Our Lady Appears in Assiut,
Upper Egypt

August 2000 - January 2001



Real Photo of Assiut Apparitions - Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2025 (Vol. 42) Sunday 15 October, 2000 - Page 1 - http://www.watani.com.eg

Watani - issue of 9 April 2006; in EnglishLast Update: 9 April 2006: Holy light in Assiut (Watani - issue of 9 April 2006; in English) (mirror copy)
Apparition in Assiut: Eyewitness Account (in English)
Statement from the Coptic Orthodox Metropolitanate of Assiut (Watani - issue of 9 April 2006; in Arabic)
Heavenly lights reappear in Assiut on Wednesday 29 March 2006 (Watani - issue of 2 April 2006; in Arabic)
See also: Videos; Photos; More videos and photos: [1], [2]; Official Church statement (5 April 2006; in Arabic)

20 April 2001: Our Lady of Assiut Revisited (Watani International - 15 April 2001; in English)

Related Miracle: The Holy Light as it appears from the Holy Sepulchre - Jerusalem

1 March 2001: Miraculous light in Assiut (English and Arabic articles and photos)

21 February 2001: Watani 18 February 2001 - International (English) Edition and Page 5 of the Arabic Edition

7 February 2001: Watani report on miracles of cure (Arabic)

23 January 2001: Real Photos of the Luminous Doves (Watani)

Marian Update: Science Stunned by Virgin of Guadalupe´s Eyes

3 January 2001: Watani report of 31 December 2000

29 December 2000: Watani report of 24 December 2000

22 December 2000: Watani report of 17 December 2000 (with photo)

12 December 2000: H.H. Pope Shenouda III Approves Assiut Apparitions (Watani Report - 10 December 2000)

7 December 2000: Ten More Videos (clips 16 to 25; zipped)
All clips require Free from Microsoft(r) or later

2 December 2000: Watani report of 26 November 2000 - A Latin Catholic nun from Columbia recounts what she has witnessed in Assiut on 28 October 2000 (English/Arabic)

1 December 2000: Eleven Additional Videos (zipped)
All clips require Free from Microsoft(r) or later

23 November 2000: Watani report and photos (19/11/00)

18 November 2000 - Three Additional Videos: Clip 1: assiut2.wmv, Clip 2: assiut3.wmv, Clip 3: assiut4.wmv; you may also listen to a Traditional Coptic Marian Hymn
All clips require Free from Microsoft(r) or later

12 November 2000: Watani report

5 November 2000: Watani report with photos (English/Arabic)

29 October 2000: Watani report (Arabic only)

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2026 (Vol. 42) Sunday 22 October, 2000 - Page 122 October 2000: Real photo of the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary photographed by Dr. Helmy Nazmy Beshara (thumbnail on the right). The luminous apparitions continue to increase accompanied by miracles of cure

15 October 2000: Nearly two million persons have witnessed Assiut Apparitions to date - Read Watani semi-official Coptic Orthodox weekly newspaper, 15 October 2000 - Page 5 on Assiut Apparitions (in Arabic)

Assiut - Dazzling Apparition Lights13 October 2000: Reflections about Assiut Apparitions
Declaration of the Coptic Priests in Assiut (El-Keraza Official Coptic Orthodox Magazine)

11 October 2000: An Eyewitness Report with Real Photos

8 October 2000: The dazzling apparition lights continue over the domes and towers of St. Mark's Church in Assiut, Upper Egypt, accompanied with miracles of healing (Watani)

1 October 2000: St. Mark's Church becomes a shrine for pilgrims from all over the world (Watani)

24 September 2000 - His Holiness Pope Shenouda III and His Grace Metropolitan Anba Michael of Assiut: The Coptic Orthodox Church is currently following observantly the apparitions of the Holy Virgin Mary and other spiritual phenomena at St. Mark’s Church, Assiut (Watani)

Video: Assiut - Light from Heaven
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Related Resources:
+ Listen to Part of the Holy Rosary in Arabic
+ Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed

Assiut (Source: BBC News)On the 17th of August 2000, the Blessed Holy Virgin Mary started Her apparitions at St. Mark's Church in Assiut, Upper Egypt, accompanied by glorious lights and big, bright white doves. Those who have witnessed the apparitions have reported seeing dazzling supernatural lights and blue-green flashes over the church (without any source of light to explain them). Many residents and pilgrims also recount seeing the Blessed Holy Virgin Mary in a full figure. This is just a glimpse of what "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). May God be glorified forever. Amen.
See also: An Eyewitness Report with Real Photos

On the official level: During his recent visit to the US and Canada (August 2000), His Holiness Pope Shenouda III confirmed the validity of the reports of these apparitions. Pope Shenouda said that these apparitions are a message of comfort from heaven and one of confirmation of the faith of Copts, that heaven is aware of their struggle and is pleased by their perseverance. Moreover, in El-Keraza Magazine dated 15 September 2000, which is the official newspaper of the Coptic Orthodox Church, a short news paragraph said:

"Since Friday 18 August 2000, thousands of people gathered around the old Church of St. Mark in Assiut to view spiritual appearances of Virgin Mary. A declaration on those appearances was issued by the Diocese of Assiut and was published in Watani Newspaper."

