The first annual Evangelism Conference was held from August 7 - 9 with the presence and blessing of H.G. Bishop Antonios Markos, Bishop of African Affairs and Fr. John Ramzy who served as a missionary in West Africa. The lectures and discussions revolved around the theme of being called to witness to our faith through word and deed. His grace shared with the participants many of his experiences and memories from the African mission and imparted on us his wisdom of being an evangelist for over 43 years. The participants also met in small groups to discuss how to apply this knowledge gained in our daily lives and practice it in our parish. The theme for the small group discussions was witnessing in "Jerusalem, all of Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" . Many resolutions were agreed u on to kindle the spirit of evangelism in our congregation which include personal growth for preparation, witnessing in our community and among acquaintances, ministry of invitation, and a possible oversees mission trip to Africa. We pray for the Lord's continued support for this endeavor which is considered as a corner stone of our ministry.
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St. Takla Soccer Tournament
Saturday, August 8, 2009

The church soccer team participated in the tournament organized by Archangel Michael and St. Takla Church in Brampton on Saturday, August 8 th. This was a great opportunity to meet many youth from sister parishes in the area and to share in fellowship and friendly competition. We thank Fr. Morcos Hanna and the organizers of the tournament for their effort and Christian spirit.

Conclusion of Children's Summer Camp
July 24, 2009

This year, the summer camp was extended to two weeks from July 13 – 24, 2009. It was held at Holy Redeemer School and the theme was “Mega Sports” where our children enjoyed participating in many fun filled sports and activities. The days were also filled with Bible studies, memorization, singing, crafts, and character building. What was so special and evident this year was that many of our children invited their school friends to participate with them in the camp so they may have fellowship with one another. We thank all the servants, leaders, and youth who spared no effort to make these two weeks so enjoyable to the children. God reward each one in heaven and we look forward for next year’s summer camp.

Nite Lite Live
Thursday, July 23, 2009

Fr. Pishoy was a guest at Nite Lite Live with host and producer Paul Willoughby on Thursday, July 23rd. Nite Lite is a two and a half hour live program which is aired nationally from the CTS studios in Burlington, Ontario. A major part of the discussion revolved around the ministry at SMSV, the Orthodox faith, and answering questions that came from callers from across Canada. We thank the Lord for every opportunity that we have to witness to His holy name and to speak about our beloved Coptic Orthodox Church especially in public and national forums,

The Church would like to congratulate George and Lara Nassar for their blessed Holy Matrimony which was held at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church in Ottawa on Saturday, July 18, 2009. George and Lara are faithful members of the church and have completed the Marriage Preparation course held during the Holy Lent. We pray for the Lord’s blessing in their union and a life filled with joy and prosperity.

Spiritual Day at the Valley of the Mother of God
Sunday, July 19, 2009

It was a time of spiritual growth, building community, meditation, and fun filled activities. The discussions were inspired from the Book of Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. On this beautiful day, the Lord gave us promises of hope, care, and a heartfelt peace in the midst of trials. The group had time to enjoy the breathtaking nature at the Valley through quiet time and personal meditation which was followed by sports and activities. We thank all the servants at the Valley who made us feel welcomed and spared no effort at preparing for us all the means of comfort. God bless every activity for the glory of His holy name.

The church would like to congratulate our beloved Fr. Moses Matar and the congregation of St. Mary & St. Abraam Church in Ajax for the blessed ordination of Fr. Daniel Bessada and his safe return to his church after spending forty days in the monastery. We pray that the Lord would richly bless his ministry and support him for many more decades to come.

Graduation & Good News Sharing Day
Sunday, July 12, 2009

It was a joyful day indeed where many of the church members celebrated their graduation from Junior High School, High School, College, University, Graduate studies, admission into graduate schools, new births, passing the licensing examinations,, and high achievement in competitions. This event strengthened the ties between the church members, helped us to rejoice with one another, and to celebrate God's goodness to us as individuals, families and a congregation in the past year. We thank all the servants who have organized this celebration and pray for continued spiritual, academic, and practical success to our entire blessed congregation.

Congratulations to Mena and Justina Costandi
Sunday, July 12, 2009

The church would like to congratulate our beloved children Mena Costandi, a faithful servant at the Church of Virgin Mary & St. Athanasius in Mississauga and Justina Costandi, the daughter of Fr. Maximous Rizkalla for their blessed Matrimony on July 12, 2009. The entire clergy members in Southwestern Ontario rejoiced with them on this memorable day which was extremely spiritual from beginning to end. We pray for the Lord' s guidance and protection to this new couple and for the Lord's blessing to their new home.

Celebrating with Our Expecting Moms
June 9, 2009

The Mothers fellowship held a celebration lunch at Frankie Tomatto’s Restaurant on Tuesday, June 9th to share in the joy with our expecting moms. Many mothers along with their children participated in this gathering and shared with their own experiences. The church is very thankful for the enthusiasm of our parents who are determined to raise their children in the love of God, participation in the Church life and mysteries, along with building connections with other parents. The church is praying for the health and safety of all our moms. The Mothers’ fellowship meets every Tuesday at St. Luke’s Church from 12noon – 2:00pm to share in God’s Word, experiences, and to build community. To know more about this group, please contact us at mothers@smsv.ca
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Celebrating the Feast of Pentecost & Back to Church Sunday
June 7, 2009

