St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Chicago
Welcome to the annual Taste of Egypt Festival, hosted by Holy Resurrection & St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church. We are delighted to share a joyful weekend full of food, music, culture, camel rides, family activities, art, jewelry, crafts, and hospitality with our neighbors. As you enjoy the festival, we invite you to learn more about the faith community that call this church home.
Coptic Orthodox Church History
The word Coptic means Egyptian, which is derived from the Greek word for Egypt, Aigyptos. The Coptic Church is one of the ancient Christian churches of the world. The Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria traces its roots to Saint Mark, the apostle of Jesus Christ who preached Christianity throughout Egypt in the first century. Today the church is guided by a Patriarch seated in Alexandria. We consider our first Patriarch to be Saint Mark, and our current Patriarch is His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, the 118th successor of St. Mark, shepherding the flock.
The Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt
In our Motherland, Egypt, there are several thousand Coptic Orthodox churches where Egyptian Christians worship our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of those churches date back to the second century A.D. In any Coptic church, whether in Egypt or abroad, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in the same way that our ancestors and early Church Fathers worshipped, and has not changed since the second and third centuries A.D.
The Coptic Community in Chicago
The history of the Coptic Church in Chicago dates back to the 1960’s, when immigration brought many Coptic families to the Chicago area. Without an established Coptic church in the area, the group of Coptic Immigrants began gathering in rented churches to conduct Liturgies, Bible studies, and Sunday school classes. The first Coptic Orthodox Liturgy service in the Chicago area was held in 1969 and we are grateful to God to celebrate nearly six decades of service of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Chicago. We are fortunate to have four Coptic Orthodox churches in the Chicago area in Burr Ridge, Palatine, Monee, & Chicago (Logan Square).
St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, which you are visiting today, is currently blessed with four priests, Fr. Samuel Thabet Samuel, Fr. Pavlos Fahmy, Fr. Theodore Labib and Father George Kaldas. Our Burr Ridge Church was built in 1983 and an expansion in 2003 added a youth facility and a Christian-based Montessori School & Daycare facility which is open to serve the community and has recently expanded to serve the elementary grades.
The church has continued to grow rapidly with many Christians of Egypt immigrating to the United States to flee persecution and in search of a better life. A second expansion project was completed in 2016 adding the Church of the Holy Resurrection, a large social hall, auditorium, additional classrooms and meeting rooms, which has allowed for the expansion of many community and outreach programs and services. We welcome you to come inside and tour the church while you are here at the Taste of Egypt Festival.
Please visit our church website at www.stmarkchicago.org for more information about our liturgy services. All are welcome to attend our services and activities.