St. Barbara and St. Noufer the Hermit Church

10/09/2026

✝️ The Feast of Nayrouz

Nayrouz marks the beginning of the Coptic New Year and honours the courageous martyrs who gave their lives rather than deny their faith in Christ.

The Coptic calendar begins in 284 AD, known as the Year of the Martyrs, during a period of intense persecution of Christians under the Roman Empire.

On Nayrouz, we remember their unwavering faith, courage and sacrifice, and are reminded to remain steadfast in our own walk with Christ.

The traditional red dates symbolise the martyrs’ blood, while their white flesh represents the purity of their hearts and the seed within reminds us of the strength and endurance of their faith.

“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10 ❤️✝️

Happy Coptic New Year!

08/09/2026

On Sunday 6 September 2026, we celebrated Father's day to remember all fathers, grandfathers, father figures and father's to be!
We also remember the father's watching over us from a better place 😊
May God strengthen and bless all the father's and thank you for all that you do ❤️

02/09/2026

29/08/2026

Every meal we serve builds something bigger, community. One hand extended, one family at a time. Every dollar makes a difference. Scan the QR code or donate on the link below to be part of it. 🙌🙏🏼
https://www.christianaid.org.au/donate-online

25/08/2026

Save the date! Join us and be part of this incredible milestone for our beloved church and feast celebration!

To be part of this special occasion;

- register your attendance on the link : https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/coptic-new-year-2026-nayrouz-procession-tickets-1988361788635?aff=oddtdtcreator

- book your spot with our church bus on the link : https://stbarbara.org.au/events/d83ab93d-854a-410d-91df-38bddfb2244d

- purchase jumpers on the link : https://copticnewyear.com/

21/08/2026

The Coptic Orthodox Church joyfully celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of St Mary on 22 August (16 Mesori).

On this beautiful feast, we honour our mother St Mary, the Theotokos, whose life was a perfect example of humility, purity, obedience and complete surrender to God. Her greatness was not found in seeking recognition, but in quietly accepting God’s will and allowing Him to work through her life.

St Cyril speaks of St Mary with great honour because through her, the Word of God truly became man and came to dwell among us. He calls her Theotokos — the Mother of God, reminding us that the One she carried in her womb was not simply a man, but our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

When we look at St Mary, we see what it means to completely surrender our lives to God. She did not know everything that would come after the angel’s message, yet she answered with faith: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Her humility made room for God to perform something beyond human understanding. Her life teaches us that true greatness is found in obedience, and true peace comes when we place our lives in God’s hands.

As we celebrate her feast, may we ask St Mary to teach us to have the same quiet faith—to trust when we cannot see the whole path, to obey even when it is difficult, and above all, to carry Christ within our hearts and reveal Him through the way we live.

St Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. 🤍🙏

19/08/2026

Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church joyfully celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ. On Mount Tabor, Christ was transfigured before Peter, James, and John. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him, and the voice of the Father proclaimed:

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5)

The Transfiguration reminds us that Christ is not simply a teacher or prophet—He is the Son of God, the Light of the world, and the Lord of glory. The disciples were given a glimpse of His divine glory so that, when they would later see Him suffering and crucified, they would know that His Passion was not defeat, but the path to victory and resurrection.

St. Athanasius the Apostolic beautifully teaches:

“For He was made man that we might be made God.”

The glory revealed on Tabor points us toward this mystery: Christ came down to us so that, through Him, we might be restored to communion with God and become partakers of His divine life.

Happy feast of the transfiguration 🙏🏽

16/08/2026

Dear beloved sisters and brothers in Christ,
We will be having a revival for the feast of St Mary starting from Wednesday till Friday 21/8.

Wednesday 19/8
- Liturgy 9-11am
- Revival, choir and a small talk 7-9pm ( English church)

Thursday 20/8
- Liturgy 9-11am
- Revival, choir and talk 7-9pm

Friday 21/8 the eve of the feast
- Liturgy 5:30-7:30am
- Revival, choir and talk 7-9:30pm
- Midnight liturgy 9:30-11pm (To partake in Holy communion we need to abstain from food from 2pm)

Saturday 22/8 feast of St Mary
- Liturgy 9-11am will be in the Arabic church

May the Prayer and intercession of St Mary be with us all 🙏🙏

22/07/2026

11/07/2026

On the 5th of Epip (July 12th), the Church celebrates the Feast of the Apostles, which follows the holy fast bearing the name of our fathers the Apostles. This fast begins on the day following the Feast of Pentecost, the day on which the Church was established. The 5th of Epip was specifically chosen to be the Feast of the Apostles since it is the day commemorating the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul in Rome in 67 A.D. However, our Church celebrates the commemoration of the martyrdom of the rest of the apostles as well.

The entire Ministry of the Apostles was filled with many hardships and suffering. As Martyrs, the Apostles blood has nourished and sustained the church to this day. The Apostles were outstanding Ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20).

Let us pray that we too can be ambassadors for Christ and that God reveals Himself to us all through the blessings of the Apostles Fast.