Evers since the evening of Tuesday, April 2, 1968 (Baramhat 24, 1684), the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Light, has been appearing in the Coptic Orthodox Church named after her in Tomanbey st., Zeitoun, Cairo.
The vision, which is still appearing, has been seen on various nights and in different forms. Sometimes the Virgin is seen in full form, but on other occasions only the upper half appears, surrounded by a glorious halo of shining light.
The vision is sometimes seen through the openings of the dome of the church and sometimes outside the dome. The vision moves and walks across the dome and bows before the cross on the dome, which becomes clothed in a glorious light. She turns to the onlookers and blesses them with her hand and with the movement of her holy head.
The vision has often appeared in the form of a bright nimbus, or in the form of a light preceded by forms of heavenly objects such as quick-moving doves.
The vision has remained for long periods, occasionally as long as two and a quarter hours, as at dawn on Tuesday, April 30, 1968 (Baramuda 22, 1684), when the vision appeared in full shining form from 2: 45 a.m. till 5 a.m.
The vision has been seen by many thousands of people of different religions and sects. Some foreigners, some priests and men of learning, or from professions and from many other groups.
They have affirmed with full awareness that they have seen her and have agreed unanimously in their descriptions of each vision and the time of its occurrence, so much so that the unanimity has rendered the appearance in this place of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Light, a vision unique in its nature and needs no statement or affirmation.
Two important factors have accompanied the apparition.
The first has been the revival of faith in God, in the other world, in the saints, and in the dawning of the knowledge among many who had strayed away, and many have repented and changed their lives.
Secondly the vision has led to many miraculous healings, evidenced scientifically and by unanimous affirmation.
The Patriarchate gathered information about all that is stated above through individuals and committees of priests who investigated the truth and who saw the vision themselves and affirmed this in reports handed to His Beatitude Pope Kyrillos VI.
In making this statement the Patriarchate declares with every faith, with deep joy, and with overflowing thanks to the heavenly grace, that the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Light, has appeared clearly and steadily on many different nights. The vision has lasted varying periods of time, sometimes lasting over two hours uninterruptedly. The appearances began on Tuesday, April 2, 1968, and are still continuing in the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Shareh Tomanbey in Zeitoun along the Mataria route in Cairo, the route which, it is historically acknowledged, the Holy Family traversed during their stay in Egypt.
May God make this a sign of peace for the world, for our dear land, and our blessed people.
Saturday, May 4, 1968
Baramuda 6, 1684