Calling the Copts

[Alexander_Roman]

I love the Coptic/Alexandrian tradition (and this has nothing to do with the fact that your Patriarchal/Papal city is named for Alexander the Great! ).

I also love your daily Office, the Agpeya (www.agpeya.org).

Do you say the entire office daily? Is an “Agpeya Lite” allowed? What about the rule regarding getting up at Midnight for the three-fold office then?

Are there any other prayers added or changed with the liturgical seasons at all?

Thank you!

Alex

 

[Jakub]

Brother Alex

The only one I know of is at bz…

 

[Defender1]

I love the Coptic/Alexandrian tradition (and this has nothing to do with the fact that your Patriarchal/Papal city is named for Alexander the Great! ).

I also love your daily Office, the Agpeya (www.agpeya.org).

Do you say the entire office daily? Is an “Agpeya Lite” allowed? What about the rule regarding getting up at Midnight for the three-fold office then?

Are there any other prayers added or changed with the liturgical seasons at all?

Thank you!

Alex

I too admire Coptics.I am going to visit a Coptic mass next month in Simpsonville SC.

 

[dzheremi]

Hello! Coptic aspirant here… Keep that in mind in my responses.

As I understand, few laypeople say the entire office every day. It is possible, but just not very common. I try to at least do Prime and Compline every day. This sets my day in God’s path first thing in the morning, and closes it with the supplications of the retiring hour (the compline hour being more directed toward repentance than the morning hour). As far as I know (I haven’t asked a priest about this yet, but I did ask a Coptic friend of mine) the Midnight office is generally not prayed all at once by laypeople. I’ve never prayed it myself that way. I will generally do one watch per night in a cycle throughout the week (see video below). I do not think that it is necessary to be prayed in one long block, though I have a recording of it prayed that way in the monastery of St. Macarios. Neither, of course, is any layperson expected to pray Veil, as that is specifically meant for the monks.

What exactly do you mean by “Agpeya lite”? I was informed rather unceremoniously some months ago that the style in which I recited the hours was more befitting a monk than a layperson (I wasn’t trying to be pious, I just didn’t know any better). Honestly, that jarred me a bit and put away the Agpeya for a while. A bad decision on my part, but I’ve started to pick it up again. I’m now aware that not every Psalm in every hour is required, which has cut down the time spent per hour by quite a bit (from an hour per, uh, hour to about 40-45 minutes per hour). This, to me, feels like “Agpeya lite”, but I guess that’s only because I developed an overly strenuous routine before being corrected. Oops! Anyway, this video may help give some insight on the Coptic approach to the hours.

More info on the use of the Agbeya from orthodoxchristianity.net forum

Sorry I can’t provide more information just yet. Maybe Mardukm will come along and tell you more (though I don’t know if the Coptic Catholics keep the same practice as the Orthodox regarding the use of the Agpeya).

 

[Alexander_Roman]

Very good!

Yes, I mean an abbreviated Agpeya. I do one of the three watches a day for the Midnight Hour (and felt terribly guilty about it - and I’m not Coptic!).

Do you wash your hands before prayer? If so, is there a prayer to be said when you do so?

Alex

 

[dzheremi]

I do. I was not aware that this might be considered a requirement by some. If it is, I haven’t heard of it, and it is not mentioned in the forward of either of the Agbeyas that I have. But I follow common sense and the directive of various priests that this is part of the overall readiness for prayer, the same as you would want to make sure not to be stuffed with food before prayer (a rationale for fasting, or at least eating sensibly throughout the day), want to make sure to go to the bathroom before prayer (so as to not become distracted by bodily urges), and then of course, after that, wash your hands!

I am unaware of any specific prayer that is to accompany hand washing. I will ask.

Yes, I should like to do more of the midnight watches myself. I will wait, however, until I can find an appropriate spiritual father to guide me in this and other matters. In the meantime, my advice (or, rather, encouragement!) is to not feel guilty for all that you don’t know (after all, like you said it is not your tradition), but to grow from what you can do. For me, praying the Agpeya is heaven on earth.

 

[Alexander_Roman]

I do. I was not aware that this might be considered a requirement by some. If it is, I haven’t heard of it, and it is not mentioned in the forward of either of the Agbeyas that I have. But I follow common sense and the directive of various priests that this is part of the overall readiness for prayer, the same as you would want to make sure not to be stuffed with food before prayer (a rationale for fasting, or at least eating sensibly throughout the day), want to make sure to go to the bathroom before prayer (so as to not become distracted by bodily urges), and then of course, after that, wash your hands!

I am unaware of any specific prayer that is to accompany hand washing. I will ask.

Yes, I should like to do more of the midnight watches myself. I will wait, however, until I can find an appropriate spiritual father to guide me in this and other matters. In the meantime, my advice (or, rather, encouragement!) is to not feel guilty for all that you don’t know (after all, like you said it is not your tradition), but to grow from what you can do. For me, praying the Agpeya is heaven on earth.

A truly magnificent way of praying that brings one closer to God - magnificent!!

Alex