Ezbawiyah Miracles

“Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

      Dr. F. A. Doctor and Dean of one of the universities in Egypt, tells: “At the end of December of the year 1980 when I was about 48 years old, I pleaded with the Virgin Mary about a certain ordeal that I was facing. I expressed my sorrow to her, and I explained to her how I upset I was because I was unable to visit her church in Ezbawiyah, which I used to visit on a regular basis. I in deep sorrow as I was driving back to my home. All of a sudden, at the start of the Giza Street, I felt the car being turned around without my control, and it was heading close to the church of the Virgin Mary, Ezbawiyah. A force pulled me out of the car until I found myself inside the church, and I was very thankful to God along with the Virgin Mary for her intercession on my behalf.

During the year 1976, when I was 44 years old, my body began to swell up and then my blood temperature soared. This in turn caused white and black patches to appear over my right eyebrow and my arms. When I resorted to the doctor, he diagnosed the case as tumours around my body. In the year 1978, a skin lesion appeared on my right hand and on the right side of my scalp. During the year 1979, some boils appeared on the right side of my neck close to my thyroid gland, and they developed very quickly. The doctor then discovered that there was a lump on my thyroid gland, and when he tested a sample of the lump, I thanked God that it turned out to be benign. During the year 1980, some ulcers appeared inside my stomach, and they developed very quickly to the point where I experienced cramps and severe heartburn. I also felt that my stomach was heavy, and when the doctor examined me, he concluded that I had tumours in my stomach as well. During the year 1981, tumours were found on my back, and my whole body was in pain, in addition to the fact that I had diabetes. Towards the end of July of the year 1983, I was at the peak of my exhaustion; nevertheless, I decided to visit the church of the Virgin Mary Ezbawiyah. I stood to pray in front of the Virgin Mary’s ancient icon, which depicts her carrying Christ the child. I submitted my soul to Christ and I asked Him to deal with me, according to His good will. I submitted everything to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and I said, “I will accept whatever comes my way, whether good or bad…” I will not object to the adversities that I am facing – may it be according to God’s will. When I looked at the icon closely, I noticed that the Virgin Mary was laughing through. After I said my prayers I approached one of the church’s monks to anoint me with holy oil. After I was anointed with the holy oil, I bid my Lord Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the church, farewell.

Towards the end of the Virgin Mary’s fast, on the day of 21/8/1983, my wife, son and daughter then went to St. George’s church in Giza in order to pray vespers celebrating St. Mary’s feast; however, I remained at home. That night, at around 8:30 pm while St. Mary’s picture was in procession, I stood on my balcony, which was in front of the church and I saw the heavenly doves that encircled the church’s northern dome. The doves were flying in a sudden way towards the left of the western side of the church. After that, I saw a small illuminated figure that suddenly appeared beside the cross, located on the church’s northern dome. Suddenly, multiple heavenly bodies appeared of the same size. All of a sudden, a larger illuminated figure appeared over the highest cross and its face was very vivid. It had the features of a human being’s face, and I noticed that it was looking at my face with focus and concentration. The illuminated figure then flew past me being accompanied by bright light. According to one of the monks at the Syrian Monastery, this illuminated heavenly figure may very well have been Arch Angel Michael. He looked at me as if trying to say something, but without uttering a single word. The Angel then returned back to the church dome, and shortly afterwards, the Virgin Mary appeared standing in mid-air towards the eastern side of the cross. The Virgin Mary appeared in an illuminated form. She appeared peacefully, and then she walked between the heavenly bodies that were present around her as they rejoiced exceedingly amidst her presence. During this time, Arch Angel Michael still kept his eyes fixated on my face, and then the Virgin Mary disappeared. Afterwards, all the heavenly bodies disappeared together, and the lights were gone at 8:53 pm. Immediately after this, the doves returned back to the church dome in a straight line without spreading their wings. This is despite the fact that scientifically, doves don’t fly at night; which indicates that they were indeed heavenly creatures. At around 10pm, when my wife and daughter and sons returned home from the church. The next morning, on the day of 22/8/1983, I felt that the heaviness in my stomach was slowly leaving my body. I had a bowel movement and my stool was extremely dark and had a very pungent odour. Afterwards, I drank lots of water, and I had other bowel movements. After this, my weight decreased by 16 kilograms, due to the loss of all the tumours that God had healed me from. My body was no longer swollen. All my pain had subsided; I no longer had ulcers, I was completely healed, and this was towards the end of September, 1983. Indeed, when I reminisced on the past, I felt in my heart that when I saw St. Mary laughing, through her icon at her church in Ezbawiyah, it was as if she were foreshadowing a miracle that was to bring about my healing – sure enough, the miracle was fulfilled and I was healed.

On the day of June 27th 2003, which was the day of my daughter’s birthday, at 9:00 am, I was getting ready to leave for work until I heard a voice urging me to go to the Virgin Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah. After 15 minutes, I heard the voice once again, and at 9:30 am I headed to the church. I stood in front of St. Mary’s icon and I found that her face was illuminated with a strong light, and then she appeared outside of the icon, in the form of an illuminated body. She began to speak to me, but I was unable to hear her, so I said to her, “I can’t hear you, can you raise your voice, so that I can hear you?” St. Mary then laughed gracefully, and I said to her, “Are you happy because it’s my daughter’s birthday?” The Virgin Mary continued to speak but still, I could not hear her; she then returned back to the icon and this concluded the apparition.”

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” (Psalm 18:6)

Mr. N.F. tells: “Since two years ago, I used to suffer from severe psychological illnesses. As a result, I could not work, nor could I go to church – I lost all inspiration and all hope in life. All the various types of medical treatment that I underwent, were to no avail. Many of the church fathers prayed for me, but God had not yet permitted for my healing. I was at the lowest point in my life, to the point where I couldn’t leave my bed, and the tears never parted with my eyes. In March of the year 2003, I called His Grace Bishop Mettaous and I asked him to pray on my behalf, and if at all possible, that he would visit me at home in hopes that I may obtain the blessing of healing. Out of the abundance of his love, HG Bishop Mettaous told me that he would visit me at home on the day of 7/3/2003. I was in utter despair and I thought to myself: how can I welcome Bishop Mettaous into my home when it is in such an untidy state. Nevertheless, on that day, I found myself waking up early in the morning and I felt a strong force in my body, I felt that all the negative feelings had disappeared and in their place came an overflowing joy – it was as if I were born again. I tidied up my home and I felt extremely active and joyful. After doing so, His Grace called me and apologized that he had an emergency and he could not show up on that day. I met with His Grace one day and I told him all about the miracle that took place in my life, and he said to me, “This was through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary…”

          After a while, I got married, and I was overcome by the same negative feelings as I had once experienced. I attributed this lapse in my life to the fact that I neglected my spiritual life – I did not offer true repentance. In November of the year 2004, I was at the peak of disturbance, and during that time, my wife was in the last trimester of her pregnancy. Our family was going through a very rough time, and I left my job – I was experiencing the same bout of negativity and I felt that my family was on the brink of destruction. I called His Grace Bishop Mettaous once again and I asked him to pray on my behalf once more, and to call upon the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary on my behalf. His Grace then asked me to come and visit him at the Syrian monastery’s headquarters in Ezbawiyah on the day of 22/11/2004. The next day after my meeting with His Grace, I awoke early the next morning and contrary to what I used to do, I went to work. My role was to oversee a group of students who studied various cases of mental illnesses, and when I began to distribute the case studies to the students, I noticed that many of them were similar to what I had experienced. I lifted my heart in prayer and I said, “God, will You allow my life to reach this extent in illness?” I then felt that I heard a voice saying to me, “The Lord has appeared [a]of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt…” (Jeremiah 31:3-4) Later on that day, I felt a strong force of joy overcoming my heart. The next day, I went to His Grace Bishop Mettaous and I told him all about what I had experienced along with the voice that I heard within my heart. His Grace responded and said, “This is the Virgin Mary’s blessing…” He then anointed me with holy oil from the oil lit candle that illuminated the Virgin Mary’s icon. His Grace also gave me a few samples of holy oil – one to keep for myself, and others to distribute the rest to my family and friends. I also noticed that my small plastic pouch of oil was slit as if with a sharp tool, and my wife noticed the same slit on her pouch of oil. Due to the blessings of this holy oil, my wife’s sister finally was able to conceive, after a significant delay in her ability to conceive. When I informed His Grace Bishop Mettaous of the slits in our pouches of oil, he said, “The Virgin Mary and some of the saints leave a sign, such as slits in the pouches of oil, in order to confirm the occurrence of a miracle.

