About Our Parish
By
Mr. Ahdy Mansour
The
story of the
establishment of a
Coptic Orthodox
Church in Cleveland
could not be told in few words. It is a
story of devotion, a
story of sacrifice,
a story of a very
small group offering
not only their
financial resources,
energy, time, and
ability but their
spiritual and human interest, which
itself was such a
powerful force. It
is a story about one
of the oldest
churches in the
world, and a story
of tradition that
was carried
throughout the years
from generation to
generation. It is a
story about the
depth of faith in
the modern society
that emerged from a
great and glorious
past.
In
1968, six Coptic
Orthodox families
settled in
Cleveland, Ohio and
made it their new
home. They came from
the land of the
Pharaohs, the
country that hosted
Joseph and Jacob.
The land that had
nurtured and raised
Moses and in which
he had received the
Ten Commandments
from God. The
country that was
selected by Our Lord
Jesus Christ and the
Holy Family as a temporary home and
was blessed by God.
This
small group of Copts
came from Egypt and
carried inside them
their Coptic faith.
The term "Coptic" is
derived from the
Greek "Aigyptos"
meaning "Egyptian".
The Copts are the
native Christians of
Egypt and the direct
descendants of the
ancient Egyptians.
Christianity came to
Egypt in the first
century A.D. by St.
Mark the Apostle who
established the
Coptic Church in the
name of Our Lord
Jesus Christ. The
Coptic language is a
development of the
ancient Egyptian
language spoken
since the early days
of the Pharaohs. Its
alphabet was
established in the
second century A. D.
to phonetically
record the
vernacular of Egypt.
The
Coptic Church
believes in the Holy
Trinity, God the
Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy
Spirit,
consubstantial with
each other, and that
Our Lord Jesus
Christ is the
Only-Begotten Son
and the only Savior
of the world. Less
changes have taken
place in the Church
of Egypt than in any
other, both in
ritual and doctrine,
and the succession
of Coptic popes,
patriarchs, bishops,
priests and deacons
has been contiguous.
With
this rich history
and tradition, the
new settlers of
Cleveland were
inspired to organize
and establish the
first Coptic
Orthodox Church in
Ohio. His Grace the
late Bishop Samuel,
Special Assistant to
His Holiness the
Late Pope Kyrillos
VI, the 116th Pope
of Alexandria and
Patriarch of the See
of St. Mark in
Egypt, advised the
group to contact
Fr. Marcos Marcos,
a pioneer priest in
Toronto, Ontario,
Canada. Fr. Marcos
responded to the
group's call and
came to Cleveland
and celebrated the
first Divine Liturgy
in September of
1968. He continued
his services to the
Cleveland group by
holding a Divine
Liturgy every three
months and later
every month.
Several events took
place in the early
1970's:
+The
number of Copts
steadily increased
in Cleveland and it
reached about 60
families by 1973.
+The
group incorporated
the first Coptic
Orthodox Church in
Ohio in 1970.
+In
1971, His Grace
Bishop Antonius,
acting pope at that
time and His Grace
Bishop Samuel
visited Cleveland,
which was a moving
experience for the
Cleveland
congregation and
started a dialogue
about having a
priest for
Cleveland.
+In
1975, with the
guidance and
blessings of
His Holiness Pope
Shenouda III,
the 117th Pope of
Alexandria and
Patriarch of the See
of St. Mark, the
Cleveland Parish
received its first
resident priest, the
very
Rev.
Father Mikhail
Edward Mikhail, D.
Min.
+In
1977, the parish
purchased a small
church in Parma,
Ohio.
+Also
in 1977, the Copts
in the USA and
Canada were honored
and blessed by the
first Pastoral visit
ever by a Coptic
Pope. H. H. Pope
Shenouda III visited
several cities and
Cleveland was one of
them. The Papal
visit was a
thrilling experience
and brought vast
changes in the
services in the USA
and Canada. Several
churches were
established and many
priests were
ordained for each
church.
+In
1977, the Coptic
Orthodox Church in
the USA became a
member of the
National Council of
the Churches in
Christ in
the USA. Two members
from the Cleveland
parish were
appointed by H. H.
Pope Shenouda III,
along with four
others from
different Coptic
parishes in the U.S.
to serve on the
Governing Board of
the National Council
of Churches as
representatives of
the Coptic Church.
After
joining forces
together to
establish the Coptic
Orthodox Church of
Cleveland in 1970,
the group gave time,
energy, and talent
as well as financial
support. Each of
them at one time or
another served on
the Board of
Deacons. Some of
them instructed the
first classes of
children in the
Sunday School and
others studied to
become deacons.
Under their
leadership along
with that of Fr.
Mikhail, St. Mark
Coptic Orthodox
Church in Cleveland
developed a legacy
that inspired the
Greater Cleveland
community leadership
to recognize the
church as the
official
representative of
the Egyptians in
Cuyahoga County.
Cleveland became a
sister city with
Alexandria, Egypt,
which was announced
during the first
papal visit. For ten
years the church, in
cooperation with the
Egyptian Ministry of
Tourism, has been
holding the Egyptian
Festival in August of each
year at the church
facilities, which is
attended each year
by several thousands
from all walks of
life.
The
parish constructed a
church complex over
three acres in the
city of Seven Hills,
a suburb of
Cleveland, with an
additional four
acres for future
projects aimed at
serving the
parishioners and the
community in
general. The church
building was
designed according
to the Coptic
architectural
tradition and was
completed in October
1988. H. H. Pope Shenouda III consecrated the
church one year
later on October 1,
1989, on his second
pastoral visit to North America.
The
church building can
accommodate up to
500 people, has a
social hall,
numerous Sunday
School classrooms, a
library, offices, a
guest suite, and a
small chapel. In
1998, stainless
steel domes were
installed over the
church tower and
main dome. The
interior of the
church lies heavily
on the richness and
methods of the
Coptic religious
architecture with
icons on all the
walls in
chronological
sequence from the
Annunciation by the
Angel Gabriel to the
Virgin St. Mary up
until the Ascension
of Jesus and the
Pentecost. All the
icons are original
paintings and follow
the true Coptic art.
The windows of the
nave are made of
stained glass. The
floor and part of
the wall are
decorated with
marble as well as
the iconostasis. The
baptistery
represents a fine
piece of art made of
one piece of marble
carved with designs
in as agreeable
balance.
St.
Mark Church of
Cleveland was
blessed by the
Miracle of Oil
seeping from two
icons, one of Our
Lord Jesus Christ
and the other of the
Holy Virgin St.
Mary, the Mother of
God. The miracle
began on May 15,
1990, on the feast
of St. Athanasius
the Apostolic. This
miracle has recurred
on several occasions
and has been
witnessed by
thousands of
pilgrims to the
church, Television
stations and
newspapers, and
foremost of which
was H. H. Pope
Shenouda III, who
after personally
seeing the icons
declared the
phenomenon an
official miracle in
May of 1991.
The
story of the Coptic
Orthodox Church in
Cleveland is not
only a story of
dedicated people who
have willingly
contributed money,
time, talent, and
energy to help
others. It is a
story of an
understanding and
hard working priest
who is gifted in
human relations and
leadership. Above
all, it is a story
of a loving and
supportive Pope
whose guidance and
support goes beyond
any monetary value
because his gifts
come wrapped in
genuine love and
concern.
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