Like we pray in the prayer after communion. “Make my will one with Your will” We are not asking that God stop having an emotional anger tantrum towards us and calm down. We are asking that, instead of being against His will, we turn to Him and Him t…
I am a Christian because, after knowing the holy people that I have known, after experiencing their faith, I cannot not be Christian. After not only knowing them, but experiencing heaven itself, in prayer, in scripture, in the Divine Liturgy, in the…
Comments by Fr Peter Farrington concerning this issue:
“Many of our churches have been influenced by Protestantism over the last decades, including the Coptic Orthodox Church. It seems to me that one aspect of the reordering of our church life is t…
I’m going to stop commenting on this thread. My position is that any language or combination of languages is acceptable for Orthodox Divine Liturgy and that there is no reason to criticize mission parishes. Anyone is free to disagree. What I’m sayin…
Sure. I know that is the case in the Coptic diocese of Mississauga, Vancouver, and Western Canada. As well, it is the case in the diocese of California, and the diocese of the southern US.
dear Maoosta. The reason I keep responding to these posts is because I have far too much time on my hands. I have no problem with Coptic, at all. On the contrary, I recognize it as the language of our saints. I just don't see a real reason to critic…
I’m not blaming anyone for anything. If we have an objection to how any diocese is functioning, we can approach our bishops. But in the end of the day, we must obey the directives of our hierarchs. Our hierarchs in Canada and America currently have …
Well, in the end of the day what we are talking about is not for us to decide. We are not the bishops of the Coptic Orthodox church. Our Bishops have allowed mission parishes, both in Canada and across the US. Our bishops also govern parishes that a…
"If there was a church that offered its services in ALL Coptic, that’s where you’d find me."Awesome, good for you! I hope that such a Divine Liturgy is offered at some point. I just feel as though it is not necessary to criticize the all-English mis…
If a parish, like many missionary Coptic parishes today, are specifically dedicated to serve those who would not get by in a typical Coptic parish, dropping Coptic is natural.
If a parish is not created for this purpose, then keeping Coptic and Ara…
The reason the mission churches are dropping Coptic is that it is seen as a burden to those who were not taught it, that would keep them from participating in the Divine Liturgy, or understanding it well. This includes both new generations and conve…
We have different parishes to serve different people. These are great strategies for newcomers to a typical mixed language Coptic parish. But there’s nothing wrong with what the mission parishes are doing with all-English. And there’s nothing wrong …
I know of a congregation in New York that had two sanctuaries in their church building and was able to do an all-English Liturgy, for the new generations and converts, as well as an Arabic/Coptic liturgy simultaneously every Sunday. It seemed like a…
Yes, but the problem with mixed churches is that they struggle to serve too many different groups of people at once, it turns into a situation that’s equally difficult for new immigrants, as it is for converts.
I think it’s important that the immigrant-focused parishes incorporate some English in the Divine Liturgy, or have a monthly all-English Liturgy, so as not to alienate the children and youth.
I am proposing that some parishes, which are the mission parishes, use only English. Other parishes can pray in Arabic and Coptic, which are directed towards immigrants. Immigrant-focused parishes can also offer some English services for the childre…
No, no one has the goal of creating a division in the church. The goal is just serving all people. And of course we should continue to follow the Coptic rite. All Orthodox rites have the same richness, the same ethos, and the same structure.
Mina, I believe it's dependent on the group of people to which we are referring. For the newcomers into Orthodoxy, or even the future generations, Coptic can be an obstacle. Let us not forget that Ethiopian Church (which was part of the Coptic churc…
Daniel Kyrillos, the question you asked was "should we remove Coptic." I think the answer lies in which group of people is meant by we. In our Coptic Orthodox church in Canada and America right now, we have many parishes that were established to se…
hmmm. I see what you are saying.....I actually never knew he taught the filioque. I knew he taught his Original sin idea, and determinism, though. Your analysis of him being a heretic is just your analysis though, like it's no based on any specific…