SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

M567, M569, M603, M612, and M613. It also displayed several beautifully illuminated biblical manuscripts like that of BNF 13 and Institut Catholique Copte 1. The two rare complete codices of St. Shenouda's writings from Egypt were also on display. Among the many other manuscript displays, there was a intriguing 16-17th century Copto-Arabic manuscript of the liturgy from a private collection, that had names of non- Chalcedonian fathers crossed out. I learned later from Madame Benazeth that this manuscript belonged to a member of the Ghali family in France. Muallim Ghali and his family were the first Copts to convert to Roman Catholicism to spare the Coptic Orthodox Church from further Introduction: This year the Society held a one- day Symposium on Coptic Monasticism, instead of the regular 2-way general Coptic Studies conference. The Symposium was dedicated to the memory of the late Archdeacon Yustos Takla, one of the prominent founders of the Coptic Monastery in the California desert. our next 2-day conference will be on July 27-28, 2001, God's willing. Attendance and Participation: The attendance this year was noticeably higher than in previous ones with a total of about 70 attending some or all of the presentations. They included many that came for the first time, especially from among the younger members of the Southern California Coptic community as well as several non-Copts that were interested in the topic. Eight papers were scheduled, but only seven were read due to time limitation. There was also a panel discussion that concluded the proceedings. The moderator this year was Dr. S. Michael Saad who made the dedication speech, presented the speakers, and moderated the final panel discussions. In the order of presenting, the

missionary attempts by the Catholics during the rule of the Ottoman in Egypt. According to Madame Bénazeth, there were apprehensions during the planning and preparation of the exhibit with regards to how popular such an event would be. However a 900-visitor per day traffic turned the apprehension into jubilation. Final Word: The major benefit from this short trip was to open the lines of communications with those in charge of the Coptic resources in Paris as well as gain a first hand knowledge about such resources.. To this extent the visit was very successful. It also put the Society on the right track in its preparation for the next Congress, Paris 2004 . speakers were: Mr. Ramses Wassif (Los Angeles, CA), Dr. Youhanna N. Youssef (Melbourne, Australia) [read by Hany Takla], H.G. Bishop Serapion of the Coptic Diocese of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA), Rev. Dr. Tim Vivian (Bakersfield, CA), Miss Nardine and Dr. S. Michael Saad (Los Angeles, CA), Prof. Boulos Ayad Ayad (Boulder, CO), Dr. Claudia Rapp (Los Angeles, CA), and Mr. Youssef Sidhom (Cairo, Egypt) Presentations: In the morning session, Dr. Saad delivered a brief dedication about the life Archdeacon Yustos and his role in establishing the Coptic monastery near Barstow, California. Mr. Waasif's paper dealt with the origins of the unceasing prayer of the heart and drew attention to its beginning in Coptic monastic circles. Dr. Youssef's paper explored the value of a liturgical text about St. Mena in recovering old traditions not found in literary texts about him. H.G. Bishop Serapion surveyed the current state of monasticism in Egypt, and provided very interesting observations on the strengths and weaknesses found nowadays.

The Second St. Shenouda Coptic Symposium - Coptic Monasticism (July 22, 2000 - Los Angeles California) (4) - Final Report (by Hany N. Takla)

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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