Over two days, St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox church in Melbourne held its annual Festival on 15 and 16 October.
“The Festival is about engaging with the local and wider community surrounding our Parish within the City of Darebin, making them familiar with our Coptic Orthodox Church, the services that we do, our history, our rich Egyptian culture, heritage and delectable food,” read St Mark’s Facebook page, elaborating that the success of the festival is not measured by the amount of money raised but rather through the love, unity and fellowship showed amongst each other. The festival has been running since the 1980s, and was always open for the entire community to enjoy.
This year’s festival was attended by Egyptian and Australian figures and politicians, among them Yasser Hashem, Egyptian Consul-General to Melbourne, and Mayor of Darebin City Council, Cr. Lina Messina. Also representatives of NGOs and members of the Coptic Clergy across Melbourne participated in the festival.
The festival activities took off right after Holy Mass was celebrated. All the attendants commended the services and activities offered by the Coptic Church to the local community, particularly in what concerns raising awareness of the Egyptian civilization and culture, and the heritage and legacy of the Coptic Church. Everyone enjoyed the day and the Egyptian cuisine prepared by the Church servants. A spirit of love and unity was palpable during the entire day.
At the end of the day, the church representatives thanked each person who attended and every servant who worked so hard and served. “From our children to our elders who tirelessly served all weekend – your efforts, dedication and love for our church does not go unnoticed. May our loving and gracious Lord reward you all,” the church posted on its Facebook page.
The church also sent a special and warm thank you to the many guests, companies that supported and visited across the weekend and shared in this blessed event. “We thank our Lord for a blessed weekend and pray that each and every person may be rewarded and may He continually bless, unite and protect our beloved Parish Family!”
Watani International
17 October 2022