SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

Notification and Abstracts: Those interested in participating need to notify the Society in writing by April 30, 2002. Written abstracts will be due by May 31, 2002. Publications of the Proceedings: Selected papers presented at the Conference will be published in Coptica for the year 2004. A final draft of each paper shall be submitted by the presenter no later than January 30, 2003.

maximum of 10-minute follow-up discussion. The maximum type for such presentation will be 45 minutes. Registration: All interested persons can pre- register through our website. The address is 'http://www.stshenouda.com/society/4ccnfreg.htm' A nominal registration fee for the 2-day conference will be charged as follows: Members: $20.00 Non-Members: $25.00 UCLA Students & Faculty N/C Other Students $15.00 Introduction: In August 1999, at the conclusion of the first day of the second St. Shenouda Conference of Coptic Studies at UCLA, Dr. Gawdat Gabra made a strange yet intriguing proposal in his communication to the conference attendees. In it he proposed the rekindling of the scholarly interest in the Wadi al-Natrun monastic site after decades of relative neglect since the monumental study of Hugh Evelyn-White. As was later mentioned in Conference report (St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter, Vol. 6, no.1, October 1999), this proposal included, in detail, the convening of an International Symposium on the subject to be held on the site in early 2002. This visionary idea quickly found favor with Dr. Fawzy Estafanous, founder of the St. Mark Foundation, and he quickly established a steering committee to coordinate such effort. Shortly after H.H. Pope Shenouda III endorsed the idea, the difficult work began. After numerous meetings, including one at the Seventh Coptic Congress at Leiden in 2000, and hundreds of laboring hours by Dr. Gabra and the team, assembled by St. Mark Foundation in Egypt, the dream became a reality. Attendance and Accommodations: This event was envisioned as an exclusive one with a mixture of scholars and monastic authorities along with a small number of members from each of the

The Wadi al-Natrun Symposium (Wadi al-Natrun, Egypt, February 1-4, 2002) (by Hany N. Takla)

organizing groups; St. Mark Foundation, and St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society. The goal of such approach was to insure a smoother interface between Western Scholarship and Eastern Christian Tradition for the common goal of benefiting mankind of the rich monastic tradition that Egypt has given to the world. The invitation of H.H. Pope Shenouda to hold the Symposium at his Papal monastic complex, next to St. Bishoy Monastery, proved to be the best accommodations possible to hold such a gathering. There were between 50 and 60 attendees and participants from 10 different countries on five continents with about 100 present at the opening session. This relatively small number and the secluded setting provided a great environment for interaction among those in attendance. Such was an invaluable experience for all. Participants: During the 1999 Conference, Dr. Gabra proposed a comprehensive list of participants and their specialty in the field, including alternate choices He personally contacted the prospective presenters and received an overwhelming favorable response. The subject matter, Egyptian monastic setting, and his persuasive appeal contributed greatly to such a response. Many revisions were made to that list because of scheduling conflict, health problems,

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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