Eventually, God granted me a beautiful son, and I used to visit the church of Ezbawiyah frequently in order to take the blessings of the Virgin Mary. One of the monks who were present in the church reminded me multiple times to record this miracle, and I used to say, ‘Okay’ but I would forget. I delayed much in recording this miracle, and as a result of my delay, in the year 2005 I began to feel the same discomfort as I did in the past, so I went to Ezbawiyah to ask for the Virgin Mary’s intercessions once again, so that I could be healed. After I prayed, the monk said to me, “You are indebted to the Virgin Mary – you need to record the miracles that were fulfilled for you through her intercessions. Indeed, I sat down in the church and I began to record the miracles; and although I was not finished recording the miracles, I returned home and I felt much better. The next day, I felt more discomfort, so I called His Grace Bishop Mettaous. I explained the situation to him, and he said to me, “Finish recording the miracles and submit them to the monk at the church.” Indeed, this is what I did, I completed the miracles and I am waiting for the Virgin Mary to accept my apology for the delay. I am confident in her love and in her intercessions. May her blessings and intercessions be with all who call upon her, amen.”

“…for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Mr. Lewis Habib from Egypt, tells: “I am 65 years old and I have suffered from kidney infections ever since I was 40 years old. I underwent many diagnostic tests and I took many different types of medications for a number of years, but all to no avail. I resorted to the help of many doctors and they concluded that I had a stone in my kidney. Every time that the stone was removed, it would grow back again without any apparent reasons.

          Many people love to visit the Virgin Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah, and they come from all corners of the world in order to pray in front of St. Mary’s ancient icon.   This icon of the Virgin Mary is a very special one, and it is referred to as the ‘icon of wonders and miracles’. I prayed in front of the icon as I made all my sufferings known to the Virgin Mary, along with other issues I was dealing with. I asked her to intercede on my behalf, and to ask God to remove these pains and sufferings that I have been experiencing for many years. About one week ago, I felt that the pain in my kidneys was increasing drastically, to the point where I was about to cry. I endured the pain and I went to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah, where I stood in front of her icon once again prayed fervently. I also spoke to the monk who was present in the church and I told him about all my sufferings; he prayed for me, he anointed me with holy oil, and he said to me, “May the Virgin Mary be glorified with you so that you may be healed.” Indeed, two days later, God accepted the Virgin Mary’s intercessions, and the stone that was in my kidney passed through my urine without any surgery. I would like to thank God for having compassion on me through the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary, who looks out for her children constantly and asks for mercy on their behalf – she stands by their sides during their times of pain and suffering. May her blessings and her intercessions be with us all, amen.”

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” (Psalm 9:10)

Ms. Aida Ayad Minkarious, from Egypt, tells: “For the past twelve years, I have been accustomed to visiting St. Mary’s Church in Ezbawiyah, especially when I am experiencing hardships. Many miracles have occurred in my life through St. Mary’s intercesions. I am a high school student, and every time that I visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah I find other students like myself placing their student numbers in front of the Virgin Mary’s icon and asking for her intercessions. When I saw this, I laughed within myself, thinking: why on earth would they place their student numbers in front of the holy icon? Clearly I was mistaken to ridicule those students within my heart, for later on, when I took my exams, I failed all my first term courses. For my second term, I went to the Virgin Mary’s church and I asked one of the monks to pray on my behalf, and I placed my student number in front of St. Mary’s holy icon. On the day when I was due to take my exam for a course which I had failed five times, I went to the same church and I noticed that some ladies were cleaning the church. I stood in front of the Virgin Mary’s icon and I spoke to her in prayer, saying, “Please stand by my side while I take my exam for this course…I failed it so many times…and if I pass, I vow to come to clean the church along with those ladies.” I then left to write my final exam and I entered the room feeling confident. Through the blessings of the Mother of Light, I passed the exam – she stood by my side while I completed the remaining courses as well. May the blessings of her intercessions be with us all, amen.”

“For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’” (Isaiah 41:13)

Mr.____ who is well known to one of the monks at the Ezbawiyah church, tells: “I am writing to reveal what took place with me in order to glorify God through His saints. When I find myself immersed in a problem or tribulation, my heart always guides me to search for refuge at the church of the Virgin Mary in Ezbawiyah, along with the monasteries, ancient churches, and Pope Cyril VI’s mill. I know that God is merciful and compassionate, and that He would never allow His children to go astray.

          I work for the government and I am extremely dedicated to my job; I fulfil it meticulously to the point where when any auditors come by, they find no errors in my work – this is something that I thank God for. At one point in my life, I passed through a very rough time: my father was paralyzed for 11 years and my mother was inflicted with more than one illness, this was despite the fact that they were very close to God. I took care of my parents with all patience and I accepted the responsibility with gratitude; I thanked God for everything that came my way.    

           Starting from the year 1998, my parents’ conditions deteriorated and I felt obligated to stand by them, for it is they who once took care of me, taught me, and raised me. I took them to the doctors, to the lab for their lab tests, and to the hospital whenever they needed it. I became extremely busy with taking care of my parents to the point where this had a negative effect on my job. I found it difficult to go to work; so I neglected my job. Soon afterwards, my father passed away, and my mother followed him five months later; this really took a toll on my emotions and eventually, I ended up neglecting my children and my job altogether. During this time, an auditor came by and noticed that a large sum of money was missing from our department, he attributed the reason to my extended leave of absence and neglect. The auditor knew me well and he could not believe what he saw, especially because he would always audit me and everything would be perfect. He mentioned that one of my colleagues took advantage of my absence and ended up stealing money. The auditor tried to help me salvage the situation, out of his good will, however, the sum of money was too large to be forgiven. I then made it clear to the auditor that I cannot convict any of my colleagues for stealing, but God will defend me. The auditor then said to me, “You must pay off this large sum of money…” When my manager at work found out about the stolen money, he filed a report with the police; hence, I was summoned to the police precinct. All of my colleagues were worried about me, however, God granted me peace and my heart was consoled. I was fully confident that God would bring me justice, and that He would stand by my side. My family and friends tried to gather money for me, but to no avail because the amount that was stolen was extremely large. Nevertheless, they did not lose hope and they continued to pray with fervency on my behalf, so that God may intervene. Indeed, the money was miraculously gathered in a span of two weeks. Regardless, they were told that my prison cell was waiting for me even if the money was gathered. In any case, my family paid off the money and they left the remainder of the ordeal in God’s hands. I was summoned to the police precinct and they released me on bail after putting a lean on my home. Later on, all charges were lifted from me, and it was decided that one week’s worth of pay would be deducted from my paycheck. I thank God and His saints for saving me; no one believed what had happened, especially since I was destined for prison and I was destined to lose my job altogether. All of these blessings took place after I went to visit the Virgin Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah along with the monasteries, holy places, Pope Cyril VI mill, and the church of the Virgin Mary the dissolver of iron chains – God saved me. I thank God for this miracle, and may the blessings and the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary be with us all, amen.”

