Warraq al-Hadar is a small island in the Nile River in the Giza governorate, a part of Greater Cairo. This is a very poor district. December is a Marian month and Nativity Fast on the Coptic Calendar. During this month the Coptic Church celebrates a special Midnight Praise dedicated to the Holy Virgin and the Incarnation.
The apparitions began at the Church of the Virgin Mary and Archangel Michael in Al-Warraq. Hassan, a Muslim neighbor, was sitting at his local coffee shop across the street when he saw a strong light coming from the church around 8:30 p.m. More people on the street began to notice the light and saw a bird circling above the church. Around 2:00 a.m., a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared in her blue and white robes.
Supernatural lights appear around the lighted crosses on dome
Father Dawoud of this same church reports how that first night developed after neighbors began calling the church, worried about why the large crowds were suddenly gathering:
“The phone calls poured in; many people said that they had just seen an apparition of Virgin Mary on the right dome of the church.”
Muslim neighbors were among the callers. A dear friend of Father Dawoud, Haj Rashad, the neighborhood distributor of gas cylinders, filed this report:
“What are you doing here (inside the church), Father? I have just seen Our Lady Mary with my own eyes! Go and see for yourself.”
“At first we thought that a little kid was playing with a flashlight, but then the light intensified and moved from the tree in front of the church entrance up to the right dome. An embodiment of the Virgin Mary could be easily recognized. It stayed there for a while. I have captured the scene with my mobile phone.”
Anba Theodosius, Bishop of Giza, issued this statement:
“On Friday, December 11, 2009, at 1:00 a.m. the Holy Virgin appeared in her full height in luminous robes above the middle dome of church named after her – Virgin Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Al-Warraq. She was described as wearing a pure white dress with a royal blue belt. She had a crown on her head, above which appeared the cross on top of the dome. The crosses on top of the church’s domes and towers glowed brightly with light. Blessed Mary moved between the domes and on to the top of the church gate between its two twin towers. All of the local residents saw her! The apparition lasted from 1:00 a.m. until 4:00 a.m. on Friday. Many cameras and cell phones took pictures. Some 3,000 people from the neighborhood, surrounding areas, and passers-by gathered in the street in front of the church to see the apparition.
Since Friday, the huge crowds gathered in the vicinity of the church have been seeing luminous white pigeons soaring above the church during various times of the night. They also saw a star emerge suddenly in the night sky and travel some 200 meters across the sky and disappear. The huge crowds never stopped singing hymns and praises for the Holy Virgin.”
The scene, as described, along with photos and videos, was broadcast on Amr Adib’s talk show, “Cairo Today” on December 13, 2009. The news spread like wildfire; crowds flocked to Giza to catch a glimpse of Our Lady.
TV reporter provides live coverage during the apparition scene.
Bishop Theodosius adds that it is important to investigate the event fully:
“I stayed up all night on Sunday. I saw doves appear suddenly in the sky. They flew in circles in front of the church before they vanished into thin air. They were floating rather like hovering with their wings. It is uncommon for doves to fly at night.”
The event had a different dimension for security forces. Selim, a policeman, pointed out that he had been on duty at the site for seven hours already and did not expect to be relieved for another five hours. Father Dawoud said that the police were exerting a tremendous effort and were being very cooperative. Father Dawoud also praised church neighbors, many of whom allowed visitors to view the church from the roofs of their buildings.
For several weeks, a silent crowd running in the thousands gathered in front of the church, gazing up into the sky in the early morning hours. Whenever the mysterious light appeared over the church tower, the crowd was jolted into a frenzy of astonished cries.
Is that the Virgin Mary standing between the domes?
Many of the local Muslims did not deny the sightings, but claimed they were hoaxed with laser beams – although no evidence or proof of those claims ever surfaced.
For the Muslim named Rami, it was a different reaction:
“It was her! – with her blue and white clothes.”
Kawkab Munir Shehata, age 39, is convinced of what she saw. In fact, the mother of two says that the Virgin Mary restored the sight that she had lost in her left eye.
“It was about 3:40 a.m. I felt immense pain, which lasted about a quarter of an hour. Then I was ecstatic to find out that I could see clearly. Now, my left eye is even better than my right one.”
Circle is around one of the “glowing birds” in flight among the domes.
