About St. Justina

St. Justina Coptic Orthodox Church is nestled in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Its establishment in 2003 was aimed to serve the Coptic families residing in and near this region, as the area continued to grow both residentially and commercially.

Our small, quaint church — which began with just 35 families — now serves over 600 families and continues to grow as more people join our church family. That is a special characteristic of St. Justina: the welcoming arms of our congregation consider you family here.

Like all families, our church's history is not without some struggle. When the church began in 2003, we rented a hall from a nearby Catholic church under Fr. Macarius Shehata. In October of 2003, Fr. John Mikhail began serving our church. During this time, space limited many of the services we had — to the point where there was only one Sunday School classroom for the entire church, and hymns classes were held at the homes of willing congregation members. However limiting, these inconveniences fashioned a church body full of creativity, service, patience, and genuine love for God and one another.

As we outgrew that space, we found ourselves faced with the task of finding a new place. At one point, Metropolitan Serapion suggested we use the smaller church building of nearby St. John in Covina. Through nothing short of God's unfailing power, we found an appropriate office building to transform into a church all within the last month of the deadline.

During our 8-year stay in our second location, we expanded our services to accommodate the growing congregation. Blessed with our own space, we initiated meetings for the elderly and for the youth, hymns classes, and family and youth retreats. We celebrated Church feasts, holidays, and fellowship as one family. Under the stewardship of Father John, we found ourselves outgrowing the building and in need of a move.

Our current — and final — home was purchased in the summer of 2012. By God's Grace, it too has witnessed and welcomed many new families, services, and growth. As our church body continues to grow, we are currently building a new building on our land to serve as a home for our Sunday School classes, bookstore, industrial kitchen, and social hall. We hope and pray that God continues to bless us as we fight the good fight in unity.

So, we invite you to come and see. Our family is always in need of new members, and we'd love to have you here!