“You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit.” (Job 10:12)

Ms. Evelyn Farouq Gad, tells: “During the year 1986, I worked for Shobra’s education ministry and I lived far from my workplace. I used to have to take three busses in order to get to work and back to my home at the end of the day; needless to say that I was extremely exhausted. I continued this way until the year 1989. One day, I went to visit my husband’s relatives, and their home was close to the Virgin Mary’s church in Ard El Shirkah. I stood alone on the curb of their building where I lifted my eyes to the heavens and I cried fervently. I asked for the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary so that God may relieve me from the exhaustion of having to travel far to get to work. I lifted my heart in prayer and I said to the Virgin Mary, “I would love to live close to you, here, where your church is located; this way I will be able to visit you at your church and I will be able to get work sooner.” In less than one month later, my husband came from work one day and he heralded me with the news that he had found an apartment for rent right beside St. Mary’s church in Ard El Shirkah. He saw the apartment and found that it was spacious and beautiful, so he went ahead and signed the rental agreement. When I heard this, I could not contain my tears and I was full of gratitude towards God for His love, and for St. Mary’s love for me, as well as her speedy response to my plea. What was also a surprise to me, was that this particular apartment belonged to the landlord’s son; his father kept it brand new and set it aside for him to settle in and start a family there, however, the son had immigrated to another country. This was God’s plan for His children, and we moved to our new apartment on February of the year 1990. I would like to thank our lady the Virgin Mary for her speedy response to her children, according to God’s will. May she be glorified along with all the saints, towards all those who call upon her intercessions in confidence, amen.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” (Psalm 28:7)

Ms. M.M. from Helawan, tells: “I love the Virgin Mary very much and I love to visit her at her church in Ezbawiyah. The Virgin Mary was glorified with me many times, and through her intercessions, God resolved many problems that were facing me in life. When my fiancée and I were engaged, there was some miscommunication between us and we were very close to terminating our relationship; however, for the very first time in his life, one day, he went to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah. At the church he met with the attending monk who asked him, “Do you know Ms.______?” This was despite the fact that my fiancée and the monk did not know each other. My fiancée answered, “Yes, but we are going to end our engagement because things are not working out for us.” In response, the monk said to my fiancée, “Don’t break off the engagement, your fiancée is a kind person…” The monk advised him to continue on with the relationship and to get married. As soon as my fiancée left the church, he came to visit me and he informed me of what had happened, which made me so happy. Our lady the Virgin Mary was glorified with us and we ended up getting married, which was according to God’s will. After our marriage, we longed for children, and I conceived one month later. I vowed to baptise the child at St. Mary’s church Ezbawiyah; however, I ended up having a miscarriage – it was God’s will for the pregnancy not to continue. This really saddened me; nevertheless, I thanked God for everything. Afterwards, I could not conceive for 7 months. During that time, I went to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah multiple times and interceded with her. One day, my sister invited my husband and I to her son’s graduation celebration, and on our way to her, we stopped at my other sister’s home and spent some time with her, after which we took her with us to attend the celebration. After the celebration when I returned home, I discovered that my engagement ring was missing! We all went in search for it everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found. I interceded with the Virgin Mary and St. John Kame; soon afterwards, my sister whom we picked up on our way to the celebration called to tell me that she had found my ring on her couch, as if someone had put it there. This was despite the fact that I don’t recall taking my ring off – hence, I glorified God and I thanked Him. I then spoke to the Virgin Mary and St. John Kame in prayer, saying, “You found my ring, can you not ask God to grant me a child?” I booked an appointment with one of the most renowned obstetricians and he said to me, “The conditions in your uterus are not favourable for fertility.” He then prescribed an expensive medication for me and he said, “If you conceive within the next month, that will be a miracle from God.” I refused to take the medication, and instead, I prayed to God and I vowed to donate the cost of the medication to the church. Indeed, I conceived within that month without having to take the medication, and I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy whom I baptized at St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah just as I had promised the Virgin Mary. I would like to thank God and our lady the Virgin Mary for their gift to us. May the blessings of her prayers be with us all, amen.”

“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them…” (Psalm 5:11-12)

Ms. Sameera Tawfik, tells: “I was married in the year 1984 and I longed for God to grant me a child; however, God’s will did not allow for me to conceive right away. I resorted to the help of many doctors and I tried many different medical procedures; yet my pregnancy was delayed. Despite this, I never lost hope, I knew deep in my heart how much God loved me, and I always used to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah, as well as other churches. I asked for the intercessions of the saints, especially Pope Cyril VI. One night in the year 2002, I had a dream that Pope Cyril VI came to visit me in my home, and he prayed for my husband and me. A short while after that, I conceived and I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy whom I named ‘Cyril’ after the great saint Pope Cyril VI. This happened through the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary and Pope Cyril VI. May the blessings of their prayers be with us all, amen.”

“Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.” (Psalm 26)

Ms. Theresa Abd El Masseih, tells: “I come from a modest family that is extremely dedicated to God, and this is why God never forsook us during our times of adversity. When my sister got married, in less than a year from her marriage, she discovered that her husband had borrowed money from a few of his acquaintances so that he may start some small businesses. Neither my sister nor any of our family members were aware that he did this. When these acquaintances insisted to take their money back, they each wanted their portions in a lump sum, as opposed to installments. We tried everything to come to a resolution, however, the acquaintances refused any settlements and they filed a case to sue my sister, her mother-in-law, and other members of the family who had nothing to do with this case. The reason they did this, is to put pressure on my sister’s husband to pay off the loans that he owed them. During this critical time, my sister was pregnant and we visited all the churches, praying fervently and asking for God to intervene. We interceded with our lady the Virgin Mary and we went to her church in Ezbawiyah; we also interceded with Pope Cyril VI along with a multitude of saints. We knew deep down in our hearts, Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength…“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.” (Psalm 26)
And we knew for certain that God would be glorified. Early on the day of the court’s ruling, when my sister was just ready to wake up, the Virgin Mary appeared to her in a beautiful illuminated form, and she gave her a piece of paper that was tied with a red ribbon. That piece of paper was a symbol of the fact that she was innocent of this case and that everything would come to a peaceful end. Indeed, on that same day, the courts ruled in their favour and they were deemed innocent. May the blessings of the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs and the saints be with us all, amen.”

“Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!” (Psalm 66:20)

Mr. Fady Gamil Abd- El Shaheed, tells: “I am a pharmacist at one of the pharmaceutical companies and I am currently responsible for promoting a certain medication through advertising. One of this company’s policies states that when a new medication is released, two experienced pharmacists are chosen to promote it. Although I worked for this company for a short period of time, it was highly unlikely that I would be chosen to promote this new medication, especially since I was new to the company and I wasn’t as experienced as my senior colleagues.

One day, I went to visit the Virgin Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah and I prayed asking for the Virgin Mary’s intercessions that I may be chosen among those who promote the new medication. What was indeed strange, was that after one hour from my visit to the church, I received a call from the senior manager who informed me saying, “You have been chosen to promote the new medication.” This was despite the fact that I was the newest employee in the company, all of my colleagues had much more experience than I did. I thank the Virgin Mary for her speedy response, which was according to God’s will. Two years later, God granted me a position in a pharmaceutical company in the United Arab Emirates – this is what I had ultimately longed for. I would like to thank our lady the Virgin Mary for her intercessions on my behalf, and may the blessings of her prayers be with us all, amen.”

The Lord will hear when I call to Him.” (Psalm 4:3)

Ms. Laila Salib Awad, tells: “I live in Cairo and I own an apartment in Alexandria. The land lord took advantage of the fact that we were not living in the apartment in Alexandria and he filed a law suit against us, trying to kick us out of it even though we owned it! He used to advertise it for sale without our knowledge, and the court ruled against us, to the point where we received a court order to hand the keys over to the land lord! In seeing this, we filed for an appeal; however, it was denied, because the time period for us to respond had expired (because we had no idea that this was happening behind our backs).

My mother went to St. Mary’s Church in Ezbawiyah to pray on our behalf, she asked for her powerful intercessions in front of the Lord Jesus. After a while, our Lord Jesus was glorified with us through the Virgin Mary’s strong intercessions and the court ruled in our favour, because the truth was revealed: the land lord took advantage of our absence. In the end, the land lord was fined, and our apartment was returned to us. We glorify our Lord Jesus Christ and we thank Him; our gratitude also goes to our lady the Virgin Mary for pleading our case in front of God and interceding on our behalf. May her prayers and her intercessions be with us all, amen.”

