Our Story
Coptic Orthodox Church of the Resurrection in New Jersey, USA
We are a Coptic Orthodox church located in New Jersey, USA. Our mission is to minister to Americans and English-speakers of all nations, whether born into the faith or later-coming. We were established in 2018 by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II in the presence of His Grace Bishop David.
What We Believe
Our Core Values
Worshipping and offering praise to God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Welcoming diverse members of the community from every nation, tongue, tribe, and language
Focusing on love of God and love of our neighbors through community service and humanitarian care
Teaching and equipping believers to be disciples
Sharing the "good news" of the gospel with the world
We strive to be faithful to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, eager to experience spiritual growth.
Our Priest
Fr. Daniel Hanna
Our Priest
About Fr. Daniel
Fr. Daniel was born in Brantford, Ontario in 1971. When he was in second grade, he and his family immigrated to St. Louis, Missouri where they lived throughout his time in high school. He enjoyed serving in the church from age nine, first as a deacon, then as a Sunday School teacher, and later as a youth group and college missions leader.
He completed his undergraduate studies at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he graduated with a dual degree in Chemistry and International Relations. During his university studies, Fr. Daniel researched the history of Coptic persecution in Egypt. It was at Knox College that he met his beloved wife, Debbie, as the two served in campus ministry together. They married in 1996 and remained in Chicago for several decades. The two remained in Chicago until 2011 where Fr. Daniel pursued his graduate education.
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Fr. Daniel was a practicing intellectual property and licensing attorney at Reed Smith, LLC (formerly Sachnoff & Weaver) for almost seven years when he was called to the priesthood. He was admitted to the State Bar of Illinois, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and to the Patent Bar of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Using his Master’s degree in Counseling, he has also served as a marriage counsellor for nearly three decades.
Fr. Daniel was ordained by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III on November 30, 2010, in Cairo, Egypt. He served at St. Maurice & St. Verena Coptic Orthodox Church in Toronto with Fr. Pishoy Salama until August 2016, when he and his family were transferred to St. Augustine & St. Monica Coptic Orthodox Church in Summit, New Jersey.
On October 2, 2018, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II established and personally named the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Resurrection (CCRES), a new church in New Jersey dedicated to serving Americans and English speakers of every nationality, commissioning Fr. Daniel to launch and serve there.
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Fr. Daniel and Debbie are blessed with three beautiful children, Marina, Nathanael, and Adina. His interests include evangelism, marriage enrichment, Christian stand-up comedy, football, nutrition and physical fitness. He also loves to take walks with his mini schnauzer, Linus.
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Education
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BA in Chemistry and International Relations, Knox College
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MA in Community Counseling from Loyola University-Chicago
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MS in Information Systems Management from Northern Illinois University
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MBA from Northern Illinois University
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J.D. specializing in Intellectual Property Law from the John Marshall Law School.
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Professor of Continuing Legal Education on Patents and Open Source Software at Pennsylvania Bar Institute and Northwestern University.