions, which did not harm him but rather became friendly towards him. He went to Sebastia and preached there, and the angel of the Lord was with him and strengthened him.
It was said, that this saint was the young man who sat in a window and “was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead,” and St. Paul raised him with his prayers. (Acts 20:9( May his blessings be with us. Amen.
The Departure of St. Titus, the Apostle.
7th September - 2nd Nasie
On this day, St. Titus, the Apostle, was martyred. He was born in Crete, and he was the nephew of the governor of the island. He learned the Greek language, its literature and wisdom, and he excelled in it. He was meek and merciful. When the news of our Lord Jesus Christ spread in all the land of Palestine and Syria, the governor of Crete, the uncle of this saint, wanted to confirm what he had heard about the magnificent signs, and eminent teachings of Christ. He sent Titus to verify that and to bring him accurate information. When Titus arrived in the land of Judah, he saw the signs and heard the Divine words of the Lord Christ. He compared the words and miracles of our Lord to the words and deeds of the Greeks, and he found a great and clear difference between them. So he believed in the Lord Christ, and sent to his uncle telling him all that he had seen and heard. When the Lord chose the seventy apostles, Titus was one of them. After the ascension of our Lord Christ, Titus received the grace of the Holy Spirit along with the disciples. He accompanied the apostle Paul to many countries. When St. Paul went to Rome, St. Titus returned to Crete. He built a church there, and ordained for it priests and deacons. Having finished his apostolic strife, St. Titus departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Forth Sunday of the blessed month of Mesra
Mark 13: 3-37
“Take heed, watch and pray” Mark 13:33 The bible readings of the liturgy, this week as well as the first week of the month of Nasi, tells us of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world …
Whilst the Lord Jesus was in the temple … it was said to Him by one of the disciples … see all these buildings and stones … and the Lord Jesus replied there will be no stone left upon another and all will be levelled to the ground … the temple was then the pride of the Jews for all generations … for it was symbolic of their glory, power and pride and a source of comfort for them … even when they were occupied by the romans … they would still look toward the temple to be comforted and reminded that they were God’s chosen people … and God is still in midst of them … for God would never leave His people … therefore, the existence of the temple is a source of power and a uniting factor in their unity and adherence to the temple (and God( for all what this temple represented in their history of glory and greatness … but, here is the Lord saying to them, it will be levelled to ground and destroyed … but preceding it’s destruction there will be many signs should take heed of it, as it is sure signs … there will be wars and rumours of wars … kingdoms will rise against kingdoms … earth quacks … famines … tribulations … they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten, You will be brought before rulers. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations … brothers will betray brothers to death … and the abomination of desolation in the holy places … then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains … false christs will rise … deceiving, if possible, even the elect
And indeed all these happened before the destruction of Jerusalem … as many historians stated, almost there are no other period in history more dark and full of tribulations, corruptions and disasters like these six years between Emperor Nero’s persecutions and the destruction of Jerusalem … to the extent that, these tribulations of that time can only be compared to the tribulations at the end of the world … and not only Rom which was subjected to these desolations but land of Palestine was subjected to even harsher desolations and the Jewish nation … and more specifically the city of Jerusalem was a miniature image of the desolations which will occur on the final day of retribution (at the end of the world( … but, the Lord Jesus had warned His disciples
and children … and as He warned them at that time, He is warning us today too … and those who understood the warning and followed the message were able to be saved and left Jerusalem before the desolations … but those who ignored the warnings and were deceived by the false christs and prophets were destroyed in that miseries and the great anguish Jerusalem went through … and still (till today( the arch of triumph which was built by Titus the Roman general in Rome to commemorate his victory over Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple and stands as a testament to the fulfilment of the prophecies which Lord stated about Jerusalem … for, within five years from these bitter wars and the total desolations of Jerusalem, it was left in absolute poverty and implausible destruction … without a government … or people … nothing at all … Now and you beloved … have you understood this lesson … or you are still pre-occupied and lost in this world … haven’t you seen yet the signs of desolations which will happen to this world … isn’t time to wake up to yourself … look … see … keep-watch … and pray.
+ Wars and rumours of wars …
A nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom … and, a brother will betray his brother to death … how true is these words … many wars arise around us nowadays … but what is amazing, it is wars enclosed in an appealing packaging … wars without real bombs … without any explosives … but, it is more dangerous than any other wars … for, it is more destructive than real wars … + Balak king of Moab (Numbers 22-24( could not defeat the Israelites in war … but he was scared of them after Balaam son of Beor the prophet had blessed them … but this wicked prophet advised (Balak king of Moab( how to defeat the Israelites without wars … for, if he fights them with normal weapons in war, he will not be able to defeat them … but let them fall to the sin of adultery … thus, without raising any weapons, he destroyed 24 thousands in one day (Numbers 24( … Sin destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah … the destruction which occurred at these two cities, nuclear bombs with all its powers and destruction force would have been short of such total destruction … because of sin alone, the whole of each city was destroyed from young babes to the elders … for the Lord rained on them fire and sulphur … and the two cities disappeared totally (from the face of the earth( … Indeed, the shame of nations is sin … even, the strongest nation on earth does not need any nuclear weapons to destroy it, but enough for a singular sin (to destroy it( or just a small virus unseen by the naked eye can spread among these nations and kill millions … The strongest and mightiest nations of the world are petrified because of a minute virus which cannot be
seen (by the naked eye( makes such nations close its borders and live a harsh isolation … it is a strong warning and a lesson to this world which have rushed without limitations after sin and promiscuity … indeed, just as St Paul the apostle said of them “and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was du” (Romans 1:27(.