“…since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with [a]tribulation those who trouble you…” (2Thessalonians 1:6)

Mr. D.M.F. tells: “My son works for a pharmaceutical company in the U.S.A. and this company is owned by an Egyptian pharmacist. The owner of the company put all of his confidence in my son, to the point where my son’s general manager began to envy him and he plotted against him. However, through the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary and a multitude of saints, the owner dismissed the general manager from the company – this was the first miracle that God fulfilled for us through the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary. On the day of 4/1/2005 an auditor came to audit the pharmaceutical company, after the audit was completed, my son was asked to sign and he was framed for some serious issues to the point where the police were involved. When he resorted to one of his friends – also a pharmacist in the auditing business, he recommended that my son sign the audit report and the police report. Indeed, my son signed on a trust basis, without knowing the implications and without knowing what the report entailed. The auditor and the police gave my son a copy of the report and when he sat down to read it, he discovered that he was accused of managing a medical storage complex without licencing the medications, which was against the law according to the laws for the year 1995. The automatic reprimand for this, was to spend time in prison along with a fine of 10,000 dollars. This was a very difficult time for our family and I decided to go to St. Mary’s Church Ezbawiyah to pray on behalf of my son. I shed many tears in front of St. Mary’s icon in the church, and I asked for her intercessions on behalf of my son. I also spoke to one of the attending monks and I asked him to pray for my son; in response, he said to me, “God is present and whoever depends on Him, will never fail.” My son then took some action in hopes of softening the verdict – he went to the head of the pharmaceutical council in order to issue a licence for the unsilenced medications. On the day of 8/1/2005 my son was notified by the pharmaceutical board that there would be another inspection and audit in fifteen days’ time. However, through the blessings of the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary, the head of the pharmaceutical council changed his mind and the audit took place within the span of 24 hours. When my son went to court for his hearing, thanks to God the judge ruled that he must only pay a 100 dollar fine, and he was no longer required to spend any time in prison. May the blessings of the prayers of our lady the Virgin Mary be with us all, amen.”

“I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.” (Psalm 30:1-2)

Ms. G.S.N. tells: “In the year 1999, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she ended up getting a mastectomy, after which she underwent chemotherapy along with hormone therapy for five years. Despite the fact that hormone therapy was required for her case, research indicates that it has negative implications on the uterus because it thickens the lining of the uterus, and this could lead to the development of tumours in the uterus. This is why she had to undergo an ultrasound for her uterus, every six months. In seeing this, the doctor suggested that we wait and monitor her situation, and if she begins to bleed, she would need to undergo surgery beneath the uterus in order to take a sample and test it – to see if it was malignant or benign. Although my mother stopped the hormone therapy on 21/12/2004, after five years, her uterine lining still remained thick. On the day of 5/2/2005 she began to bleed profusely and the doctor recommended surgery in order to see if the cancer had spread to her uterus. The surgery was scheduled to be done two days later, by Dr. Ibtihag Shafiq. One day prior to the surgery, my mother went to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah and there she met with the attending monk and she told him about all that had befallen her. The monk took her name down and he prayed for her, he also gave her some holy oil in order to anoint the area of the pain. The next day, my mother entered the operating room, and it is here that the doctor concluded something that is beyond any person’s mind: my mother’s uterine lining had significantly subsided to the point where the doctor found it difficult to take a sample!!!! After she managed to take a miniscule sample, she sent it for pathological testing, and when the results appeared, they concluded that the uterine lining was normal! This was opposite to all the ultrasound results that were taken during the past five years that displayed a thickened uterine lining. In order to ensure this, two months following the surgery, the doctor performed another ultra sound of my mother’s uterus, and the results indicated a completely normal uterine lining. May the blessings of the prayers of our lady the Virgin Mary be with us all, amen.”

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11)

A friend of Mr. Mohammed Abd El Aleem tells: “Mr. Mohammed is a calm and collected man and he is also very true to his religion. He works as a security officer for one of the apartment buildings in the heart of Cairo. He used to suffer from pain in his shoulder and neck, as well as arthritis in both of his knees. He took various medications but he felt no improvement. In seeing this, I told him that I would bring him some holy oil from St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah, along with an icon of the Virgin Mary that is depicted in her church. I then said to him, “May it be to you according to your faith.” I gave him the holy oil along with St. Mary’s picture and retired for the night. During that same night, the gentleman told me that before he went to sleep, he interceded with the Virgin Mary with all confidence, and he placed her picture in front of him. He anointed the area of the pain with the holy oil and he went to sleep. The next morning, all his pains had disappeared and he felt comfort. It has been three weeks since the fulfillment of this miracle and he was in complete astonishment at the fact that he was healed. The man recorded the miracle by hand and he gave it to me in order to thank the Virgin Mary for having compassion on him. May the blessings of her intercessions be with us and with all who call upon her in love, and complete confidence, for she is a speedy helper to all who call upon her.

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Psalm 11:24)

Mr. G.S.N. tells: “Through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary, God was glorified with me and I was healed from heart disease, which I have been suffering from for ten years. During those ten years I used to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah and there I would pray fervently as I interceded with the saints. Through the blessings of the prayers of His Grace Bishop Mettaous, the Abbott of the prosperous Syrian Monastery (who prayed for me when I met with him about 6 months ago), God granted me healing according to His will. When I had an electrocardiogram done for me, the doctor informed me that my heart was perfectly healthy. I thank God for healing me through the blessings of the Virgin Mary and the prayers of His Grace Bishop Mettaous. I would like to thank the Virgin Mary and all the saints and fathers who prayed on my behalf, may their blessings be with us always, amen.”

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23)

Ms. N.S.A. from Cairo recites a group of miracles that God fulfilled for her through the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary, she tells: “I am writing to tell you about a group of miracles that God fulfilled for me through the intercessions and the prayers of our lady the Virgin Mary, Fr. Abd El Masseih El Makary, Pope Cyril VI, and Fr. Yassa. In June of the year 2005 a dispute arose in my home between my brother and me, and with time it escalated to the point where it became out of control. I work as a secretary at a pharmaceutical company during the daytime, and during the evening, I work as a pharmaceutical technician. My day ended at midnight, and ever since our father passed away, my brother objected to the fact that I remained out of the house for such a late hour in the night, out of concern for my wellbeing. Hence, I proposed that when the owner of the pharmacy returns home from his trip, I would inform him that I needed to leave the pharmacy earlier than usual; nevertheless, my brother still refused. The reason being, is that even though I returned home early, I would receive phone calls from work regarding how to close the safe with the monitored medications in it, or regarding various medications that have been delivered – although all of these phone calls took place in my mother’s presence, they agitated my brother to the point where he would yell and scream every time the phone rang. My mother and I reached a point of having nervous breakdowns and we could not sleep because our home was full of my brother’s screams – we had no other option but to resort to God for help. We interceded with the Virgin Mary and Pope Cyril VI. One night, my cousin called and said to my mom, “Call upon the intercessions of Fr. Abd El Masseih, and say to him, ‘For the sake of the Virgin Mary, stand by our sides and resolve this family crisis…’” Indeed, after reading about some of the miracles of our lady the Virgin Mary and Pope Cyril the VI, as well as becoming familiar with Fr. Abd El Masseih El Manahry; we prayed tirelessly on behalf of our situation and on behalf of my colleagues at the pharmacy, whom my brother threatened to report to the pharmacy’s manager. He wanted to taint their reputations, and he knew that this would be easy because the pharmacy’s manager was very stern. However, through the powerful intercessions of the Virgin Mary and all the saints, heaven intervened and stopped my brother from coming near any of my colleagues.

One day, my colleague said to me, “On Friday we will be praying at St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah, so my mother and I agreed to go with her, especially because we had not been to this church for many years. We went to take her blessings, and during that time, our days were filled with sadness due to all that we were facing at home. We went to St. Mary’s church to pray and we took Holy Communion. The fact that my friend suggested to me to visit this church was a miracle in itself, because I knew for a fact that the Virgin Mary was calling my mother and I to her church through my friend, in order to take the blessings of praying there. We were accustomed to praying at the ‘hanging church’, and ever since I visited St. Mary’s church, whenever I felt distraught or panicking, I would pray and ask for her intercessions along with the other saints. Afterwards, I would leave the church feeling rejuvenated as if there were no disputes going on at home.

