Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St. Bishoy the Great Wadi El-Natroun, Egypt Saint Bishoy the Great is the founder of the monastery called after his name in Wadi El-Natroun. His name is "Bishoy" in Coptic, the equivalent of "Sammy," meaning just. In French his name is St. Paisious, and the church mentions him in the liturgy as "The Perfect Man, the Beloved by our Good Savior." (al-ragol al-kamil habeeb mokhalisona al-saleh) He is also called "The Star of the Wilderness" (kawkab el-barieah). Our saint was born 320 A.D. around the Nile's Delta in Egypt. His righteous mother raised him up, after his father's death, along with his six siblings. God has rewarded his mother for her well-upbringing of her children by sending to her His angels and chose Bishoy to become a servant for Him for the rest of his life. In 340 A.D., when Bishoy was 20 years old, he went to the "Isqiet" wilderness and became a student of Saint Bimwa, who was a student of Saint Abu Makar the great. Over there, Bishoy, became a spiritual friend of the saint who was famous for obedience, St. Yuhanis the dwarf---who planted a dry stick in obedience of his teacher Saint Bimwa and it grew and became a fruitful tree through the blessing of his obedience. When Saint Bimwa departed, God's Angel appeared to Saint Bishoy and informed him that God wants him to live in solitude in the neighboring region, east of Saint Yuhanis' place, because he will become a father and guidance to many monks. Saint Bishoy obeyed and lived in a cave (still exists to date in the famous Saint Mary's monastery in El-Surian). For the strength of Saint Bishoy's love of our Good Savior, he wanted to continue his conversation with God throughout prayer as long as possible so he used to tie his hair with a rope attached to the ceiling of his cave to wake him up if he fell asleep so that he continues his prayer to his beloved. And for that reason he was called "the Beloved by our Good Savior." Also, because of how much he liked prayer and meditation for God, he used to forget to eat the earthly food for many days, sustaining himself with the spiritual food of prayer, meditation, and reading the living word of God. Every person he got to meet used to get filled with peace, happiness, and assurance, and went away content. As a result he had a following of 2400 people who lived the life of continuous happiness under his guidance, and they lived in scattered caves in the mountain. They also used to gather around Saint Bishoy "like bees surrounding honey" as some of the old manuscripts stated. God's promise to Saint Bishoy was fulfilled when He appeared to him when he first started living in his cavern, that "the entire mountain will be filled with worshipers under his guidance." Saint Bishoy was an energetic worker who ate from the work of his own hands. He once said to his disciples "I did not eat food provided by any person... my children, work with your hands to sustain yourselves and to make enough to give to charity as well." It is also mentioned about his defending of the faith, when he saved one of the teachers from a religious heresy without harming his feelings using a simple, wise way. He won him and won all of his following as well. He was not just pleasant, humble, emotionally sensitive, and sensitive to others' feelings, but also he used to respect everyone's humanity and his loving heart always listened to the poor and needy. For that he was called "the Perfect, Righteous Man." (al-ragol al-bar al-kamil). With a humble heart, he used to carry all the trouble of his disciples and their weaknesses, while fasting so that he will lead them to the life of strive. He used to pray intermittently so that God will keep his disciples' souls in the faith. Because of his humbleness he used to wash the feet of strangers and visitors without knowing who they are or even looking at their face. For that reason, Jesus appeared to him posing as a stranger (the same way he appeared to Abraham in the Old Testament) and Saint Bishoy washed His holy feet and he did not know Him until he saw the scars of the crucifixion on His feet. And this is the distinctive picture of Saint Bishoy's monastery, and it does not only show the humbleness and the loving of the monks for all people, but also to show that meekness and honest love make God very close to us. Because of the sympathy of Saint Bishoy's heart, he carried an old man in the road and later he found that He was the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus then promised him that his body whom he kept pure and served through it all the people and the needy, and controlled it by spiritual exercises, will stay without decay because it carried Him. And, indeed, Saint Bishoy's body is still without decay to date, and without being preserved chemically in any way or mummified. It was also mentioned about him that he did not hurt the feelings of a person who was talking during one of Saint Bishoy's sermons, and when that person saw the capacity of Saint Bishoy's good heart he stopped talking and apologized. Saint Bishoy was also spiritually detached from money and materialistic things. He refused what one of the rich people brought to him one day of gold and silver (since God informed him of this devil's trick who wanted to keep him away from worship). So Saint Bishoy advised the rich man to return with his gold and silver and distribute it amongst the poor and the needy to win God's blessing for him. When the rich man left him and Saint Bishoy returned back to his cubicle, the devil cried at him saying: "Oh, you!... you always ruin my tricks with your modesty" So Saint Bishoy answered him in meekness and vulnerability saying: "Since you fell, oh devil, and God spoils all your tricks against His children." Saint Bishoy loved his spiritual children and interacted with them as a loving father. He used to cry for his sins like Armia the prophet to the point he was called Saint Bishoy the Armian (Bishoy El-Army). He kept striving in prayer for one of his disciples who sinned until he came back repenting to God. Many times Jesus appeared to Saint Bishoy because of his great love for Him. Saint Bishoy used to know many matters because of his prophetic spirit. Through it he knew the coming of Saint Ifram the Syrian from Syria before he actually came to visit him when he heard about his great spirituality. Saint Bishoy asked from God to give him a Syrian tongue so that he will be able to speak with the Syrian guest, and so it was granted to him. When the Berber attacked the wilderness in 407 A.D., Saint Bishoy did not want to stay at the monastery so that one of the Berber will not kill him and therefore the Berberine will lose his soul for it. So Saint Bishoy went to Upper Egypt, Ansena, and befriended Saint Boula El-Tammohie and established a big monastery that still exists to date. On July 15, 417 A.D., Saint Bishoy departed and was buried with his spiritual friend, the meek Saint Boula (currently Mallawie). Then, Pope Yusab I, the 52nd Patriarch 830-849 A.D., moved Saint Bishoy's pure body to its monastery at Wadi El-Natroun on December 13th 841 A.D., Kiahk 4th 557 A.M., after building its huge walls. On the feast of Saint Bishoy's departure on July 15 (8 Abib) of each year, H.H.H. Pope Shenouda the 3rd makes sure to lead the celebrations in honor of the great Saint and to join the monks of the monastery in their joy for the feast of their intercessor. H.H.H., along with Anba Sarabamon, the monastery's Bishop, carry out the preparation of the herbs and "henout" to scent the pure body in the midst of prayers, chants, and hymns of thousands of visitors who pilgrim to the monastery over a period of 10 days (July 5-15) to join in the joy of celebration and to receive the blessing and intercession of the great saint. The monastery has prepared guest houses to accommodate the guests and visitors. They are equipped with what is needed for their rest during the celebration period, until the return back joyous, full of spiritual blessings and the benefits of the intercession of the great Saint Bishoy.