Today, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II attended the celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the founding of St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Orthodox Theological School in Los Angeles (A.C.T.S.), in the presence of H.E. Metropolitan Serapion, Metropolitan of the Diocese of Los Angeles, USA, H.G. Bishop Abraham and H.G. Bishop Kyrillos, General Bishops of the same diocese, along with a number of hierarchs of the Church.
The celebration, which was held at St. Mark Coptic Academy at the Monastery of Saint Anba Bishoy in Wadi El Natrun, included the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2026, as well as honoring graduates from the classes of 2017 through 2025.
In his address, His Holiness the Pope said:
“I am happy to welcome you here in Egypt, the land that once received the Holy Family. In the early days of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, Egypt became a place of shelter and embrace for the silent divine presence. Egypt has a long history and a rich civilization.
Today is a joyful day, and I am pleased with this gathering and the graduation of a class from the St. Cyril and Pope Athanasius Institute in Los Angeles here at St. Mark Academy in Egypt for the first time.
St. Mark Academy serves as an umbrella for all Coptic schools and institutes in Egypt and abroad. It acts as a point of connection among these institutions with the aim of improving theological education and uniting institutes around the world.
The standard of theological education in Alexandria is outstanding, and we must present this teaching to the whole world through our encounters with other churches.
As you know, education and consecration are essential tools for the growth of the Church at all times. This was once a dream, and now it has become a reality.
I would like to express my joy on this occasion and congratulate all the graduates of the Class of 2026. I also extend my thanks to His Grace Anba Serapion, His Grace Anba Kyrillos, and all the faculty and administration of this school.
I would like to say three things to the Class of 2026:
- In school, you learn lessons and are then given tests; in life, you are given tests that teach you lessons.
- Be like the palm tree: firmly rooted in the earth, connected to its roots, bending but never breaking, embracing natural beauty, and continually renewing and growing.
- Without dreams, we achieve nothing; without love, we feel nothing; and without the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are nothing. Therefore, love never fails.
Thank you all, and I am happy for this occasion.”
The seed of St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological School (A.C.T.S.) began as an initiative of the thrice-blessed Pope Shenouda III in 1989, extending Coptic theological educational institutions into the diaspora. The school teaches Alexandrian Coptic theology and has gone through several stages of development, eventually establishing academic cooperation through memoranda of understanding with a number of theological institutions in the United States.
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