In 1964, Father Marcos was ordained to the priesthood and commissioned to minister to the spiritual needs of the Copts in North America. As a long time Coptologist, he received the approval of  His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI to establish a Coptic museum in order to introduce the rich cultural heritage of the Copts to future generations and to the local population. In 1964, Father Marcos was ordained to the priesthood and commissioned to minister to the spiritual needs of the Copts in North America. As a long time Coptologist, he received the approval of His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI to establish a Coptic museum in order to introduce the rich cultural heritage of the Copts to future generations and to the local population.

While Fr. Marcos was serving the Copts and establishing churches across North America, he was simultaneously collecting the initial artifacts for the museum. It took him twenty-five years and several trips to Egypt, France, and the United States to research and collect these items. In Fr. Marcos’s words, the Museum’s collection was to represents a colorful “tile” in the Canadian multicultural mosaic.

As Copts heard about Fr. Marcos’s vision and efforts to acquire artifacts, they donated their personal collections to the museum. The Museum’s initial collection included six biblical scenes by Marguerite Nakhla, the leading Egyptian woman painter of the first half of the 20th century, Coptic icons, clay works, jewelry, manuscripts and old books, and textile fragments. The collection increased from 110 artifacts in 2000 to over 1,400 in 2021 artifacts and has also significantly expanded the genres of art represented.

One of the highlights of Fr. Marcos’ leadership has been the Museum’s initiation of discussions that led to the offering of Coptic Studies at the University of Toronto’s Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, and funding from St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church to allow the university to offer Coptic Studies courses from 2006 to 2012, at which point the university took over the responsibility.

While Fr. Marcos was serving the Copts and establishing churches across North America, he was simultaneously collecting the initial artifacts for the museum. It took him twenty-five years and several trips to Egypt, France, and the United States to research and collect these items. In Fr. Marcos’s words, the Museum’s collection was to represents a colorful “tile” in the Canadian multicultural mosaic.

Click here to see Father Marcos’ Cultural Legacy

INAUGURATION OF THE MUSEUM

HONOURING FATHER MARCOS