It is a very dangerous wars … which is aimed at you and your heart and mind … within your home … the devil is fighting you without any truce … publicly in the streets … and the schools … on the pages of the newspapers … on the screens of the television and the internet … within your home … the pitfalls are invading your life, your thoughts and your home “Take heed … that no one deceives you … for it is wars and rumours of wars” … + brother will betray brother … and a father his child
…
The utmost of brutality when we hear of father delivering his son to death …
This is what had happened one day in the old testament
… Jephthah the Gileadite was made judge for the Israelites by the Lord and went to war on day … and he took a vow (Judges 11( … (a wrong vow( … that if he is victorious, the first person comes out of his house upon his return, he will offer him or her as a burnet offering to the Lord … and indeed Jephthah returns victorious from the war … and he was surprised that his only daughter came out to greet him with symbols and dance … and Jephthah goes ahead with his mistaken vow and offers his daughter as burned offering … indeed, very brutal … and cruel for Jephthah to kill his daughter with his own hand to fulfil his (mistaken( vow … but what do we say of those who kill those who loved by them and offer them to destruction … a slow and brutal death … what do we say of the father … who teaches his children to swear and sets up a bad example with losing one’s temper and being angry?
What do say of the mother … who does not protect her daughter’s purity and virtue allowing her to wear inappropriate clothing and fashions which suggestive and some time will force her a9daughters( to do so?
What do we say of the husband … who forces his wife to accompany him to bad evil friends and spend most of time day and night with them in inappropriate gatherings … gambling … un-pure talks (and jokes( … un-holy actions???
What do we say of the wife … who opposes her husband in doing good deeds … and teach him how to hate and covet others???
Example are many … and all of such are committing a slow painful death … be assured beloved that a murderer will never escape judgement … indeed, he or she is murderer who, the law of earthly (physical(
murder cannot be applied to them ... for they are murderers who escaped the earthly laws … but will never escape from the heavenly laws … from God’s judgement Who sees everything … and what ever we cover in darkness …
+ the abomination of desolation … standing where it ought not …
The sons of Eli the priest of olden times … they committed the abomination of desolation in the Holy of Holies … they were corrupt and defrauded God’s sacrifices … they committed sins in the tent of meetings … (1 Samuel 2-4( therefore, they angered God greatly … and they were the cause of their destruction … and the destruction of their father … and the defeat of the whole (Jewish( nation … and the Ark of covenant was lost and the Israelites fell captive to their enemies …
And today the abomination of desolation … with great bitterness and sadness started to enter the churches … and of these might have entered our churches (too( … when we see dance parties … and consumption of alcoholic drinks, gambling … and worldly improper music inside the churches … what would we say???
When we go to our churches and it has become a place of fashion parades … or when the church become a social club just for meeting others and gossiping … then, what would we say? Isn’t this being the abomination of desolation?
We heard (lately( of churches for the homosexuals … and some churches holding prayers meeting accompanied with circus games and clothing … with the justification that such will attract people … nowadays we see more and more …
The abomination of desolation is every where … your heart which is a holy temple for God … has it been infiltrated by the abomination of desolations too??? Your home which is holy altar for God … did such abomination of desolation entered it too???
Then … haste and run … escape before it is too late … for the gates of Jerusalem still open … and has not been surrounded … so, there is still time … run to the mountains … do not look behind you … it is time to escape with your life and care for your own salvation … start today by your own self … do not wait for other to change around you … offer a true repentance from the heart and purify your heart … and your home from the abomination of desolation … come to God in tears of repentance … attract your house hold and friends with you … for the time is near … and God has shortened these difficult days … for you … lest you be destroyed and perish … (Amen Lord, I offer a true repentance from a contrite heart in the sacrament of confession so that You and You alone can come and dwell my heart for ever – Amen(.
Blessed Marriage
Antonios Saad & Felicity
Saturday 24th August 2024
St George Church
St George’s Church
St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College
St Beshoi & St Shenouda Church
St Mark’s Church
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(
Annual Fete of St Mary’s Church
The Lord has supported us through the prayers of St. Mary the Mother of God. The Annual Fete was conducted on Saturday and Sunday 24th & 25th August. The net income for the Fete activities is $100,000 net. Thanks for all those who supported and worked hard with a great zeal and love. May the Lord reward them all. Thanks also for all who supported by prayers and donations.