Church to plan Egyptian festival later this summer

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

One of the oldest Christian churches in the world has found a home in North Syracuse.

St. Mary and St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church has moved into the former Andrews Memorial United Methodist Church on Church Street.

“Thank God things worked out,” said Father Kyrillos Sadek, priest of St. Mary and St. Mina. “We’re extremely thankful.”

After closing on the Andrews building April 21, St. Mary and St. Mina celebrated Coptic Easter in a May 1 midnight mass. The Coptic Orthodox Church, which originated in Egypt, follows the Julian calendar, like the Greek and Russian orthodox churches.

One of only five Coptic churches in Upstate New York, St. Mary and St. Mina draws congregants from as far west as Geneva, as far north as Watertown, as far east as Utica and as far south as Binghamton. The church has about 30 to 35 families — more than 120 active members.

“Most of our congregation lives in Liverpool. That’s where the majority of families were concentrated,” Father Kyrillos said. “We like the neighborhood; we’re very excited about the move.”

St. Mary and St. Mina was incorporated in 1998 and bought a building on Oswego Street in Syracuse in 2002. Until Father Kyrillos’ ordination in May 2014, the congregation relied on visiting priests from Buffalo, Rochester and Albany to conduct their services.

“The families were here, but there was no priest,” Father Kyrillos said.

St. Mary and St. Mina began to look for a new home, as the congregation was outgrowing its space and “the neighborhood was a bit rough,” Father Kyrillos said.

“We have been looking for some time. The church on Oswego Street has served its purpose, but it’s small,” he said.

The Coptic congregation won’t lack for space in the Andrews building. There are several classrooms and plenty of space for fellowship meals and Bible study. Father Kyrillos said he would like to partner with Faith Journey United Methodist Church to offer free clinics, afterschool programs and other ministries within the community.

“The building is big and could be used for many of these ministries,” he said.

‘The center of civilization’

The Coptic Orthodox Church, while similar to Greek Orthodox and Catholic practices, dates back about 1,900 years, when St. Mark established a church in Alexandria.

“We trace our heritage to the pharaohs. ‘Coptic’ means ‘Egyptian’ in Greek,” Father Kyrillos said. “Alexandria was really the center of civilization at the time.”

The Coptic Orthodox Church has contributed much to the rich history of Christianity. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph and the Virgin Mary fled to Egypt with the baby Jesus to escape King Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents. The Catechetical School of Alexandria, said to have been founded by St. Mark himself, is the oldest school of Christian theology. Christian monasticism, or the renunciation of worldly possessions in favor of devotion to religion, began in Egypt as well.

Copts make up about 15 percent of modern day Egyptians, who mostly practice Islam. Father Kyrillos said religious persecution led many Copts to immigrate to the United States. The first known Coptic family moved to Syracuse in 1968.

Even today, Copts face violence from Islamic fundamentalists. In late May, a mob burned and looted the homes of several Copts in Minya province, where 35 percent of the population are Coptic Christians. The mob also beat and stripped an elderly woman.

“We pray for them, especially in these times — difficult times for minorities and Christians in the Middle East,” Father Kyrillos said.

A new home

The congregation of St. Mary and St. Mina is putting the finishing touches on its new home. Through bottle drives, bake sales and a national outreach campaign, St. Mary and St. Mina raised about $320,000 between November 2015 and March 2016. The Andrews building cost $350,000 and parishioners are helping with renovations inside the church.

“Everybody was really involved,” Father Kyrillos said. “It was a good feeling, everybody chipping in.”

An iconographer in Boston has created icons, or ornate paintings of the Virgin Mary, Jesus and other important figures. Father Kyrillos called the building’s existing stained glass windows “gorgeous” — he’s partial to the window that depicts the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt.

The church holds Sunday school classes, youth ministry meetings, Bible studies, choir practice, a women’s group, vespers (sunset evening prayers) and midnight praises. The weekly, three-hour Divine Liturgy is prayed in three languages: English, Arabic and Coptic, which is written with Greek and hieroglyphic characters. Father Kyrillos said he hopes to establish an English-only Bible study group that is open to the community at large.

To celebrate its new home, St. Mary and St. Mina is hosting an all-day event Saturday, June 4. The event will feature the Divine Liturgy, a barbecue lunch and a short program to thank everyone who helped bring about the move to the new church. The Coptic churches of Buffalo, Rochester and Albany have been invited.

Later this summer, the church hopes to host an Egyptian festival with food and tours of the church to share their culture with their new neighbors. Father Kyrillos said fellowship meals and feasts are important to Coptic culture.

“Easter is big for us, or Christmas. You’ll find all sorts of tasty food,” he said, adding that Egyptian cuisine is similar to Greek food. “During these fasts [before Christmas and Easter], we eat vegan food only. So when the feast comes, everybody’s very anxious to eat meat again.”

While it can be difficult to manage such a far-flung congregation, Father Kyrillos said St. Mary and St. Mina “feels like a family.”

“That’s one nice thing about a really small church … everyone knows everyone. The church is like a second home,” he said. “Our kids grow up together and form strong bonds.”

St. Mary and St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church is located at 106 Church St. in North Syracuse. To learn more, visit stmarystminacopticchurch.org.