The Lord Jesus lived in Egypt as well as His holy mother, St. Mary, and her betrothed St. Joseph while They were running away from Herod the king. The Coptic Orthodox Church is the only New Testament Church prophesized about in the Old Testament(Isaia 19:19). Christian faith came to Egypt in the middle of the first century when St. Mark the Apostle brought Christianity there. The Holy Virgin Mary Returns to Egypt April 2, 1968 Appears in Zaitoun In 1968 the Virgin Mary returned once more to Egypt after more than a thousand years .
This return visit happened when Holy Virgin Mary began appearing on the dome of the Coptic Church named after her in a poor suburb of Cairo, April 2, 1968 in Zaitun, Egypt.
The apparitions of the Blessed Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Light, over the domes of the Coptic Orthodox church named after Her in Zeitoun, Egypt, have been characterized by their full clarity and were witnessed by millions of Egyptians and foreigners from all walks of life. The fact that these apparitions were seen by millions, all giving the same description as to the details of these apparitions, is in itself an unequalled and unprecedented event anywhere else in the world, making the Zeitoun apparitions of our Lady unique and sublime. Without any doubt, Egypt has an important role in God's divine plan for humans. Amazingly, Egypt is mentioned in the Holy Bible 736 times (Egypt and Egyptian(s)), second only to Jerusalem which is mentioned 814 times. God blessed Egypt since the beginning of time...
Starting on the eve of the 2nd of April, 1968, these apparitions took many forms including:
The first was in full luminous stature. The Virgin appeared wearing a long robe extending to below Her feet. Sometimes She was surrounded by bright stars, and at other times She had a shawl about Her head, and Her hands were extended forward. At times, She was seen blessing the people who gathered to observe the miracle by waving Her hands and nodding Her holy head. At other times, She had an olive branch in Her hand. (Zeitoun is a transliterated Arabic word meaning olives. See Genesis 8:11)
The Virgin used to walk over the church, especially over the middle dome, and to bow prayerfully in front of the cross that shone, then, with a bright light.
She sometimes made Her apparition with the Babe Jesus Christ in Her arms. It is not strange to see the Child Jesus Christ in an apparition; heavenly apparitions may take forms known to us, so that we can understand them.
The apparitions of the Virgin were sometimes accompanied with, or preceded by, the appearance of white pigeons that used to circle the church. Sometimes a lightning-like light appeared. It shone for a while and then disappeared. At other times, a luminous mist spread everywhere and it gave off the strong pleasant scent of incense that pervaded the whole place.
Unusual phenomena taking place at the time of the apparitions:
The Doves: They differ from the normal pigeons in that they are able to fly at night; they are also bigger in size and different in shape. They appear from nowhere, do not flap their wings as they fly and disappear as they came.
The Stars and Glowing Balls of Light: They are bigger than the usual stars. They used to descend quickly on the church. Sometimes they were spherical in shape or like lanterns.
The Light: It used to appear over the domes. Its colour was orange or light blue. It used to encircle the church like a sacred halo.
The Cross: Though opaque, the cross used to glow over the big dome with a phosphorescent light. Sometimes, a very white cross appeared over one of the domes or over the Virgin Herself when She made Her apparitions.
The Incense: It used to permeate the place with its strong pleasing smell and white colour.
The Clouds: Used to appear over the domes, sometimes taking the form of the Virgin. (See Exodus 40:34, 1 Kings 8:10-11, Isaiah 19:1, Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7 and Luke 9:34-35) here is a link to a video clip and more related to this apparition http://www.zeitun-eg.org/zeitngal.htm
