 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2008) |
Bishop Karas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Church | Coptic Orthodox Church |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sorial Ayad Sorial 17 January 1955 Sudan |
| Died | 17 January 2002 (aged 47) California, United States |
| Occupation | Bishop |
| Alma mater | University of Khartoum |
Bishop Karas (born Sorial Ayad Sorial) was the first bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States and the first abbot of the church's first monastery outside Egypt.
Sorial Ayad Sorial was born on 17 January 1955, in Sudan. Sorial was devout at a young age, and received a strong Orthodox upbringing. After Sorial finished his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Khartoum, he left to France to pursue a doctorate at the University of Toulouse. [1]
On 18 January 1981, he attempted to enter Monastery of Saint Bishoy but was stopped by the Abbot, Bishop Sarabamoun, who told him to return to France to continue his education. Sorial replied, “No one, having put his hand on the plough can look back.” (Luke 9:62) The Abbot then allowed him to enter. On November 14, 1981, Sorial was ordained a monk and given the name Father Karas. Pope Shenouda III ordained him as a priest on 14 February 1984, and assigned him to head the Papal Center in St. Bishoy Monastery. On 23 May 1989 Pope Shenouda elevated Father Karas to Hegumen.
Hegumen Karas was appointed to head the new Monastery of St. Antony the Great in Newberry Springs, California (near Barstow, California) on 26 September 1989. [2] [ citation needed ]
The Bishops and Metropolitans of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church unanimously agreed to the elevation of Father Karas as Bishop and Abbot in recognition of the monastery's prosperity; he was consecrated as a bishop on 6 July 1991, by Pope Shenouda III.[ citation needed ]
In 1998 Bishop Karas was diagnosed with lung cancer and was given nine months to live. The bishop continued to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, followed the regular fast schedule and lived a strict ascetic life. He met daily with visitors, even though he was receiving chemotherapy treatment. On 10 January 2002, Bishop Karas suffered a stroke and fell into a coma; he died in the early morning of January 17, the day before his 47th birthday.[ citation needed ]
Pope Shenouda III was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. His papacy lasted 40 years, 4 months, and 4 days, from 14 November 1971 until his death.
Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria also called Abba Kyrillos VI, Coptic: Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ ⲋ̅ ; was the 116th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark from 10 May 1959 to his death.
The Monastery of Saint Pishoy in Wadi El Natrun, Beheira Governorate, Egypt, is the most famous monastery of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria named after Pishoy. It is the easternmost of the four current monasteries of Wadi el Natrun.
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria has several churches in Great Britain and Ireland under the jurisdiction of four diocesan bishops.
Copts, many of whom are adherents of the Coptic Orthodox Church, began migrating to the United States of America in the late 1940s. After 1952, the rate of Coptic immigration from Egypt to the United States increased. The first Coptic church in the United States, St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church, was established in the late 1960s in Jersey City.
Matta El Meskeen, born Youssef Iskandar, was a Coptic Orthodox monk. He was the key figure in the revival of Coptic monasticism, a movement which began in 1969 when he was appointed to the Monastery of St Macarius in the Wadi El Natrun in Egypt. By the time of his death the community had grown from 6 aged monks to 130 monks, and as many other monasteries were revived, new ones also began to open. He was twice nominated to become Coptic Pope, but was not chosen in either case.
Saint Cyrus the Anchorite, also known as Anba Karas, was a saint of the Coptic Orthodox Church who lived during the late fifth and early sixth centuries.
Bishop Missael is a diocesan bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria consecrated by Pope Shenouda III on 26 May 1991 to oversee the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands, U.K. In this capacity, he is a member of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
The Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite in Egypt is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in the Eastern Desert, near the Red Sea Mountains. It is about 155 km (96 mi) south east of Cairo. The monastery is also known as the Monastery of the Tigers.
The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands, UK is under the care of Bishop Missael.
Pope Tawadros II or Theodore II is the 118th and current pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St. Mark, succeeding the late Pope Shenouda III as leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He took office on 18 November 2012, two weeks after being selected.
Anba Suriel is a bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Los Angeles, United States. He previously led the Diocese of Melbourne and affiliated regions in Australia from 1999 to 2018, and first served as a bishop in New Jersey, United States, in the Archdiocese of North America.
Bishop Abraham serves as the Auxiliary Bishop of Diakonia in the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii. He is also the Vice Head of the Ecumenical Relations Committee of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Bishop Sarabamon or Serapamon was the Bishop and Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Pishoy in Wadi El Natrun, Beheira Governorate, Egypt from 1977 until his death on 8 March 2020.
Abraham, was the 21st Metropolitan of the Holy and Great City of Our Lord, Jerusalem, and Archbishop of the Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, all Palestine and the Near East, from 1991, until his death in 2015.
Theophilus,, was the 18th metropolitan of the Holy and Great City of Our Lord, Jerusalem, Archbishop of the Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, all Palestine and the Near East from 1935 until his death in 1945. During his reign, the Archdiocese of Jerusalem also possessed Jurisdiction over the eastern most provinces of Egypt in Al-Sharqyia, Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez. He was also the abbot of the Monasteries of Saint Anthony and Saint George in Jerusalem.
Metropolitan Pachomius or Pakhomious is the serving Metropolitan bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Behira and Matrouh, Titular Archbishop of Pentapolis and the Five Western Cities, and Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Macarius of Alexandria, located in Beheira. He is also a member of the standing committee of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan Wissa is the serving Metropolitan Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of El Balyana, in Sohag Governorate, Egypt. His Diocese encompasses the districts of El Balyana (Abydos), Bardis (district), Awlad Toukh and the villages under their jurisdictions.
Metropolitan Paphnutius or Pephnotious is the first Metropolitan Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Samalut and Taha al-Amida.