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Letter of H.G. Bishop David to H.E. Archbishop Thomas

DAVID, BISHOP OF NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND
COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE
3 SWIM CLUB ROAD
STONY POINT, NY 10980

March 21, 2014

His Eminence Archbishop Thomas, Locum Tenens
P.O. Box 5238
Englewood, NJ 07631-5238

Your Eminence, Dear Brother in Christ,

My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

We were deeply grieved this morning to hear of the repose of our brother H.E. Archbishop Philip of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Archbishop Philip was a pioneer in the establishment of Orthodox Christianity in North America, most particularly as it pertained to the field of mission and evangelism. His reception of more than 2,000 Evangelical Christians into the Orthodox Church en masse in February of 1987 is rightly regarded as a legendary accomplishment and momentous milestone in the history of the Orthodox Church on this continent. His Eminence’s accomplishments in the field of academia – including his translations of several important literary works into Arabic – as well as his continual advocacy for the Christian communities of the Middle East will likewise never be forgotten.

In this time of great sadness, on behalf of the clergy and faithful of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of New York and New England, I would like to offer our sincere prayers and sympathies to Your Eminence and to the people and clergy of the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

May God repose His servant in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and may his memory be eternal.

With Fraternal Love and My Sincere Condolences,

DAVID, BISHOP OF NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND
COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE

12 Paremhat 1730 A.M. (21 March 2014 A.D.)
The Commemoration of the Archangel St. Michael

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