Saint Athanasius Fellowship
The Fathers of the Church are those who have contributed from the early ages of Christianity in defning, formulating, and explaining the content of the faith, until its agreed upon framing was set by the Church through the Ecumenical Councils towards the end of the 5fth century.
Ever since its founding in 1979 by Dr. Noshi Abd El Shahid, the Orthodox Patristic Center in Cairo (OPCC) has been committed to disseminating the teachings of the Orthodox Fathers in Egypt as well as the middle east at large; the vast majority of which have not yet been translated into Arabic. The OPCC offers a platform where clergy members, theologians, and general members of the congregation can explore and benefit from the heritage of the early church fathers. Such a platform is founded on three basic objectives: the Arabic translation of the original Church Fathers’ writings; the undertaking of specialized researches and studies on the writings of the Church Fathers; the deployment of Church Fathers teachings and thought through monthly lectures and youth seminars.
In today’s information age, we understand it as our mission to play an active role in promoting a true understanding of the orthodox faith of the Coptic Church and relaying and education: so far we have translated over 195 patristic books, published over 50 theological studies, and have continued to issue a biannual journal (The Patristic and
Theological Review) since 1998. Beyond a monthly lecture meeting in our Cairo center, we are also active in the youth dioceses, holding conferences and seminars both in Egypt and in the Coptic diaspora. Our work and publications can be followed on our website (www.patristiccairo.com) or on our YouTube channel (www.
youtube.com/patristiccairo), where already over 150 lectures are uploaded.
In order to financially support the ongoing activities of the OPCC, the St. Athanasius Fellowship has been founded as a sister (501)c3 non-profit organization in the United States to receive grants and accept donations on behalf of the OPCC.