By December 22 of 2009, more than 200,000 Christians and Muslims had witnessed the apparitions on the domes of this church in Warraq al-Hadar. Apparition lights in the night sky could be seen several kilometers away from the church. The full silhouette of the Blessed Holy Virgin dressed in a light blue gown could be clearly seen over the domes and between the church crosses. People used their mobile phones to make videos of the apparitions and share them via Bluetooth and on YouTube. These events received wide media coverage in Egyptian newspapers and Arabic TV channels.
For some, the apparition of the Virgin Mary is a response to a recent article that appeared in a periodical published by Al-Azhar University that questioned the foundations of Christianity. Father Fishay comments:
“Maybe her appearance is to bring people closer together. Maybe it will bring about the end of the state of tensions between Muslims and Christians – and an end to extremism. Maybe it will bring back forgiveness like there once used to be in Egypt.”
Maybe it was a sign of hope for Egypt’s Copts, who are 10 percent of the country’s population, and have lived far too long on the margins of society – often victims of violence.
Bishop Theodosius concludes, talking to Al-Ahram Weekly:
“If the sightings continue, a fact-finding committee will be formed to investigate the matter, and they will submit their report to Pope Shenouda III, on which basis he may issue a papal declaration.”
Luminous shape suggests a heavenly figure has appeared…
According to the International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio, these apparitions were indeed investigated and officially approved by the Coptic Pope, Shenouda III.
Assiut, a city in the southern part of Egypt, was the farthest south that Mary and Joseph had travelled into Egypt. Since mid-August, 2000, the Egyptian city of Assiut has experienced unusual lights, glowing figures and doves over St. Mark’s church – a large Coptic church in the center of Old Town. Hundreds and sometimes thousands prayed, sang, and danced around the church. It was initially suspected that somebody was perpetrating a clever hoax with lasers or a light effects show. But, when the local government ordered the electricity for the entire area to be switched off for one night in order to uncover any deception, the unusual lights returned as bright as ever. Next, the officials evacuated the area from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. each night, but the spiritual lights were stronger and brighter than ever.
picture 1: A supernatural light appears next to the church dome.
It began at 11:30 p.m. on August 17, 2000, while hundreds of thousands of Copts from all over Egypt were celebrating St. Mary’s Lent. Residents around St. Mark’s church of both Coptic and Muslim faith watched the apparition of the Virgin Mary above the dome and between the two towers until 3:00 a.m. Then again, from 4:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. she appeared along with blue-green flashes of heavenly lights and glowing doves. Thousands gathered as the news spread like wildfire. After the officials gave up trying to find any evidence of a hoax or clever light display, the figure of Mary along with incense, celestial lights, and flying luminous doves continued every night from 2:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. On one occasion, the shadow of a monk appeared next to Mary.
September 6, 2000: One woman told the BBC that 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 glowing pigeons.
September 11, 2000: Marcelle Maurice witnessed the apparition of the Virgin Mary every night she came to the church. She saw her with the flashing lights and “big white doves.”
picture 2: More supernatural lights appear in the sky.
Sarwat Hani Marzouk said, “I saw Mary. She was so beautiful, wearing a blue veil. Light was emanating from her hands. Then doves started flying – they were as big as ducks.”
On September 15 – with thousands headed to rooftops for the best views – one eyewitness files this report from his position across from the south side of the church.
picture 3: Luminous birds create formations in the sky.
“The two church towers – especially the south one – were a festive theater of heavenly lights and flying doves for more than four hours! Very amazing! Very touching! Very impressive! Explosions of light come from each of the eight sides of the second level of the tower. Other flashes stem from the left tower, across the roof, ending in the main dome and illuminating the cross above it. Something like a spot of light could be seen inside the center of the cross above the tower – from which a storm of light burst forth. Lights vary in intensity … to a very bright shining light that is so intense that it illuminates the surrounding buildings and faces of the people!! The most touching feature that occurred many times was a burst of light coming forth from inside the dome, passing through the eight columns … From inside that light comes something like doves – seen at first still continuous with the light, then separated in a spark-like fashion to fly for a short distance – then disappear.”
