Apparitions of the Mother of God Reported in Cairo, Alexandria

Coptic Orthodox Christians from Alexandria and Cairo are reportedly claiming to have witnessed multiple appearances of the Mother of God last night as Egypt continues to mourn clashes in Cairo that resulted in the death of twenty-eight Copts. A film of one of the apparitions reported in Heliopolis, a Cairo suburb, can be found here. There is no word as to whether anyone in the hierarchy of the Coptic Orthodox Church has verified the apparitions.

St. Menas the Great-Martyr

Joyous feast!!! St. Menas is one of the great saints and wonderworkers not only of the ancient world, but also of our times. In past times people came from throughout the known world to venerate his relics near Mareotis in Egypt (to the southwest of Alexandria). Gradually the pilgrimages ceased following the Muslim conquest of Egypt and the destruction of the saint's shrine, but following the enthronement of Pope St. Cyril VI of Alexandria (himself a great wonderworker), who loved St. Menas greatly, the monastery that used to stand at the place of the saint's relics was renewed and is now once more a place of pilgrimage because of the miracles worked by St. Menas.

St. Menas was born the only child of devout parents in 285 AD. His father was an administrator in the Roman government in Egypt and when he turned fifteen the saint served for some time in the Roman Army in what was then called Africa or Mauretania, but today is known as Algeria. Becoming dissatisfied with life in the world, St. Menas left the army and returned to Egypt to live as a hermit in the desert. After receiving a vision of his impending martyrdom St. Menas declared his faith before the Roman governor of Egypt and received his crown on 11/24 November 309. A full account of his life can be found here. Accounts of the miracles worked by both St. Menas and St. Cyril the Wonderworker, Pope of Alexandria, can be found here. The relics of both saints rest at Dayr Mar Mina Monastery in Maryut (ancient Mareotis) today.

May the blessings and prayers of the glorious Great-Martyr and Wonderworker Menas be with us all!

Pictured is the cathedral at the restored Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St. Menas, called Dayr Mar Mina today.

Hierarchical Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile

I don't know how I missed this last month, but the remnants of the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile, formed out of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR) following retired Metropolitan Vitaly's departure from New York for Quebec, held a council of their remaining hierarchs in Kiev. Among other things they elected two new diocesan bishops for Western Europe and southern Russia and also decided to undertake a survey of the positions of the various Russian Orthodox schisms formed out of the ROCOR over the last couple of decades.

I had thought that the ROCIE completely fell apart following the death of Metropolitan Vitaly, so to find it not only alive, but with a functioning and apparently stable synod of bishops, is truly a surprise! God works in mysterious ways :-). Speaking of which, the ROCIE claims to have a myrrh-streaming icon at its parish in Montreal, Quebec - a copy of the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God. The icon's story can be found here. A full account of the hierarchical council can be found here. And lastly, the hierarchs' epistle to their flock can be found here.