SAINT BISHOY

		       The Beloved of Our Good Savior
		       ------------------------------

"Bishoy"  is a Coptic word,  which means "lofty".  Saint Bishoy is one of the
monastic Fathers of the fourth century A.D. He was the  only one to be called
"the perfect man". 

Saint Bishoy was born in 320 A.D. of a pious family in a small village called
Shensha, in the province of  Menoufeya. An angel appeared  to his mother, and
announced  to her that her son  was chosen from among  all his brothers to be
the servant of God;  she obeyed gladly  and prepared him  for his mission. In
340 A.D. Saint Bishoy went to  live in Wadi-El-Natroun and  there he became a
friend  of Saint John  the Short (famous for the  "tree  of obedience"); both
were disciples of Saint Pambo.

When Saint Pambo died, Saint Bishoy and Saint John prayed for God's guidance,
and an  angel  appeared to Saint  Bishoy,  directing him to   the site of the
present monastery, on which he was to live the life of a hermit. There, Saint
Bishoy became the  spiritual father to  many monks who gathered aroundhim. He
grew  famous for  his  love,  simplicity and  kindness, as   well as for  his
extremely ascetic life.

He was  serious, wise and  a great recluse,   loving seclusion and quietness.
Emperor Constantine and Jeremiah the prophet  appeared to him in visions, and
Saint Ephrem the Syrian visited him.

It is said  that because of his  love for God  and his desire  to be with Him
always, he used  to tie his hair with  a rope to the  ceiling of his cell  in
order to resist sleeping during his long night prayers.

The Coptic Church's tradition tells us  that Saint Bishoy  met our Lord Jesus
Christ on several occasions.  On one such occasion,  he carried our Lord, Who
met him as an old man on his way. Our tradition also  tells us that it is for
this  reason that  the  body  of Saint   Bishoy  remains uncorrupted to  this
day. Saint Bishoy is   also said to have washed   the feet of the  Lord,  Who
visited him as a poor stranger.

In the year 407 A.D.,  the first  sack of Scetis   occured, in which  Berbers
attacked the monasteries. During this  time Saint Bishoy, accompanied by some
of his disciples, went to Antinoopolis, near the  present-day town of Mallawi
(currently known as "Deir-El-Barsha"). There he met Saint  Paul of Tammah and
their love for each other  was such that  God  promised them that they  would
never be parted. Until this day, the uncorrupted body of Saint Bishoy and the
relics of Saint Paul still lie together  in the main  church of the monastery
of Saint Bishoy in Wadi-El-Natroun. 

Saint Bishoy died on July 15, 417 A.D., and was known for his love, meekness,
simplicity, and his worship.