“As for the doves, I could see them in many formations … flying above the church, between the towers – they don’t flap their wings. What is astonishing is that the chest of each dove is luminous like a lamp. They fly and then disappear after a while. Doves continued to fly with the bursts of light for a couple of hours. When you look around, you see the thousands of people over hundreds of roofs or hanging out windows – praying, singing hymns, or applauding.”
October 8, 2000: The dazzling apparition lights continue over the domes and towers of St. Mark’s church, accompanied with miracles of healings being reported.
picture 4: Strange lights illuminate certain parts of the church.
Coptic Pope Shenouda III and His Grace Metropolitan Anba Michael of Assiut followed the apparition events closely with the Coptic Pope confirming the validity of these reports on a visit to the US and Canada that year.
“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.”
Both British and Egyptian journalists have traveled to Assiut and have seen the amazing lights – but cannot find a source or reasonable explanation for their appearance. Father Labib from the nearby Orthodox Copt Dronka Monastery was excited about the sightings, claiming that when you look for the source of light, you cannot find it.
picture 5: The unusual lights continue.
“This light is from heaven.”
March 29, 2001: At St. Michael’s Cathedral, strange events there began drawing thousands. It began in the sanctuary at 1:00 p.m. as the Eucharist was being celebrated. Bright lights illuminated the icons in the sanctuary and bathed the Holy Oblations on the altar. This occurred several more times before the Holy Mass concluded at 3:00 p.m. Several members of the congregation were able to photograph these unusual lights. Cell phones texted others and soon thousands were headed toward this church.
That evening, “heavenly lights illuminated the church dome and towers” followed by the appearance of “large glowing doves” flying around the dome. This lasted from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. at dawn and was seen by thousands who had gathered around the church to watch and photograph the spectacle. The lights and doves appeared every night until a week later on Tuesday, April 4, 2001. As the luminous doves glided overhead, the sounds of thousands chanting prayers and praises filled the streets.
picture 6: The supernatural lights could become very bright.
When King Herod had ordered the killing of all children in Bethlehem, the Holy Family had fled Israel and come into Egypt. Assiut is where they spent the longest period of time – six months – and the farthest south that they had travelled.
The Bishop of Assiut confirmed these stories officially on April 6, 2001.
The church of Saint Demiana in Papadouplo is a very small and poor Coptic Orthodox church, and the surrounding “streets” are very narrow – about four meters wide. For several months residents nearby witnessed strange flashes of light appearing over the church. On the evening of Tuesday, March 25, 1986, the Holy Virgin Mary started her appearances in the church of Saint Demiana the Martyr near El-Teraa El-Boolakia street in the overcrowded Shoubra quarter of Cairo, Egypt. Our Lady appeared beside the two towers of the church and was first seen by people living in the houses overlooking the church’s towers. Her light shone into their houses, and they saw Her in Her full body surrounded by a halo of light over the western dome of the church. This apparition repeated several times. Then the news spread and people from all sects and religions came to see these supernatural appearances. The very narrow streets became overcrowded with thousands of night vigils praying and singing doxologies, liturgies, and hymns to the Mother of True Light for entire nights.
Drawing of apparition site at church in Shoubra
On Wednesday, April 9, 1986, His Holiness Coptic Pope Shenouda III issued the following papal order:
“As we have received news of spiritual phenomena occurring in the church of Saint Demiana in Papadouplo, Shoubra, we have entrusted a special committee to investigate this matter and present a report after examining the news we have received, and the witnesses of those who have seen unnatural phenomena in the church in Shoubra.”
The committee examined the accounts of eye-witnesses, and on Thursday, April 10, at midnight, the members of the Papal Delegation went to the church to watch closely the reported spiritual phenomena. They stayed there till a little before morning. At 3:40 a.m. on the dawn of Friday, April 11, they saw the Holy Virgin in a clear form surrounded by a halo of light; this apparition lasted until 5:00 a.m. This headline, “Spiritual phenomena seen by thousands in Shoubra quarter,” was published Sunday, April 13, 1986 in the Egyptian weekly Watani newspaper.
A very luminous and radiating unnatural light appeared inside the church tower and was shining to the outside. The two towers above the church roof do not connect with the church interior. This light in the towers continued to shine even after the electric current was cut in the whole quarter, creating a power outage for a complete hour during that Friday night. The committee concluded that “these apparitions are a blessing for Egypt and a blessing for the Church.” The committee returned to the church on several other occasions after this and were again blessed with more appearances of the Virgin Mary along with other spiritual phenomena.
