Monasticism is the precious jewel of the Church; the monasteries and convents together form what may be called the “Church of Godliness” or the “Church of the Desert.” In contrast, the churches in cities and villages collectively form the “Church of Pastoral Care” or the “Church of the World.”

The bond between the two churches is very strong. While the “Church of Pastoral Care” offers young men and women who consecrate themselves and become monks or nuns in the “Church of Godliness,” and also offers the gifts and material and non-material donations of the faithful, the “Church of Godliness” offers continual prayers alongside the various services within the monastery and outside the monastery to the “Church of Pastoral Care.” This profound integration between the two churches forms the strong fabric that represents the existence of the Church as a spiritual, godly, and service-oriented entity, working for the salvation of the faithful and serving the society in which the Church exists as a witness to Christ’s saving work and His love for the whole world and every person in the world. It is true that monasticism is separation from the world, but it is not separation from serving the Church, as we saw in the life of Saint Abba Antony, the father of all monks, and how during times of persecution he went down into the world to strengthen the believers, and during times of heresies he also went down into the world to support Pope Athanasius in his struggle against the heresy of Arius and his followers.

The Coptic Monastic Seminar for nuns was held over six days from February 9–14, 2026, at the Logos Center in the Papal Residence at St. Bishoy Monastery. It was organized by a committee of nuns from some convents under the supervision of Bishop Danial, Abbot of  St. Paul the Anchorite Monastery, in the Red Sea Governorate – Egypt, and Secretary of Monasticism & Monasteries/Convents Affairs Committee of the Holy Synod. About one hundred nuns from 24 convents from inside and outside Egypt attended the seminar. The days of the seminar also bore a monastic character in terms of the daily midnight praises (tasbeha) and chanting hymns, as well as Vespers and Compline Agpeya prayer gatherings, in addition to the daily liturgies. His Holiness the Pope prayed the first liturgy in the Church of the Creed at the Saint Mark Coptic Academy and then had breakfast with the nuns. The attending mothers were organized in the northern chorus and the southern chorus during everyday’s midnight praise, and spiritual harmony filled the area in a joyful heavenly image that filled all hearts.

As for the lectures and workshops during the days of the seminar, they revolved around the twenty letters of Saint Abba Antony through sermons presented by a number of the Church’s bishops who are also abbots of monasteries. The abbesses and some nuns also participated in the workshops and in studying monastic commandments in the letters of Saint Paul the Apostle.

The twenty letters of Saint Abba Antony are considered sermons of spiritual strengthening and not merely academic lectures, as they contain life experiences necessary for monastic life and are not merely theoretical laws. At the same time, there are evangelical applications – “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27 NKJV) – and not philosophical intellectual theories. In this way, the twenty letters are an authentic treasure from which we draw across generations in our monastic life, and each monk or nun must read these letters from time to time to renew the spiritual and monastic life.

At the same time, the seminar dedicated five workshops on the monastic commandments in the letters of Saint Paul the Apostle, suitable to be a comprehensive constitution for monastics in every generation, explaining the five pillars that form the spiritual structure of true monasticism, namely:

1. Love that lifts us to spiritual perfection — “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

2. Virginity that makes us a pure temple who “cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:32).

3. Obedience in which human will submits to the divine will — “He … became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

4. Voluntary poverty, where possessing Christ is the true richness — “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

5. The Cross, which is the mystery of strength and victory — “I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

Holding such seminars is a necessity and has seven great benefits:

1. Renewing monastic life in monasteries/convents through study, knowledge, and understanding.

2. Rooting the principles and values of monasticism as lived by the early fathers through their letters, writings, and canons.

3. Exchanging spiritual and monastic experiences to revive monastic life.

4. Spiritual bonding and confirming love among monasteries/convents as spiritual families living the Pachomian communal life.

5. Seminars are a spiritual opportunity for self-review, repentance, and examination of conscience for the safety of the way.

6. Facing contemporary challenges that confront monasticism and monasteries/convents and how to deal with them positively.

7. Learning about the Church’s service, activity, and expansion because we are all members in the one Body of Christ.

We thank God for all these blessings, and we thank all who labored in preparation, organization, and participation in the seminar. We pray that these seminars may take place annually, alternating between monasteries and convents, held between the feasts of Saint Abba Antony and Saint Abba Paul each year, and may His grace cover us all.

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