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He was called to the priesthood when the priest of Kaafr Abdou departed, and the people of Kaafr Abdou remembered their native son Mr. Mikhail. They nominated him, and the [[Bishop]] of Guiza at that time, the departed Anba Youannis, was delighted to ordain a man who was known for his dedication and selfless life. He was 52 years of age when he became priest. He dedicated himself to the service of God and stopped many bad habits like collection plates and payments for services rendered by the church. One year later, he was elevated to the position of 'Qummoss' Archpriest. He saw the need for help, so he nominated and was able to arrange for a younger man to be ordained to assist him. The younger man turned the congregation against Fr. Mikhail accusing him of being wasteful, instead of thanking him for his generosity with all. He did not defend himself, instead he left Kaafr Abdou in 1955 for Old Cairo.
The Call to serve one of the larger congregations in Cairo, came shortly thereafter when the priest of St. Mark Coptic Church of Hadaaiq Shoubra (The departed Fr. Marcos Daoud) needed a priest to fill in for a [[monk]] who was sick. When he met Abouna Mikhail, he realized immediately that he is the kind of partner he needed to help him take care of a large congregation and a large ministry including among other things the headquarters of the [[Bible]] Friends Society of Egypt. They served together for 20 years. Fr. Marcos Daoud had in Abouna Mikhail Ibrahim the sincere and dedicated brother he needed and they complemented each other. Fr. Marcos was a prolific writer and translator of many great works. Abouna Mikhail was a man of prayer and was trusted by a multitude of people to hear their confessions and help complete the sacrament of [[penance ]] (repentance).
Abouna Mikhail was a man of sorrows, he lost two sons, Philemon and Paul as infants. He also lost his eldest son Ibrahim, when Ibrahim was a promising young Doctor. This was followed shortly by the departure of his dear wife, Mary. To the people who came to comfort him, he gave the words of comfort: "I thank God because I have three sons and their mother praying for me." Only a great man can utter such words in the face of adversity. It was not easy for him to be a widower with all his responsibilities spending his days in the church and his evenings, which usually extended to the early hours of the next morning, hearing confessionals that mostly took place in his house which was less than a hundred yards away.