A few years ago, I suffered from pain in my right ear, and when I resorted to the help of various doctors, some recommended that I wear a hearing aid, others said it may have resulted from a passing cold. After some time, the church organized a trip for our congregation to visit the church of Fr. Abd El Masseih El Manahry, St. Mary’s Moharraq Monastery, and the church of Fr. Yassa Michael. We took the blessings of all those holy places and I took some sand from Fr. Yassa’s church, some leaves from the trees at Fr. Abd El Masseih El Manahry’s church. I put a little of the sand and tiny parts of the leaf in a cup of water and I drank it. I also anointed myself with holy oil and I thank God that I felt significant improvement. Every time that I pray, I call upon the intercessions of Fr. Abd El Masseih who is speedy to respond. At one point, I was experiencing pain in my right knee, so I prayed asking for the intercessions of the Virgin Mary and Fr. Abd El Masseih. I thank God that I was healed afterwards. Also, for many years I used to suffer from bleeding in my gums, and through the intercessions of these saints, the bleeding stopped altogether. We are truly forever grateful for all of God’s blessings that surround us, and the multitude of saints who are there to support us.

I would also like to mention, that one Friday, my mother went to the optometrist to check her eyes at St. Mary’s Hospital in Zeitoun. When my mother went to book her appointment, I seized the opportunity to enter St. Mary’s church in Zeitoun and I entered the small church where I sat to pray fervently with tears as I spoke to my compassionate mother, the Virgin Mary in prayer. I expressed my gratitude to her, for standing by our sides, during all that my mother and I had been through together.

It is now my pleasure to recite the remainder of the miracles that the Lord Jesus had been glorified with me for, through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary and Pope Cyril VI, Fr. Abd El Masseih El Manahry:

My usual morning routine includes: praying the prime prayer and then going to work. Sometimes I leave home early in order to attend the Holy Liturgy and to take the blessings of praying at St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah, after which I would head to work. However, one day, I woke up with extreme pain all over my body and it was very strange, so I spoke to the Virgin Mary in prayer, saying, “O mother of Light, are you upset with me, or what? I was going to attend the Holy Liturgy at your church, and now I am in so much pain to the point where I cannot even pray the prime prayer! Please pray on my behalf because I will not be taking any medications. You have healed many serious diseases, and you have performed many miracles for pain that was worse than what I am experiencing. It is through your prayers and intercessions that God will heal me, and I will anoint myself with your holy oil, and I have faith that I will also be healed through the prayers of Fr. Abd El Masseih El Manahry, Pope Cyril VI, and Fr. Yassa.” I then anointed myself with the holy oil and I drank some water mixed with the blessed sand from Fr. Abd El Masseih’s cell. I then left for work but I was in much pain until I reached the pharmacy. I prayed the prime prayer and I had a book of St. Mary’s miracles with me. I began to read the book for the second time and I tried to block out the pain as I spoke to her in prayer, saying, “Just as you healed the people in those miracles from serious disease, please heal me and allow this day to pass.” I then began to feel extremely dizzy, but I managed to return home. I slept and after I awoke, I had my lunch and I felt as if nothing had befallen me and I was no longer experiencing any pain. Later on in the afternoon I prayed the vespers prayer and I read some of Fr. Abd El Masseih’s book or miracles until it was time for me to pray the compline prayer. I prayed the compline prayer and I anointed myself with the holy oil three times, and I drank what was left of the blessed water and I slept. The next morning I awoke completely rejuvenated – as if I had never experienced any pain. It may be worthy to note that I did not take any medications along the course of my pain; I obtained my strength through the power of prayer and the powerful intercessions of St. Mary and the remainder of the saints. May the glory, honour, and gratitude be to our Lord Jesus Christ, for loving His children and for accepting the intercessions of the saints on our behalf, we the sinners. May the blessings of their prayers be with us all, amen.”

…With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

Ms. M.W.A.A. tells: “I applied to one of the embassies in order to obtain a visa to a certain country. After my documents were reviewed, I waited for a while in order to be interviewed by one of the embassy’s representatives. During this time, I was extremely nervous and my mind was exhausted from thinking about the nature of the questions that I may be asked, whether or not my answers would be sufficient, and whether or not I would be granted the visa. While I was deep in thought, I lifted my heart to God in prayer and I asked for the intercessions of the Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, along with St. Mohraeel, the bride of Christ. I looked at the people around me and I noticed that whoever was able to obtain the visa looked happy, and whoever did not, had a sad countenance. I asked myself, “Which face will I have after the interview?” Will I be like those who are rejoicing or will I be turned down? In the midst of all these thoughts, fears, and pleas to God, my name was called suddenly. So I walked towards the booth that called my name and I stood in front of the window feeling very nervous as I was getting ready to receive my passport. I wasn’t sure why the lady was giving me my passport without an interview; however, when I opened it, I saw that I had been given an open visa for more than a year! Dear reader, you cannot imagine what state I was in; I was the only one who was not interviewed, it was as if someone had put in a good word for me, because this never ever happened in the history of embassies, that a visa may or may not granted without a lengthy interview. The reason that I obtained the visa was all thanks to God who responded speedily to the intercessions of the Virgin Mary and His bride St. Mohraeel. Therefore, I lifted up my eyes to God and I thanked Him for His love, as I said, “I thank you God, I thank you… I thank you, St. Mary – O joy of Abel, O salvation of Noah, the grace of Abraham, the rejoicing of Jacob, the preaching of Moses, the pride of Judah and Israel, friend of Solomon, honour of Samuel, healing of Jeremiah, the knowledge of Ezekiel, the strength, of Elijah. I thank you, St. Mohraeel… may God’s name be glorified. O Lord, you have blessed me with this visa, through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary, and St. Mohraeel. May the blessings of the prayers and the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary and all the saints and the fathers be with us all, amen.”

“…Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!” (Psalm 43:1)

Ms. M.W.A.A. tells: “At one point in my life, I was faced with severe injustice and I continued to cry fervently, as I beseeched God to lift this injustice from me. I interceded with our lady the Virgin Mary and a multitude of saints; this was despite the fact that the law was on my side, and my manager double checked this by asking some lawyers. However, God’s compassion and help never forsook me, for He said, “Call on Me in your day of trouble and I will rescue you and you will glorify Me.” On the appointed day when all the managers met with the company’s CEO in order to discuss all issues related to work, the CEO did not bother to discuss the injustice that fell upon me, however, it was then that God revealed His might. God caused all the managers who were present to address and defend my case in front of the CEO, and they made it clear to him that according to the law I was innocent. Indeed the whole ordeal came to a peaceful end. I would like to thank the Lord for coming to my rescue…God is mighty and He saved me from those who persecuted me falsely. I would also like to thank the Virgin Mary for interceding on my behalf. May the blessings of the prayers of our lady the Virgin Mary, who is speedy to respond, be with us all, amen.”

“Your healing shall spring forth speedily…” (Isaiah 58:8)

Ms. S.G.S. from Alexandria, tells: “I would like to thank my God and Saviour Jesus Christ who had compassion on me and sent the Virgin Mary to heal me. I would like to apologize for delaying to record this miracle that took place with me in the year 1968 after the Virgin Mary’s apparition over the domes of her church in Zeitoun. When I was in fourth grade, I used to suffer from frequent tonsillitis to the point where my tonsils were full of pus and I was overcome by a fever of 40 degrees Celsius. I used to be absent from school for extended periods of time and my parents insisted that I undergo a tonsillectomy. However, the Virgin Mary appeared to me when I was asleep one afternoon, and she healed me from my tonsillitis. She also placed her hand over my chest. She was wearing white on white and on her head was a veil and she did not utter a single word to me. After I awoke from my sleep, my fever had subsided and I felt completely rejuvenated. The pus, which used to leave a bitter taste in my mouth, had disappeared entirely as well, and my lymph nodes around my neck had subsided. I had never had tonsillitis ever again ever since the year 1968, up until now, to the point where if I have a sore throat, my tonsils would remain unaffected! When I went for my physical checkup, the doctor examined my tonsils and he said to my mother, “The tonsils are both in a healthy state, it is as if they have never been infected.” When I entered university, I understood why the Virgin Mary had placed her hand onto my chest, it was because the bacteria that overcame my tonsils at the time, could have caused rheumatic fever, which would ultimately affect my heart’s valves. Therefore, she healed my tonsillitis and by placing her hand over my chest, she removed any traces of rheumatic fever from my heart. I thank God that whenever I undergo an electrocardiogram, it turns out completely normal through the blessings of the Virgin Mary the mother of Light. Once again, I would like to apologize to the Virgin Mary for delaying to record this miracle that took place 37 years ago. And it is this miracle that inspired me to call upon the Virgin Mary in all major and

minor issues that face me in life. May the blessings of her prayers be with us all, amen.”