The Virgin Mary with the religious followers
The apparitions also occurred during the daytime hours. Blessed Mary appeared inside the church on the eastern side of the altar and on the inside of the church dome next to a painting of Her Son Jesus. During the Holy Mass held by Father Heg. Dawod Tadros on the morning of Friday, June 20, 1986, a very clear appearance of the Virgin Mary occurred. She was holding our Lord Jesus Christ in Her arms. These apparitions were not limited to luminous transfigurations. At other times flames were seen, surrounding the Blessed Mother like “tongues of fire” that eventually evolved into a very bright light. Members of the Papal Delegation witnessed this supernatural occurrence.
Also on April 10, at 4:00 a.m., a flame of light was seen extending from the western tower of the church and then returning to it, turning the darkness of the night into light. The flame had a wavy surface, showing interlaced tongues and waves of light and fire. It varied in color from orange to very bright white.
Saint Demiana also made appearances, sometimes preparing the way for the Holy Virgin. One time Saint Demiana was seen holding a green branch. On another occasion both St. Demiana and the Holy Virgin were seen emerging from a luminous mass that had been moving from the west toward the east. The mass disappeared and the Virgin remained clearly in sight. She extended Her hands toward the crowds and then moved towards the balcony inside the church. Then she moved upwards into the sky until she disappeared from sight.
At night, supernatural lights surround the church in Shoubra
On another occasion a white light shone over the western tower and illuminated the wooden cross, making the cross appear as if it were a flame. At another time light radiating out from the western tower took on an oval shape. A white pigeon appeared in the middle of this light, opening its wings and then flying over the church. The Blessed Virgin appeared out of this same kind of light on another night. Writings in Coptic letters were seen in the sky.
On the night of April 13, 1986, the Virgin Mary appeared in Her full body of normal size in three bright and luminous colors: white, blue, and red. Her whole body was luminous and could be seen beside the church domes overlooking Abd El-Metaal street. This appearance only lasted a few seconds just before one o’clock in the morning. Thirty minutes later the apparition repeated — along with several flashes “like lightning,” appearing along the wall of the church.
Then miracles began to be reported. Theresa Soliman Youssef, six years old, had lost vision in her right eye after a needle had pierced her eye, injuring the cornea and lens and creating a traumatic cataract on November 17, 1984. An infection worsened the eye’s condition. On May 18, 1986, the mother took this girl to the Saint Demiana church in Shoubra for Mass. After Holy Communion they ascended to the church’s balcony and stood there with the crowd. Suddenly, a strong light shone from the right side of the veil of the altar. Young Theresa raised her hand towards the source of the light, then wiped her sick eye with the palm of her hand and suddenly shouted with excitement,
“I can see my mother … I can see mother!”
Crowds pack the narrow streets to see the Virgin.
Dr. Fayez Akhnoukh examined the child and tested the acuity of both of her eyes. He confirmed that the girl has been healed miraculously. The church recorded and documented this miracle. Pope Shenouda III approved these apparitions in Shoubra.
The visions occurred at the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. Mary in Zeitoun, a busy Cairo suburb which lies close to the road taken by the Holy Family during their flight into Egypt. It is interesting to note that the land in which the church stands originally belonged to a family of devout Copts named Khalil. In 1920, one of the family was about to build on it, when the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in a dream and told him to build a Coptic Church in her honor on the site – and that in 50 years she would bless it in a special way. And, 50 years later, Mary was appearing to thousands over this church!
The site of the apparitions: St. Mary’s Church, Zeitoun, Egypt, 1968-1971
Relations between the Coptic Orthodox Church and Rome, already close in 1968, were further enhanced by the return of the major part of Saint Mark’s relics by Pope Paul VI from Venice to Egypt early in that year. This act of fraternal charity seems to have set the stage for the extraordinary visions of Mary in the following month.
The Virgin Mary first appeared privately to the priest of St. Mary’s church, Father Constantine Moussa. On one evening she appeared in the church on the steps by the altar. When she spoke to him, he fainted and fell to the floor. Being a humble man who did not wish to draw any attention to himself, he did not reveal this visitation until just before he died in 1984. He revealed to the Chairman of the Papal Committee that the Virgin Mary had described the nature of her impending visit with him and had told him, “Be ready!” Little did he know that millions would be coming to this church to see her.
