St. Abanoub

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the saints module is to teach seventh graders about the life of courageous saints. They will learn about these saints who offer us real life examples of how to be steadfast in the faith. The stories of these martyrs will help them realize how to be courageous and stand up for Christ. Additionally, this module will highlight icon analysis to introduce students to understanding the symbolism of details found in icons. With the story of St. Abanoub, students will learn that no matter how young we are, we can witness and have faith in the Lord.

INTRODUCTION - 05 Minutes

Tell the students: Think back to when you were 12 years old, or try to imagine your life at that age. What are you doing? Perhaps you are attending school, playing outside, or in the worst case scenario, studying for a really hard test. Can you imagine any 12-year old standing in front of an emperor, challenging him by proclaiming their faith, knowing that they might be killed for doing so? I couldn't even imagine an adult doing something this difficult but St. Abanoub, a 12-year old, witnessed to God with this utmost bravery, faith, and strength.

Give each student a picture of St. Abanoub (see attached Activity below). Have them look at the icon and identify the different parts of the picture.

Point out how young he is in the picture, and explain to the students that he was 12 years old (the students' age) when he was martyred.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:10-12

LIFE OF THE SAINT - 20 Minutes

Abanoub was born in a town called Nehisa in the Nile Delta. He was the only son of Christian parents who died when he was a young child. He was raised during the time of the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

When he was 12, Abanoub entered the church and heard the priest asking the congregation to remain faithful during the persecutions.

Using the different points in the icon one by one, tell the rest of the story of St. Abanoub. (See Appendix below for story)

We celebrate his feast on July 31 (Epip 24)

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

What encouraged Abanoub to go to the ruler and confess his faith?
Who appeared to St. Abanoub to heal his wounds?
How did God save St. Abanoub from the snakes?
How old was St. Abanoub when he was martyred?
What happened to the soldiers while St. Abanoub was hanged on the ship?

APPLICATION (Action) - 10 Minutes

Each time St. Abanoub was tortured, those around him were being brought to Christ as they witnessed how strong and courageous he was.

St. Abanoub's story reminds us:

No one is too young to be courageous and stand up for our faith
No one is too young to have an impact on others. God works through all of us through the Holy Spirit

As long as you are faithful, God can use any situation to bring you or others around you to salvation
- Trials not only make us stronger, but others can be drawn to Christ when they see our perseverance

Have the kids come up with ways they can be courageous and be a witness for the faith.

At school (e.g., being kind to all classmates, even those who are not kind, not cussing, fasting, showing kindness, especially to those who are bullied)
At home (e.g., being loving and forgiving to siblings, obeying your parents)
At church (e.g., being obedient, being respectful to everyone, helping elders or helping take care of the church building)
Other (e.g., how we post on social media, etc.)

Show the kids a photo of an apparition of St. Abanoub (see photo in appendix below).

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Sing the Psali Adam for St. Abanoub or Madeha (Praise) - Lyrics here
Create a Jeopardy game for the saints reviewed last 4 weeks - jeopardylabs.com

APPENDIX

Story of St. Abanoub:

From: Copticchurch.net

Christian Origin

Abanoub was born in a town called Nehissa in the Nile Delta. He was the only son of good Christian parents who died when he was a young child. At age twelve Abanoub entered the church to hear the priest asking the congregation to remain faithful during the persecutions provoked by Diocletian, the Roman emperor. Abanoub received the Holy Sacraments, then he prayed to God to guide him to where he can confess his faith in Jesus our Lord.

Encouragement from Archangel Michael

After that Abanoub went out, and gave all his possessions to the needy. Then he set off to a city called Samanoud, on foot. While he was walking, he saw the Archangel Michael in celestial glory. The sight was so extraordinary that Abanoub fell to the ground, but the Archangel raised him up, and told him that he must suffer for three days in Samanoud and he would witness to Jesus Christ in other places also.

Confessing Christ

Once in Samanoud, Abanoub went to the Roman ruler and declared his faith openly. He also insulted the ruler's idols. The ruler was mad and gave orders to whip him on his belly. The soldiers beat Abanoub severely until his belly was punctured and his intestines came out through the wound. s. But Archangel Michael miraculously healed him. Then the ruler put him in jail with other Christians who were encouraged by his presence among them, and later were martyred for the name of Jesus.

