Abraam Bishop of Fayoum

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Coptic icon of St. Abraam

St. Abraam (1829-1914 A.D.), the Departed Metropolitan bishop of Fayoum and Giza, Egypt, and "Friend of the Poor", is a well-known modern-day Egyptian Coptic Orthodox saint.

1 Biography
2 Miracles
3 Source
4 External links

[edit] Biography

The child Paul (Boulos) Gabriel was born in 1545 A.M. (1829 A.D.) in Calad, a village in Upper Egypt. His parents were righteous and loved God.

They sent him to the Church School. His teacher Raphael took care of him, taught him reading, writing, arithmetic, the Holy Scriptures and psalms, ecclesiastic hymns and psalmody. He was very intelligent and eager to learn everything.

When he was eight years old, his mother became very ill, and a few weeks later departed, leaving behind her child. As he loved prayers and psalms, he discovered in them how God can bless his life and fill all his heart.

When he was 15 years old, he got "famous" among his mates; the priests recommended him to Anba (Abba) Youssab, the Bishop of the Diocese, who ordained him as a deacon during his visit to the village's Church.

As he loved the life of contemplation with God, so he joined Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Monastery "El-Meharrak" in Assiut, Upper Egypt, at the time when Father Abdel-Malek was in charge of the monastery. He was a very decent, active person, who loved all the monks. They recommended him and he was ordained a monk when he was 19 years old, in 1848. His new name was Father Paul El-Meharraki.

He was distinguished by his patience and self-control, and his interest in almsgiving.

Anba Yakoubos, the Metropolitan, heard about him, he asked him to come to the "Metropolitan's residence" and to remain with him. Rev. Paul worked day and night, and he changed the "Metropolitan's residence" to a shelter for the poor.

His deep eagerness for contemplating with God turned him to ask the Metropolitan to leave for the monastery again after he spent four years helping the bishop. Then the Metropolitan ordained him as a priest and allowed him to return to the monastery in 1863.

At that time there was a problem regarding Father Abdel-Malek, who was in charge of the monastery, but Father Paul did not interfere with these problems.

So the monks chose him (Paul) to be in charge of the monastery. He opened the doors of the monastery for poor people, also young men heard about him and came, asking him to teach them, and after a short time they had forty new monks.

Rare photo of Anba Abraam (1829-1914 A.D.)

The late Anba Marcos, Metropolitan of Luxor, was ordained as a monk in 1870 at El-Meharrak Monastery and grew up under the leadership of Fr. Paul. Pope Kyrillos V chose him in 1876 to teach the new monks at El-Baramous Monastery. He met his spiritual father again after five years, and remained with him until 1879, when he was ordained as a Metropolitan for Luxor. Up till now the people still remember much about his pure life, his holiness, deep love for praying, his modesty, and his special care about everyone, and about renewing the old churches and constructing new ones.

As usual the devil was furious when he saw the monastery opened for the poor, and young people changed with love for Jesus Christ and continuous prayers, so he made some of the monks think that Fr. Paul was wasting the money of the monastery and they rebelled against him. In 1870, Fr. Paul was asked to leave the monastery after five years in charge of it.

He went with four of his students to Cairo to meet Anba Marcos, Metropolitan of El-Behira, who was at that time the Locum Tenens of the Throne. They were directed to go to the Monastery of Saint Pishoy at the Natroun-Valley in the western desert of Egypt, where they remained for a short period. Afterwards they went to the next-door El-Baramous Monastery in 1871. At that time the president of this monastery was Fr. John, who later became Pope Kyrillos V. He was so glad to receive them, and offered them a place to stay.

Fr. Paul devoted all his time to praying and study, but his deep love for the poor people did not end. He loved the hostile Arabs (Bedouins) who were living in the area of the monastery and he shared with them everything he had, even his clothes.

In 1881, the Ethiopian Emperor, John Kassa, asked Pope Kyrillos V, to ordain a metropolitan and three Bishops for the Ethiopian Empire, so he chose the four fathers who were accompanying Fr. Paul.

At the same time, Anba Isaac, Metropolitan of the province of Fayoum and Giza, departed, then the four fathers asked the Pope to consecrate their father as a metropolitan for that Metropolitanate. The Pope and the people of Giza and of Fayoum became happy and joyful on that day for the consecration of their new metropolitan Anba Abraam, in 1881.

During his time, the Metropolitanate of Giza and of Fayoum became a great vine, in whose shadow the poor and rich sat with great delight.

When the Khedive Tawfik, Ruler of Egypt, visited Fayoum, they made a great lunch-party. Anba Abraam was sitting very near to the Khedive. He did not eat except salad, and when the Khedive asked him he answered that the day was Friday and Christians are to fast on all Fridays. Then he ordered to bring him fruits and asked Anba Abraam to meet him again. He went to meet him at the railway station before he left, and the Khedive welcomed him deeply saying to him "You are a Blessed man..."

The rulers and governers, even tyrannical ones, found rest in him. So the simple Metropolitan's home became their rest place.

In the year 1893 he was seriously ill with his leg, that doctors decided to perform surgery to cut off his leg. When one of his spiritual children told him, he smiled, as usual, and said "God will not let it happen. I am sure He will let them down!"

After two months he recovered completely, and went out to the Church, praising God. The Metropolitan's residence was very crowded. The people held the palm leaves and they were waving the olive branches with joy, when they heard of his recovery.

Our blessed father Anba Abraam departed to Paradise on Thursday 2 Paoni1630 A.M. (9 June 1914) after sunset.

More than ten thousand persons attended his funeral, both Christians and Moslems (twenty five thousand persons in some accounts). But the history of Anba Abraam did not end. In every Egyptian home there is still a lot to be told about him, for he was truly a God-loving man. The saint's body is preserved at the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Fayoum in Egypt.

In 1964, the Holy Synod of Coptic Orthodox Bishops decided to add his name to the Saints mentioned in the Diptych of the Saints during the Divine Liturgy, and many Coptic Orthodox churches around the world today are named after him.

[edit] Miracles

It happened that Anba Abraam received furniture for the episcopate. He refused to use it, and asked the servant to put it in storage. When a woman came to him complaining that her daughter's engagement is not going to result in a wedding, because they don't have money to buy furniture for her and her future husband, Anba Abraam told the servant to show her the new furniture, and let her take what she needed. Some of the people complained to Pope Kyrillos V about giving away the furniture. Afterwards, there was a collection to build a new house of the episcopate. Anba Abraam gave that money also to the poor and the needy. There goes another complaint. The Pope summoned him. He went without delay and he was an old man, with poor eyesight. On his arrival, he was rushed in to see the Pope in his suite. It was a Summer afternoon, a ray of the sun through a hole in the shade of the window was mistaken by Anba Abraam as a robe (for hanging clothes, which was a habit in those days to install robes for hanging clothes). Anba Abraam threw his "farageyia" (coat) on it, and it stayed there! The Pope seeing how the Lord is working wonders to support and not embarrass this saint on earth, changed the purpose of the call, and instead inquired about his health and gave him 15,000 Egyptian Pounds to build a new house for the episcopate. When the people came back to see the Pope, he scolded them for their lack of faith, concluding, "How can I argue with a man of God who was able to hang his coat on a ray of the sun" The new house of the episcopate was not built in Anba Abraam's life. The money was again used to help the poor.

Countless of other miracles occurred during St. Abraam's earthly life and after his departure to Heaven. Miracles also continue to occur to this day through the intercession of St. Abraam. Some accounts are available at http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/synexarion/abraam-miracles.html