Who We Are
Our parish in Troy was established in 1979, but our history is far more ancient. Orthodox Christianity is the original form of Christianity. The Orthodox Church is the Church – the living Body of Christ – that was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Before His death, resurrection, and ascension, He entrusted the Church to the care of His Apostles, who spread Christianity throughout the ancient world.
Coptic (a word that simply connotes Egyptian origin) Orthodoxy is one of the most ancient forms of Orthodox Christianity, with a lineage of Apostolic Tradition that can be traced back to the Apostle Mark, one of Christ’s disciples and the author of the Gospel that bears his name. St. Mark brought the Orthodox Christian faith to Egypt in the first century AD. Since that time, for nearly 20 centuries, the Coptic Orthodox Church has remained – unchanged in its apostolicity, doctrine, theology, and worship. Our faith is the faith of the earliest Christians; our worship is the worship of the earliest Christians. Coptic Orthodoxy survives today as not only the largest Christian minority in Egypt, but in all of the Middle East.
Our parish was established by just a few, deeply committed immigrant families in 1979. Since then, it has grown exponentially to just over 600 families who congregate from all over Southeast Michigan. We are the largest parish in the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana, which was organized under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Saraphim in 2017.
It is our belief that the Ancient Christian Faith remains pertinent in our modern world, and we strive to make this a reality in our community. We welcome you to visit our parish and begin to learn about the depth of Orthodox Christianity.