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Australian Coptic Heritage and Community Services (ACHCS) is a not for profit organisation established by the Coptic Orthodox Community in Australia. ACHCS was formed with the objective to preserve and promote Coptic Heritage in Australia.
Our immediate priority is to stop the planned demolition of St Mary and St Mina Coptic Orthodox Church, located at 24A Railway Rd, Sydenham.
His Grace Bishop Anba Daniel – English Message
https://youtu.be/BmtZBVuvh-s
read moreSurvey for Heritage Listing
Australian Coptic Heritage and Community Services is surveying the Coptic Community for their views on the preservation of the first Coptic Orthodox Church purchased outside Egypt, the old St Mary and St Mina Coptic Orthodox Church, Sydenham NSW Australia. Your time...
read moreMarrickville Heritage Society – Jan / Feb Newsletter 2016
Heritage Watch - Coptic Church,...
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Academic Historian Engaged
Over the past month we have been fortunate enough to have had a young Coptic Town Planner working and assisting in our draft submission to nominate the Former St Marys and St Minas Coptic Orthodox Church on the State Heritage Register (SHR). As part of this process a...
read more“This is unacceptable, no Church should ever be demolished, especially this Church, as it is of valuable significance to both Australian and Coptic history, it is a sacred place, this is simply unacceptable and I will certainly be raising this with parliament”
Rev. Hon. Fred Nile, MLCOur Plans for the Future Use of the Church Building
Repurpose for Community Use
Our aim is to re-acquire the Church and re-purpose the building as a Coptic Museum, a centre for community Services, a soup kitchen, a drop in centre, a place for youth services and activities & a place to teach traditional Coptic arts and crafts.How we will achieve this?
We will achieve this by seeking government funding to restore the heritage listed building as well as sponsorship from various large and small businesses, in addition to donations from the wider Australian and Coptic community who are interested in preserving this heritage building and providing much needed services to the Coptic community and the general community in the Marrickville LGA.Why do we care?
St Mary & St Mina's Church Building has a rich history and is strongly tied to the Coptic Orthodox community of AustraliaHistory of the Church
Built in 1880 and originally occupied by the Methodists, the Church was purchased by the first Coptic Christians to migrate to Australia in the 1960’s, where the Church served them as a Christian birthplace, place of worship and a shelter for those newly migrated, with no home and nothing but the shirts on their back. The Coptic community practiced their faith and culture in this building for 30 years. The COPTS are the indigenous people of Egypt. They fled Egypt to escape Islamic persecution, where for 1400 years their people have been brutally murdered, their homes torched and their Churches demolished. Ironically, today in Australia another Coptic Orthodox Church has been earmarked for demolition once again.