Saint Mark the Apostle

In this lecture, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about Saint Mark the Apostle as a remarkable example of a young believer strong in faith and determination. Saint Mark was a young man, around eighteen years old, when he followed Christ. His house became the first church in the world. He later worked with Saints Peter and Paul in preaching, and then came to Egypt to found the Church of Alexandria and the Church of Libya, becoming the first to establish a church in Africa.

🔹 Saint Mark: The African Apostle
Saint Mark is regarded as the first missionary to Africa. He was born in Cyrene, in eastern Libya, to a migrant family—thus he is known as the African saint. From there, he carried the Gospel to Egypt, entering Alexandria amid diverse religions—Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, and Jewish—but through the power of faith, he firmly established Christianity among them.

🔹 Faith Does Not Depend on Resources
His Holiness explains that Saint Mark came to Egypt with no money, no church, no followers—not even proper shoes—yet he transformed history and spread faith throughout Egypt, ultimately dying as a martyr. True faith does not rely on wealth or human strength but on the power of God working through the believer.

🔹 Youth: The Strength of the Church
The Pope reminds that the Church sees youth as a great spiritual power, quoting Saint John: “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” Thus, youth are called to be like Saint Mark—strong in faith, steadfast in truth, and shining the light of Christ in the world.

🔹 Spiritual Message:
Youth are not only the hope of the future but the living strength of the Church today. Saint Mark stands as a living model of a young man who, despite all hardships, witnessed for Christ and became the founder of faith across a continent.