Let’s be real: Jersey City has enough churches to fill a Monopoly board. But St. Mary & St. Abanoub is different. It’s a cultural lifeline for the local Egyptian community—a place where immigrants can hear the liturgy in Coptic (a language older than most European tongues) and feel, for an hour, like they never left Alexandria.
It’s also a survival story. The Coptic church has faced persecution in Egypt for centuries, and seeing this community thrive in a strip-mall parking lot feels quietly defiant. “You tried to erase us? Cool, we’re building a dome in New Jersey.” That’s the energy.
During feast days—say, the Feast of the Virgin Mary in August—the place transforms. The parking lot becomes a potluck competition where fatta (a garlicky, meaty rice dish) reigns supreme, and kids run around with crosses drawn in ink on their wrists. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, and it’s alive in a way that makes your typical Sunday service feel like a library meeting.
St Mary & St Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church | RBS Architects
Wait, did I mention the relics?
If you get close enough to the altar, you might glimpse a small box containing a relic of St. Abanoub—a piece of bone or cloth said to have healing powers. I’m not going to pretend to know how that works, but seeing a grown man weep over a holy box will make you rethink your skepticism. Or at least your plans for the afternoon.
And the icons? They’re not just paintings. According to the church, they’re “windows to heaven” that have wept or exuded myrrh. I didn’t see any tears during my visit, but I did see a woman press her forehead to an icon of St. Mary so hard I worried for her glasses. That’s devotion, folks.
