St. Pope Kyrillos VI

OBJECTIVE

Contemplate and understand St. Pope Kyrillos VI's life and the example he gave us of how to live a life of prayer.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes

Please review the previous week's lesson. (5 minutes)

The Story of St. Pope Kyrillos VI's ordination (5 minutes)

Or play video of Pope Kyrillos ordination, consecration of St Mark, receiving relics, etc.

Throughout our church's history, there have been times of sadness and sorrow in believers' hearts. The church was experiencing one of those periods after the departure of Pope Yousab II when it came time to elect a new shepherd for the church. Metropolitan Athanasius was the Deputy Patriarchate at the time, and he nominated Father Mina El-Baramousy (aka Father Mina the Hermit and future Pope Kyrillos VI) as one of the candidates for Pope without informing him.

After all the final nominations were submitted, Metropolitan Athanasius called Father Mina and asked him, "Father Mina, why are you not part of this election?"

"Your Eminence, may the Lord bless you, and may the Lord choose a good shepherd to guide His people with piety and purity of heart."

"You should not have missed this duty."

"Who I am I but a little worm, to even consider this glorious and serious responsibility, and carry its enormous trusteeship, which should be given to a divinely chosen person, and not to whoever wants it."

"But I still did not hear your answer as to why you didn't allow yourself to be nominated and allow the Lord to choose according to His will?"

"Your Holiness, all of my fathers, the monks who were nominated, are suitable for this critical position. But as for me, I am content with the Lord's grace that is with me."

"Father Mina, I submitted a nomination for you."

"May the Lord bless you, Your Eminence, but where would the lowly stand between kings?"

"The Lord can lift the poor man from the pits to seat him with the principles of his people."

"May the Lord bless you, Your Eminence, and guide us and lead us."

On Friday, April 17, 1959, the nominees were narrowed down to three monks: Father Demian El-Meharaqi, Father Angelos El-Meharaqi, and Father Mina El-Baramousy.

Sunday, April 19, 1959, was the day the Pope would be chosen. A Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Metropolitan Athanasius, and attended by most of the senior clergy of the Coptic Church. Three papers, each bearing the name of a nominee, were put into a sealed envelope and placed on the altar, as witnessed by the congregation and Dr. Ramzy Stino, the state representative. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the envelope was unsealed in front of the clergy and congregation. A young deacon was appointed to pull out one of the papers from the envelope. The name of "Father Mina El-Baramousy" was chosen. At that moment, the Cathedral bells rang with joy announcing the divine choice. The congregation, and all Coptic people, rejoiced and raised many thankful prayers to the Lord. The news was transmitted by all of the radio stations. The news reached Father Mina who broke into tears while praying the Divine Liturgy at St. Mina's Monastery in Old Cairo.

He refused to allow his beloved ones to ring the church bells before the end of the Divine Liturgy. Shortly afterward, clergy and church members flowed into the monastery. Father Mina walked out of the altar welcoming them, and prayed, "Glory be to God. The Lord has chosen to demonstrate His power and glory through my weakness. I tremble with fear in the glory of Your power. You are just and right. You do not forget your beloved. From You, we receive power and help, O, Our Lord and Redeemer."

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

St. Pope Kyrillos was a true man of prayer. Let's memorize this verse that he lived and breathed in his life both as a monk and Pope.

Memory Verse "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

We saw St. Pope Kyrillos' great humility and spirituality in how he dealt with the news of his nomination and selection to be the 116th Pope of Alexandria.

St. Pope Kyrillos VI was born Azer Youssef Atta in 1902 in the city of Damanhour in Lower Egypt to godly parents. The Hegumen Tadros El-Baramousy, an elder monk, used to frequently visit the family, and he foretold his monastic life. As he grew older, Azer practiced the monastic life at home -- persevering in studying the Holy Books, church subjects, its rituals, and hymns.

In 1927, he joined the Monastery of El-Baramous in Wadi El-Natrun at the age of 25. In 1931, he was ordained a priest and chose the name Mina because of his great love for his patron saint, St. Mina the wonderworker.

Between 1936 and 1942 he lived as a hermit in a deserted windmill in Old Cairo, where he diligently held a daily liturgy. People sought his blessings and miraculous powers. It is said that many miracles happened during that period. He attracted graduate students who wished to be monks and advised them to join the Monastery of the Syrians in Wadi El-Natrun. Among the students who were influenced by him were Father Matthew the Poor (Matta El-Miskin), Bishop Samuel, and Pope Shenouda III, his successor.

