The Encyclical Epistle of the Church at SMYRNAM

St. Abanoub

Martyred on the 24th Day of Abib

St. Abanoub was born in a town called Nehisa in the Nile Delta of Egypt, the only child of good Christian parents who died when he was a young boy. At the age of twelve, St. Abanoub entered the church and heard the priest asking the congregation to remain faithful throughout the persecutions that were taking place at the hands of Diocletion the Roman Emperor. The priest warned the congregation from worshipping idols and encouraged them to deliver themselves to death for the sake of the Lord. During the reign of Diocletion, thousands of Christians were martyred for the name of Jesus Christ.

St. Abanoub received the Holy Sacraments and prayed to God to guide him to where he could show his faith in Jesus Christ. He then went out and sold all of his possessions to the poor, and set off to a city called Samanoud on foot. As he was walking, he saw the Archangel Michael before him. Because the sight was so amazing, St. Abanoub fell to the ground, but the Archangel Michael picked him up and told him he must suffer for three days in Samanoud and be a witness to Jesus Christ in other places as well.

Once in Samanoud, St. Abanoub went before the Roman ruler Lucianus and openly declared his faith and insulted the idols that the ruler worshipped. Lucianus was enraged and gave orders for his soldiers to whip St. Abanoub’s stomach. The soldiers beat him so severely that his intestines poured out of his stomach. After this, the Archangel Michael miraculously healed his terrible wounds. St. Abanoub was thrown in jail with other Christians who became encouraged by his presence and were later martyred for the name of Jesus Christ.

The next day, Lucianus took St. Abanoub on a boat to a city called Atrib, and in order to punish the young boy, he hung St. Abanoub upside down from the mast of the ship. The soldiers and their ruler rejoiced on the boat—drinking, dancing, and repeatedly hitting St. Abanoub on the mouth. St. Abanoub’s nose started to bleed, but then unexpectedly, the soldiers became paralyzed. In their agony, they begged St. Abanoub to pray to his God to heal them. They promised that if they were cured, they would become Christians. St. Abanoub replied saying, “This will only happen in Atrib, so that everyone there should know that there’s no other God but Christ.” When the boat arrived in Atrib, they were all healed and cried with joy, “We are Christians! We believe in the God of Abanoub!” The soldiers then took off their uniforms and threw them down in front of the governor of Atrib. The governor was very angry and ordered them all to be killed.

In Atrib, St. Abanoub was severely tortured—by being whipped and sometimes by being tied to his steel bed and having a fire ignited beneath him. Throughout all of these tribulations, the Lord showed his power and St. Abanoub was saved each time. Because of these miracles, many onlookers became Christians and received the crown of martyrdom. Not to be deterred, the governor ordered that St. Abanoub’s hands and feet be cut off. When this was done, an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, replaced St. Abanoub’s hands and feet, and completely healed the young boy. After this, St. Abanoub arose and walked in front of everybody. Hundreds of people became Christians as a result of this miracle.

Frustrated, the ruler called on the best magicians in the world, asking them to help him defeat St. Abanoub. They suggested that he be thrown to poisonous snakes which “had enough poison to kill two or three hundred men”, they claimed. The ruler put St. Abanoub in a cell with these snakes, but God, who shut the mouths of the lions at the time of Daniel, tamed the snakes so that St. Abanoub was not harmed. In the morning, to everybody’s astonishment, St. Abanoub came out of the cell alive. One of the snakes slithered out of the cell behind St. Abanoub and coiled itself around the ruler’s neck. He started shaking and cried to St. Abanoub, “In the name of Jesus, your God, be merciful to me and don’t let the snake harm me.” St. Abanoub, who loved everyone—friend or enemy—just as the Bible commands, prayed from his heart and ordered the snake to come down and not injure the ruler. On that day again, many people who were present, including the three magicians, believed in Jesus Christ.

Finally, one of the ruler’s advisor’s suggested that in order to put an end to this episode, St. Abanoub should be beheaded, and so the ruler ordered the soldiers to kill St. Abanoub by the sword. He was only twelve years old when the Roman ruler martyred him. A faithful man named St. Julius El Akfahsi wrapped St. Abanoub’s body in fine linen and sent him to his hometown of Nehisa where he was buried. St. Julius also wrote a biography about the brave, young saint.

In 960 AD, St. Abanoub’s body was transferred to St. Virgin Mary Church in Samanoud, where it still lies until today. Throughout the years, St. Abanoub has appeared many times in this church. It is also said that the Holy Family visited this place during their flight to Egypt. The church still contains the well from which Jesus, St. Mary, and St. Joseph drank. Numerous apparitions and miracles occur at this church.

St. Abanoub has had many apparitions over years in his church in Samanoud. He often appears as a 12 year old child and has performed many miracles.

A well-known bishop visited from Montreal and spoke about the miracles that he has witnessed. He said, “One day, I was visiting Samanoud, and I participated in celebrating the holy liturgy in St. Virgin Mary and St. Abanoub Church. The holy liturgy was in the middle of the week and was attended by very few people. After we finished, I told the priest that I really enjoyed praying the mass in the church, except for one thing; I added that throughout the prayers a young boy kept coming in and out of the front door. The priest told me that he did not see any young children, and that few grown-ups attended the mass. Then he concluded that the young boy was St. Abanoub.”

Another man said that after he attended mass at the church he went on his way carrying a briefcase. “It was raining, and I slipped and fell into a puddle. Then a young boy came out running at me, and helped me get on my feet. He handed me my briefcase, and told me to cross to the other side of the road. I was surprised to find out that my clothes and my briefcase were completely dry. Then I looked for the little boy, but he had disappeared.”

There is no doubt that there are many more stories just like these that have gone unreported. St. Abanoub, the faithful young saint, continues to perform wonders and miracles for many, many people until this day.

May the prayers and supplications of this great martyr, the child St. Abanoub, be with us, Amen.