I would like to congratulate His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint St. Mark See, and his Eminence Abba Moussa, Bishop of Youth, for celebrating the 36th anniversary of its inception and the enthronement of Abba Moussa in 1980 by his Holiness Pope Shenouda III. There was no diocese in the Diaspora and there were only few dioceses in Egypt.
HG Bishop Moussa worked hard to develop this bishopric to become very strong and so beautiful. Pope Shenouda said that a church without young people has no future. Bishop Moussa ordained some priests to keep pace with the increasing ministry. He established the Deaconess Phoebe House in 1981 to train and graduate some consecrated deaconesses according to the regulation of consecration set by the Holy Synod to help in the women service sector.
With the increasing numbers of Copts in the Diaspora and inside Egypt, several bishops were ordained for several new bishoprics under the patronage of the mother church. Only St. Mark festival organized by Youth Bishopric connected young people from those dioceses.
The congregation differs from one diocese to another in the Diaspora, but bishops in the Diaspora cooperate with youth bishopric to serve young people and connect them with the mother church. Young people in every church choose one priest to represent and serve them following the law of each country. Those priests are connected in a council aiming to serve Coptic young people.
This council works according to an annual program of pastoral care visits of Bishop of Youth aiming to help young people around the world and develop their relations with the Coptic Orthodox Church.