I also recall, that I had promised the Virgin Mary a vow if God were to grant me a child through her intercessions, because I was delayed in being able to conceive. Afterwards, God granted me a child; two weeks prior to my delivery, the Virgin Mary appeared to me and advised me to go to church to take Holy Communion. Her apparition was indeed unique, for she appeared to me inside her church in Zeitoun. When I kissed the altar curtain, which had her picture embroidered on it, I kissed her hand, and then she appeared in her full form, she kissed my cheek and I also kissed her cheek. Indeed, the Virgin Mary stood by my side as I delivered my baby, especially because I delivered far from my home town, and God granted me a daughter whom I named Miriam. The Virgin Mary advised me to take Holy Communion before my delivery because she knew that I would remain without communion for 80 days – as is the church ritual until my baby girl becomes baptized.

I also recall that I interceded with the Virgin Mary, when one day I said to her, “During the wedding of Cana of Galilee, you said to Christ, “They have no more wine….” So please, intercede on behalf of my daughter because loves chicken and none is left in our home. Ever since her dad passed away I am too embarrassed to ask her uncle to bring us some chicken, even though he was always accustomed to bringing us chicken during his brother’s life. In less than half an hour, my brother in law sent us some chicken. It was then that my daughter learned a wonderful lesson: St. Mary was speedy to respond, and that every time I needed anything, she would say to me, “Call upon St. Mary for whatever you need.”

One day, my deep freezer began to malfunction, and it remained this way for more than 12 hours. I promised the Virgin Mary a vow and I plugged it in once again, and this time it worked instantly. I felt that truly the Virgin Mary was standing by my side, and that she was indeed speedy to respond.

At one point in time, prior to Miriam’s birth, my late husband saw the Virgin Mary at St. Mark’s church in Alexandria. She anointed him with holy oil and he asked her to intercede on our behalf so that God may grant us children. In response, the Virgin Mary lifted her hands and her eyes up to heaven and my husband looked up to heaven as well, and he saw that the heavens were opened and there were angels there. My husband felt that indeed, God would grant us our wish, and eventually I conceived and gave birth to my daughter Miriam – thanks be to God.

I would like to thank the Virgin Mary for allowing me to see her when she appeared over the domes of her church in Zeitoun, in the year 1968. I also saw the Virgin Mary when she appeared at St. Demiana’s church in 1986 in Baba Doublo. It was during that time that we asked her to intercede on our behalf so that God would grant us an offspring.

In addition, my brother informed me that through the Virgin Mary’s intercessions, he was hired for a position that he had always longed for and dreamed of for years. I would like to thank the Virgin Mary for standing by my side for all those years, and I ask her to forgive me for my delay in recording these miracles, which God fulfilled for us through her intercessions. May the blessings of her prayers be with us all, amen.”

“…And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.” (Isaiah 32:16)

Mr. Samir Youssef Samaan, Senior manager of the bank of Alexandria at the Softeil Hotel, tells: “On the day of 9/1/2003, I requested to be transferred from my bank to a different branch in the city of Maady. After witnessing many disputes with the branch manager, who gave everyone in our workplace a very hard time, and made very unprofessional decisions, both Christians and Muslim colleagues were fed up with him. I decided to fast and I went to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah in order to ask for her intercessions, that she may pray on my behalf – this dilemma had been going on for a year and a half.   The senior manager’s unprofessional decisions affected everyone, and the workplace became violent at a certain point in time, as the manager asked one of my colleagues to physically hit the other! I continued to fast and to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah – I could no longer function in this environment. As soon as I wrote the request for my transfer, I sealed it, I signed it with the sign of the Cross using blessed oil from St. Mary’s Church in Ezbawiyah and I submitted it. Sadly though, my request for a transfer had been denied and I was really disappointed. Soon afterwards, the Lord Jesus disclosed to me why this transfer to the other branch would not have suited me, because there arose a dispute at that branch, and the manager there along with his colleagues were all subject to being reprimanded. In seeing this, I did not lost hope and I continued to pray and to light a candle in front of St. Mary’s icon which was situated on my dresser. At one point in time I forgot that I had left the candle burning in front of the picture, and I left for work. When I returned, I found that the wood on my dresser had been burned, yet my home was not burned. I thanked God and I felt as if God was trying to teach me patience and endurance. Finally, on the day of 9/8/2005 (the second day after the start of the Virgin Mary’s fast) God had compassion on me and transferred the manager himself to a different branch! This was a great relief to me and all of my colleagues.

Previously I had promised the Virgin Mary a vow, that I would donate the money that I had in my wallet, and that I would make pastries to be distributed in her church; indeed I fulfilled my vow and I distributed the pastries on 11/8/2005. May the blessings of the prayers of our lady the Virgin Mary be with us all, and glory be to our God forever and ever, amen.”

“God is wonderful in his saints: the God of Israel is he who will give power and strength to his people. Blessed be God.” (Psalm 67:36)

Ms. Fayzah Nassif Hanna from Rod El Farag, tells: “One day, I went to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah and I asked the Virgin Mary to intercede on behalf of my mother’s healing, because she was diagnosed with heart problems and the doctors concluded that she had fluid around her heart – which inevitably meant that she needed to undergo open heart surgery. I said to the Virgin Mary, “O Virgin Mary, just as your mother is dear to your heart, my mother is also just as dear to my heart.” I asked her to heal my mother from her heart condition, so that she would not need to undergo this surgery. I took some blessed oil and blessed water from the priest who was present at the church during that time, and I said to him, “My mom is due to undergo open heart surgery.” The priest responded and said to me, “Go and speak to the Virgin Mary…” to which I responded, “I already spoke to her.” In any case, I returned back to the Virgin Mary’s icon that is hanging in her church in Ezbawiyah, and I said to her, “I am entrusting you with my mother’s health, please don’t forget about her, and please intercede on her behalf so that she will no longer be required to undergo surgery, and so that she can be healed of this illness.” I then took the blessed water and oil to my mother and she drank the water and anointed her chest with the holy oil. Afterwards, her condition improved significantly on a daily basis. On the second day after my mother anointed herself with the oil, I noticed that the tiny packet of oil had a tiny slit in it, and when I saw this, I entered my room and I prayed. While I was praying, I detected a beautiful perfumed scent and I automatically knew that this was a sign from the Virgin Mary to me. One week later we went to the Virgin Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah and I sang a glorification hymn in front of her icon; I also said to her, “Now please remove the fluid from around my mother’s heart.” We took another small packet of oil and again the same thing happened, very tiny slits appeared on each packet, and I also noticed a few drops of oil on the Virgin Mary’s pictures, which the priest had given to my mother and me. During that same night, I dreamed that my mother, my brother, and I were inside St. Mary’s church, and we saw a man standing in the church’s corner; beside him was what looked like a safe and it had red and yellow coloured candles along with some water on the side. I stood beside this man and he gave me some of the water to drink, along with my mother and my brother as well. I took some of this water and I anointed my mother’s chest with it. The man then said to me, “This water is from St. Mary.” May the blessings of her prayers and intercessions be with us all, amen.”

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:15)

Ms. Heidi Latif from Shobra/Cairo, tells: “I have a son who is in grade 2, and he was entering his Arabic exam with a failing mark – he was short 4% from a passing grade. Although I pleaded with the teacher to boost his mark to a passing grade, the teacher refused and I was extremely disappointed. The teacher concluded that there is no hope for my son to pass this course; nevertheless, I went to St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyahh as this is the church that I resorted to when I was facing adversity. I prayed and I pleaded with the Virgin Mary in front of her icon, to intercede on behalf of my son so that he may pass his Arabic course. When exam time approached, my son wrote the exam, and through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary and Fr. Yassa Michael, a miracle was fulfilled and my son ended up passing his Arabic language course, along with all his other courses. The Virgin Mary always fulfills miracles for me, according to God’s will. May the blessings of her prayers and her intercessions be with us all, amen.”

