St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Englewood, Colorado)

Infobox church
name = St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church
color = beige

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imagesize = 200px
caption =
landscape =
denomination = Coptic Orthodox Church
diocese = Archdiocese of North America, under the Pope of Alexandria
division = The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate
parish =
subdivision =
founded_date = 1971
founder =
architect =
style = Coptic
constructed_date = 1989
dedicated_date =
bishop = Pope Shenouda III
priest = Fr. Yacoub Soliman
archdeacon =
address = 4775 South Pearl St. Englewood, CO 80110
country = United States of America
phone = [phone]
website = http://www.coloradocopts.org/

St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic: Coptic|Ϯⲉⲕ'ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⳿ⲛⲣⲉⲙ⳿ⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⳿ⲛⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ ⳿ⲛⲧⲉ ⲫⲏⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ Ⲙⲁⲣⲕⲟⲥ // transliteration: "ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos ente fi.ethowab Markos") is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox parishes that was established in North America. [http://nacopts.com/graph_dateIncorporated.php?limit=nolimit 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. [" [http://copticchurch.net/news/press_release/20050120_armanious_murder_jersey_city.html Coptic Church Urges Thorough Investigation In Murder of Jersey City Family] ". "Coptic Church Network", January 20, 2005. Accessed August 11, 2008.] [ [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg-us.aspx?eccpageID=6&IndexView=toc CNEWA:The Coptic Orthodox Church] (Retrieved 17-07-2008)]

History of the Church

St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church in Englewood, Colorado was founded as one of the first four Coptic Orthodox parishes in the United States and was incorporated in December of 1971, with about 50 families at the time. [http://nacopts.com/viewChurch.php?id=68 Church Data as of 2006] ] As Pope Shenouda III was enthroned as the Coptic Pope on November 14 of that same year, this was the first Coptic church that was founded under the papacy of Pope Shenouda, who is still the Pope as of yet.

Pope Cyril VI, Shenouda's predecessor, founded the first four churches in North America. [ [http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/pope/index.html#Biography Biography of HH Pope Shenouda III] (Retrieved 08-08-2008)] The first two parishes that were established in the US specifically were St. Mark's Church in Jersey City and St. Mark's Church in LA.

The late Father Bishoy Kamel, who is widely known as a prominent Copt in the modern era, helped found the church in Denver during its early years. [http://www.stabanoub-dallas.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94:fr-bishoy-kamel&catid=42:Cop_Saints_cat&Itemid=55 The life of Fr. Bishoy Kamel] (Retrieved 06-08-2008)] As a matter of fact, Fr. Bishoy Kamel helped found St. Mark's Church in LA, as well as several other parishes and buildings throughout Egypt, the United States, Europe and Australia.

The current building was consecrated in October of 1989 by Pope Shenouda on his second visit (the first one being in 1977), the same year where the Pope visited every Coptic parish in the US and Canada. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE7DB1438F933A25753C1A96F948260 NY Times:Coptic Pope's Visit Cheers Faithful] (Retrieved 08-08-2008)]

The church was served by more than one temporary priest over the years. Fr. Angelos Habib Boghdadi served the parish in its early years, as well as several other Coptic Churches throughout the States over many years. Fr. Boghdadi, however, is currently the priest of St. George Church in Tampa, Florida. [ [http://www.suscopts.org/stgeorgetampa/priests.html Biography of Fr. Angelos H. Boghdadi] (Retrieved 08-07-2008)] There were several priests afterwards [El Keraza Newspaper. Dated editions from the year 2003. "op cit."] until Fr. Yacoub Soliman eventually became permanent priest in 2004, [ [http://www.coloradocopts.org/FrYacob.html Colorado Copts:Fr. Yacoub Soliman] (Retrieved 08-08-2008)] a position of which he holds as the incubant.

At this point, St. Mark's Church remains as the only Coptic church in Colorado [ [http://nacopts.com/viewChurchesByState.php?state=CO Coptic Orthodox Churches in Colorado] (Retrieved 08-08-2008)] There are currently more than 100 Coptic families served by St. Mark's Church.

References

External links

* [http://www.coloradocopts.org/ The official website of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church]
* [http://www.nacopts.org/ The Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America]
* [http://www.nacopts.com/ Directory & Statistics on Coptic Orthodox Churches in North America]

ee also

*Coptic Orthodox Church
*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
**List of Coptic Orthodox Churches in the United States
***St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)
***St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Los Angeles)
***St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
***St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Los Angeles)
***St. Mary & St. Antonios Coptic Orthodox Church (Ridgewood, Queens)
***St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Brooklyn)
***St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)