Our Children in the Diaspora
Our Children in the Diaspora
Our children in the diaspora are a trust in our hands, and we have responsibilities toward them that we must fulfill, for the sake of their relationship with Egypt and their relationship with the Church.
These responsibilities are in the areas of belonging, as well as culture, language, and spiritual life.
By “our children in the diaspora,” we mainly mean those who were born there, and those who left Egypt while still very young children, growing up in a different environment and not receiving anything of their Egyptian heritage or their Orthodox tradition.
These children will acquire another citizenship, along with the language, customs, traditions, and culture of the diaspora.
So how do we preserve them? And how do we preserve their belonging to Egypt, their love for their Coptic Orthodox Church, and their attachment to their ancient heritage and history?
- There is no doubt that establishing churches has a very great impact on their lives, preserving them in a Coptic environment with its language, liturgical tradition, and atmosphere.
However, our priests must themselves remain faithful to their Coptic identity, without changing or causing the next generation to change with them.
- A series of translations is also necessary. We have already translated liturgical books, which is a good achievement. But other translations are needed for spiritual, doctrinal, historical books, the lives of the saints, and more.
- Establishing branches of the theological seminary in the diaspora is very essential for preserving doctrine, faith, and heritage.
- Youth trips to Egypt are important so they can see its churches and civilization, and build friendships with their relatives, servants, and church leaders.
The trips that came to Egypt in the past two years—from Melbourne in Australia and from East Brunswick in the USA—have been successful.