Strange lights begin appearing over the church in this suburb of Cairo.
On Tuesday, April 2, 1968, at 8:30 p.m. two Moslem workmen, standing at the gate to their work garage across from the church, were startled by the appearance of a “lady in white,” kneeling beside the cross at the top of the church’s dome. One of the workmen, Farouk Mohammed Atwa, pointed his bandaged finger toward the lady, fearing that it might be a nun about to commit suicide, and said, “Lady, don’t jump! Don’t jump.” Feeling a sense of desperation, he dashed off to call the fire brigade and the rescue squad while others ran across the street to summon the priest, Father Constantine. At that moment, the lady rose to her feet, revealing herself as a luminous being, dressed in shimmering robes of light. One woman cried out, “Our Lady Mary!” At that moment, a flight of glowing white doves appeared from nowhere and hovered around the apparition. Then everything faded away into the dark sky, leaving spectators below speechless. Farouk Atwa’s bandaged finger was full of gangrene and due to be amputated the next day. But when he arrived at the hospital the next morning, the surgeon was astonished to find his finger completely healed – the first recorded miraculous healing in Zeitoun.
Exactly a week later, there was another apparition, then another and another in rapid succession. They always took place at night and were generally preceded by mysterious lights, flashing silently over the church like a canopy of shooting stars or “a shower of diamonds made of light.” Minutes later, formations of luminous doves would appear and fly around the floodlit church. Eyewitnesses described them as “strange bird-like creatures made of light” which flew with “astonishing swiftness without moving their wings.” They always maintained a definite formation and then disappeared “like melting snowflakes.” Shortly after, a blinding explosion of light would engulf the church roof. As it diminished it would shape itself into the brilliant form of Our Lady. She would be seen in a long white robe and veil of bluish-white light. The stunned spectators below could see her garments blowing in the warm night breeze. A dazzling halo shone around her head. Her radiance was so intense – “like the sun in human form” – that it was almost impossible to discern her features. The vision would glide with effortless ease across the domes, bowing and greeting the amazed crowds below. Occasionally, she would appear above or between the palm trees in the church courtyard, or emerge in a globe of light from either one of the four corner domes or other structures.
A supernatural light takes the form of the Virgin Mary.
Sometimes she would be seen with the infant Jesus cradled in her arms – or with St. Joseph and the Christ child at about age 12. A dazzling crown of light sometimes shone above her head, giving an impression of unearthly and sublime majesty. News of the apparitions spread like fire across Egypt, attracting multitudes of Christians, Jews, Moslems, other religions, and even disbelievers and atheists. Within a few weeks, the crowds reached an estimated 250,000 people every night! These differing religions had all come together, praying together, singing together – in praise to Blessed Mary. She would acknowledge the massive crowds below, waving at them, holding out an olive branch – which would generate an ecstatic cheer from the masses.
Occasionally, people could see billowing red clouds of incense-smelling smoke rising around the vision. The clouds sometimes poured from sealed stain glass windows in the domes – “it would take a million censers to produce it.”
A clearly recognizable Virgin Mary materializes above the church
In the early hours of April 13, Wagih Rizk Matta, a photographer, succeeded in photographing the vision for the first time – overcoming an inexplicable sensation of immobility which prevented the vast majority of people from operating their cameras. Having taken the pictures, he then became aware of being completely healed from an old injury to his arm! (Doctors confirmed his miraculous healing.)
Apparitions might last a few minutes or as long as nine hours (8 p.m. till 5 a.m., May 4 & 5, June 8 & 9, 1968) – long enough for people to run home and bring their families and neighbors back. The Coptic Pope personally sent Bishop Athanasius to make a detailed investigation – and then the Bishop had his own experience:
Two boys gaze at the Virgin Mary walking on the roof of the church!
