Our History
From St Mark to Pakistan — 2,000 years of faith
The Journey of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Pakistan
With the grace of God, the Coptic Orthodox Church in Pakistan began its humble journey, planting the first seeds of faith, love, and service in the hearts of the local Christian community.
The service was supported and nurtured through the pastoral care of Fr. Pishoi William Atalla from St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Toronto, Canada, and Fr. Mark Atalla from Melbourne, Australia.
In 2009, the late Fr. Anthony was ordained in Melbourne, Australia. He began serving this growing mission with deep dedication. Together with his family, he gave his life wholeheartedly to the church — serving with love, sacrifice, and unwavering faith. His impact continues to live on in every soul he touched.
The Late Fr. Anthony
In loving memory — a life of faithful service
Fr. Anthony served the Church in Pakistan from 2009 until his repose on 25 April 2025. His love, sacrifice, and dedication laid the foundation for the community that continues to grow today.
The parish came under the care of the Coptic Orthodox Church under His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, who delegated pastoral oversight to Fr. Daoud Lamei and Fr. Amounious Anba Paula — who serves in Sydney, Australia — along with Servant George Tadros, strengthening the service and guiding its spiritual growth.
Fr. Amounious Anba Paula
Sydney, Australia
Fr. Amounious Anba Paula remains an important and ongoing part of the history and service of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Pakistan, providing spiritual oversight and blessing to this day.
Fr. Mark Sabir was ordained to join the service in Pakistan. He faithfully served alongside Fr. Anthony, continuing the mission and supporting the spiritual growth of the congregation.
Fr. Mark Sabir — ordained to serve St Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, Islamabad
Fr. Anthony reposed in peace after a life of faithful service. His departure was a great loss, yet his legacy remains a shining light for the church and its people.
The church continues its journey, built on the foundation of sacrifice, unity, and love — serving the community in Pakistan with hope and faith, under the pastoral care of Fr. Mark Sabir and the ongoing spiritual oversight of Fr. Amounious Anba Paula.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
— Hebrews 13:8
The Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Church was established in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by St. Mark the Evangelist in the city of Alexandria around 43 A.D. The church adheres to the Nicene Creed.
St. Athanasius (296–373 A.D.), the twentieth Pope of the Coptic Church, effectively defended the Doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ's Divinity at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., earning the title “Father of Orthodoxy”.
The term “Coptic” is derived from the Greek “Aigyptos” meaning “Egyptian”. When the Arabs arrived in Egypt in the seventh century, they called the Egyptians “qibt” — a word that came to mean both “Egyptians” and “Christians”.
The term “Orthodoxy” refers to the preservation of the “Original Faith” by the Copts who, throughout the ages, defended the Old Creed against numerous attacks.
Egypt — The Land Blessed by God
“Blessed is Egypt my people” — Isaiah 19:25
God's promise to His people is always fulfilled. Our Lord Jesus Christ came during His childhood to Egypt to lay the foundation stone of His Church — which has become one of the four primary “Sees” in the world, among the churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, and later Constantinople.
The Egyptian Church carried our Lord Jesus Christ's cross throughout generations, bearing sufferings even from the side of Christians themselves. She continued to offer a countless number of martyrs and confessors throughout ages.
The Coptic Church is rich with her evangelistic and ascetic life, her genuine patriotic inheritance, her heavenly worship, her spiritual rituals, her effective and living hymns, and her beautiful icons. She is an apostolic, contemporary church that carries life and thought to the contemporary man without deviation.
St. Mark — Founder of the Coptic Church
The Copts are proud of the apostolicity of their Church, whose founder is St. Mark — one of the seventy Apostles and one of the four Evangelists. He is regarded as the first of an unbroken line of 117 patriarchs.
St. Mark was an African native of Jewish parents who belonged to the Levites' tribe. His mother Mary's upper room became the first Christian church in the world where the Lord Jesus Christ Himself instituted the Holy Eucharist (Mk 14:12–26).
St. Mark arrived in Alexandria in 61 A.D. and established the first African church. He founded the “School of Alexandria” which defended Christianity and conceived many great Fathers of the Church.
In 68 A.D., St. Mark was martyred in Alexandria. He was the first in a long line of Coptic martyrs and confessors who gave their lives for the faith.
This rich heritage of faith, sacrifice, and service continues today through the Coptic Orthodox Church in Pakistan.