Visitors to St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church of Maryland in Cooksville this weekend can experience a Mediterranean market, purchase Egyptian souvenirs, and try out Mediterranean cuisine while celebrating Egyptian culture and history at the church’s annual Egyptian Festival Saturday and Sunday.
The church has a history dating back more than three decades. The first few Coptic families in the region rented a church once a month for a liturgy and by the 1990s, the Coptic community had grown enough to buy a formerly Protestant church in Savage. The building was transformed into a Coptic church, adding an altar and icons consecrated by His Holiness Pope Shenouda in 1994, later receiving its own full-time priest.
As the congregation continued to grow, the building became crowded for services and Sunday school, so the church moved to its current building in Cooksville. The building had been a Catholic school, which allows plenty of room for Sunday school lessons. Church services are temporarily being held in a multi-purpose room.
Moving forward, the congregation is looking to build a new church building on the property, and the annual festival’s proceeds will help toward that goal.
As a part of the festival, visitors will have the opportunity to participate in a guided tour of the church’s Coptic Museum, which tells the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt. Exhibits include ancient Bibles and scrolls, icons of saints and traditional religious apparel worn by clergy.
Egypt,” she said.”]
The annual Egyptian Festival takes place at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church of Maryland at 14196 Frederick Road in Cooksville, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit saintmarycoptic.org.
St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum and grounds during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, is the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, is the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, is the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
Evelyn Rophael, organizer of Annual Egyptian Festival, tells the history, St. Mark establishes the Coptic Church in Egypt. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
A Facsimile of the Codex Sinaiticus, a hand scribed in Greek in the fourth century, a bible that had been at the Monastrey of St. Catherine at Mt. Sinai for centuries. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
A display of Bibles from around the world. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
A book of the Torah of the Hebrew Bible found in the middle east 300 years ago is on display. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
Evelyn Rophael, organizer of Annual Egyptian Festival, explains that the churches Saints and Martyrs, displayed here, are not prayed to but reveared by its members. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
Left to right are samples of the Deacon’s Liturgical Vestment, the Bishop’s Sedra, and the Priest’s Liturgical Vestment. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
The display abpove the door at the museum. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
St. Anthony’s Chapel on the campus of St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
The Alter in St. Anthony’s Chapel on the campus of St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
The main church on the campus of St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
The Alter of the main church on the campus of St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
The main church on the campus of St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville. The Coptic Museum at St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville, tells the story of Egypt in the Bible and the rise of Christianity in Egypt, its history and contributions to early Christianity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
1 of 16
St. Mary Orthodox Coptic Church of Maryland in Cooksville. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the museum and grounds during the church’s Annual Egyptian Festival which takes place, Sept. 14 and 15. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff photo)
0
0