El-Keraza Friday 24 November 2000 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Metropolitan Athanasios of Beni-Sweif & Bahnasa =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= In the evening of Saturday 18 November 2000, the Coptic church farweled one of the major signs of it's Holy Synod: His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Beni-Sweif and Bahnasa. He departed after a long struggle with illness that began with "broken blood plaques?", then cancer in the prostate accompanied by problems in Marara?, Unrina that he could hardly talk. >From Beni-Sweif, he came to Dr Refaat Kamel Hospital. Pope Shenouda visited him there, annointed him with oil and prayed the absolution. The situation deteriorated that he entered in a temporar comma and then a permanent one and departed in the morning of Thursday 16 November, at 77 years old to the house of light and joy crowned with pains and genuine ministry. Upon his arrival to the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on Thursday evening Pope Shenouda learned about his departure that he broke his visit to France and returned back on Friday evening. Then he drove on to Beni-Sweif to arrive on Saturday at 13:00 pm where he conducted the funeral at the Cathedral of Beni-Sweif. The funeral was attended by 44 Coptic Metropolitan and Bishop and two Catholic Metropolitans: Metropolitans Antonios Naguib and Andrawes Salama as well as Rev'd Safwat El-Bayadi and a big number of priests and faithful. The funeral was also attended by Eng Saeed El-Nagar the mayor of Beni-Sweif, General Dr Ragab Abdel-Hamid the Head of the Security of Beni-Sweif, Taha Kamal the supervisor of Security of State and members of the Paliament, Senate, Moslem Leaders and Mr Ramez Attalla the Director of the Bible Society. After the funeral, Pope Shenouda talked and mentionned the relations that bound him with Metropolitan Athanasios and talked about his life and ministry. He gave condolence to the mourning crowds that filled the cathedral and all surrounding streets and alleys. He concluded his word by saying:"And you my brother Athanasios depart in peace May the Lord help us as He helped you" The child Abdel-Messih Bishara was born on 1923 in Elmahala Elkobra City and rose up in a pious family that knew priesthood since the 19th century. His 6th grandfather is Hegumen Abdel-Messih of Elmahala Elkobra City who departed in 1810 whose son Hegumen Mikhail departed in 1840. In the beginning of the 1880s his uncle Abdel-Messih El-Mahalawy was consecrated monk at St Bishoy Monastery to become later Metropolitan Macarius of Assiut and later on the late Pope Macarius III (Pope number 114). On 26 February 1948 his brother Agricultural Engineer Michel Bishara was ordained priest for St George Church in Elmahala Elkobra in the name Fr Mikhail Bishara who departed on 19 December 1985. His family known as "El-Kassis Family" (priest family) and is highly regarded in the church and society. The young man Abdel-Messih Bishara finished high school to study at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Cairo University and graduated at the same time from the Theological Seminary in Cairo in 1954. Then he worked as English Language Teacher in a Secondary School in Cairo. During those years he served as layman at Virgin Mary Church (Faggallah) and studied laboriously the Holy Bible and published some of his papers periodically at the Sunday School Magazine till August 1958. After Nazeer Gayed (now Pope Shenouda) left the monastery, he taught the New Testament topic at the Theological Seminary in 1954. In 7 September 1958, he was ordained monk at Virgin Mary (Syrian) Monastery in Wadi El-Natrun in the name Fr Macarius El-Suriany he was also ordained priest and kept on publishing his studies at the Sunday School Magazine. On 10 May 1959, Pope Kyrollos VI became head of the church and began caring for monks who had worked in the field of Sunday School. He chose Fr Macarius to represent the Coptic Church in spiritual meetings and asked him also to travel to a City in South Africa to attend an Ecumenical Meeting. Shortly after, Bishop Theophilos the abbot of the Syrian Monastery chose Fr Macarius to be prior of the monastery. As monk he had a strong health temptation that isolated him in the hospital for several months. In the midst of those pains, he was able to translate the Liturgy and many sermons into English. On 22 July 1962 Metropolitan Athanasios the Great of Beni-Sweif and Bahnasa departed and Copts of the diocese asked Pope Kyrollos to appoint somebody to look after the diocese and so HH sent Fr Macarius as Papal Delegate for Beni-Sweif. This latter obeyed saying: "Shouldn't it be obligatory Sayedna". People in the diocese saw in him a natural bishop as paternity, advise, charity and ministry. They gathered thousands of signatures for the Pope and nominated him to be their bishop, the Pope didn't hesitate and consecrated him bishop on Sunday 9 September 1962 morning in the name Bishop Athanasios. After reading the Gospel, the new bishop Athanasios gave a sermon talking about the great ministry accomplished by his predecessor and said: "When one nominates somebody, he shares the responsibility..". The faithful were touched to hear those words which are considered an alliance between the bishop and his flock. After the departure of Pope Kyrollos and the vacancy of the Papal Throne (7 months), Bishop Athanasios was appointed secretary of the Holy Synod. On 1980, Pope Shenouda III promoted him to the degree of Metropolitan. He was the first bishop to ask the Pope to appoint assistants for him, hence Pope Shenouda ordained 2 Khury-Episcopus (Assistant-Bishop) for him: Abba Matthaus (Now Bishop Matthaus abbot of the Syrian Monastery) and Abba Moussa (Now General Bishop of the Youth). Then Pope Shenouda consecrated two gerenal bishops to assist him: Bishop Stephanos and Bishop Gabriel. In October 1981 after the departure of Bishop Samuel, he followed hin in directing BLESS. He also participated in many movement in the Middle East Council of Churches. Metropolitan Athanasios founded the Mary's Daughters Convent in Beni-Sweif and published many books as interpretations to the New Testament. On 1977 he participated in publishing a new version of the "Paradise of the Monks". At the beginning of this year 2000, he asked Pope Shenouda to publish a series of articles about family at El-Keraza Magazine. He published 10 articles till 10 November 2000. The Pope asked him to teach at St Athanasios Coptic Theological Seminary in London. On Sunday 29 October 00 he returned to Egypt from abroad and on Thursday 16 November 2000, he departed to the land of the living. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=