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.Dates of Incorporations of Coptic Orthodox Churches in North America (Retrieved 08-07-2008) It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the US."Coptic Church Urges Thorough Investigation In Murder of Jersey City Family ". Coptic Church Network, January 20, 2005. Accessed August 11, 2008.CNEWA:The Coptic Orthodox Church (Retrieved 17-07-2008)
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.Church Data (Retrieved 08-12-2008) It is located at the village of Silver Spring, Pennsylvania, a small, unincorporated town that has a relatively large proportion of Christian Orthodox Copts.
The oldest parish in Pennsylvania, which was incorporated in 1973, is St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Expansion The year 1977 marked the first pastoral visit by Pope Shenouda III to the US and Canada, including St. Mark's Church in Jersey City, the first Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States.Keraza Newspaper Dated 09-15-2006 (Retrieved 08-05-2008) Ten years later, in January 1987, the building of St. Mark's Church was newly refitted and consecrated.
After a 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."Uneasy times; Local Coptic Christians: 'What has happened scares us'". Lancaster New Era Newspaper, October 5, 2001. Accessed August 12, 2008.News Article (fees for whole article) (Accessed August 12, 2008)
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.
Today The Church was visited in 1989 by Pope Shenouda on his second visit (the first one being in 1977) to North America. This was the same year when the pope visited every Coptic parish in the US and Canada.NY Times:Coptic Pope's Visit Cheers Faithful (Retrieved 08-08-2008) Since the first two visits, Pope Shenouda visited Canada and the United States every year.
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.
St. Mary Church of Lancaster has grown exponentially in recent years to over 280 families, serving congregants from Lancaster, Columbia, York, and Reading.
On November 3, 2018, Fr. Moses Fahmy was ordained a priest (presbyter) by Bishop Karas (the enthroned bishop for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia) to serve the Coptic community at St. Mary church of Lancaster.
See also Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria Coptic architecture Coptic Cairo Coptic Orthodox Church in North America Coptic Orthodox Church in Canada Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States
References
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