Editor in Chief
Youssef Sidhom
Watani
عربى English French
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Watani
ع Fr

On 6th anniversary of Libya Martyrs: Song for Matthew, memorial in Sydney

14 February, 2021 - (1:30 PM)
0 0

Nader Shukry Ashraf Helmy

On 6th anniversary of Libya Martyrs: Song for Matthew, memorial in Sydney
119
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The date 15 February 2021 marks the 4th Feast of Modern-Day Martyrs, an annual feast assigned by the Coptic Orthodox Church to celebrate Christians in Egypt killed in the 21st century on account of their faith.

The date 15 February was chosen since it marks the day in 2015 when video footage was posted on the Internet by Daesh, also known as IS—the Islamic State—showing the beheading of 20 Egyptian men and one Ghanaian in Sirte, Libya. The Egyptians came from Samalout in the region of Minya, some 250km south of Cairo; 13 of them from the village of al-Our, the other seven from nearby villages. The video footage showed them lined up in orange jumpsuits on a spot on the Mediterranean shore in Sirte where they were one by one brutally beheaded by black-clad masked executioners. The last words each of the martyrs uttered were a quiet “Oh my Lord Jesus”, or “Lord, have mercy on me”.

The 21 Christians beheaded in Libya were declared martyrs of faith by the Coptic Church, since they chose to die rather than deny their faith; they came to be known as the Libya Martyrs. The anniversary of the Libya Martyrs is marked on 15 February, and coincides with the Feast of Modern-Day Martyrs.

The remains of the martyrs now rest in a shrine inside a church built in their honour in al-Our.

The martyrs’ remains had been flown to Cairo in 20 coffins on 15 May 2018, after they were found by the Libyan authorities in September 2017, and identified through DNA testing. They were received at Cairo Airport by Pope Tawadros II who said Thanksgiving Prayers, and a deacon procession that chanted joyous songs of the Resurrection.

The bodies were moved to al-Our where they were placed in a special shrine at a church built in their honour. The church was built by Egypt’s Armed Forces, by order of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi who aptly named it the “Church of the Martyrs of Faith and the Homeland”.

The relics of the Ghanaian martyr Matthew Ayariga were brought to Egypt from Libya upon formal request by Anba Pavnotius, Metropolitan of Samalout, in October 2020, with a pledge to hand the relics over to his family or country should they ever ask for them. Anba Pavnotius had made the request in response to persistent demands by the people of al-Our to have Matthew, as they fondly call him, rest alongside their martyrs.

The church at al-Our has become a pilgrimage site for Egyptians and non-Egyptians who wish to be blessed by the martyrs. Their feast is celebrated according to the time honoured Egyptian tradition of holding “spiritual awakening” evenings of prayer, praise, Bible readings, and sermons during the two weeks leading to the feast day. On the feast day, Mass is celebrated to commemorate them.

Because of the spread of COVID-19 this year, Anba Pavnotius decided had to cancel the spiritual awakening evenings which are usually well attended; it would have been very difficult to manage the crowds or control their numbers. But the eve of the feast will be marked with a Vespers incense service, and Mass will be celebrated for them tomorrow, the feast day. Both the service and Mass will be restricted to the Metropolitan, and a limited number of priests and deacons.

“On their feast,” the church priest said, “we pray to the Lord to lift the pandemic from the whole world, and for churches reopen and to resume activities.”

This year under the sponsorship of Anba Pavnotius, an anthem was sung for the first time to commemorate Matthew and sing a praise to him. Under the title of “The loveliest of tales”, the song was posted in video footage on social media, performed by Fr Menassa Samir and Mariam Girgis to lyrics written by Mina Magdy. The video starts with Anba Pavnotius welcoming Matthew’s relics in Egypt to join the martyrs of faith in their church in al-Our. The words of the song describe the martyr as: “Oh good-hearted dark-coloured guy …”, words commonly used by Egyptians to describe themselves.

https://www.facebook.com/bosha.rasky/posts/3801713793218223

Coptic modern-day martyrs have been honoured not only in Egypt, but also in Sydney where a memorial was erected for them at the church of St Mary and St Marina as early as 2009. The memorial is in the form of a pharaonic style obelisk made of aluminium sheets, on which the names of hundreds of martyrs are inscribed in golden letters. Owing to the steady increase in the number of martyrs since then, the church added two boards next to the obelisk that carry the names of the more recent martyrs.

The obelisk carries words by Pope Shenouda III, patriarch from 1971 to 2012, which he said in the wake of a court verdict acquitting suspects in the murder of Copts owing to lack of evidence and conflicting testimonies of witnesses. The Pope’s words: “We appeal to God alone, who told Cain ‘The sound of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.’ We await Heaven’s justice.”

