By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

St. Mary and St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church in North Syracuse is holding its annual St. Mary’s Egyptian Festival at the end of the month. The festival takes place Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28.

Each year, the church invites the community to feast on authentic Egyptian fare, tour the church and learn about its roots in ancient Egypt. The Coptic Orthodox Church dates back about 1,900 years, when St. Mark established a church in Alexandria.

While this is the Coptic church’s fourth annual Egyptian Festival, St. Mary and St. Mina is nearing the first anniversary of its official consecration by Pope Tawadros II. In September 2018, the Coptic Pope visited the North Syracuse church, which moved into the former Andrews Memorial United Methodist Church in 2016.

“The church now is officially consecrated by His Holiness,” said Father Kyrillos Sadek, the priest at St. Mary and St. Mina. “The tours will talk about the Pope’s visit and the consecration rite.”

With a mission of opening its doors to the community and sharing Coptic culture with its neighbors, St. Mary and St. Mina’s Egyptian Festival follows the spirit of what the Coptic Orthodox Church dubbed “Global Coptic Day,” a worldwide celebration that took place June 1.

“The idea behind Global Coptic Day is to raise awareness of the Coptic Church and our beliefs and our heritage,” Fr. Kyrillos said.

June 1 is also the feast day commemorating the flight of the Holy Family — Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus — to Egypt. According to the Gospel of Matthew, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and advised him to move his family to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod, who had ordered the execution of boys under the age of 2 because he feared Jesus would usurp his throne.

“The flight of the Holy Family to Egypt was saying the door was open to everybody — not just the gentiles, the Jews. The Jewish nation was in Egypt and during Exodus they fled from Egypt,” Fr. Kyrillos explained, adding that Global Coptic Day symbolizes “opening the door of the faith to all races.”

Global Coptic Day will be an annual celebration that involves wearing red to commemorate Coptic martyrs, using social media to educate others about the Coptic Church and engaging in community service. President Donald Trump recognized the inaugural celebration.

“As June 1, 2019, marks the first Global Coptic Day, it is my hope that today provides a renewed sense of purpose for the millions of Coptic Christians in the Middle East and around the world,” Trump’s message read.

Local Copts, Fr. Kyrillos said, continue to take part in community service by hosting soup kitchens, volunteering on medical missions and collecting donations for the poor in Egypt.

The congregation of St. Mary and St. Mina has about 40 active families with a total of nearly 150 members. 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.

St. Mary and St. Mina also partners with the St. Arsema Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Baldwinsville for religious education, vacation Bible school and refugee outreach. Ethiopian Orthodox congregants participate in the Egyptian Festival as well, selling coffee and performing alongside the Coptic choir.

“Last year we added some performances from our Ethiopian congregants,” Fr. Kyrillos said.

This is the second year the festival will take place in July. It was held in the fall the first two years.

“Last year we definitely had a much better turnout. The weather was nice — it made a big difference,” Fr. Kyrillos said.

If you go

What: St. Mary’s Egyptian Festival

When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 27, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 28

Where: St. Mary and St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church, 106 Church St., North Syracuse

Info: Admission is free. Authentic Egyptian food and artisan goods will be available for purchase. To learn more, visit stmarystminacopticchurch.org or call 315-476-7303.