St. Mary & St. John Coptic Orthodox Church

Bible Study & Prayer Meeting

Nihalati Youth Group (NYG)

Deacons & Hymns

Servant Discipleship

Welcome to stmarystjohn.org- Archive!

During the month of August, we live a period of fasting, bearing the name of the Holy Virgin, the Mother of Light. We will be celebrating the fast and feast of the Holy Virgin with evenings of glorification, sermons and spiritual songs throughout August 7th-21st. Each night starting Thursday 13th we will meet in the church from 8:00pm-9:30pm.

Also, we will be celebrating the Holy Liturgy every day. We look forward to seeing you with us throughout these blessed days. We celebrate her feast on August 22nd (Mesori 16th)

Festival 2009

The church will observe its First Annual Pharaoh's Land Egyptian Festival on Friday, July 17th, 2009.
The Festival will begin on a Friday at our church.

Activities for all ages and the entire family! Authentic clothing, jewelry & souvenirs available for purchase.
Enjoy authentic Mediterranean cuisine and Oriental desserts! Get to know the Coptic Church in your neighborhood. Church tours will be held throughout the day and free literature will be available.

Free shuttle from Main St..

For more information regarding this event, Visit us at:click here.

Please join us :)

Fast of the Pure Apostles (June 8 - July 12)!

"The Fast of the Apostles follows the Great Feast of Pentecost and precedes the Feast of the Apostles, which commemorates the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul on Abib 5 (July 12.)

For more information, follow the link below.

Coptic Orthodox Fraction for the Apostles Fast and Feast with English subtitles, chanted in Arabic !

Photo coming soon! The Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday May 28, 2009, on the fortieth day after Easter Is on a Thursday. In this feast we recall Him who raises and lifts us up to sit with Him in heaven (Eph. 2:6).The ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ and His sitting at the right hand of the Father is a declaration of His eternal reign, and a means of power for us to overcome sin.

Thursday May 28 Liturgy starts at 9:00 by Father Boulos George from St.Mark Church, Heliopolis, Cairo and Father John Rageb

We are blessed with the visit of Father Boulos George from St.Mark Church, Heliopolis, Cairo from May 28 to 31,2009 please come and join us. For more information or to view the visit schedule, follow the link below.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

The Northern California Coptic Youth Convention for Summer 2009 is coming up soon! For more information or to register, follow the link below.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

Pikhristos Aftonf - Christ Is Risen!

"Christ is risen from the dead, by death He trampled death, and granted life to those in the tombs." (Khristous Anesti -- Resurrection Hymn)

Christ is Risen, Truly He is Risen!

St. Mary & St. John Coptic Orthodox Church team would like to wish you all a joyous Feast of Resurrection and a blessed fifty days.

Photo coming soon! The church will celebrate its 4th Annual Christmas Fundraiser Banquet on Sunday, January 11th, 2009. The day will begin with the celebration of the Holy Liturgy for the second time on a Sunday at our new church location. Later in the afternoon at 4 pm, the banquet will be held at Hilton Pleasanton Hotel. We will be joined by various clergy. The church choir will perform as well. For more information regarding this event, contact Father John.

Please join us;

The church celebrated Thanksgiving Day together. It was a fun filled Sunday after Holy Liturgy with games and, of course, Turky!.

For pictures of this event, click here.

The youth and young children celebrated All Saints Day together again. It was a fun filled evening with games, stories of the saints, and, of course, candy! Photos for this event will be posted soon.

Happy New Coptic Year (Nayrouz Feast 2008)

September 11, 2008 (1 Tout 1725 A.M.) is the beginning of the blessed Coptic year. It is necessary to keep it a holy day with full purity and chastity. Let us start a new demeanor as St. Paul the Apostle says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Cor. 5:17-18) The word "Nayrouz" is Persian, meaning "the beginning of the year." The Egyptian calendar goes back to 4240 B.C. Copts restored the calendar with the beginning of Diocletian's reign in AD 284, to commemorate the millions of Coptic martyrs. His reign is considered a golden era in which the church offered true witnesses to Christ, when the souls of martyrs departed to paradise and kept shining as living stars therein. This feast, with its joyful hymns, continues until the feast of the Cross (Tout 17, c. 27 September). Thus the church announces her joy and gladness with the martyrs through bearing the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the sufferings and martyrdom were turned into a source of joy. Best Wishes to all the Copts all over the world , Christians , and all the world a happy new Coptic Martyrs year.

Feast of the Holy Virgin St. Mary 2008

On the festival of St. Mary the mother of God may her blessings be with all of you.

The Northern California Coptic Youth Convention for Summer 2008 is coming up soon! For more information or to register, follow the link below.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

Easter/Pentecost 2008

In Christianity, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, which happened three days after Jesus was buried. Easter is not an isolated holiday: it is the culmination of the season of Lent, which lasts 55 days, and begins the season of Pentecost, which lasts 50 days. Because of this, Easter is a holiday which stands at the center of the Christian liturgical calendar and serves as a focal point for numerous other celebrations.

The Holy Week 2008

Holy Week in the Coptic Orthodox Church the sanctity of the whole calendar year of the Church. Its center of commemorations and inspiration is Easter wherein the glorified Resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated. Every Sunday is dedicated in the Eastern Orthodox Church to the Resurrection of the Lord. One hundred days also are dedicated to Easter, 50 before it for preparation, and another 50 after it for commemorating the glorification of the Lord. Easter is considered the "Feast of Feasts".

