St. Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church

The 1st year memorial of our blessed father and the first shepherd of our church, Abouna Rafail Guirguis will be on Saturday 10/24/2020. The divine liturgy is from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM.

Of course, we all would like to share in the memory of our beloved father, but given the current guidelines and restrictions, it is not feasible to have everyone attend. The spots in the church are already full but more spaces will open in the social hall but will be on a first come first serve basis. 

Please look for the general registration (there will not be a specific email for the memorial) email to come out tomorrow around 9 pm. The registration email will come from the Signup.com website and will be the same email that reflects that new/extra spaces in the social hall.

Please be patient during the difficult times and please pray that the Lord remove this plague from the whole world.

May the Lord repose his pure soul in peace and give us all comfort.

Abouna we love you and miss you and ask you to pray for us before the throne of the Almighty.

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the One God Amen

The peace and love of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.

“The memory of the righteous is blessed.” (Prov 10:7)

Please join us this Saturday 10/24/2020 at 8 AMin celebrating the 1st year memorial of our beloved father, Abouna Rafail Guirguis.

Given that everyone would like to take the blessing of this liturgy we were able to get approval to hold this memorial liturgy outdoors. Therefore, there will be no registration required. All are invited to attend.

Everyone must wear their mask and keep the social distance. We encourage that all individuals of the family to sit together as they are in normal contact with one another. Please refrain from greeting anyone outside of your immediate family members.

The Church and the social hall will not be open during the service, but the rest rooms will be available for use.

If you are feeling sick or exhibit any COVID related symptoms or have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive, please stay home.

The number of infections continues to rise in NJ and we must all do our part to reduce the risk of transition.

Be safe in the Lord and act responsibly.

Abouna Rafail…. We love you; we miss you and we ask that you remember us before the throne of God.

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit the One God, Amen
The peace and love of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
In an effort to move toward more normalcy, St. Anthony Sunday School will be instituting more in-person instruction.  This is a work in progress and may need to be amended as governmental regulations and internal dynamics warrant.  The following is the current schedule for each class.  We ask that parents drop off their children on-time and help them check-in through the screening process. They are then asked to leave the church grounds and pick-up their children on-time.  Facial masks are required to be worn at all times and social distancing will be maintained.  We will provide hand sanitizer upon check-in.

Preschoolers (Angels’), grades 1&2 and grades 3&4 will have in-person instruction on a weekly basis beginning at 11:15 am and ending at noon starting this Sunday, October 18th.  We will be having a video link for those unable to attend in-person.  Please drop off your children beginning at 11:00 am and pick them up promptly at noon.

Grades 5&6 and grades 7&8 will have in-person instruction every other week.  Their next in-person instruction is scheduled for October 25th.  They will begin at noon and end at 12:45 pm.  They will have a Zoom link every week for those unable to attend in-person and for the every other week home instruction.

Grades 9&10 and the Servant Prep Class will have in-person instruction every other week as well, alternating with grades 5&6 and 7&8. Their next in-person instruction is scheduled for this Sunday, October 18th.  They will begin at noon and end at 12:45 pm.  They will have a Zoom link every week for those unable to attend in-person and for the every other week home instruction.

Please help us in making this effort a success.  We greatly appreciate your prayers and support.  We will communicate changes as they occur and thank you for your patience.

To Join The meeting Click on the image below

Today, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received His Grace Bishop David, Bishop of New York & New England and the Papal Exarch of the Archdiocese of North America, along with a delegation of priests, at the papal residence at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Abaseya, Egypt. His Grace Bishop David presented to His Holiness the Sexual Misconduct and Physical Abuse and Neglect Policy, recently updated to further protect the Church’s children from all forms of abuse. Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all church clergy, employees, and servants within the Archdiocese.

His Holiness praised the efforts taken by His Grace Bishop David, and all those who contributed to updating the policy, and urged it be implemented with all transparency and objectivity. Moreover, His Holiness considers the Archdiocesan independent reporting center at Integrity Counts to be the sole authorized ecclesiastical channel engaged by the Archdiocese of North America, including all of its churches.

To report any allegations confidentially and anonymously, please visit http://copticarch.org/policy or contact Integrity Counts:

Online: http://www.integritycounts.ca/org/copticarch

Hotline: 866-921-6714

The peace and love of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
Please join us as we close out one year and bring in the new year with the Lord. 

Vespers and prayers on Thursday Night 9/10/2020 from 6:30 PM – 8 PM and the Divine Liturgy on Friday 9/11/2020 from 8 AM – 11 AM.Thursday 9/10/2020 Vespers 6:30 PM – 8 PM
Friday 9/11/2020 Divine Liturgy 8 AM – 11 AM

Registration will open this Friday 9/3/2020 at 5 PM. 

A link will be sent out for you to register based on the above schedule. Please login right away as soon as your receive the email, as spots will fill up very quickly.

We only have 35 congregation members that can attend at any given time. Nothing will change about the safety precautions we take. You are still required to show up on time before the doors close, and your temperature will still be taken at the door. You must have no COVID-19 symptoms or been in contact with anyone who has. 

Please continue to pray for all those who are sick and for their healing and that God may remove this plague from the whole world and give us all peace and calmness during this storm.

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the One God, Amen
The peace and love of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
It is heartbreaking to hear of these recent acts against minors and/or females in the church and in general. The church condemns all acts, whether physical, sexual or emotional, against any individual especially by individuals that are in authority or power.
Please click to read the statement that has been released by the Arch Diocese and the Diocese of NY/NE.
We are praying for all those who have been victimized and for the healing of all those have had to face any of these horrible and traumatizing situations. 
We must all serve the Lord in way that is appropriate, acceptable, pure and holy. All of the servants of St. Anthony including myself vow to serve with all of these characteristics clear before us. 
God have mercy upon us all.
Your Servant,Fr. John