Assiut - Big, bright white doves flying in the dark

It is noteworthy that 2000 years ago, the Holy Family visited Assiut when they fled to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). You may download this small program (576 Kb - for Microsoft® Windows® 9x/Me/NT/2000) to learn more about the journey of the Holy Family in Egypt.

Following is the official Church report on the apparitions in Arabic (Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2019 (Vol. 42) Sunday 3 September, 2000 - Page 1).

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2019 (Vol. 42) Sunday 3 September, 2000 - Page 1
Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2019 (Vol. 42) Sunday 3 September, 2000 - Page 1

From CNN.com
Hundreds flock to Egyptian town for glimpse of Virgin Mary
September 4, 2000

ASSIUT, Egypt (AP) -- Thousands of Egyptians and some foreigners have been flocking to this southern Egyptian city in recent weeks where residents say they've seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary and a flock of exceptionally large, white pigeons in an inexplicable shining light.

Since the first reported apparition on Aug. 17 in skies surrounding the dome of Saint Mark's church, villagers and visitors have descended on the neighborhood, waiting in the streets and on rooftops for a glimpse of Mary.

The city's local Coptic Christian synod released a statement on Sunday stating that civilians had reported seeing "spiritual features" on several occasions and at different times since Aug. 17. The statement did not say whether religious leaders had confirmed any sightings personally.

"I haven't seen any light," Father Baki Sedka, head of the first biblical church (protestant), a neighboring church to Saint Mark, told The Associated Press on Monday night. "I stayed up all night and I didn't see anything except a few pigeons."

"The appearance of a few pigeons doesn't justify a miracle," Sedka said. "This case needs a lot of consideration before we can authoritatively assert these sightings."

Since word of the apparition spread, the synod said thousands of Egyptians and some foreigners have come to Assiut, 180 miles (290 kilometers) south of Cairo, the capital, where they've been singing hymns and reciting prayers while waiting for the next vision to appear.

Copts make up less than 10 percent of the population in Egypt, where Islam is the state religion. Assiut has a substantial Coptic Christian population, but also has been a hotbed for Islamic fundamentalism and sight of violent attacks targeting Christians and tourists.

Zeitun-eg.org: Ordinary pigeons do not fly by night!

From BBC News
Wednesday, 6 September, 2000, 01:30 GMT 02:30 UK
Virgin Mary 'appears' in Egypt

By Caroline Hawley in Cairo

Church officials in southern Egypt say thousands of Christians have been converging on the town of Assiut after reported sightings of the Virgin Mary.

The secretary of the Council of Churches in Assiut told the BBC the town had never experienced anything like it.

He said people had been sleeping in the streets around the Church of St Mark, where the apparitions happened, and standing on rooftops to catch a glimpse.

Assiut has been best known until now as a stronghold of Islamic militancy during the 1990s.

Light, incense and pigeons

Christians in Assiut say the first apparition came two-and-a-half weeks ago but that there have since been several more.

One woman told the BBC she had had two sightings, both times between three o'clock and six o'clock in the morning.

She said she had seen the Virgin Mary with outstretched hands and a light emanating from them, accompanied by a smell of incense and large numbers of pigeons.

The birds seem to be a common element of the sightings.

The secretary of the Assiut Council of Churches, Father Mina Hanna, said other people had seen a big white, brightly lit pigeon appearing and disappearing - but he said the apparitions were different each time.

He would no reveal if he had had a personal experience himself.

'Blessing'

But another priest has been quoted as saying he spent the entire night awake and saw only ordinary pigeons, and that that was not a miracle.

None the less, Father Hanna said the reported sightings were "a blessing" for Assiut.

The priest said relations between Christians and Muslims were now very good and that the sightings had made people of both religions happy.

