St Mary And St Merkorios AbuSefin Coptic Orthodox Church, Diocese Of Sydney And It’s Affiliated Regions. In 1987, within a rented Anglican Church Building in Burwood, St Mary and St Merkorious Coptic Orthodox Church was created. As a place of Coptic Orthodox worship, Liturgies were prayed on Saturday mornings, by V Rev Father Samuel Wadee, followed by Sunday school in the evening where one servant
taught seven children in what would become the first class of many to come in the future. From January to June of 1988, the church was located in the Uniting Church building in Concord West In 1989, a fundraising cruise was held to not only purchase a small Uniting Church in Rhodes with the potential for growth for our ever-expanding congregation, but also determined the church’s patron saints, St Mary and St Philopateer Merkorious
Accordingly, HH the Late Pope Shenouda III sent V Rev Fr Bishoy Yassa to serve the young church as its parish priest. From the day of his arrival on the 9th of September 1989 to this very day, Fr Bishoy did everything in his capacity to serve his beloved congregation, his selfless love and zeal resulting in the inevitable growth of the parishes numbers. Consequently, the growth of the congregation deemed it necessary for the appointment of a second parish priest in 1993, V Rev Fr Youhanna Bestawros. By the grace of God and through their unceasing dedication towards the needs of the church and its congregation, it was found crucial that a priest be appointed to serve the church’s youth. In accordance with such needs, HG Bishop Daniel relocated Fr Mikhail Mikhail to our humble church, whereby his devotion to the service brought forth a new generation of youth who would continue his legacy by teaching the future generations of the church in his footsteps. After Fr Mikhail’s relocation to another parish in 2008, V Rev Fr Sharobim Sharobim was assigned to our church on the 28th of October 2008, bringing with him an infectious smile and cheerful charisma. Through his service of the youth, he has created opportunities for their success within a plethora of liturgical, artistic, and sporting avenues including church hymns, sports, and utilising their personal talents in the arts to benefit the church. The Lord continued to bless our modest parish through the arrival of Fr Zosima el Antony on Lazarus Saturday the April 2012. His arrival brought forth many gifts including the pearls of our church traditions from St Anthony Monastery in Egypt, and as such, his remarkable service preceded his reputation outside the parish and overseas. Fr Zosima was ordained by HH Pope Tawadros II on the 10th of March 2013 to be the Bishop of Atfeeh. Even so, the Lord saw it fit to continue to bless us with the ordination of Rev Fr Alexander Aziz, one of our very own youth, in January 2015 as a general priest. After the completion of his 40 days at St Shenouda Monastery, HG Bishop Daniel appointed Rev Fr Alexander to serve as one of our parish priests and thus he arrived in February 2015, bringing with him his loving and energetic personality and a strong knowledge of our Orthodox theology. God continued to bless his congregation with the arrival of our beloved Rev Fr Angelos Foaud in February 2017, wherein he tirelessly continued to serve the church in his visitations and serve the young families of our growing congregation. In July 2017, Rev Fr Morris Morris was ordained, not only as a servant to the local parish but to the entire congregation of the Sydney Diocese, with his master’s degree in psychotherapy, Fr Morris provides invaluable assistance through his administration of premarital courses and assisting with marital issues. Today, the church has developed into one of the largest Coptic Orthodox communities in the Sydney Diocese. We pray that the church will continue to build the Kingdom of God on earth and that God will prolong its services for many years to come.
