 Our Church |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| About Our Church |
In 1985, a handful of Coptic families in North Texas established St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church in Colleyville, Texas. By the late 90's, St. Mary's had reached capacity, and it was determined that the time was right to build another Coptic Orthodox church in North Texas. This church would be named after St. Philopateer Mercurius, a 3rd century soldier who was martyred for his faith. The city of Richardson was chosen as the site for this new church in order to accommodate the growing population of Copts in the suburbs of Dallas.
Bishop Youssef, presiding Bishop of the Southern United States Diocese, blessed the land at 1450 E. Campbell Road in 1996. The clergy and the congregation again gathered in December 1997 to witness Bishop Youssef lay the church's cornerstone. The next momentous step arrived in April 1999 with the official groundbreaking and on April 29, 2001, St. Philopateer Coptic Orthodox Church celebrated its first Divine Liturgy. Our congregation received a great blessing in July 2001 with the relocation and arrival of St. Philopateer's relics to our church.
However, both construction and financial complications prevented the immediate completion of the initial plans of the church. With the Lord's blessing, construction resumed in the fall of 2009 on the larger sanctuary and new Sunday School facilities to accommodate the growing congregation. The project was completed in the early summer of 2010 and on June 27, St. Philopateer Coptic Orthodox Church's 300 families celebrated its consecration and first Divine Liturgy in the new sanctuary with His Grace Bishop Youssef.
|
| |
|