10 September 2000: The Apparitions Continue...

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2020 (Vol. 42) Sunday 10 September, 2000 - Pages 1 and 4

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2020 (Vol. 42) Sunday 10 September, 2000 - Page 1
Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2020 (Vol. 42) Sunday 10 September, 2000 - Page 1

Watani 10 September 2000 - Page 4 (Arabic)

From ABCNEWS.com
Light from Heaven

Pilgrims, Residents in Southern Egypt Report Seeing Virgin Mary
An apparition of the Virgin Mary has been spotted in the small Egyptian town of Assiut.

By Hoda Abdel-Hamid

C A I R O, Egypt, Sept. 11 Every night Marcelle Maurice comes to Saint Mark’s church in the little town of Assiut, Egypt, to stand outside and watch the sky. She says she sees an apparition of the Virgin Mary every night. "I saw the Virgin Mary, flashing lights and big white doves," says Marcelle, clutching her 5-year-old daughter.

Like her, thousands of Egyptians have been flocking to this southern Egyptian town more than 300 miles south of Cairo, once known as a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism.

Outside the church, hopeful pilgrims each night chant "Come Mary, Come," or "Your Light is on the Cross," hoping to beseech the Virgin Mary to appear between the two towers of the church, as she has done the previous nights, they say.

Muslims also revere the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ--considered a prophet in the Islamic faith--but their religion prohibits them from worshipping images.

Witnesses say the apparitions occur in the wee hours of the morning. "I saw Mary, she was beautiful, wearing a blue veil," says Sarwat Hani Marzouk.

"Light was emanating from her hands, then doves start flying, they were as big as ducks." Others say they simply saw strobe-like lights and big doves flying around the minarets of the church.

‘A Blessing for Egypt’

People living around Saint Mark’s church began reporting the appearances last month.

"The first time we heard of the Virgin’s apparition was on Aug.17," says one local resident. "We did not give it too much importance as we thought it was an isolated case."

But the day after, he said, "more people reported the same and then hundreds and thousands."

Father Labib, from the nearby Orthodox Copt Dronka Monastery, is excited by the sighting. "If you look for the source of the light , you can’t find it. This is light from heaven" he says.

Father Mina Hanna, secretary of the Assiut Council of Coptic churches, says the Virgin chose to appear in the town of Assiut because she had journeyed there during the Holy Family’s exile from Herod’s Palestine.

Coptic Christians, who form the bulk of Egypt’s 6 million Christians, believe the Holy Family stopped in Assiut on their way back to Palestine.

The Priest would not say whether he has seen any appearances of Mary at the church, but, he said, "This is a blessing for Muslims and Christians alike. It is a blessing for Egypt."

Christians make up about a quarter of the population of Assiut.

Fortunate Turn of Events

Skeptics, however, say the apparitions are rather timely. Since the massacre of 58 foreigners in 1997 at the popular tourist site of Luxor, Egypt has struggled with external perceptions of its religious tolerance.

Assiut , among other towns along the Nile, was closed to the outside world for security reasons.The government has began an ambitious 3-year plan to revamp the sites where Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are said to have stayed during their exile, hoping to promote religious tourism. Egypt’s main weekly magazine, Rosa el Yousef, dismissed the apparitions as a "legend."

But British and Egyptian journalists who have been to Assiut said suddenly there were flashing lights in the sky and they could not find the source.

Authenticated photo of the Apparition Lights

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2021 (Vol. 42) Sunday 17 September, 2000 - Page 1

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2021 (Vol. 42) Sunday 17 September, 2000 - Page 1
Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2021 (Vol. 42) Sunday 17 September, 2000 - Page 1
Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2021 (Vol. 42) Sunday 17 September, 2000 - Page 1. Authenticated photo of the Apparition Lights - St. Mark’s Church, Assiut

24 September 2000

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2022 (Vol. 42) Sunday 24 September, 2000 - Page 1

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2022 (Vol. 42) Sunday 24 September, 2000 - Page 1
Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2022 (Vol. 42) Sunday 24 September, 2000 - Page 1

Watani 24 September 2000 - Page 5 (Arabic - Photo of crowds)

1 October 2000

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2023 (Vol. 42) Sunday 1 October, 2000 - Page 1: St. Mark's Church becomes a shrine for pilgrims from all over the world

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2023 (Vol. 42) Sunday 1 October, 2000 - Page 1

Watani 1 October 2000 - Page 5 (Arabic)

8 October 2000

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2024 (Vol. 42) Sunday 8 October, 2000 - Page 1: The dazzling apparition lights continue over the domes and towers of St. Mark's Church in Assiut, Upper Egypt, accompanied by miracles of healing

Watani Egyptian Newspaper - Issue No. 2024 (Vol. 42) Sunday 8 October, 2000 - Page 1

Watani 8 October 2000 - Page 5 (Arabic)




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