Spectacular Egypt 60: Philanthropist

We witness Egypt progressing through the years and ages, carrying stars that have shone in its skies throughout its prolonged glorious history. Egyptians they are, born of this great nation, indeed becoming the focus of attention worldwide. One such glimmer upon its luminous pages is the great Saint Abraam, Bishop of Fayyoum and Giza, who departed our world on 10th June, 1914, and whose commemoration we celebrate annually.

Now that Egypt has presented the world with the order of monasticism, with the first monk being St. Anthony [Abba Antonius], ushering the whole world to follow in Egyptians’ footsteps, likewise it offered shining specimens of those who walked the path of monasticism. Abba Abraam was one such person, who was presented by monasticism to the world. His fame spread through the continents to reach the British writer Leeder, during his stay in France, urging him to decide traveling to Egypt accompanied by his wife to meet with him, and they were both most touched by this encounter. Swiftly, the writer’s pen took to paper, recording all the history of this revered Egyptian bishop. He wrote: “This saintly elder was known to the entire East, who recognized him as a direct successor to a string of early Christians.” These words minutely describe the originality of Egypt, its distinction and ability to preserve all that is handed down to it in terms of values, principles and faith throughout its history.

His Upbringing

Abba Abraam was born in 1829 in Menya, named Boulis Ghobrial. In 1848, aged 19, he took his monastic vows at the Monastery of St. Mary “Al-Muharraq”, under the name Boulis Al-Delgawy Al-Muharraqi. Due to his amiability and refined manners, he earned great love from his brothers the monks at the monastery, so his fame spread all the way to the Bishop of Menya at the time, Bishop Yacobos, who summoned him to manage the affairs of the diocese. He took care of the poor assisting them, then he was ordained priest in 1863. However, he yearned to return to his monastery and monastic life, so he returned after spending around 4 years away.

At Al-Muharraq Monastery

Upon his return, the monks agreed to choose Fr. Boulis as their leader. During such time, he focused his attention to improving the internal and external affairs of the monastery, repairing whatever had been eroded, sowing vineyards, and stabilizing the monastery’s conditions, thereby attracting far from few monks. Meanwhile, news of the charitable deeds carried out by the monastery’s Abbot, Fr. Boulis, reached the poor and destitute, who flocked to him. He, on his part, paid great heed to their needs, such that the number of those who resorted to the monastery for assistance surpassed the number of monks within the confines of the monastery. Some combatted him, assuming that the monastery would go bankrupt due to his charity, subsequently demanding his suspension. So he left the monastery with some of his loyal disciples, amid the tears and wailing of the poor, after he had spent around five years as abbot.

At Al-Baramous Monastery

Fr. Boulis Al-Delgawy Al-Muharraqi had moved to the St. Bishoy Monastery, then to St. Mary’s Monastery “Al-Baramous”, where he whiled away his time in prayer, reading the Holy Bible, bestowing charity on the poor, with all his available resources.

His Ordination

In 1888, the King of Ethiopia asked the patriarch to ordain for the Ethiopian Church three bishops to be sent there, so he ordained the spiritual children of Fr. Boulis, yet they demanded their teacher be ordained as Bishop of Fayyoum and Giza, following the departure of Abba Isaac, its bishop. The pope granted their request, ordaining Fr. Boulis as Bishop of Fayyoum and Giza, under the name Abba Abraam.

No sooner had he taken control of the diocese, than his reputation of love and virtue spread everywhere, all too many of his congregation, whatever their ranks, were resorting to him. One historian put it thus: “Fr. Boulis was ordained as Bishop Abba Abraam, and shifted towards taking office. In no time, the aroma of his virtue and fine word of his reputation spread everywhere. Droves of people from all walks of life visited his diocese, where they would find it packed with poor people, who rushed to him in the hundreds and thousands. To them, he would distribute all the money he had.”

Abba Abraam lent the utmost attention to the poor and destitute, such that he was said to dedicate the first floor of his residence to the poor, blind and sick. He took personal care of their meals, never allowing better food to be served to himself than the food they received. It’s told he appointed a female caterer to be in charge of meals for the poor and destitute, enjoining her never to distinguish between his meals and theirs. In one such incident, as he was visiting the poor to check on their food, he found meals differing to what he had been offered, and was greatly grieved, after which he removed her from her office of ministering to the poor.