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Mr._____ tells: “I am a young man who is not religious, and I am undeserving of any miracles; however, the Virgin Mary fulfilled a miracle for me so that she can bring me closer to God and so that I may have a stronger relationship with her. When my turn came to enroll in the military to fulfill my national duties, I underwent my physical checkup, and the results indicated that I was in satisfactory condition to join the military. I was due to begin on April of 2005 and my family was distraught. I tried to look for any humanly possible way to become exempted from this duty, but to no avail. After I found no hope, I went to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah and I took Holy Communion during Jonah’s fast. I asked St. Mary to intervene and to fulfill a miracle for me. One of my acquaintances advised me to send a letter of appeal because I was suffering from an anal fistula. This way my family doctor could give me an official note that I can submit to the military medical team, in hopes that I may be granted exemption. So, I booked another doctor’s appointment at the military base, hoping and praying that God would fulfill this miracle for me through the intercessions of His pure mother. As for the miracle that took place, it is as follows: An hour and a half prior to my check up, I felt an extreme pain in my lower back, close to the anal fistula, and a large cyst appeared in that area, prior to the checkup. The cyst appeared in the same area in which I once had another cyst that was removed surgically. I was amazed that this cyst appeared all of a sudden, and I had no idea of what God’s reasoning was behind the apparition of this mysterious cyst. In any case I entered the room to be checked, and when the doctor assessed me, he said to me, “Go and have your fingerprint taken; because of your medical condition, you are exempt from having to serve your duties at the military.” May the blessings of the prayers and the intercessions of the Virgin Mary be with us all, amen.”

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Mrs. G.H.K. from Shobra/Cairo, tells: “I have been married for 23 years and God had not granted me any children. A year after my marriage I felt extremely exhausted, and when I went to Dr. Maher Sadik Lotfallah, a urologist, I complained to him that instead of my monthly period, I experienced the presence of pus every month. When the doctor assessed me, he concluded that I needed to undergo a complex surgery in order to remove a large cyst that sat on top of my right ovary. I was afraid of the notion of surgery, however, I continued to suffer even more. I then resorted to a gynaecologist by the name of Dr. Messiha Guirgis, and when he performed some tests, he insisted that I must undergo surgery as soon as possible because I had reached a critical stage where the pus continued and I was overcome by fever. I was unable to sleep either by day or by night, and I decided to go through with the surgery. The doctor removed my right ovary because it was saturated with multiple cysts, but he spared the left ovary. After the surgery, my period ceased altogether and I always experienced fevers. During this time, I resorted to the help of various doctors, who prescribed hormone treatment and they consoled me that this would not harm me whatsoever. I used to take the treatment during the course of this whole time, and then I stopped taking it for 18 years. In December of the year 2005, I began to bleed, and when I went to Dr. Michael Aziz, another gynaecologist, at the Good Shepherd hospital, he recommended that I undergo an ultra sound because he was skeptical that there may be tumours in my uterus. He told me that for blood to appear now when I was advanced in years, was a sign of danger. Indeed, I underwent an ultrasound and he concluded that there were tumours over my left ovary, but my uterus was clear. Nevertheless, he concluded that I should undergo a hysterectomy as soon as possible because the tumours were in their late stage of development. He also asked me to undergo some blood work at one of the labs. After this, I went to a different doctor, Dr. Malak Moharib, and after checking me he asked that I undergo an MRI over my whole stomach along with some other diagnostic tests for tumours. Sure enough I went through all those tests and I prayed a lot, asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, and I went to visit her at her church in Zeitoun. I spoke to her in prayer, saying, “O Mother of light, you have fulfilled many miracles for many people through your intercessions, I too am your daughter, please do not forsake me.” I also asked for the intercessions of Pope Cyril VI and St. Philopateer. I anointed myself with St. Philopateer’s oil and I also drank some of it. The Virgin Mary then guided me to go and see a different doctor; so I went to Dr. Omar El Hosni, and I took all of my diagnostic test results with me. He did an ultrasound for me, for an extended period of time, and he said to me, “You are perfectly fine...your uterus is clear, and the blood flow in it is great. Your ovary has a cyst over it and this is normal for almost every lady – there are no issues whatsoever…you do not need a hysterectomy.” I glorified the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ for His marvelous work with me, and I thanked the Virgin Mary who extended her hand to me during my adversity. I also thanked Pope Cyril VI and St. Philopateer for standing by my side. May the blessings of their prayers and their intercessions be with us all, amen.

“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!” (Revelation 15:3)

Mr. A.F.F. from Cairo, tells: “One Sunday morning, I felt extreme cramps on my left side, so my neighbour accompanied me to the nearest hospital. I was told that I have a severe cold and I took the prescribed medications, yet the pain continued on my left side. I continued to take pain relief injections for four days, but the pain would return after the medication’s effect faded. On Wednesday, when I resorted to the help of a different doctor, he asked that I undergo an ultrasound, and the results indicated that I had a stone in my bladder. He made it clear to me that the only way it could be removed was surgically. The next day, I took another pain relief injection and my sister came and anointed me with blessed oil from St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah. In less than a few hours later after I was anointed with the holy oil in the area of the pain, the stone was released in my urine, and I saw it with my own eyes. May the intercessions of the Virgin Mary be with me and with you, forever, amen. Glory be to our God, forever and ever, amen.”

“…for those who honor Me I will honor.” (Samuel 2:30)

Mr. Hany Samir Bakheit, from Assiut, tells: “Four years ago, in my workplace at the railway station, I became promoted to a high position in the city of Assiut. However, all of a sudden, my transfer to Assiut was cancelled because of the large amount of holidays that I took last year. I was informed of my cancelled transfer and I was transferred back to my original workplace in Cairo. I tried to speak with many various connections to help me reobtain my transfer, but to no avail. Nothing that I tried had worked, all my attempts to be transferred to Assiut had failed. The world closed in on me, especially because I was newly married and I was also financially responsible for taking care of my wife and my mother, because my dad had passed away. When I went to visit my wife’s grandmother in Assiut, she said to me, “Go and pray at St. Mary’s Church in Ezbawiyah and God will be glorified with you – your ordeal will be resolved.” I had no idea of the whereabouts of St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah, yet my wife’s grandmother described its location for me, because she used to live close by to the church. So I went to the church and I lit some candles, I also promised the Virgin Mary a vow. When I left the church, I entered the church adjacent to it, where Pope Cyril VI’s chair is located and I pleaded with the saint along with the Virgin Mary, to help me. When I left the church, I was surprised to read a verse that is inscribed on the church’s door, it said, “I am able to open the door, and no one will be able to close it.” I then headed to work and I tried multiple times to regain my transfer to Assiut, and finally, God was glorified with me through the prayers of the Virgin Mary and Pope Cyril VI – my transfer was restored to me and I headed to Assiut. Indeed, Marvelous are Your works O Lord through Your saints. May the blessings of the prayers and the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary and Pope Cyril VI be with us all, amen.”

…With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

Ms. _________ tells: “On the 25th of December of the year 1937, my youngest grandson Adly Hanna Salama was approximately two months old. When his mother was giving him some milk, he choked and lost consciousness. After a short while, his face turned blue and he was on his path to dying. We immediately called Dr. Aziz Bishay who came and checked the baby, and he told us that he is in a coma; there was no hope in him living. He ordered a life support machine to try and revive the child but to no avail. In seeing this, we called upon Fr. Abd El Masseih Saad, shepherd of the church of St. Demiana and St. Philopateer in Shobra, so that he may baptize the child. When the priest held the baby, he looked at me and said, “How can I baptize him if he isn’t alive?” During this very difficult time, I held the child, he was motionless in my arms and I stood in front of the Virgin Mary’s picture that we have hanging in our living room. I prayed to the Lord Jesus, beseeching Him for His mercies and that He may accept the intercessions of His pure and compassionate mother on behalf of restoring my grandson’s life back to him. From 11am until 5 pm, the child’s mother was bitterly crying as she too prayed to the Lord Jesus without ceasing, asking Him to heal her son. All of a sudden, I looked at the child’s foot, and I saw something very startling, I saw a red line slowly creeping up the sole of the baby’s foot. When I showed the priest, he was amazed and with a loud voice, he said, “O Virgin Mary, the mother of Light, fulfill a miracle for this child who is the only son of his parents, and restore his life back to him.” When the priest baptized the baby, he began to move, after the six hours during which he lay motionless. His life was restored back to him through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary the mother of the True Light.

