Abouna Fanous أبونا فانوس

coptic pharoah

Hi.. i heard about Abouna Fanous from another forum... can anybody tell me His Life story..... or anything about him... alll I knw is that his hands shine when He is praying and He never opens His eyes cause His pupils shine too(not to sure of that)

God Bless

Coptic Pharaoh

kokiie

I would also like to learn about him.. I havn't heard of him except on some recent posts..

joeg

Abouna Fanous is a saint. I have visited him once in his cell in the monastery, and I have some photos of him with us. All I know of him though, is that during prayer, his hands are said to be luminous, and ever since this incident occured, he wears socks on him hands at all times - being humble. When we visited his cell, there was a group of 7 of us, and two monks. We entered into his cell, and sat down, and the simplicity of his cell has astounding - just a few pots and pans on a table, and a cat, and abouna was feeding the cat from a bowl. The stench of the place was very powerful, showing the environment that abouna Fanous lives in. He offered all the guests a cup of orange juice, and an apple each, and we sat down and talked and listened to him praying for various people, and then after about 10 mins, he became humble and withdrawn, and said he as going upstairs "to etshames", (to take the sun) - an excuse for us to leave him alone in his spiritual struggles, and we left, and thats all I know of him.

socoolbishoy

he's not a saint... he's a normal monk... he became a monk in his mid teens, went to saint Antony's monastery and was not accepted, even though that was the monastery for the younger monks... then went to st Paul's monastery, which was for the elder monks... he was accepted there, it was said he use to get beat a lot by the elders, for he was so young, and they use to do that a lot, so he use to go to the mountains to cry. he grew in the monastery and growing in such an atmosphere its very hard to not lead a good religious life, even though it could be done! but he led what seems to be a good life. so in conclusion he's the same as MANY monks... and many priests, and laypeople... so relax for the guys sake! you wanna admire him, do so, but keep it to yourself, you wanna idolize him.... do so! he is a good character to be like...

joeg

when i say he's a saint im not meaning that in a canonical sense, but rather that he is a righteous person - like when abouna says "The holies for the holy" he is referring to the congeregation, but I'm sorry to confuse anyone

LifeinChrist

[quote author=SuperMAN(BAM) link=topic=6433.msg84965#msg84965 date=1207139347]
he's not a saint... he's a normal monk...


then Pope Kyrillos is not a saint. then why do we refer to him as a saint. I think that someone is a saint not based on the church canon alone of wait however many years after their death, but by what their heart is and where it is

joeg

I agree 100% His Saint

gigglyshy

[quote author=His Servant link=topic=6433.msg84984#msg84984 date=1207163318]
[quote author=SuperMAN(BAM) link=topic=6433.msg84965#msg84965 date=1207139347]
he's not a saint... he's a normal monk...


then Pope Kyrillos is not a saint. then why do we refer to him as a saint. I think that someone is a saint not based on the church canon alone of wait however many years after their death, but by what their heart is and where it is



There are many saints known to God that aren't officially known to us people. Not all saints are canonized. There are many who we don't know of who were never canonized, so canonization of saints doesn't really mean that if someone isn't canonized they aren't a saint. I think canonization is just a way of saying "we know 100% that this person is a saint!" while with other people we maybe 95% sure or 80% sure.

ilovesaintmark

Sage words from Gigglyshy.

gigglyshy

[quote author=gigglyshy link=topic=6433.msg85230#msg85230 date=1207590135]
[quote author=His Servant link=topic=6433.msg84984#msg84984 date=1207163318]
[quote author=SuperMAN(BAM) link=topic=6433.msg84965#msg84965 date=1207139347]
he's not a saint... he's a normal monk...


then Pope Kyrillos is not a saint. then why do we refer to him as a saint. I think that someone is a saint not based on the church canon alone of wait however many years after their death, but by what their heart is and where it is



There are many saints known to God that aren't officially known to us people. Not all saints are canonized. There are many who we don't know of who were never canonized, so canonization of saints doesn't really mean that if someone isn't canonized they aren't a saint. I think canonization is just a way of saying "we know 100% that this person is a saint!" while with other people we maybe 95% sure or 80% sure.


