Coptic Orthodox church in Taree, New South Wales, Australia, draws Christians to mid-north coast region

Nermin and Marc Kamel used to travel more than four hours to attend a Coptic Orthodox church in Sydney, the closest Coptic church to their home on the New South Wales mid-north coast. For them, attending Mass on at least some Sundays was important. “We used to go to Sydney every two to three weeks which is a long way to travel — the kids used to get exhausted,” Ms Kamel said.

That changed when the local Egyptian Coptic Christian community built a church in Taree, about an hour south of Port Macquarie. The project was led by Egypt-born local surgeon Moheb Ghaly, who provided much of the financial backing. Dr Ghaly holds an OAM for his service to medicine. “The community rallied together, we bought the land and got money for the building and then it was all done,” Ms Kamel’s account of the effort went.

The church features ornate wooden carvings and paintings shipped from Egypt. Dr Ghaly said the timber around the altar was carved by monks in a monastery in Egypt and was shipped to Australia in a container. “We hired a trailer … it was very heavy,” he said with a laugh.

Theodora Rizk, who was born in Egypt and came to Australia at age 12, said the church has helped her embrace both her Egyptian and Australian identities. “If it wasn’t for the community support we wouldn’t have a church,” she said. “It’s home for us, it’s belonging, this is where we belong to, it’s another piece of Egypt, it’s who we are, it’s history, it’s a lot of things.”

Ms Rizk also spoke about the next generation. “It’s important for children to embrace their culture, we love Australia, it’s our first home of course, but it’s important for the kids to know where they come from and the history they have,” she said, a view that reflects the passing of faith and heritage to children (Psalm 78:4).

The church, named St Mary and St Pope Kirolos the 6th, opened in March 2017, when traditional Coptic hymns were sung at the opening. Almost three years later, the congregation has grown, and the church has also drawn more people to the area.

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