History
St. George Coptic Orthodox Church is the first Coptic Orthodox church that was established in Pennsylvania during 1969 and was incorporated in May 1973 with 30 families at the time. Several Coptic Orthodox priests served the congregation in churches of other denominations until 1980, when the Conshohocken building was purchased. HH Pope Shenouda III assigned Father Samuel Thabet Samuel to head that church in September 1983, and Father Samuel and his wife and two children left Egypt and moved to Roxborough.
After a certain period of time, the congregation bought the current building in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The parish, built in 1863, uses Greek revival architecture and was originally a Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. In order for the building to allow for Coptic Orthodox Liturgies, the interior required a partial conversion for that use. The exterior, however, retained its architectural style. The building was consecrated in October 1994, by HH Pope Shenouda III.
The parish did in fact have more than one priest in its history. Fr. Angelos Habib Boghdadi served the parish in its early years, as well as several other Coptic Churches throughout the States, including St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. Fr. Boghdadi is currently the priest of St. George Church in Tampa, Florida.
Read more about this topic: St. George Coptic Orthodox Church (Philadelphia)
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