I forgot to add this:

There are many living saints amongst us right now that we do not know of, simply becuase it wasn't part of God's will for them to be revealed to us. So it's always good to love your neighbor, not only because we are called to do so, but also because you never know when you are talking to a saint! There are many "fools for Christ" and other sorts of people out there that unless God makes them known to us people, we would never know of their saintliness and just think of them as crazy or really really weird! There are many saintly people out there within our ordinary lives who are full of virtue and love the Lord very much. Such people come and go and are not canonized as saints but are considered saints by God I believe. I think being a saint is also another way of saying that this person lived a God-pleasing life and is most definitely in heaven.

LifeinChrist

[quote author=gigglyshy link=topic=6433.msg85235#msg85235 date=1207598729]
[quote author=gigglyshy link=topic=6433.msg85230#msg85230 date=1207590135]
[quote author=His Servant link=topic=6433.msg84984#msg84984 date=1207163318]
[quote author=SuperMAN(BAM) link=topic=6433.msg84965#msg84965 date=1207139347]
he's not a saint... he's a normal monk...


then Pope Kyrillos is not a saint. then why do we refer to him as a saint. I think that someone is a saint not based on the church canon alone of wait however many years after their death, but by what their heart is and where it is



There are many saints known to God that aren't officially known to us people. Not all saints are canonized. There are many who we don't know of who were never canonized, so canonization of saints doesn't really mean that if someone isn't canonized they aren't a saint. I think canonization is just a way of saying "we know 100% that this person is a saint!" while with other people we maybe 95% sure or 80% sure.


I forgot to add this:

There are many living saints amongst us right now that we do not know of, simply becuase it wasn't part of God's will for them to be revealed to us. So it's always good to love your neighbor, not only because we are called to do so, but also because you never know when you are talking to a saint! There are many "fools for Christ" and other sorts of people out there that unless God makes them known to us people, we would never know of their saintliness and just think of them as crazy or really really weird! There are many saintly people out there within our ordinary lives who are full of virtue and love the Lord very much. Such people come and go and are not canonized as saints but are considered saints by God I believe. I think being a saint is also another way of saying that this person lived a God-pleasing life and is most definitely in heaven.


how does any of this have to do with what i said? It's not contradicting it... it's what I said in a paragraph form...

socoolbishoy

pope kyrillos, fathers youstos, jesse, abdelmessih, and many more are all dead, they completed their lives in virtue... and holiness... now the key word is COMPLETED! their dead! khalas, there is no going back.... now is abouna fanous alive? ... yes!!! thus he has chance to sin a sin that would cause him eternal torment, and he also has a chance to better himself! so another key word is TIME, he still has time, time to mess up, and he still has time to be better! and guess what.... praising these people is making that time much harder for them! I understand that we want to take his life and imitate it, but do that in private, don't talk about him publicly, and even better pray for him, and pray to be like him! and God's grace will work for the best!

Zakhary

Actually my dad asked the abbot of the monestary once about Fr. Fanous and the abbot said that "father Fanous is a very holy man however the people jump to many conclusions.  For instance, he works in cutting rocks so he has many cuts on his hands and therefore he usually wraps his hands and people said that it lights up"

How is he now?  Is his health good?

Unknown

Abouna Fanous is certainly a living saint. It is good for the soul that the lives of the living righteous and the wonders surrounding their lives be made known to all, for they are strength for the weak, hope for the faithful, and courage for the battlers. They are furthermore testimony to the Glory of God, being concrete evidence of the fruits of His redemptive works which, according to our Orthodox tradition, take effect in the here and now even though the glorified state reaches its perfect and most ultimate fulfillment at the eschaton. It has always been an aspect of the life of the Church, for the last two thousand years, to uphold the example of such righteous living saints, to share the wonders surrounding their lives with others, to seek out their blessings whilst they remain on this earth. Never in the history of the Church have I heard of the philosophy that only once one departs can we begin to discuss and uphold their example of sanctity/sainthood and righteousness. Really, i'd love to witness one who holds to this philosophy being transported back to the time of St Antony and St Shenoute, and telling people to hush about these great Saints until they actually depart.

I would suggest that for those inclined to critisise and cast doubt, that it is better for them to remain silent than to speak idly as such and thereby potentially incur judgment.

