St. Marks Coptic Orthodox Church Of Boston

Timeline

1963 service began with the visit of the late Bishop Samuel visiting Coptic students in Boston.

1970 The late Father Rafeal Nakhla from Montreal started visiting for a weekly service.

1972 started renting St. Helen and St. Constantine Greek Orthodox Church in Cambridge, MA, and services were held there.

1972 formation of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Boston as an entity and creation of by-laws and recorded with the State of Massachusetts.

1977 delegation from Boston went to New Jersey to meet Pope Shenouda the Third to request a priest for Boston.

1978 His Holiness sends Fr. Salib Ava Mina and the congregation began to rent St. John Episcopal Church in Newtonville, MA.

1979 Late Bishop Samuel visits the congregation in Boston and arranges the service of Sunday School and Board of Deacons.

1981 Fr. Salib Ava Mina returned to his service at St. Mina’s Monastery in Egypt and met with Pope Shenouda III to send us a priest.

1982 His Holiness sends Fr. Rafeal Nakhla for weekly services and congregation began to look for a church to purchase.

1985 congregation of Boston purchases property at 145 Oak Street, Natick, MA as permanent location for St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston.

1985 First Liturgy prayed on the eve of St. Mary’s Feast.

1985 Bishop Agnatius visits congregation and prays liturgy at 145 Oak Street, Natick, MA.

1987 Iconostasis placed in St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston.

1989 Fr. Rafeal Nakhla became ill, and other priests began visiting the congregation of Boston.

1989 Pope Shenouda III appoints Abouna Angelos Doss to serve congregation of Boston.

1990 His Holiness appoints Abouna Mousa El-Gohary to serve St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston.

1990 Abouna Mousa El-Gohary arrives on December 21.

1991 St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church expanded.

September 1, 1991 Pope Shenouda III places cornerstone of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston.

1997 St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston purchases 187 acres in Chartlon, MA, as a retreat center, named Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual Vineyard.

1998 His Holiness consecrates St. Mary’s Vineyard in February.

2001 Pope Shenouda III visits Boston and ordains Abona Antonious Wassef and Abouna Angelos Bishara as priests for St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston, as well as Archdeacon Azer AbdelMalek.

2002 His Holiness ordains Abouna Youhanna Gobran as a priest for St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston, as well as Deacon Kyrillos Ghabour.

2008 St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston purchases St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Nashua, NH and renames it St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church to serve the growing congregation.

2008 Pope Shenouda III ordains Abouna Kyrillos Gobran and Abouna Samuel Hanna as priests for St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Boston, as well as Deacon Salib Ghobrial.