Can I visit if I am not orthodox?

Yes, Absolutely! We are a com­mu­nity made up of both cradle-born Ortho­dox Chris­tians and those who have con­verted to the faith. We are very com­fort­able with new­com­ers, inquir­ers, and vis­i­tors. Any­one who wishes to dis­cover ancient Cop­tic Ortho­dox Chris­tian­ity is welcome. If you have ques­tions, the priest will be happy to answer them. So don’t be afraid to ask ques­tions about what we do and why.

What should I wear?

The gen­eral rule for men and women is to dress appro­pri­ately, mod­estly and respect­fully, as before the liv­ing God. Typically, men and women wear business casual attire.

How Long is the service?

There are several services. On Saturday evenings, the Evening Rais­ing of Incense ser­vice (Ves­pers) is gen­er­ally 30–45 min­utes in length, followed by Midnight Praises that last around 60 minutes. On Sunday morn­ings, a sim­i­lar ser­vice is cel­e­brated before the Divine Liturgy. After­wards, the Divine Liturgy is approx­i­mately 2 hours in length with an Eng­lish sermon lasting about 15 minutes in between. Dis­tri­b­u­tion of the Mys­tery of the Eucharist is towards the end.

Can I receive communion?

Ortho­dox priests may only serve the Holy Eucharist to bap­tized mem­bers in good stand­ing of the canon­i­cal Ortho­dox Church, who have recently con­fessed, and fasted before par­tak­ing of the Holy Eucharist. This is the ancient tra­di­tion of the Holy Church for the 2,000 years of its his­tory. The Ortho­dox Church under­stands the Holy Eucharist as a mys­tery of the real pres­ence of Christ in the Eucharist, not sim­ply as a memo­r­ial, or merely in a spir­i­tual sense, as many other non-Orthodox Chris­tians do. Rather than try­ing to accom­mo­date to often vary­ing “inter­pre­ta­tions” or revi­sions of this and other doc­trines of the ancient faith, we sim­ply ask that you respect the ancient, apos­tolic tra­di­tion and join us in receiv­ing the Eulo­gia (blessed bread), at the end of the Divine Liturgy.

What should I do during liturgy?

In the Coptic Orthodox Church we invite the people to participate by singing along, standing, sitting and signing themselves with the cross, as an outer sign of an inner reality. Although some of the hymns might be new to you, feel free to jump in. That will be the best way to learn. Don’t worry if you do not know when to sit or stand, you are free to sit or stand as much or as little as you are comfortable.