As to the comments made by Zakhary: I am not sure how accurate your father's testimony is, nor what the Abbot's intentions were assuming your dad did accurately convey the message given, but I can testify, as a matter of fact, that I am in contact with someone who knows Abouna Fanous better, and has known him much longer, than even the abbot you speak of. Given my close contact with this man, I have been priveleged to sit with Abouna Fanous in his very cell and eat lunch with him each time I have visited Egypt. A few facts to keep in mind: the fact his hands have been known to illuminate is not something that people have unwittingly inferred from the fact he covers his hands; it is something that was known a priori to that fact. The idea that he covers his hands to disguise any potential future illumination is a posteriori inferred. The basis of the known fact that Abouna Fanous' hands illuminate during prayer is the simple fact that they have been physically observed to do so by a number of people. The a posteriori inference that he covers his hands because his hands have been known to illuminate is credible for a number of reasons: 1) it is only since news about the illumination of his hands became widely circulated that he has begun covering his hands (coincidence? Maybe, but not reasonably so in light of the following two points), 2) he covers his hands with socks, not bandages; if the purpose of covering his hands was for the sake of any wounds, then surely he would not be using socks, 3) the last time I visited Abouna Fanous, he took off one of the socks from his hands to give to my father as a blessing in gratitude for some generous gifts my father offered the monastery; this he did right before my eyes, and there was no sign of injuries or wounds.

ilovesaintmark

Thanks for that account.  It gives hope to all.

Zakhary

[quote author=Iqbal link=topic=6433.msg85282#msg85282 date=1207624953]
I would suggest that for those inclined to critisise and cast doubt, that it is better for them to remain silent than to speak idly as such and thereby potentially incur judgment.

As to the comments made by Zakhary: I am not sure how accurate your father's testimony is, nor what the Abbot's intentions were assuming your dad did accurately convey the message given, but I can testify, as a matter of fact, that I am in contact with someone who knows Abouna Fanous better, and has known him much longer, than even the abbot you speak of. Given my close contact with this man, I have been priveleged to sit with Abouna Fanous in his very cell and eat lunch with him each time I have visited Egypt. A few facts to keep in mind: the fact his hands have been known to illuminate is not something that people have unwittingly inferred from the fact he covers his hands; it is something that was known a priori to that fact. The idea that he covers his hands to disguise any potential future illumination is a posteriori inferred. The basis of the known fact that Abouna Fanous' hands illuminate during prayer is the simple fact that they have been physically observed to do so by a number of people. The a posteriori inference that he covers his hands because his hands have been known to illuminate is credible for a number of reasons: 1) it is only since news about the illumination of his hands became widely circulated that he has begun covering his hands (coincidence? Maybe, but not reasonably so in light of the following two points), 2) he covers his hands with socks, not bandages; if the purpose of covering his hands was for the sake of any wounds, then surely he would not be using socks, 3) the last time I visited Abouna Fanous, he took off one of the socks from his hands to give to my father as a blessing in gratitude for some generous gifts my father offered the monastery; this he did right before my eyes, and there was no sign of injuries or wounds.


Hey I never said he was not a saint, but I just said what my father told.  My dad asked the abbot about 15 years ago, so maybe things changed since then!

And you said that Fr. Fanous took off his socks, were his hands lighting?

And how is he doing now? I haven't been there in a long time

socoolbishoy

the Christ arose Himself!

I would suggest that for those inclined to critisise and cast doubt, that it is better for them to remain silent than to speak idly as such and thereby potentially incur judgment.

for a person to judge... it is much better for such to remain silent... than to one stating an opinion... on an opinionated answered questions... and sometimes dogmatically answered... to such a question... if you stay with one answer than you are calling some present church fathers, and laymen, liars and false teachers, so if both answers are stated (of which both are not wrong, just different views), than again one can absorb the opinion they choose to... but to shun another opinion, by an opinion does not go hand in hand with the everyday common sens, and that is indeed not the right thing to do, I say that with all respect and honor to your opinion...

indeed He arose Himself!

LifeinChrist

I think Iqbal was giving the Facts that he witnessed, and thats why he said what he did, he says everything consciously, having a reason for everything.

DBassily

.

Holmes

+ Irini nem ehmot,

As far as I know, he is still alive. A true living saint, may God bless him and keep him.

geomike

Sorry that i can't cite this but somewhere in the Gospels i believe, it says that we are all called to be saints.

Holmes

+ Irini nem ehmot,

Not sure I see the relevance.

geomike

[quote author=Κηφᾶς link=topic=6433.msg133542#msg133542 date=1300760929]
+ Irini nem ehmot,

Not sure I see the relevance.

lol, sorry i posted a little late, i was replying to the first page.