For details on Coptic modern-day martyrs:

Our modern-day martyrs

Full story of Libya Martyrs:

“You turned my mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30: 11)

Al-Our Church consecrated:

Church commemorating modern-day martyrs consecrated in Minya

Last [Matthew Ayariga] of Libya Martyrs comes home:

Last of Libya Martyrs comes ‘home’

Memorial for Libya Martyrs:

On their 5th anniversary: Museum for Libya Martyrs

Museum for Libya Martyrs:

Museum for Copts martyred in Libya

Watani International

14 February 2021

Comments

comments

Tags: Commemorating 6th anniversary of Libya MartyrsCoptic Libya MartyrsCoptic Metropolitan of Samalout Anba PavnotiusCoptic modern-day martyrs memorial in SydneyLibya Martyrs Matthew AyarigaLibya Martyrs Song for Matthew

Related Posts

Bishop Youssef of Texas and SUS warns of fake email 
Coptic Affairs

Bishop Youssef of Texas and SUS warns of fake email 

February 19, 2021
Watani International turns 20
20 years Watani International

Watani International turns 20

February 18, 2021
Pope Francis: Coptic Libya martyrs are ‘saints of all Christians’
Church Affairs

Pope Francis: Coptic Libya martyrs are ‘saints of all Christians’

February 16, 2021
Little girl meets Pope
Coptic Affairs

Little girl meets Pope

February 9, 2021
Coptic diocese of Deshna makes donation for building a mosque
Coptic Affairs

Coptic diocese of Deshna makes donation for building a mosque

February 8, 2021
Killers of Alexandria al-Wardayan Copt charged with premeditated murder
Crime

Killers of Alexandria al-Wardayan Copt charged with premeditated murder

February 2, 2021

Discussion about this post

Editorial

Watani International: On to third decade

More

MOST READ

Pope Francis: Coptic Libya martyrs are ‘saints of all Christians’
Church Affairs

Pope Francis: Coptic Libya martyrs are ‘saints of all Christians’

February 16, 2021
0

On their feast day, 15 February, the Catholic News Agency’s Hannah Brockkhaus wrote that Pope Francis praised the courageous witness...

Read more
Egyptian Mint issues Coptic Patriarch’s coin collection

Egyptian Mint issues Coptic Patriarch’s coin collection

February 14, 2021
The Fast of Jonah

The Fast of Jonah

February 6, 2017
Funeral for Coptic woman killed by her husband in Sydney

Funeral for Coptic woman killed by her husband in Sydney

May 26, 2019
Bishop Youssef of Texas and SUS warns of fake email 

Bishop Youssef of Texas and SUS warns of fake email 

February 19, 2021

Features

“Egypt talks handicrafts”: 61st edition of Diarna Fair
E Choise

“Egypt talks handicrafts”: 61st edition of Diarna Fair

February 23, 2021
0

Under the title of “Egypt talks handicrafts”, Egypt’s hugely popular annual heritage handicraft fair, Diarna, currently runs at the Cairo...

Read more
Watani started as an Egyptian weekly Sunday newspaper published in Cairo. The word Watani is Arabic for “My Homeland”. The paper was founded in 1958 by the prominent Copt Antoun Sidhom (1915 – 1995), who strove for the establishment of a civil, democratic society in Egypt, where all Egyptians would enjoy full citizenship rights regardless of their religious denomination. To this day when Watani is published as a weekly paper and an online news site, the objective remains the same. Those in charge of Watani view this role as a patriotic all-Egyptian vocation. Special attention is given to shedding light on Coptic culture and tradition as authentically Egyptian, this being a topic largely disregarded or little-understood by Egypt’s media. Watani is deeply dedicated to offer its readers high quality, extensive, objective, credible and well-researched media coverage, with special focus on Coptic issues, culture, heritage, and contribution to Egyptian society.
-----------------------------------------------------------

27 Abdel Khalek Tharwat st, Downtown, Abdeen,Cairo

00202-23927201

00202-23935946

 [email protected]

      

categories

  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Egypt – Arab Spring
  • Coptic Affairs
  • Features
  • Watani Special Features

Recent Posts

  • Watani International: On to third decade
  • “Egypt talks handicrafts”: 61st edition of Diarna Fair
  • Egypt receives 300,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China
  • Good bye proper Arabic? 
  • Bishop Youssef of Texas and SUS warns of fake email 
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Egypt – Arab Spring
  • Coptic Affairs
  • Features
  • Watani Special Features

Powered BY 3A Digital.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum

Powered BY 3A Digital.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In