Bestower

Abba Abraam never turned away anyone approaching him with a request. He would offer all the money he had to the needy. If he had no money to provide, he’d offer his shawl, or any of his personal belongings!

One time a woman asked him for money to buy food and finding he had none on him, he gave her a silk shawl he’d received as a gift, to sell for her needs. As she was selling it, she was spotted by the person who presented the shawl to the bishop in the first place, so he bought it from her and restored it to him. It was told as well, that to a woman who came requesting some money, he provided the only pound he had on his person at the time, only to find the deputy running after her to exchange the pound for 20 piasters! The woman went back to inform the bishop of what happened. He summoned the deputy for reproach, then restored the pound, leaving her the 20 piasters in addition. Although there wasn’t much cash at the diocese back then, in a dearth of time, money and donations started arriving.

With all this tremendous love for the poor, and his assistance for them, whoever tried to fool the “man of bestowing” got his just deserts. Some contemporaries of Abba Abraam mentioned that three young men tried to fool him once; two of them went to him with a fake story that the third had died and they had no money for his burial. The bishop asked them pointedly: “Did he die?” One of them replied: “Yes, he died”. So he gave them money for the funeral. Upon returning, they discovered their third friend had indeed passed away!!

His Asceticism

Abba Abraam never paid any attention to appearances. He was a simple man in both attire and food, as well as a most humble creature. On this aspect, Leeder wrote that the bishop got upset when he and his wife insisted to bow and kneel before him. He also rejected all words of reverence, and would seat himself on a chair similar to those of the public.

It’s told the Czar of Russia and his wife visited him while in Egypt in 1898, due to what they’d heard about his character. After he prayed for them, they attempted to hand him money, but he refused. Following several attempts, he took one gold pound coin and gave it to his disciple. His two guests felt a high sense of awe in his presence, unlike any they’d experienced throughout their lives.

Abba Abraam earned abundant fondness in the hearts of all who knew him. It was even told that the two managers of the Fayyoum province would frequent him to earn his blessings and receive sound advice. They would rush to him with any problems they encountered, in order to find solutions. We hear that on one occasion, Khedive Tawfiq paid a visit to Fayyoum, brimming with cheerfulness upon meeting this saint, said he, “You are a blessed man.” The meeting was talk of the town back then, due to that hospitality afforded the bishop from the khedive.

His Fatherhood

Abba Abraam was Bishop and Father to one and all. He would grant every person without asking or considering what their religion or status might be, bestowing to whoever approach him whatever they required. He would constantly repeat: “A bishop is for everybody, for Christians and Muslims alike.”

His Departure

In 1914, Abba Abraam fell ill, yet he never halted his concern for his ministry and mission, despite the harshness of his disease, until he departed from our world on the 10th of June. The congregation received news of his decease with extreme anguish, all citizens of this one nation shedding tears equally for him. He was carried to his burial site by thousands of Christians and Muslims, having seen him act as Father to all resorting to him. It is circulated that the masses carried his remains from St. Mary’s Church to the Monastery of Al-Azab, and the Railway Transport Authority dedicated an entire train that precise day, to convey funeral attendees carrying the coffin of the bishop. It is mentioned of Mr. Selim Sa’eb, Mayor of Fayyoum at the time, that he told his wife on the day of the bishop’s departure: “Oh, it seems that the Nazarenes’ bishop has passed away… look at the horses and their riders surrounding him, screaming: ‘Ek’owwab, Ek’owwab’.” He later learned upon asking that the word meant “holy”. The saints’ relics remain at his monastery in Fayyoum to this very day.

His Sanctity

He was beatified in 1964, during the tenure of the late Pontiff, His Holiness Pope Kyrillos [Cyril] VI. A papal bull was issued to name Abba Abraam a saint, and for his name to recur in the Church’s prayers. Coincidentally, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II announced the beatification of Pope Kyrillos [Cyril] also in June, 2013, such that his name too would be pronounced in Church prayers, thereby maintaining the Egyptian icon of a single curriculum in luminous threads above Egyptian soil.

His Grace Abba Abraam, the current Bishop of Fayyoum has organized a vast celebratory function on the centennial anniversary of St. Abba Abraam’s departure, honored by the noble presence of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, who inaugurated a cultural center in Fayyoum, so that Egypt would remain a beacon spreading its rays to the whole world.

Of spectacular Egypt, words never end…!