St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)
Encyclopedia
St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic
: // transliteration
: ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos ente fi.ethowab Markos) 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.
s in New Jersey can be attributed to their persecution in Egypt, in addition to those who emigrate seeking educational and financial opportunities. Currently, there are more than 30,000 Copts in Jersey City alone.
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. Ten years later, in January 1987, the church building was newly refitted and consecrated.
There are currently three priests that serve St. Mark's Church. Fr. Abraam Sleman was ordained as a priest on June 18th, 1989 by Pope Shenouda III to serve at St. Mary Church (Ard Elgolf). Then, on September 3rd, 1993, Pope Shenouda chose to have him serve St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Englewood, Colorado
.
Rev. Gabriel Abdelsayed, who was the archpriest of St. Mark's, died in 1993. Pope Shenouda decided to replace the deceased priest with Fr. Abraam Sleman on January 5, 1995.
There are currently about 750 Coptic families served by St. Mark's Church.
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 Markos) is notably the first Coptic Orthodox church in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located at Jersey City, New Jersey
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...
. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States.
History
St. Mark's Church was first founded from the late 60's, although the actual date of incorporation was 1970. The large influx of CoptCopt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
s in New Jersey can be attributed to their persecution in Egypt, in addition to those who emigrate seeking educational and financial opportunities. Currently, there are more than 30,000 Copts in Jersey City alone.
Expansion
Coptic Orthodox Christians, who adhere to an ancient Christian faith rooted in Egypt in the first century, have established a presence throughout New Jersey over the last several decades. Being the first Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States, St. Mark’s in Jersey City was founded by early Egyptian immigrants, and the congregations have since grown in allowing 15 other parishes in New Jersey alone.The year 1977 marked the first pastoral visit by Pope Shenouda III
Pope 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 in Jersey City. Ten years later, in January 1987, the church building was newly refitted and consecrated.
Priests
St. Mark Church had several priests over the decades, including one who died in the early 90's. The first liturgy was celebrated in St. Mark's Church on March 22, 1970 by the late Fr. Rafael Younan who was a resident priest in Montreal since 1968.There are currently three priests that serve St. Mark's Church. Fr. Abraam Sleman was ordained as a priest on June 18th, 1989 by Pope Shenouda III to serve at St. Mary Church (Ard Elgolf). Then, on September 3rd, 1993, Pope Shenouda chose to have him serve St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Englewood, Colorado
Englewood, Colorado
The city of Englewood is a Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. As of 2007, the city is estimated to have a total population of 32,532. Englewood is part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area. Englewood is located in the South Platte River Valley east of the...
.
Rev. Gabriel Abdelsayed, who was the archpriest of St. Mark's, died in 1993. Pope Shenouda decided to replace the deceased priest with Fr. Abraam Sleman on January 5, 1995.
Today
Fr. Abraam served St. Mark Church for several years up to this point. By the time Pope Shenouda III recently elevated Fr. Abraam to the rank of Archpriest (Hegomen) on September 1, 2003, Fr. Sleman was already serving alongside Fr. Markos Ayoub. On September 1, 2007, Pope Shenouda ordained Maged Abdelmaseih as Fr. Daniel Abdelmaseih, to be the third priest at St. Mark's Church. Thus, Heg. Abraam Sleman, Fr. Markos Ayoub, and Fr. Daniel Abdelmaseih have been pastors at St. Mark's Church up until the present.There are currently about 750 Coptic families served by St. Mark's Church.
External links
- The official website of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church
- 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....
- Church of Saint Menas (Cairo)Church of Saint Menas (Cairo)The Coptic Orthodox Church of Saint Menas is a Coptic Orthodox church near Coptic Cairo and is one of the oldest Coptic churches in Egypt, dating back to the 6th century AD.-Geographic Significance:St...
- 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 Cathedral of St. Mark (Cairo)
- 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...
- Coptic Orthodox Churches
- List of Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States
- 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 (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)St Mary Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches established in Pennsylvania. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the US....
- 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 (Los Angeles)