“Suddenly, there she was – standing in full figure. The crowd was tremendous. It was too difficult to move among the people. But I worked my way to in front of the figure. There she was, five or six meters above the dome, high in the sky, full figure – like a phosphorescent statue, but not stiff like a statue. There was movement of the body and clothing … Our Lady looked to the north – she waved her hand. She blessed the people, sometimes in the direction where we stood. Her garments swayed in the wind. She was quiet, full of glory. It was something really supernatural … very, very heavenly … Some people were reciting verses from the Koran. Some were praying in Greek. Others were singing Coptic hymns … I tried to distinguish the face and features … there was something about the eyes and mouth I could see … the apparition slowly faded away …”
On another night, Bishop Athanasius attempted to approach the apparition of Mary from inside the church. He locked all the doors, turned off all the lights, and headed toward the roof. He had just seen her full figure on the roof when he had been outside just minutes before. As he approached the ladder to the roof from the second floor, he had an inexplicable experience. He started shaking uncontrollably – in fact, the ladder that he was on was also shaking hard. He felt frozen in his tracks, unable to move, and sensing that something unusual was very close by. The people outside were cheering that they could see her. He retreated back down and back outside to see that she was standing just 3 feet from where he had been!
Diverse crowds of as many as 250,000 gather to see the apparitions.
Pope Paul VI also sent two investigators to Zeitoun who saw the apparition with their own eyes as well. However, Rome does not have “jurisdiction” in Egypt as they have their own Pope and system, so no Roman Pope has to render any decision, judgment, or proclamation on an event in a Coptic Orthodox environment. Similarly, the Copts felt it unnecessary to rule on Fatima in 1917. Nevertheless, the Vatican was intrigued and very interested in what was happening in Zeitoun!
Pearl Zaki is an American from Minneapolis who traveled to Cairo to see the apparitions for herself – and was not disappointed on August 12, 1968:
Making the church roof glow with an eerie light, the Virgin stops and prays.
“I walked slowly around behind the crowd of about four thousand people gathered in front of the church. Suddenly, I heard a cry come up from somewhere in the crowd and saw many of them rising from their chairs and the ground to surge forward en masse. I had seen what looked like a flash of flame cover the front of the church. Again I saw a flash of yellowish orange light shaped like a big flame covering the whole front of the church and lasting about five seconds. It repeated twice more. I felt myself drawn to her and praying aloud … The large dome became engulfed in a brilliant blue white light, as if it were melting, and the edges of light on top of the lighted dome appeared to roll inward so that one’s eyes were directed to the very center in front of the cross. The whole light suddenly vanished, then reappeared. I could see in faint outline the erect, white, statue-like figure. Her arms were at Her side. Then they moved slowly upward into the position of hands folded in prayer. Two flashes of light like meteors or shooting stars came from behind the dome to form a cross over her head, and then all became dark.”
(August 18, 1968) “At 4:00 a.m. without warning, the whole front of the church suddenly lit up in the purest of white light. We saw the Virgin Mary as a white statue, standing as if ten feet tall in the garden in front of the church. I had a side view of her as one sees a white statue in profile with hands held in prayer. After a few seconds, the figure appeared to bend and move spirit-like through the wall. As we waited with anticipation, a thick fog-like cloud rolled in over the church and covered it completely. The sky above the domes of the church became a reddish-purple hue, and a fragrance like incense filled the air. One could reach out as if to touch it or move his hand through what seemed like a thick film of heavy air. (99% of the time there are no clouds in Egypt.) My son saw her silhouette in a kneeling position at the front of the dome.”
“Our Lady of Light” would often wave and bless the large crowds below.
Often in a burst of light, she would appear out of what seemed to be nothing. A cloud that would form and become brighter and brighter – and eventually she would appear in this great illumination. Then, within this illumination, the outline of her figure would appear brighter and brighter. She bowed her head, moved her hands as to bless the multitudes, turned from side to side, and moved as if gliding on the church roof and domes. When she turned to move to the other side of the church, the back of her head could be seen. On some occasions she appeared to be ascending above the large dome into the sky. There were times when it appeared as if a door – a crack of light in the sky—would open, and she would “step out of heaven” or a “sanctuary door” – and then leave by the same means. Other times she would fade into a silhouette, then a cloud, and then disappear. Those who saw her features the clearest report a youthful, healthy-looking, beautiful lady with beautiful eyes, hair, and hands. At the time of her visits, most people became transfixed in wonder, amazement, or a state of ecstasy to the degree that all actions became impossible. Arms and fingers could not move to adjust cameras or take pictures.