In 1941, he was assigned to be the abbot of St. Samuel the Confessor Monastery in Qalamoun Mount. He renovated the monastery and church and built new cells for the monks. Six years later, he returned to Old Cairo where he built a church after the name of St. Mina. He was revered for his perpetual prayers and strong faith and healed the sick, cast out evil spirits, and solved many problems of his visitors.

Pope Kyrillos was elected patriarch on April 19, 1959, after the departure of Pope Yousab II.

One of his first accomplishments was laying the foundation for the Monastery of St. Mina in Mariout in 1959 and relocating the pure relics of this blessed saint.

In 1960, Pope Kyrillos issued a decree that all the priests must be graduates of the Clerical College. He was also able to secure permission from President Gamal Abdel-Nasser to build 25 churches each year, and thus he avoided the long complicated process of obtaining such permissions.

On April 2, 1968, one of the greatest events in modern Coptic history took place: the apparition of the Holy Virgin St. Mary in Zeitoun.

Later that year, on July 26, 1968, Pope Kyrillos and the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I inaugurated the new St. Mark's Cathedral in Abbasiyya (Cairo) on the occasion of the transfer of the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist from Venice to Cairo and the 1900th anniversary of his martyrdom.

Another important contribution of Pope Kyrillos was his solution to the problem of the administration of the Waqfs (property or land endowed to the Church); he established an independent board to control the Waqfs. During his pontificate, the Coptic Church became a member of the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches. One of his other important contributions was the consecration of three bishops for social affairs, higher education, and religious education.

Pope Kyrillos never forgot that he was the poor monk Mina. His food was very simple. Many days he would subsist on a meal of dry bread, salt, and cumin. He was diligent in singing midnight praise daily.

All testified that the pope's love of the holy liturgy was unique. Pope Shenouda III described this love, "In all the history of our church, no one celebrated as many liturgies as Pope Kyrillos did. Pope Kyrillos celebrated more than 12,000 liturgies. Such an event had never happened before in the history of any Pope of Alexandria, or in the world, or among the monks. He was formidable in his prayers."

When God wanted to give him rest from the afflictions of this present age, he had a brief illness. On the day of his departure, March 9, 1971, he received a number of his children and blessed them with his cross saying, "May the Lord arrange your affairs" then delivered his pure soul into the hands of God. On November 25, 1972, his body was relocated to the Monastery of St. Mina in Mariout, according to his written will. It is said that on that day, the sky thundered and rain came down in such a way that had never been seen before.

The Holy Synod officially recognized Pope Kyrillos VI as a saint in 2013. We celebrate the day of his departure on March 9 (Amshir 30).

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

  • What is one of the many contributions St. Pope Kyrillos made to the Coptic Church?
  • What qualities or traits did St. Pope Kyrillos exhibit in his spiritual life that we can learn from?
  • In what ways did St. Pope Kyrillos maintain his life as a monk even after becoming Pope?
  • The windmill was instrumental in forming and maintaining Pope Kyrillos' life with God. In what ways can we develop our own "windmill"?

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

St. Pope Kyrillos was not just a man who prayed, but a man of prayer. Prayer was not just a part of his life; his life was prayer. He famously said, "Prayer fills the soul with warm, spiritual desire. Prayers are strength for the soul and nourishment for the spirit. If prayer weakens, the soul becomes timid and the spirit may faint along the way. Prayer is the life of the spirit. When it stops, the source of favor dries up. If we are not alert, we fall asleep. And if we sleep, the enemy comes and plants in us any weed he wants. But prayers guard the soul, purify the spirit, and eliminate strange thoughts. A heart without a guard, a defender, preparation, or armor becomes a target for strange thoughts."

Throughout this week, reflect on how you can apply St. Pope Kyrillos' love for prayer in your own spiritual life.

ACTIVITY - 5 Minutes

St. Pope Kyrillos emphasized the need for order and discipline in our prayers. Take a moment to reflect on how you might create order and discipline in your personal prayers. Think about what you can do differently to truly live a life of prayer. Write down your ideas on a piece of paper, sticky notes, or on your phone so that in your daily prayers you can remember your commitment.

SERVANT RESOURCES

  • Abba Kyrillos: Patriarch and Solitary (pdf)
  • Pope Kyrillos VI and the Spiritual Leadership (pdf)
  • The Life of the Saint Pope Kyrillos the Sixth (pdf)

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

The miracles and stories about St. Pope Kyrillos VI are many. Have students ask their parents if they know of any. If not, have students do online research and share/discuss the miracles and stories with their families.