Hung on the Mast of a Ship

The following day, the ruler took Abanoub on a boat to a city called Atrib, and as punishment, he hung Abanoub upside down from the mast of the boat. The soldiers, along with their ruler, started drinking and dancing and hitting Abanoub on the mouth. Abanoub's nose bled, but then unexpectedly, the soldiers became blind and the ruler became paralyzed. In their agony they cried to him and said, "Please Abanoub, pray to your God to heal us. For if we are cured, we will become Christians."

St. Abanoub replied, "This will only happen in Attrib, so that everyone there should know that there is no other God but Christ." When they arrived in Attrib, they were all healed, and they cried with joy, "We are Christians and We believe in the God of Abanoub" Then they took off their uniforms and threw them on the ground in front of the ruler of Attrib. The governor became very angry, and ordered them to be killed.

Thrown in the Fire

In Attrib, Abanoub was tortured severely, sometimes by whipping and sometimes by tying him to a steel bed and igniting fire under him. But in all these tribulations, the Lord showed his power and Abanoub was saved. As a result of these miracles, many onlookers became Christians, and received the crown of martyrdom. The ruler then gave orders to cut Abanoub's hands and feet. Suddenly the Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, put the hands and feet in place, and healed him. Then Abanoub got up and walked in front of everybody. Hundreds of people became Christians as a result of that miracle.

Tamed the Killer Snakes

Frustrated, the ruler called some of the best magicians in the country, and asked them to help him defeat Abanoub. They suggested that he should be thrown to the poisonous snakes. "Those snakes have enough poison to kill two or three hundred men." they said. So they put Abanoub in a cell with the snakes, but God, who shut the mouths of the lions at the time of Daniel, tamed the snakes and they did not harm Abanoub. In the morning, and to everybody's astonishment, St. Abanoub came out from the cell alive. Then suddenly one of the snakes crawled out of the cell and coiled itself around the ruler's neck. The man started shaking and he cried, "In the name of Jesus your God, be merciful on me and don't let the snake harm me." The saint who loved everyone - friend or enemy - just as the Gospel commands, prayed from the heart, and then ordered the snake to come down and not to hurt the ruler. On that day, many people who were present including the three magicians believed in Jesus.

His Martyrdom at the age of 12

Finally one of the ruler's advisers told him to behead the saint and put an end to that episode. So the ruler ordered the soldiers to kill St. Abanoub by the sword. A faithful man called St. Julius wrapped Abanoub's body in fine linen and sent him to his hometown Nehissa where he was buried. Abanoub was only twelve years old when he was martyred by the Roman ruler. On July 31 our Church celebrates his death, as the day of his birth into eternal life.

His Relics

In 960 A.D., his body was transferred to St. Virgin Mary's church in Samanoud where it still lies until today. Many signs and miracles are manifested from his body. Throughout the years, Abanoub made also lots of apparitions in that church as a twelve-year old child and play with children of his age. The church still contains the well from which The Lord Jesus, St. Mary, and St. Joseph drank during their Flight into Egypt.

Apparitions and Miracles

St. Abanoub used to appear as a twelve-year old child and play with children of his age. Once he interfered in a fight between some Christian and Moslem children. This incident aggravated one of the prominent Moslems who lived beside the church. The priest of the church, who was an old man, got mad when he learned about what happened. In his fury he forbade the Child Saint from appearing. Amazingly, the Saint obeyed the priest's decision and the apparitions stopped for many years.

It was only in 1974, when Father Abanoub Louis was ordained priest at that church, that he summoned two bishops who came to the church and after praying fervently, they gave permission to the saint to appear if he wished. In about two weeks time the first apparition was witnessed followed by numerous miracles and appearances.

A well-known bishop visited Montreal recently and spoke about the miracles that he witnessed himself. He said, "One day, I was visiting Samanoud, and I participated in celebrating mass in St. Virgin Mary and St. Abanoub Church. The liturgy was in the middle of the week, and was attended by few people. After we finished, I remarked about how beautiful a Church it is, and that I really enjoyed praying the liturgy in it, except for one little 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 the mass was attended by few grown-ups. Then he concluded that that young boy was St. Abanoub.

Another man said that after he attended the liturgy, he went on his way carrying a brief-case. "It was raining, and I slipped, and fell into a puddle. Then a young boy came 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 street. I was surprised to find out that my clothes and my brief-case were completely dry. Then I looked for the little boy, but he had disappeared."

May the prayers and supplications of this great Martyr, the Child Saint Abanoub be with us. Amen.

Many kids will find this picture intriguing, especially when you ask them to look at the young boy's feet and they notice they are not there. The goal is to make apparitions and miracles more of a reality than something we hear about in the synaxarion that even if we believe in, they no longer exist/happen.