August 2026 - Monthly Update from His Grace Bishop Rewis

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” - Psalm 133:1

Dear Beloved Congregation of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions,

It is with great joy and thanksgiving to God that I share this monthly update of the matters relating to the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions. In August we kept the blessed Fast of St Mary, and I ask her intercessions for every home among us.

1. Monthly Clergy Meeting

Our monthly clergy meeting was held at St Mary's Church, Kensington, on Monday 17 August 2026. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated with the Diocese Clergy and parishioners, follwed by the Clery Meeting. I was glad to see you all there.

2. Meeting with our Church Treasurers

I am grateful to the Treasurers of our Churches, who met with the Secretarial Committee this month. Two things came out of that conversation.

The first is how much we can save by acting as one diocese rather than as many separate churches. Grouped together, we can ask for a better price than any one church could obtain alone. The Finance Committee will begin with our two largest shared costs:

• Utility Bills: Electricity, gas and water negotiated as one Diocese.

• Church Insurance: One arrangement covering all our churches, rather than each insuring itself.

The second is our parish contributions. Each of our parishes pays a fixed amount to the diocese, which for most works out at less than four per cent of what that parish receives. This amount has changed minimally, and not in line with annual CPI increases.

During this time, the interest rate on our diocesan loans has doubled, and the cost of maintaining our properties and supporting those who serve within them has also risen significantly. As a result, we are now falling considerably short of meeting our monthly loan repayments. Accordingly, we have reviewed the contributions made by each parish. Following this review, the recommendation is to gradually move towards a contribution of eight percent, which would enable us to meet these repayments in full.

This increase will be implemented progressively. From 1 September 2026, parish contributions will increase to five and a half percent as part of the transition towards the proposed eight percent contribution.

3. Youth In Christ - YIC

We were blessed this month by the visit of His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, who spent Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 August with the youth of our Diocese. I thank His Eminence for his love and for the days he gave to our young people. We also look forward to welcoming Fr Moses of the Monastery of St Shenouda in Sydney, who will visit our diocese from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September 2026. Details will follow through the YIC social media pages.

‘So What' - a Singles Event

A small committee of our members is organising a 'So What' singles event here in Melbourne in October 2026. It is for our single youth aged 28 and over, and young people will be coming from around Australia to meet one another and to make friendships with other Coptic singles.

More about the So What services can be found on the So What Melbourne Instagram page, and further details of the October event will be published soon.

4. St Athanasius College

A number of new subjects are now open at our Theological College, and I encourage you to look at them. Study at St Athanasius College is not only for those preparing to serve— it is for any of us who wish to know our faith more deeply. Your own parish is able to sponsor your studies, so please speak with the priests of your church about taking up a sponsored place.

The College has also begun a new Family and Couples Ministry, the 'Growing Faithful Hearts' program: ten weekly sessions for adults, with supported activities to take home to your children, equipping families with practical skills and biblical principles for strong, Christ-centred homes. The full ten-week course is $100 and runs through to 1 October 2026. Registration is open at sac-college.thinkific.com.

5. Family Festival — All Together as One

Our Coptic new year, the Feast of Nayrouz, falls on Friday 11 September 2026, and we will celebrate it as one diocese the following day.

Saturday 12 September 2026, at 100 Park Road, Donvale VIC 3111: the Divine Liturgy in the morning, and our United Family Festival together afterwards.

I welcome every member of our Coptic community to come. Whichever church you belong to, you are invited: to pray one Liturgy together, and then to sit, eat and rejoice as one family in Christ. Please keep the date free. The schedule for this event will be published shortly.

A Word of Encouragement

This month we kept the Holy Fast of St Mary, our mother and the intercessor of us all. It is a short fast and a gentle one, but the Church gives it to us every year for a reason: to remind us that we have a mother in heaven who has never once stopped praying for her children.

Everything I have written to you this month — our fathers meeting together, our parishes carrying one another, our young people, and the day we will keep as one family in September — is her work as much as ours. Let us ask her to intercede for it, and for each one of us.

I ask you to pray for our fathers, for our committees, and for one another.

"Hail to you, O Mary, the fair dove, who has borne unto us God the Word." — 'Shere ne Maria', the hymn to the Theotokos sung in our Liturgy

With my love and blessings in Christ,

✠ Bishop Rewis

General Bishop & Papal Legate of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Melbourne & Affiliated Regions