Giorgina S. Paiella, Ph.D.

She is the mother of all of us, the lady of all of us, the pride of our kind, the queen at the right side of the King, the Virgin with perpetual virginity, the pure, the filled with grace, the saint Mary, the powerful and helpful compassionate mother, the mother of the Light, the mother of mercy and salvation, the true vine.

—Pope Shenouda III

The Coptic Orthodox church observes an annual fifteen-day fast dedicated to the Virgin Mary, known at the Fast of the Virgin Mary, or the Virgin’s Fast.

The fast begins on August 7th, the first of Mesori, or Mesra (the twelfth month of the ancient Egyptian and Coptic calendar) and culminates on August 21st, before the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary celebrated on August 22nd (the 16th of Mesori). The Assumption commemorates the assumption of the Virgin Mary’s body to heaven.

The Virgin Mary fast is undertaken with much care and devotion to the Holy Mother. As with all Coptic fasts, the fasting period calls for abstention from all animal products, alcohol, and oil. The fast is sometimes extended, or practiced more strictly, in accordance with personal devotions.

The Coptic tradition upholds the Fast of the Virgin Mary as a time of spiritual renewal. It is a time to grow closer to the Holy Virgin, to God, and in faith, reflecting upon the Blessed Virgin Mary’s great sacrifices, and the blessings made possible through her intercession.

Navigate below for His Holiness Pope Shenouda III’s writings and reflections on The Virgin’s Fast, prayers to the Virgin Mary from the Coptic Agpeya, and excerpts from His Holiness Pope Shenouda III on the virtues of the Blessed Mother.