An Ancient Faith
The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, founded in Alexandria, Egypt, by St. Mark the Apostle in the first century A.D. The word "Coptic" is derived from the Greek word "Aegyptos," meaning Egyptian. Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church has millions of members worldwide, with communities across North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia.
The Coptic Church has preserved the apostolic faith through centuries of devotion, maintaining the traditions and teachings passed down from the early Church Fathers. The spiritual life of the Coptic Orthodox Christian is centered around prayer, fasting, the sacraments, and the study of Holy Scripture.
Key Beliefs
- The Holy Trinity: One God in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- The Incarnation: God the Son became man in the person of Jesus Christ for our salvation.
- The Sacraments: Seven sacraments including Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, Unction of the Sick, Matrimony, and Priesthood.
- The Saints: Veneration of the Virgin Mary, the apostles, martyrs, and saints who have gone before us.
- Apostolic Succession: An unbroken chain of ordained bishops tracing back to the apostles themselves.
Coptic Heritage
The Coptic Church has a rich tradition of monasticism, iconography, hymnography, and theological scholarship. Many of the early Church Fathers — including St. Athanasius, St. Cyril, and St. Anthony the Great (the father of monasticism) — were Coptic.
The Coptic liturgical tradition features beautiful hymns sung in the Coptic language (a descendant of ancient Egyptian), as well as Arabic and English. The liturgy follows the Liturgy of St. Basil and the Liturgy of St. Gregory, preserving ancient prayers and practices.