Sonia Demetrious saw her four times in May of 1968:
“I saw different pictures of the Holy Family on six occasions. Sometimes she stood for 2-3 hours. I saw her appearing on top of the dome, one time in between the two palm trees, and another time at the side of the church. On one occasion I saw five little angels under the Virgin Mary – as if carrying her up from the Church.”
In a cloud of incense, Blessed Mary sits on a dome of the church.
Siham Shenouda saw the Virgin Mary from 2:30 a.m. until 5:00 a.m. on April 29, 1968:
“She was fluorescent and colored – and at times with beings as two to four angels hovering around her. She was holding the Baby Jesus and appeared as if smiling. … She was very, very tall – all in blue, and she held her hands out and up as if praying. I was astonished, trembling, and crying.”
Bishop Gregorious saw the Virgin Mary on numerous occasions:
“Nine out of ten times the Virgin Mary would appear, move to the edge of the church roof and, by way of greeting, bow to the multitudes and bless them with her hand holding the cross or an olive branch. Then, she almost always turned back to the cross on the roof in an attitude of prayer – bowing before it, kneeling before it, and then found prostrate before the cross.”
Blessed Mary cradles Jesus in her arms on top of the church dome.
Numerous miraculous healings have been documented. Two girls, blind since birth, studying at a school for the blind, fully regained their sight. A 34-year old mute, Adel Abdel Malek, unable to speak since birth, was cured and able to speak. A Muslim girl with a malignant tumor on the side of her head visited an apparition of Mary at the church the night before her surgery and showed up the next day completely free of her tumor. Miss Madiha Mohammed Said, age 20, had lost her sight and speech, and had failed all medical efforts to improve her condition. On June 4, 1968, her two brothers took her to the church, asking the priest to pray for her. Suddenly, she cried out in a loud voice, “I see the apparition of the Blessed Virgin!” In that instant she regained both her eyesight and her power of speech. Cases of paralysis were cured – one woman arrived in her wheelchair at the church, felt burning electrical sensations, and then walked away.
Authorities wanted to rule out any pranks, hoaxes, or clever light shows. Police searched an area up to 15 miles out from the church, extensively, for any kind of device that might create such an effect. At one point they initiated a power blackout in the area so that nothing electrical could be possibly utilized to create these images. And the radiant Virgin Mary, her flying luminous doves, and the eerie heavenly lights continued to materialize just as brilliantly as ever during the power outage – much to the delight of thousands in the dark. Laser light shows were not in existence yet – and certainly could not have produced moving, three-dimensional images. Holography was in its infancy and could only produce a one-foot by one-foot, stationary, two-tone image at the distance of a half mile at the cost of $500,000 dollars. Mary was life-size and even larger, moving from one side of the church to the other, and in many different colors – reddish, yellowish, golden, blue, and white. Even careful scrutiny and computer enhancement of the photos taken indicate no trick photography whatsoever. This was before digital cameras, digital manipulations, and Photoshop were invented. In fact, color print film had just come out about four years earlier.
Diverse crowds gathered for four years to see the Blessed Virgin.
Therefore, the visits of the Virgin Mary were authenticated by the Church on May 5, 1968 – just one month after she began appearing. This unprecedented quick and vast approval was due to her dramatic and frequent appearances which most investigators or skeptics were able to witness, themselves, first-hand. The official statement by the Coptic Pope, Anba Kyrillos VI, states:
“The appearances have been witnessed by many thousands of citizens and foreigners belonging to different religions and sects, together with groups of religious organizations and scientific and professional personages and all other categories of people, who have proclaimed and announced their witnesses, confirming the certainty of the Virgin’s appearances – all giving the same particulars as to description and form and time and place, thus proving a whole agreement in witnessing that has elevated the matter of appearance above any doubt or any lack of proof or evidence.
The Papal Residence has collected the evidences that have been looked after by authorized personalities and committees of clergymen who have been pursuing and investigating and who even had the chance to observe the blessed apparition for themselves and recording their research and witness in official reports which they submitted. The Papal Residence, by issuing this statement, declares with complete faith, great rejoicing, and with gratitude submitted through self-humiliation to Almighty God that the Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared numerous times in clear and steady forms during many different nights for varying periods, that reached in some of them to more than two hours continually, since the second of April 1968 up to now in the Coptic Orthodox Church in Zeitoun, Cairo, that is in Matariya Road through which the Holy Family had passed during their settlement in Egypt as well-known, historically.”
