SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

Role of the Society: Since the 1992 Congress in Washington DC, the Society realized the importance of active participation in such scholarly gathering. In the 1996 Münster Congress, the Society was represented by five members and three papers were presented by such delegation. This time the Society sponsored four of the presentations and had ten people with direct affiliation in attendance. The Society also gave a modest grant of about $3,600 to the Congress organizers to facilitate the invitation of more Copts from Egypt that would be able to present their work in such an auspicious meeting. The fruit of such action was clearly visible in the dramatic increase of participation from among the Copts from Egypt. Our long affiliation with St. Mark Foundation also proved very fruitful in enhancing the role of both organizations in the academic community as well as among the Copts. We were able to meet with new Coptic graduate students; studying in France, Germany, and Greece as well as those who have finished their studies and are now working back in Egypt. We also had productive discussions with the monks that came from Egypt with regard to cataloging of the manuscripts in the possessions of their respective monasteries. The development of a uniform database for such work would be done by the Society in the near future and distributed to all the monasteries, performing such work. The Society also was represented in the organizational meeting held for the participants in the upcoming 2002 Wadi 'N Natroun Symposium. Both organizations were very successful in

countries they do not really have an immigration policy. So the Copts there have either gained residency through their employment, marriage to residents whether Copts or Dutch citizens, study programs, or they are there with no permanent legal status. This of course affect the service of the Church there especially in the language use. One great attribute of the Coptic Community is its contact with the academic community in Leiden University, who is actively involved in scholarly projects in Egypt. In fact, several Coptic monks have traveled there for the purpose of studying. Foremost among them was Fr. Samuel el-Suriani, now bishop Samuel of Shibin al Qanatir. Art History seemed to have been the most popular curriculum. During the Monday Reception at the Leiden Town Hall, Fr. Arsenius el-Baramousy, the senior Coptic priest in Holland, gave a presentation on the development of the Coptic congregations there and the growth of the Church services as a result. It is interesting to mention here that the Egyptian Ambassador also was on hand and he gave a short speech about the Coptic Culture being an integral and important part of Egypt's Culture. With respects to the Copts he mentioned that they were nine millions in number with 1.2 millions abroad. Such figures are staggering when coming from a representative of the Egyptian Government who usually quote numbers that are less than half of that. Regardless of the accuracy of such numbers, it was a good gesture on behalf the ambassador to quote them!

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter strengthening the ties among the Copts in the field, stretching from Australia through North America and Europe to Egypt. Such a monumental task is becoming more and more a reality as a result of clear vision, patience planning, dedication, and first and foremost God's ever-present help. The Dutch Copts however have distinguished themselves by being the only Copts that have established a Coptic Museum outside of Egypt. This private enterprise was established by lay Copts living there. It is situated in a town called Ruinerwold over more than 800 square yards of building space. It is designed to be a modern museum for Coptic Culture and heritage rather than a showcase of ancient artifacts. Such concept is very important for educating the younger generations of Copts as well as the citizens of the country they live in. It is divided up in six The Copts in the Netherlands: The Copts have a strong presence in the Netherlands. There are two priests and several congregations that they serve beside their main churches in the Amsterdam and the Den Haag areas. Like any other European

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