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III consecrated the altar of St. Mary & St. John Coptic Orthodox Church on the morning of Saturday, February 2nd. His Holiness also consecrated the icons of the church and spoke to the congregation on hand during this blessed event. We thank His Holiness for coming to us and pray that the Lord may multiply the fruits of his service for years to come.

Photo Slideshow of HH Pope Shenouda's visit

Following is the schedule for the Epiphany Feast on Saturday, January 19th:

7:30pm-9:00pm Raising of Incense and Laqan Prayers
9:00pm-12:00am Epiphany Feast Liturgy

We look forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with you!

Following is the schedule for the New Year's Celebration and Feast of the Nativity:

New Years

8:30pm - 9:30pm Agape Meal
9:30pm - 12:30am New Year's Celebration with Bible Trivia, Spiritual Songs, Choir Performance, and a Sermon

Feast of the Nativity
8:30am - 11:00am Baramoun Liturgy
8:00pm - 12:15am Holy Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity

Photo coming soon! The church will celebrate its 3rd Annual Christmas Fundraiser Banquet on Sunday, December 2nd and be blessed by HG Bishop Macarius (formerly Fr. Kyrollos El Baramousy). The day will begin with the celebration of the Holy Liturgy for the first time on a Sunday at our new church location. Later in the afternoon, the banquet will be held. We will be joined by various clergy along with HG Bishop Macarius. The church choir will perform as well. For more information regarding this event, contact Father John.

On the evening before the banquet, Saturday, December 1st, HG Bishop Macarius will be with us as well, praying Vespers, giving a sermon and praying the Midnight Praises with us.

The youth and young children celebrated All Saints Day together again. It was a fun filled evening with games, stories of the saints, and, of course, candy! Photos for this event should be posted soon.

The Feast of the Cross came and passed, we celebrated a belated Feast with HG Bishop Bassilios on Saturday, September 29th. On this blessed occasion, four new deacons were ordained. After liturgy, the congregation enjoyed an agape meal with His Grace.

We will be celebrating the fast and feast of the Holy Virgin with evenings of glorification, sermons and spiritual songs throughout the weekend of August 17th-19th. Each night we will meet in the church from 8:00pm-9:30pm. August 20th-22nd, we will be celebrating the Holy Liturgy each evening from 5:00pm-7:00pm. We look forward to seeing you with us throughout these blessed days.

The Northern California Coptic Youth Convention of Summer 2007 came and past. Our Lord Jesus Christ blessed the convention and all of us with the opportunity to share with one another in this occasion and come closer to Him. We were all blessed by the guidance of HG Bishop Tadros, Fr. Anastasi Avva Antonius, and Fr. Dawood Avva Antonius along with Fr. Youhanna Ragheb and the other clergy of Northern California. May God bless everyone who took part in making this retreat the success it was.

Starting July 10th, we will be having a Vacation Bible School for the children (grades K-6). It will be once a week for five weeks on Tuesday evenings from 7:00pm-9:30pm. For more information, contact Fr. John Ragheb.

Summer Club, an evening of fun and games for the children, will begin on Saturday, June 30th, from 6:30pm-8:30pm. This will be a weekly event for the duration of the summer.

The third annual Church Prom was held on May 26th, 2007. The youth enjoyed a wonderful afternoon in San Francisco, touring the city on a party bus. They made stops on the Golden Gate Bridge and other beautiful landmarks throughout the city. They had dinner at Faz Restaurant in San Francisco.

The second annual Kids Retreat was held May 27th-28th, 2007 in Monterey, CA. The kids had the opportunity to participate in a number of activities, including: climbing wall, water activities, and time at the park. It was a blessed retreat and we look forward to doing it again next year.

On Sunday, April 8th, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We continued this celebration the following Sunday, April 15th with our annual Easter Performance. The youth choir sang a number of church hymns and spiritual songs. The Sunday School children and servants performed a play. HG Bishop Tadros attended the performance and gave us all his blessing as well. Photos coming soon .

From Saint Cyril of Alexandria (375 - 444 A.D.):
For the sake of all He tasted death. Although by nature He was life and was Himself the resurrection, He surrendered His own body to death. By His ineffable power He trampled upon death in His own flesh that He might become the firstborn from the dead and the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep . . .

Even if the resurrection of the dead may be said to be through a man, the Man we know it is through is the Word begotten of God. The power of death has been destroyed through Him.

The second annual Christmas banquet was held on December 10th. His Grace Bishop Athanasius, along with Father John and Father Angaelos, attended along with many members of the congregations throughout Northern California. The youth and children's choirs sang before dinner. The evening concluded with a presentation on our newly purchased church and many opportunities for everyone to help in God's work towards completely the purchase of the church. If you would like to take the blessing of helping God's work in our church, contact Fr. John Ragheb.

For pictures of this event, click here.

The purchase of our new church is complete! The current home of the Pleasanton Presbyterian Church is located at 4300 Mirador Drive, Pleasanton, CA, 94566. We ask for your prayers and support. If you would like to take the blessing of helping the church in this process, please contact Fr. John.

PLEASE NOTE: All church events, excluding those on Sundays, will now be held at the new church location!

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