St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Coptic Theological School Officially Opens New Campus with Grand Opening Ceremony

  The new 18,000-square-feet campus  features facilities that will enhance student experience and prepare future students to learn, serve and preach in their parishes and Coptic communities.

Newport Beach, January 22, 2023 - St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Coptic Theological School (ACTS) celebrated the grand opening of its school campus in Newport Beach, in Southern California. The events comes 34 years after the Trice-Blessed Pope Shenouda III delivered a message to the faithful of Los Angeles when HH established the school in his 1989 pastoral visit.  The opening ceremony commenced with Divine Liturgy and was followed by ribbon cutting by His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion, His Grace Bishop Abraham and His Grace Bishop Kyrillos. The event was attended by more than 300 members of the Coptic Orthodox Church from the Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California and Hawaii.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests heard remarks from His Grace Bishop Kyrillos, Dean of the School, commemorating the school's growth and its impact across the Diocese and its future plans. “This state-of-the-art facility will serve as an educational hub in the heart of Orange County and will allow ACTS not only to complete its accreditation process but also allow the school to better prepare competent Christian leaders for the future of our Coptic Orthodox church,” His Grace said.

The new 18,000-square-feet campus features facilities that will enhance student experience and prepare future students to learn, serve and preach in their parishes and Coptic communities. The new campus will allow ACTS to foster and form new partnerships with other reputable universities, expand its curriculum, elevate interpersonal engagement among students and faculty, and host educational exhibits and lecture series.

His Grace Bishop Kyrillos, Dean of the School added, “I want to personally thank and acknowledge our generous donors, who have been instrumental in the growth of our beloved institution. These donations from our Coptic family have enabled us to acquire thousands of books for the library, hire the highest caliber of professors, offer scholarships for needy students throughout the world, and to deliver the highest quality of theological education. Our students continued to serve in parishes as stewards, deacons and priests in various capacities.”

“I am proud of all those who were involved in making this campus ready in record time. My sincerest congratulations to the board, the dean, His Grace Bishop Kyrillos, the staff and the whole Diocese.” Said His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion, President of the School

St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Coptic Orthodox Theological School traces its origins to the world’s first Catechetical School. ACTS embraces the challenge of serving the Church and the needs of Orthodox Christians in the 21st Century. Time brings change but the Truth of the Gospel is eternally unchanging; adjustments must be made to engage a rapidly changing world, but without sacrificing that which is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

For more information about ACTS or to schedule an interview with Dean of the School, please contact Hani Philobbos at hani.philobbos@acts.school

About ACTS:

St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Coptic Orthodox Theological School traces its origins to the world’s first Catechetical School. ACTS embraces the challenge of serving the Church and the needs of Orthodox Christians in the 21st Century. Time brings change but the Truth of the Gospel is eternally unchanging; adjustments must be made to engage a rapidly changing world, but without sacrificing that which is the same yesterday, today, and forever.