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The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church headed by H.H. Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria declared at the end of its meeting on May 22, 2026 the official recognition by the Church of Abouna Mikhail Ibrahim as Saint.
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[[Image:FrMikhailIbrahim.jpg|right|thumb|Fr Mikhail Ibrahim (1899-1975)]] The [[Coptic]] Orthodox [[archpriest]] 'Abouna' Father '''Mikhail Ibrahim''' (1899-1975) was a unique man. His saintly dedication to [[Christ]] is unparalleled. Others spent a life time enjoying the blessings of this [[saint]]. Among those who knew him well is [[Pope]] [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|Shenouda III]], the Coptic Orthodox [[patriarch]] and a great teacher of our generation. His Holiness was so moved by the departure of [[Abouna ]] Mikhail on [[March 26]], 1975, that he wept and gave a eulogy to be remembered for generations to come. Abouna Mikhail was buried at St. Mark's Cathedral (the Coptic Orthodox Papal Residence) in Cairo, Egypt.
Many saw Abouna Mikhail assigning responsibilities in the Church of God. To St. [[Virgin Mary|Mary the Virgin]] he would say before leaving the [[church]]: "'Aadraa Mariam' (Virgin Mary) you take care of so and so. 'Maar Morcos' (St. [[Apostle Mark|Mark]]) you take care of so and so. 'Maar Girgis' (St. George) you take care of this and that.. etc.". He would then go home believing that all is taken care of. He would ask his parishioners to pray for him, and when anyone brought a problem to his attention he would immediately respond with: "Let us pray". He seldom gave advice because he believed strongly in the power of [[prayer]]. He would say, "let us pray and God will bring the answer".
While at St. Mark Coptic Church, Haddaiq Shoubra (Egypt) where he was [[priest ]] for 20 years, a man came to the office to request his presence at his wedding which was to take place in a few weeks. Abouna Mikhail referred him to the elder priest, the late Fr. Marcos Daoud, claiming he is not worthy to perform the ceremony. Fr. Marcos referred the man to then Junior priest Fr. Stephanos who was [[ordination|ordained ]] less than a year at that time in the mid 1960s. Fr. Stephanos did what was expected of a man in training with two wise and elderly fathers. He referred the man back to Abouna Mikhail. The man threw his arms in the air saying: "It seems that I will not get married, you gave me the run-around!" Abouna Mikhail replied: "Brother: one of us will be there for sure. May be the three of us will have time to bless this wedding". The man went home with a big smile on his face (He still did not know for sure who was going to perform the ceremony).
A female member of his [[congregation ]] told this story: "I went to Abouna Mikhail for my confessional. I told him about things that were heavy and troubling and ended in saying: Abouna I do not feel that I can receive the sacrament, I am not worthy." He replied: "Who is. Don't delay for one day. Promise me, tomorrow you will go to church and receive communion." He left a great impression on that person. She felt that God cares and shows his care and compassion through good men of God the likes of Abouna Mikhail.
He used to call everyone with respect adding a title to the name: Mr. so and so, Doctor so and so. I heard him calling the custodian 'Aam fullan' (Uncle so and so) and never referred to himself with more than his first name. He would introduce himself as Mikhail or 'Al-aabd' (the servant) Mikhail.
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.
He departed on the 26th of March, 1975 at the age of 76 after a full life of service to God crowned with 24 blessed years in the priesthood. He served God with dedication and full sacrificial life. When the news of his departure became known, the whole Coptic community headed by the Coptic Orthodox patriarch, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III was weeping the departure of a great man of God. They wanted to bury him near the church where he served, others suggested the village of his birth, or a 100 other places. The Pope of Alexandria had another plan, he requested that Abouna Ibrahim be buried under the Altar of St. Mark Great Cathedral because as his holiness said: "we all needed his prayers for our generation and the generations to come".
'''The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church headed by H.H. Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria declared at the end of its meeting on May 22, 2026 the official recognition by the Church of Abouna Mikhail Ibrahim as Saint.'''
==Source==