It was a blessed day indeed filled with the joy of praise, worship and true fellowship. The day began with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and the welcoming of many guests who shared in the Feast of Pentecost. Following the Liturgy, all parishioners shared together in a welcoming cake in honour of all our guests. In the evening, the church held its semi-annual dinner celebration where we were joined by many guests who were visiting the Coptic Church for the first time coming from many nations around the world. We were blessed by the presence of Rev. Fr. Abraam Kamal, St. Mary & St. Joseph Church in Richmond Hill, who spoke to us about “Receiving  a Blessing here” and Dr. Karen Hamilton, the General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches, who spoke about the significance of ecumenism and unity in Christ. Also, Fr. Pishoy spoke about the importance of building our community around the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist which unifies our diversity into the one body of Christ. We thank all the volunteers and servants who helped prepare, set-up, cook, serve, clean-up, organize the program & children activities, MC, and lead the tables in meditations. We also thank the “Steel Bandits” for sharing with us the joy of music and our worship team for leading us in prayer.  May the Lord bless every ministry for the glory of His holy name.
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The family of SMSV extends a heartfelt and warm congratulations to our beloved Hany Danial & Jane Walker on the occasion of their blessed Holy Matrimony on Saturday, May 30th, 2009. May our Lord bless their lives as they embark on this life journey together united in love and care for one another.

Victoria Day Long Weekend Retreat
“Jesus Christ, the One and Only”
Jackson’s Point, May 16 – 18, 2009

It was a fun filled retreat blessed with the presence of our beloved father H.G. Bishop Angaelos and our beloved guest Dr. Yousry Armanios. The main theme of the retreat was “Jesus Christ, the One and Only”. The session focused on Our Lord Jesus being our only Healer, Refuge, Counselor, Saviour, and Friend. In addition to the adults program, we also held concurrent programs for the youth, children, and toddlers. On Sunday, the participants enjoyed a lovely afternoon on the shores of Sibbald Point Provincial Park which was filled with sports, games, fellowship, and laughter. We also enjoyed some organized activities on both evenings which gave everyone a chance to get to know one another on a more personal level. The retreat was crowned by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Monday morning and the partaking of the Holy Eucharist. We thank our Lord Jesus for the wonderful fellowship that was felt by everyone who participated in this retreat and we look forward for similar retreats in the future.
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Small Groups Celebration Dinner
May 8, 2009

“The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy” (Ps 126:3). This verse reflects the sentiment at the Small Groups Celebration dinner held on May 8th. Twenty-seven dedicated servants completed a nine week course where they learned how to lead a small group. The topics in the training ranged from leading worship and studying the Word to group dynamics and celebrating our diversity.

A Blessed Journey during the Holy Pascha Week and the Feast of Resurrection
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25)

The Church enjoyed a time of spiritual revival throughout the Holy Great Lent which reached its climax during the Holy Pascha Week and the celebration of the Feast of Resurrection. The deep spiritual hymns and festivities during this season left their lasting impression upon all the parishioners. We thank our beloved Rev. Fr. Maximos Rizkalla for blessing us on the Eve of Wednesday and delivering the meditation. We are thankful to our Lord for the involvement of our multicultural congregation members during this week in delivering spiritual meditations, leading and chanting the hymnology, and serving as deacons and Sunday School teachers. Also, of special notice this year was the involvement of our children, youth, and young adults in chanting the Paschal hymnology and leading the congregation. We pray that our Lord Jesus would continue to nourish and confirm this vine which His hand has planted.
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Congratulations to Shawn Job Da Silveira for his blessed baptism on Wednesday, April 8, 2009. Shawn, who is from a Brazilian background, was introduced to the Coptic Church by a group of his friends and has been a faithful member of SMSV for the past year. He has shown enthusiasm and love for God and for the Coptic Church through his regular attendance in the Divine Liturgies and Young Adult meetings. He desired to be a full member of the Church through his baptism. May our Lord Jesus continue to enrich his life and enlighten his path.

Marriage Preparation Classes

The marriage preparation sessions concluded on Sunday, April 5th with a celebration and an agape meal. Throughout the course, the couples enjoyed discussions on relevant topics pertaining to the events leading up to the wedding and beyond. In the last session, our couples received a graduation certificate, an icon of St. Maurice & St. Verena, and a copy of Fireproof movie. We pray that our Lord would protect our couples and our Christian homes.  
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Children's breakfast Club
March 28, 2009

A delegation of the church congregation helped out the Yonge St. Mission on March 28, 2009 in the Children's Breakfast Club program that serves children in the Regent Park community. The volunteers helped prepare a hearthy breakfast of chocolate and blueberry pancakes, sausages, cereal and fruit salad. After serving the children breakfast, the delegation had an enjoyable and eriching exprience monitoring and providing fellowship for the children in the YSM community. The Yonge St. Mission again thanks the volunteers and congregation of St. Maurice and St. Verena for the time and efforts they've given to the mission. More photos

Visit of H.G. Bishop Youssef
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

We were blessed by the presence of H.G. Bishop Youssef to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on Tuesday, March 10 at the Church of St. Luke. During the Liturgy, His Grace ordained Dr. Bassem Iskander to the rank of Epsaltos (Singer). We were also blessed by the presence of our beloved Rev. Fr. Abraam Kamal from St. Mary & St. Joseph Church in Richmond Hill. We thank H.G. Bishop Youssef for his love, kindness, and paternal care. More photos

Small Group Leadership Training Course
March 1 – May 3, 2009

Small Group Ministry has become a landmark of our Church. It is our vision that our Church does not only become a church with Small Groups but a church of Small Groups. Our first Leaders training course last year resulted in the formation of seven groups that meet either weekly of biweekly. This year, through God’s grace, we have 27 participants who are attending the training course. We are praying that this initiative will result in the birth of more leaders who will be able to minister the Word of God in truth. We are pleased this year to receive many guests from sister churches who will be taking this initiative into their parishes. We thank all the leaders who are sparing no effort for the success of this valuable ministry. May the Word of the Lord continue to grow and multiply in this church and in every church. More photos