Coptic Orthodox communities in Eastern Canada welcome His Grace Bishop Eklemandos
The General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church will oversee congregations in all of Eastern Canada.
The Coptic Orthodox communities in Ottawa, Kingston, Montreal, and Halifax celebrated the arrival of His Grace Bishop Eklemandos, General Bishop over Ottawa, Montreal, and Eastern Canada on Thursday in Ottawa.
Members of the Coptic Orthodox community received the newly ordained Bishop at Ottawa International Airport on Wednesday, July 15. Also in attendance were Dr. Andrew Bennett, Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom, and Mr. Motaz Mounir Zahran, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Canada.
His Grace Bishop Eklemandos was ordained by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II (118th Pope) in Cairo in May 2015, and is the second Coptic Orthodox bishop assigned to Canada since 2012. He will be overseeing the newly established Diocese of Eastern Canada, which stretches from Kingston, ON to Halifax, NS.
H. G. Bishop Eklemandos will be visiting the various cities of his newly established diocese in the coming weeks, and will be accompanied by various senior bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Quick Facts about H.G. Bishop Eklemandos:
H.G. Bishop Eklemandos Ava Mina was born on January 6. 1963 in Cairo, Egypt. He completed his education in Architectural Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Egypt.
He was ordained as a monk in the St. Mina Monastery in Marriot, Egypt on March 23, 1992 as “Father Eklemandos Ava Mina”.
On September 26, 2001, he was ordained as priest of the Coptic Orthodox Church by the late Pope Shenouda III. He was assigned to the Arish Diocese in Egypt, and in 2003 to Marseille and Lyon Diocese.
Bishop Eklemandos is fluent in Arabic and French. “Eklemandos” is the equivalent to “Clement” in English.
Quick Facts about the Coptic Orthodox Church:
The Copts are the native Christians of Egypt. The Coptic Church was founded in 42 AD by Saint Mark the Apostle. Saint Mark is the author of the earliest of the four Christian Gospels, and is the first Patriarch (Pope) of the Coptic Church. The Coptic Church has been blessed with outstanding leaders throughout the ages.
The Coptic Orthodox Church has a strong presence throughout Canada and the United States. There has been a consistent Coptic presence in Canada since the 1960s, with many large Coptic communities located in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax.
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