The strange glowing birds fly in the formation of a cross in the sky.
There were several other encounters with Mary during these times worthy of reporting.
Several high-ranking officials obtained a private story while visiting the home of one of the district’s leading Moslems. He admitted that he had been antagonistic toward visitors in the beginning because his house was near the church, and he would throw stones at them as they had to pass close by his house. He tried to call the police and have them arrested. But then, he said that Our Lady appeared to him and asked him why he behaved in this manner. She begged him not to continue in this fashion and commanded him to paint the sign of the cross on his house. Although remaining a practicing Muslim, he is now convinced of the authenticity of the visions and painted forty huge white crosses!
A priest confirmed the validity of the following encounter with two doctors. These two Muslim doctors were traveling from Alexandria through the desert area of the Wadi-al-Natrun Valley into Cairo. There are monasteries located along this road. While driving along, they encountered a young lady walking along the road in the hot desert sun. They felt obliged to offer her a ride. As they drew near, they saw she was dressed as a nun. With the monasteries in the area they didn’t think of this as unusual. She accepted their generous offer, and as they were riding along, she questioned them about Zeitoun. Did they know that the Virgin Mary was appearing there? Had they been to Zeitoun, etc.? They said, “No, we are busy men and Muslim. We would not go there.” As they came to the pyramid area, she asked to be let out – but not before convincing the doctors that they should visit Zeitoun. Upon questioning her, they learned that she was traveling to Zeitoun. They realized that they couldn’t leave her out in this area as it was a great distance to Zeitoun. They offered to take her there. When they arrived at Zeitoun, they turned to open the door for her to get out. People standing around the car by them then saw a dove fly out of the car’s back seat. The doctors became “mad men,” searching under the car and all around it for the young lady. All the people laughed at them and told them that there was no lady. Didn’t they see the dove flying out of the car?
The Coptic Pope, Anba Kyrillos VI, approves the apparitions after 30 days.
On Friday, April 14, 1972, forty people were traveling on a bus from Alexandria to the Coventry of St. Bishoi to baptize a baby named Mary. Written testimonies from three of the passengers, Mrs. Flora Abdel Malek (a doctor’s wife), Father Boctor Zaki (a pastor), and Mr. Aziz Soadalla (member of church committee) were sent to the national newspaper. The mother of the baby, Kathy Kapel Khalil, an architect, had died 5 months earlier and could not see her dream of this baptism become a reality. Grandfather Khalil took his daughter’s baby for this baptism to fulfill her dream. At a distance of 10 miles away from the Coventry, the bus broke down, and they had to find another form of transportation. The driver of a big truck agreed to give everybody a ride. After a while, they saw a nun in her uniform walking along the road, carrying her Bible. They were surprised to see her alone in such a deserted area where there were no other people or transports. Father Boctor asked the truck driver to stop and then invited the nun to join them. She came and raised her hand, saying, “Peace.” Father Boctor seated her next to the grandmother of the child and offered her water to drink, but she did not. Then he gave her an orange. She peeled it, but did not eat it. She gave it to the child who ate it all. When they arrived at the Coventry and got out of the truck, she stood in front of the whole group and raised her hand, saying, “Peace.” Then a bright light appeared, and suddenly she vanished – right before all of their eyes! Then they knew who she was!
Pope Paul VI reviews the photographic evidence but cannot comment officially.
By early 1970 the frequency of the apparitions had diminished to an average of one per month. The last glorious and final public sighting was on May 29, 1971. Crowds thinned out over those years, but it is estimated that 3 out of every 4 Egyptians had seen her by now – many had numerous sightings. It is estimated that 40 million people encountered her heavenly presence – including President Nasser of Egypt! It is theorized that she never spoke or relayed any verbal messages due to the diversity of the crowds and varying beliefs. In this case, her image alone was truly worth a thousand words! Conversions and miracles continue to this day. And she would return to other parts of Egypt several more times in the next 30 years.
The Coptic pope welcomes Pope John Paul II in Zeitoun, Egypt.
