St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
St Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic
: // transliteration
: ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos ente fi.ethowab Maria) is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches established in Pennsylvania. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the US.
, a small, unincorporated town that has a relatively large proportion of Christian Orthodox Copt
s.
The oldest parish in Pennsylvania, which was incorporated in 1973, is St. George Coptic Orthodox Church
in Norristown, Pennsylvania
.
to the US and Canada, including St. Mark's Church
in Jersey City
, the first Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States. Ten years later, in January 1987, the building of St. Mark's Church was newly refitted and consecrated.
After a certain period of time, the small congregation of St. Mary's Church, with much help from the late Fouad Gad Youssef, founded the current building on Marietta Ave in 1980—with only five families at the time.
The current building of St. Mary's Church of Lancaster, as it is often known, was consecrated by a Coptic Orthodox Bishop
in September 1982.
St. Mary's Church, being located in Eastern Pennsylvania that is near the large Coptic population in New Jersey
, was also visited by other Bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church, although St. Mary's Church is already served by Fr. Estephanos A. Hanna.
Over the years, St. Mary Church of Lancaster has grown exponentially in recent years to over 125 families, serving congregants from Lancaster
, Columbia
, York
, and Reading
.
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
: // transliteration
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
: ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos ente fi.ethowab Maria) is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches established in Pennsylvania. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the US.
History
St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church is the second Coptic Orthodox church that was established in Pennsylvania, and was incorporated by 1975 with only 3 families at the time. It is located at the village of Silver Spring, PennsylvaniaSilver Spring, Pennsylvania
Silver Spring, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community located in West Hempfield Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The community is located along Pennsylvania Route 23.- About the Village :...
, a small, unincorporated town that has a relatively large proportion of Christian Orthodox Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
s.
The oldest parish in Pennsylvania, which was incorporated in 1973, is St. George Coptic Orthodox Church
St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Philadelphia)
St George Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches established in North America. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the US.-History:St...
in Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The population was 34,324 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
.
Expansion
The year 1977 marked the first pastoral visit by HH Pope Shenouda IIIPope Shenouda III of Alexandria
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
to the US and Canada, including St. Mark's Church
St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)
St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church is notably the first Coptic Orthodox church in the United States, located at Jersey City, New Jersey. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States.-History:St...
in Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, the first Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States. Ten years later, in January 1987, the building of St. Mark's Church was newly refitted and consecrated.
After a certain period of time, the small congregation of St. Mary's Church, with much help from the late Fouad Gad Youssef, founded the current building on Marietta Ave in 1980—with only five families at the time.
The current building of St. Mary's Church of Lancaster, as it is often known, was consecrated by a Coptic Orthodox Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in September 1982.
Today
The Church was visited in 1989 by Pope Shenouda on his second visit (the first one being in 1977) to North America. Interestingly enough, this was the same year where the pope visited every Coptic parish in the US and Canada. Ever since the first two visits, Pope Shenouda has visited both Canada and the United States for every year afterwards.St. Mary's Church, being located in Eastern Pennsylvania that is near the large Coptic population in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, was also visited by other Bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church, although St. Mary's Church is already served by Fr. Estephanos A. Hanna.
Over the years, St. Mary Church of Lancaster has grown exponentially in recent years to over 125 families, serving congregants from Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, Columbia
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, once colonial Wright's Ferry, is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles southeast of Harrisburg on the left bank Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville and York County. Originally, the area may have been called Conejohela Flats, for the many islands and islets in the...
, York
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
, and Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
.
External links
- The official website of St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church
- The Coptic Orthodox Church Network
- The Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America
- The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles
- The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
- The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Damietta
- The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Port Said
- Directory & Statistics on Coptic Orthodox Churches in North America
See also
- Coptic Orthodox Church
- Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of AlexandriaSeat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of AlexandriaThe Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is historically based in Alexandria, Egypt. It is commonly known as the Holy See of St. Mark, as the Coptic Pope is the successor of St. Mark....
- Coptic architectureCoptic architectureCoptic architecture is the architecture of the Copts, who form the majority of Christians in Egypt.Coptic churches range from great cathedrals like Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral to the smallest churches in rural villages. Many ancient monasteries like Monastery of Saint Anthony, the oldest...
- Coptic CairoCoptic CairoCoptic Cairo is a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Babylon Fortress, the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. It is believed that the Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and...
- Coptic Orthodox Church in North AmericaCoptic Orthodox Church in North AmericaThe Copts began to immigrate to the United States as early as the late 1940s. Immigration to Canada was soon to follow, and in general, this was to be the case throughout North America in the coming decades...
- Coptic Orthodox Church in CanadaCoptic Orthodox Church in CanadaThe immigration of the Copts to Canada might have started as early as the late 1950s. Starting in the 1970s, Canada has been receiving a greater number of these immigrants, and the number of Coptic immigrants into Canada has been growing ever since. According to the census, there were over 10,000...
- Coptic Orthodox Church in the United StatesCoptic Orthodox Church in the United StatesThe immigration of the Copts to the United States of America started as early as the late 1940s. After 1952, the rate of Coptic immigration from Egypt to the United States increased. The first Coptic church in the United States is St...
- List of Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States
- St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church is notably the first Coptic Orthodox church in the United States, located at Jersey City, New Jersey. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States.-History:St...
- St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Los Angeles)St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Los Angeles)St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church is the oldest Coptic Orthodox church that was established in Los Angeles and is one of the oldest Coptic parishes in the United States. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox churches in the US.-History of the Church:St...
- St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Denver, Colorado)
- St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Los Angeles)St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Los Angeles)Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church is the second oldest Coptic Orthodox church that was established in Los Angeles and one of the largest Coptic parishes in California. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the US.-History of the Church:St...
- St. Mary & St. Antonios Coptic Orthodox Church (Ridgewood, Queens)
- St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Brooklyn)St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Brooklyn)St George Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches in North America. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States.-History:St...
- St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Philadelphia)St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Philadelphia)St George Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches established in North America. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the US.-History:St...
- St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church (Woodbury, New York)St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church (Woodbury, New York)St Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church is a Coptic Orthodox parish in Woodbury, New York. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States....
- St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)St George & St Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church is the second Coptic Orthodox church that was established in Jersey City, New Jersey...
- St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)
- Coptic Orthodox Church in Canada