All you heavenly orders, sing to our God with the melody of praise. Rejoice with us today with gladness, in the Resurrection of the Lord Christ. Today the prophecies are fulfilled and the sayings of the forefathers are realized by the Resurrection of the Lord from among the dead; He is the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep. …

In the midnight praises, we say, “He made man in His image and His likeness that he may praise Him”. God created us to enjoy his love and presence and we do that when we praise Him. Our church is replete with beautiful praises that are meant to elevate our spirits to contemplate God and to be filled with His …

On the Feast of the Resurrection, there is a rite that takes place in the church that we all like to attend; it’s called The Resurrection Enactment. This is when all the lights in the church are turned off and altar curtain is closed with Abouna inside the altar. The deacons standing outside engage in a melodic dialogue with Abouna …

The Holy Fifty Days is a very special period. It is a time that is filled with joy: the joy of the resurrection. During this time, the church is decorated with white curtains and white flags and the festal (joyful) tune is used in all the prayers even funerals. During this time the church lives the life of great joy …

After Abouna washes his hands, he takes a veil from the paten, folds it up so that it’s straight and puts it inside his sleeve. This is a symbol of the dagger that Abraham used when he was asked to offer up his son Isaac which is a symbol of the sacrifice of Christ. Abouna then stands at the altar …

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, there are different readings that have been set by the church for every day of the year. There are readings for the Vespers, which is prayed the night before the liturgy; readings for Matins which is prayed in the morning before the liturgy and there are readings for the Liturgy of the Word which is …