| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 24,693 (by ancestry, 2011),[1] or up to70,000-100,000 (estimated)[2][3] | |
| Languages | |
| Australian English · Egyptian Arabic · Coptic(Liturgical) | |
| Religion | |
| Coptic Orthodoxy · Coptic Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Egyptian Australians |
Coptic Australians (Arabic:أستراليون أقباط) areAustralians ofCoptic descent or persons of Coptic descent residing inAustralia. According to the 2011 census, there were 24,693 Copts in Australia, mostly members of theCoptic Orthodox Church.[1] The Coptic population within Australia is estimated to be between 70,000 and 100,000 people.[2][3]
Congregations of theCoptic Orthodox Church in Australia are served by two Coptic Orthodox Dioceses with over 50 parishes, two Monasteries, two theological Colleges and four schools. The Coptic Church is a member ofNational Council of Churches in Australia. According to the 2006 Census of Australia, there were a total of 19,928 followers of Coptic Orthodoxy nationally.[citation needed] Currently, the Coptic Orthodox Church has as many 100,000 members in Australia (inSydney alone it is estimated that there are 70,000Copts, with numbers inMelbourne in the tens of thousands).[2] The community is growing.
Around three quarters of Egyptian migrants arrived in Australia before 1976, though many arrived between 1986 and 1991. In the early years of migration to Australia, most Egyptian-born migrants were ofGreek orArmenian (36 percent) as well asItalian orMaltese heritage (45 percent).Egyptian Jews,Copts andProtestants each made up around 5 percent of arrivals. However, the number of Copts migrating to Australia increased during the 1960s. Many Christian Egyptians left Egypt in response to thepan-Arabist andIslamist policies of presidentGamal Abdel Nasser's leadership. Nowadays, the majority of Egyptian Australians are Christians (84 percent), mostly Copts. On average, Egyptian Australians generally attain higher levels of education when compared to other Australians.
Coptic_Orthodox_Church_Blacktown-2.jpg)
The first Coptic families in Sydney met at theChurch of England parish inArtarmon on Sydney's lowerNorth Shore.[4] These early migrants were dependant on other Orthodox churches in the area for the use of churches and halls for services, festivals and activities. In 1967, a letter was sent from Sydney's Coptic community to the Coptic Pope,Pope Kyrillos VI requesting that a church would be established and a priest would be sent to serve the community. On 10 March 1968, Deacon Edward was ordained in Alexandria and given the name Father Mina. He was sent to Sydney in 1969. He performed his first Coptic wedding onAustralia Day in 1969 in aSalvation Army Hall inRedfern, in Sydney's inner south. He regularly travelled to Melbourne to conduct services, weddings and bible study for the local Coptic community. Soon, the funds were raised to establish a Coptic church -St Mary andSt Mina's - which was formerly a Methodist church inSydenham. This church was badly affected by aircraft noise and has since relocated toBexley.
Melbourne's first Copts arrived in the late 1960s, and first consisted of around 40 families.[5] The new community worshipped at the Church of All Nations in Carlton. Already established Copts would wait atStation Pier Wharf, greeting new arrivals from Egypt and supporting them through accommodation and employment.[5] The growing congregation rented a hall attached to the Syrian Maronite Church in Victoria Parade, East Melbourne. The first Coptic church in Melbourne was established inKensington, in the inner-west, and dedicated to theVirgin Mary in 1970. The church has since had a school attached. There is now a Coptic Village Hostel for the elderly inHallam, in Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs - nearby the Coptic Orthodox Church ofSt Mina andSt Marina.[6][7] The Coptic community of Perth began in the 1980s with about 25 families. In 1990, Perth's Coptic community purchased its first church,St Mary andArchangel Michael Church inEast Victoria Park.Adelaide's Copts were served by visiting priests until the permanent establishment ofSt Mary andAnba Bishoy Church.[8]
In 1982, the first Coptic Orthodoxtheological college outside of Egypt was established in Sydney as thePope Shenouda III College for Theological Studies. In 1999, Bishop Suriel moved the diocesan headquarters to Donvale, in Melbourne's northeast, where the complex boasts a library. hostel and sporting facilities.[9] The nearbySt Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church was established in 2001 and renovated in 2007.[10] There are now 16 Coptic churches inVictoria, one in theAustralian Capital Territory, two inSouth Australia, two inWestern Australia, two inTasmania, 33 inNew South Wales, 10 inQueensland and one in theNorthern Territory. There are also three monasteries, two theological colleges and four schools. St Mary Coptic Orthodox College was opened in 1991 byPope Shenouda III inClifton Hill. In 1994, it relocated to its present site inCoolaroo - in Melbourne's north west.
Coptic_Church_Rhodes_033.jpg)
In New South Wales, around half of the Coptic Orthodox population was born in Australia, while 37 percent were born in Australia and almost 10 percent were born in Sudan.[11] Also in New South Wales, the majority of Copts identify as having Egyptian heritage with minorities identifying as Australian, Sudanese or Lebanese.[12] Three quarters of Copts in New South Wales speak Arabic at home while about 10 percent have a low proficiency in English.[13] A higher proportion of New South Wales Coptic Orthodox population work white-collar jobs such as managers or professionals.[14] Furthermore, Coptic Orthodox household sizes were significantly higher than other New South Wales residents.[15] Copts in Sydney are concentrated in the city councils ofBlacktown,Canterbury Bankstown,Liverpool,Bayside andGeorges River[16] while Copts in Melbourne largely reside in the north western suburbs, particularly in the city councils ofHume andWhittlesea.
There is also a small and recent community ofCoptic Catholics in Australia. In 2019, the Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church,Ibrahim Isaak Sidrak, travelled from Egypt to consecrate the newly built St Mark's Coptic Catholic Church inProspect (in Sydney's outer west). Western Sydney's Coptic Catholic community consists of about 200 families.[17]
[The Coptic community] is a growing community with some 70,000 members in New South WalesArchived 3 March 2016 at theWayback Machine
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