Another miracle which the Virgin Mary fulfilled for my grandson occurred. When he was six years old, he was fiddling with a large safety pin, he opened and closed it multiple times. The clothes pin had a bead and a heart hanging onto it. The child then put the pin in his mouth and he swallowed it.   After this, he began to cry frantically, and his father took him to Dr. Monir Namallah, who said, “If the pin does not come out in his bowel movement by early tomorrow morning, bring him back to me so that he I can open his stomach and remove the pin surgically. If the pin was opened while the child swallowed it, it may be anchored in his stomach or his intestines!” The child’s father took him home and he was saddened to the point where he was crying on his way home. In seeing this, I immediately took the child to St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah, and I stood in front of St. Mary’s icon as I beseeched her fervently to intercede on behalf of my grandson, and I promised her a vow. I placed my grandson over the Virgin Mary’s icon and I said to her, “I am presenting my grandson to you, O Virgin Mary please touch him with your healing hands.” It was then that the late Fr. Faltaous El Syriany approached me at the time, and he looked at the boy and said, “Don’t worry…you know that God is able to do all things through the intercessions of the Mother of Light the Virgin Mary, who brought him here. Have confidence that he will be healed and that the pin will come out without the interference of any surgery.” Fr. Faltaous then anointed the child with holy oil from the oil lit candle that illuminated in front of the Virgin Mary’s icon. When we returned home, it was God’s will that the pin came out in my grandson’s bowel movement in all ease, and as soon as it came out, the pin flicked open. I would like to thank God for His marvelous works with my grandson, who goes to visit St. Mary’s church in Ezbawiyah on an annual basis on the 25th of December, so that he can sing a glorification for the Virgin Mary in honour of this great miracle that God fulfilled for him through her prayers on this very day. May the blessings of her prayers be with us all, amen.”

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

This miracle was recited by the late Fr. Philothaous on behalf of Ms. Salama Wahba who lives in New Cairo. The late Bishop Thaoufilous, bishop of St. Mary’s Syrian Monastery in the Natroun Valley was a witness of her healing.

One day, a family that consisted of a husband, his wife, and their four children stood to pray fervently in front of St. Mary’s icon at her church in Ezbawiyah. They remained standing in prayer until the church was almost ready to close its doors. One of the fathers the monks informed them that closing time was near, but the wife said to the monk, “I am not leaving this place until what I need is fulfilled.” She was praying with fervent tears. In seeing this, Fr. Philothaous asked her husband about the reasoning behind why his wife is in such a sad state. Her husband informed him that she has breast cancer, and it was in its final stages. Her husband and her children cried with her, because the doctor concluded that she had to undergo a mastectomy the next morning. This lady was crying fervently, saying to the Virgin Mary, “O mother of Light, I will never let you go, I will never submit myself to an earthly doctor, I want you to perform the surgery for me.” In seeing this, the attending monks closed the doors to the shrine, where St. Mary’s icon hung, and left the family behind. At 3:00 am, past midnight, the monks heard shouts of rejoicing and clapping, emanating from the shrine. When the monks opened the doors to the shrine, they found the family rejoicing, singing, glorifying God, and thanking Him for His marvelous works with them. They asked Fr. Thaoufilous to sing a glorification for the Virgin Mary, and when he asked them about what had happened, the lady said to him, “Listen, Father, I toiled the whole night in prayer and in tears asking the Virgin Mary to intercede to her beloved Son to have mercy on me and to save me from this surgery, which was due to take place early in the morning of this day. I knew for a fact that if I underwent the surgery and it was not successful, I was destined to die. I suffered from the ulcers that secreted pus on a continuous basis both day and night. As we stood here in the shrine, one hour after midnight I felt sleepy, so I fell asleep, even though in the past I was unable to sleep due to the extreme pain. I then felt a hand patting me on the shoulder beckoning me to wake up, and I saw a lady who was calling my name. After I awoke, my husband and my children were asleep, I saw a lady who was as luminous as the sun, and she was clothed in a white cloak. On her head was a crown studded with precious stones, and angels were carrying her. She stood in mid-air, and I was taken back by her beauty. I asked her, “My lady, who are you?” And she responded to me and said, “Don’t you know who I am? I am the Virgin Mary the mother of Light, the one whom you call upon constantly asking me intercede on your behalf to my Son the Lord of Glory Jesus Christ, so that He may perform the surgery for you. I am here for you now, my Son sent me to you so that I can perform the surgery for you instead of the doctor. Can you please remove the bandages from your ailing chest?” I followed all that she said to me and I removed all the bandages and the cotton from my infected chest, where the spreading cysts were secreting copious amounts of pus and blood. The Virgin Mary then bent over and extended her hand. She touched my chest and she signed it with the sign of the cross as she said, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, amen.” And then she said to me, “Your surgery is now complete, my daughter.” I then felt that all the cancerous tumours and ulcers had disappeared, without a single trace of anything! And the Virgin Mary said to me, “You can thank my Son who blessed you with the grace of healing from your illness, and sing with the Psalmist David saying, “Bless the Lord O my soul, and do not forget His good works.” She then disappeared very quickly from in front of me. I could not believe what had happened to me, and I had no idea whether I was awake or asleep, and because of my astonishment and joy, I kept feeling my two breasts to find that they were both equal in size and they looked the same. There were no traces of tumours or ulcers or pain! I awoke my husband and my children who are still in shock, and when I told them about what had happened, they rejoiced to the point where they became hysterical.” When morning dawned, the whole family went to the hospital, where all the necessary preparations were made for the surgery. The doctor ordered that the lady should enter the operating room, but her husband said to him, “My wife already had the surgery done by the Virgin Mary.” In hearing this, the doctor laughed in ridicule as he asked, “Is the Virgin Mary a doctor?” So the husband said to him, “It seems like you do not believe what I am telling you: here is the lady whom you were following up with for approximately one year.” When the lady uncovered her chest, the doctor saw the sign of the cross over her chest with a red colour that was like the colour of blood, and he asked the man and his wife, “Who drew this cross on her chest?” The husband responded, “The Virgin Mary drew this cross on her chest with her pure hand, and all the ulcers and the cancerous cysts disappeared with the strength of our Lord Jesus and the intercessions of His pure mother.” The doctor was in a state of awe as he said, “If I hadn’t been the doctor who followed up with this woman, and I know her very well, I would never believe what you are saying. I cannot say anything other than: this is a strange miracle, and what is surprising me even more, is that the cross is not disappearing no matter how much I try to wash it off. Truly I believe in God’s power and the intercessions of the Virgin Mary.” It was here that the woman’s husband asked the doctor to return the fees of the surgery to him, which he paid in advance. The doctor responded and said, “This money belongs to the poor…” Indeed, the money was distributed to the poor and this lady continued to come and visit the Virgin Mary at her shrine in the Ezbawiyah church, every week in order to thank God and to sing the glorification to His mother. May the blessings of her prayers and her intercessions be with us all, amen.”

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…” (Psalm 23)

I am a lady from North America, writing to tell of a miracle that occurred with me through the intercessions of our lady the Virgin Mary. Although I had never been to St. Mary’s Church in Ezbawiyah, Egypt, and I had no knowledge of the miraculous icon, I looked at the Virgin Mary’s icon on my computer and I asked her for the following: I have a pair of opal studded earrings that I liked very much; one day, I took the earrings off and I placed them in my coat pocket, and I forgot about them for a few days. A few days later, I remembered the earrings and I wanted to wear them, so I reached into my pocket only to find one earring and the other was missing. I searched everywhere for the earring: in my car, at home, at work, but it was nowhere to be found. In seeing this, I looked at the Virgin Mary’s icon on my computer, and I also interceded with Abba Wanis. I beseeched them to retrieve the missing earring for me. Sure enough that day when I returned home from work, something caught my eye on the floor below a picture of the Virgin Mary that I have hanging at home – my earring lay beneath the picture of the Virgin Mary. I picked it up and I thanked God for responding to the intercessions of his pure mother and His saint, Abba Wanis on my behalf. Indeed, St. Mary is a compassionate mother, and the saints surround us. I learned that God pays attention to even the smallest details in our lives, and for that I thanked Him, His pure mother, and His saint Abba Wanis. May the blessings of their intercessions be with us all, amen.