Anba Abraam
Anba Abraam became a monk at a young age and was known for his deep spirituality, love for the poor, and leadership, later serving as a bishop transforming communities with his humility, devotion, and miracles, and after a life of prayer and service.
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Background
In the year 1829 AD, in a village called "Calad" in Egypt, was born the child Paul Gabriel. His parents were righteous and loved God.
He was sent to Church School where his teacher Rafael took care of him, taught him reading, writing, arithmetic, the Holy Scriptures and psalms, ecclesiastic hymns and psalmody. He was very intelligent and anxious to learn everything.
When he was eight years old, his mother became very ill, and a few weeks later died, leaving behind a lonely child. As he loved prayers and psalms, he found in it that God can bless his motions and fill his heart.
When he was 15, the priests recommended him to Anba 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 St Virgin Mary Monastery "El-Maharrak" in Asyut, Egypt, when Reverend Father Abd-el-Malek was in charge of the monastery. He was very decent, active, and he loved all the monks. They recommended him and he was ordained as a monk when he was nineteen years old, in 1848. His new name became Reverend Paul El-Meharraki.
He was distinguished by his patience and self-control, as well as his interest in almsgiving.
Anba Yakoubos heard about him and asked him to come to the bishop's house and to remain with him. Reverend Paul worked day and night, and he changed the bishop's house to a shelter for the poor.
His deep eagerness for contemplating with God convinced him to ask the bishop to leave for the monastery again after he spent four years helping the bishop. Then the bishop ordained him as a priest and allowed him to return to the monastery in 1863.
At that time there was a problem regarding Abouna Abdel-Malek, who was in charge of the monastery, but Abouna Paul did not interfere with these problems.
So the monks chose him 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 were forty monks.
The late Anba Marcos, the bishop of Luxor, was ordained as a monk in 1870 at El-Maharrak Monastery and he grew under the the leadership of Abouna 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 he remained with him until 1879 when he was ordained as bishop for Luxor.
Up until today 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.
The devil was furious when he saw the monastery opened for the poor, and young people were changed with their love for Jesus and their continuous prayers, and made some of the monks think that Abouna Paul was wasting the money of the monastery and they rebelled against him.
In 1870, Abouna Paul was asked to leave the monastery after being in charge for five years.
Anba Abraam (2019) from St Demiana Monastery
Reliquary of Anba Abraam
He went with four of his students to Cairo to meet Anba Marcous, who at that time was the acting Pope, and they asked him to go to the Monastery of Anba Bishoy at the Natrun Valley in the western desert of Egypt, where they remained for a short period. After, they went to the nearby El-Baramous Monastery in 1871. At that time the president of this monastery was Abouna Youhanna, who later became Pope Kyrillos V. He was so glad to receive them and he offered them a place to stay.
Abouna 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 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, Yohannes IV asked Pope Kyrillos V, to get a metropolitan and three Bishops for the Ethiopian Empire, so he chose the four fathers who were accompanying Abouna Paul.
At the same time Anba Isaac the metropolitan of the province of Fayoum and Giza departed, then the four fathers asked the Pope to ordain their father as a bishop for that diocese. The Pope and the people of the Fayoum were happy and joyful on that day, for the ordination of their new bishop, Anba Abraam, in 1881.
During his time, the diocese of the Fayoum became a great vine, in whose shadow the poor and rich sat with great delight.
When the Tewfik Pasha, ruler of Egypt, visited El-Fayoum they made a great lunch party. Anba Abraam was sitting very near to the Tewfik. He did not eat except salad, and when the Tewfik asked him he answered that the day was Fridays and the 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 Tewfik welcomed him deeply saying to him,
You are a blessed man...
The rulers and governors, even the tyrannical ones found rest in him. So the simple bishop's home became their rest place.
In the year 1893, he was seriously ill in his leg, that the doctors decided to perform surgery to cut it off. When one of his spiritual children expressed his concerns to him, he smiled, as usual, and said,
God will not let it happen. I am sure He will let them down!
After 2 months he recovered completely, and went out to the church, praising God. The bishop's house was very crowded during this time. The people held the palm leaves and they were waving the olive branches with joy, when they heard of his recovery.
On Thursday 9 June 1914 after the sunset, our blessed father departed to Paradise. More than 10,000 people attended his funeral, with some estimates at 20,000, both Christians and Muslims.
