St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Los Angeles)

Infobox church
name = Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church
color = gold

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imagesize = 200px
caption =
landscape =
denomination = Coptic Orthodox Church
diocese = Diocese of Los Angeles
division = The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate
parish =
subdivision =
founded_date = 1974
founder =
architect =
style = Coptic
constructed_date =
dedicated_date =
bishop = Pope Shenouda III
HG Bishop Serapion
priest = Fr. Mina Youssef
Fr. James Soliman
archdeacon =
address = 4900 Cleland Ave. Los Angeles, California 90042
country = United States of America
phone = [phone]
website = http://www.theotokos.org/
http://hvmary.lacopts.org/

Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic: Coptic|Ϯⲉⲕ'ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⳿ⲛⲣⲉⲙ⳿ⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⳿ⲛⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ ⳿ⲛⲧⲉ Ϯⲡⲁⲣⲑⲉⲛⲟⲥ ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ // transliteration: "ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos ente ti.parthenos ethowab Maria") is the second oldest Coptic Orthodox church that was established in Los Angeles and is one of the largest Coptic parishes in California. 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. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church of Los Angeles was founded as the second Coptic parish in Los Angeles, and was incorporated by 1974 with only 50 families at the time. [http://www.lacopts.org/index.php?/site/entry_hvmary/1019/ A Brief History of Holy Virgin Mary Church] (Retrieved 08-14-2008)] The Coptic families in Los Angeles started settling from around the late 60's when the late Father Bishoy Kamel was commissioned to serve the neighbouring Church of St. Mark in 1969, [ [http://www.stmark.toronto.on.coptorthodox.ca/copts.asp The History of Copts in North America] (Retrieved 08-06-2008)] during Pope Cyril VI's papacy. Fr. Bishoy was a promiment Copt, being considered a modern-day saint within the Church. 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. [ [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)]

Expansion

St. Mary's Church, on the other hand, was founded in the Highland Park Community within the City of Los Angeles, near Pasadena, Callifornia. In November of 1989 a new Coptic-designed church that had replaced the original church building was consecrated by HH Pope Shenouda III, making it the first church in California that was built in the Coptic style. Dr. Isaac Fanous, a Coptic iconographer, eagerly completed the treasury of icons that were inside of the church in September of 1996.

An additional church, chapel bearing the name of St Bishoy, was completed in January 2004 in the lower-level of the building, built specifically for serving the English-speaking congregation.

Priests & Services

From the time of its establishment in 1974, St. Mary's Church was served by Hegomen (Archpriest) Fr. Antonious Henein until his repose in 2006. The church is currently served by Fr. Mina Youssef, who began serving the church in 1995 and was ordained to the priestly rank of Hegomen in December 2006; together with Fr. James Soliman, who was ordained to the priesthood in November 2003.

Today

Several years after St. Mary's Church was incorporated, in 1995, the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California and Hawaii was founded. Pope Shenouda III, who is still the current Pope of Alexandria, enthroned HG Serapion as Bishop for the diocese, which includes St. Mary's Church as well as several other diocese churches.

Two services of the Divine Liturgy are celebrated on Sunday mornings: one for the Arabic-speaking congregation in the main church on the upper-level of the building; and the other for the English-speaking congregation in Saint Bishoy Church located on the lower-level.

There are currently almost 500 Coptic families served by St. Mary's Church alone [http://nacopts.com/viewChurch.php?id=43 Church Data] (Retrieved 14-08-2008)] with several others belonging to different church congregations throughout California.

References

External links

* [http://hvmary.lacopts.org The official website of St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church]
* [http://www.theotokos.org The original webpage of Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church]
* [http://www.lacopts.org/ The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California & Hawaii]
* [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. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Englewood, Colorado)
***St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
***St. Mary & St. Antonios Coptic Orthodox Church (Ridgewood, Queens)
***St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Brooklyn)
***St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Philadelphia)
***St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church (Woodbury, New York)
***St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church (Jersey City, New Jersey)