Many of us may have already packed up the lights and the tree, and put away all the presents , but for the 240 million Orthodox Christians, and in particular 60 million Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians, celebrating Christmas Eve services on Thursday evening, the night was a mixture of worship, remembrance and mourning as the church in Egypt remembered the 23 killed in a suicide bomb attack in Alexandria.Christians represent about ten percent of Egypt’s population, and while there have been issues of discrimination and violence against Christians by Muslims within the country, the bombing at Saints Church on New Years Eve, which injured more than 100, set a new tone to tensions.In a televised interview on January 3, Pope Shenouda III, patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, said, “I call on our sons for calm, for calm can solve all issues.”“We can not prevent people from expressing their sorrow, yet I ask them to express their feelings without violence. I am glad that many Muslims joined [in the protests] which shows that all are against terrorism and sectarian violence.“The attack brought us together and we have to unite against the enemy that aims to weaken our bonds.”The Pope also called on Egyptian authorities to enforce law and ensure equality and safety for all Egyptians.Security measures were tightened at many churches in Egypt surrounding Christmas Eve services.Police presence was high at the Abbasiya Cathedral, with metal detectors, police forming human barriers and checking identification.In spite of past issues, many Egyptian Muslims at all levels of society have gathered together in solidarity to support unity among Egyptians.In some smaller churches Muslims sat beside their Christian counterparts, while many moderate Egyptian Muslims organized online to serve has human shields around other churches.Sentiments were mostly positive as members of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, on St. Augustine Hill, Pembroke, also celebrated Christmas Eve under the leadership of Father Isaac el Antony, lovingly called Abuna, the Arabic word for Father, by his congregants.Abuna Isaac, an Egyptian from Cairo, was delighted to welcome Izab Ahab, a fellow Egyptian and Muslim, to the service, who attended as a representative of the Egyptians and Muslims in Bermuda.“In Egypt, the very fabric of society is made from Muslism and Christians,” Mr. Ahab explained. “It is very tight-knit. Muslims and Christians are getting closer together.”There are around 25 Egyptians living in Bermuda, most of whom are Christians.Only about six of them are Muslims, many of whom work in the hospitality industry and who were unable to attend the Christian service due to work commitments.Mr. Ahab said they all expressed their desire to attend with him.St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church was founded in 1990 by Bermudian, Father Raphael, who had formerly been a priest in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, in St. George’s.After he passed on in 1993, the church was left without a regular priest, except for the regular visits of a priest from St. Thomas, USVI, until 2003, when Abuna Isaac came to the island.He had been a monk at St. Anthony’s Monastery in the Red Sea mountains of Egypt, the oldest monastery in the world.It is said to have been founded by followers of St. Anthony, shortly after his death, with the first buildings having been built between 361 and 363 AD.St. Anthony is considered to be one of the fathers of modern monasticism.While neither Abuna Isaac nor Mr. Ahab personally knew any of those injured or killed at the bombing, both were looking forward to seeing good come out of such sad events.“God always brings good out of bad,” Abuna Isaac said. “If anything bad happens, God can bring good out of it.”