The Body of Christ
in Taree
Bearing the apostolic faith of the See of St Mark — unbroken from Alexandria to this day.
One Faith. One Body.
One Sacrifice.
St Mary & Pope Kyrillos Coptic Orthodox Church is the Body of Christ gathered in Taree and the Manning Valley. We exist to guard and proclaim the Orthodox Faith as delivered once for all to the saints — the same faith preached by St Mark the Evangelist, sealed by the blood of the martyrs, and preserved by the Coptic Church through twenty centuries of trial and grace.
We are named for the Most Holy Theotokos, the Virgin St Mary, and for the blessed Pope Kyrillos VI — a saint of great miracles and deep prayer whose intercessions we seek. Under the shelter of these two intercessors, we offer the same Divine Liturgy, the same prayers, and the same Holy Sacraments that have been celebrated in the Coptic Church since the time of the Apostles.
How We Live the Faith
The Apostolic Tradition
The Coptic Church does not receive its faith from men, but from God — through the Holy Apostles, the Holy Fathers, and the martyrs who sealed it with their blood. We hold fast to the Nicene Faith, the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils, and the teachings of the saints.
The Holy Sacraments
The life of the Church is centred upon the Seven Holy Sacraments — above all, the Divine Liturgy, in which heaven and earth are united and the faithful receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist (Qurban).
Prayer & Fasting
Following the example of the Desert Fathers, the Coptic Church fasts approximately 210 days each year. We pray the Agpeya (Book of Hours) throughout the day and chant the Tasbeha (Midnight Praises), uniting our voices to God without ceasing.
Raising the Next Generation
We entrust the Orthodox Faith to our children through Sunday School and the work of devoted servants, so that each generation may in turn hand on what they have received — the same faith, unchanged, from the time of the Apostles.
Our Pope, Bishop & Priests
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St Mark
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II is the 118th successor to the Throne of St Mark the Evangelist. He shepherds the Coptic Orthodox Church throughout the world, upholding the apostolic faith and interceding for his flock. May God lengthen his days and strengthen his hands.
His Grace Bishop Daniel
Bishop — Diocese of Sydney & Affiliated Regions
His Grace Bishop Daniel, as a successor of the Holy Apostles, carries the episcopal responsibility for the Coptic Orthodox faithful across New South Wales, the ACT, and Queensland. He watches over the flock with fatherly care and guides the servants in his diocese.
Abouna Karas Faltaoos
Priest — St Mary & Pope Kyrillos Church, Taree
Born in Egypt on 12 January 1942, Fr. Karas devoted his life to God from his youth as an ordained deacon. He was ordained a priest on 24 May 2014 by H.G. Bishop Daniel, entrusted to shepherd the flock in Taree, and elevated to the rank of Hegomen on 11 March 2018.
Abouna Bishoy Soliman
Priest of St Mary & Pope Kyrillos Church — Taree
Abouna Bishoy Soliman serves as shepherd and father of the faithful in Taree. He celebrates the Divine Liturgy, administers the Holy Sacraments, hears confessions, and intercedes for his flock before the altar of God — offering himself daily in service to Christ and His Church.
Of Blessed Memory
Abouna Karas Faltaoos
Hegomen — St Mary & Pope Kyrillos Church, Taree
✝ Of Blessed and Holy Memory — May God Repose His Soul
Departed to the Lord on 4 April 2024
Born on 12 January 1942 in Egypt, Bashir Faltaoos loved the Lord Jesus Christ from his earliest years. He was ordained as a deacon and was fervent in his Bible reading, prayer, and the chanting of church hymns. God blessed him with a love for knowledge — he earned a PhD in Organic Microanalysis and became a professor and Head of the Analytical Chemistry Department at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Misr University for Science and Technology.
He served as a faculty member at the Institute of Coptic Studies in Cairo and on the teaching staff of the Bible Institute in Damanhour. He also authored God Jesus Christ and Science — detailing the scientific evidence of the death and resurrection of Christ through the Shroud of Turin.
On 24 May 2014, he was ordained a priest by H.G. Bishop Daniel, during the papacy of Pope Tawadros II, entrusted to shepherd the Lord's flock in Taree and the surrounding areas. On 11 March 2018, he was elevated to the rank of Hegomen by H.G. Bishop Daniel during the Holy Liturgy in our beloved church of St Mary & Pope Kyrillos VI — receiving the title of The Very Reverend Father Karas. He has now departed to the Lord whom he served all his days.
"May the Lord God repose his soul in the bosom of our holy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May He grant him rest in a place of light, a place of green pastures, and a place of refreshment, from which grief, sorrow, and sighing have fled away."
☩ The Coptic Absolution of the Dead ☩
Diocese of Sydney & Affiliated Regions
St Mary & Pope Kyrillos Church belongs to the Diocese of Sydney & Affiliated Regions, under the fatherly oversight of His Grace Bishop Daniel. The diocese encompasses Coptic Orthodox congregations throughout New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Queensland — all united in one apostolic faith and one eucharistic life.
The Coptic Orthodox Church in Australia is part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ — whose Throne of St Mark in Alexandria is held today by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, the 118th successor to the Apostle and Evangelist St Mark.
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