Pope Kyrillos VI was the 116th Pope of Alexandria and successor of Saint Mark the Evangelist (1959-1971).

Pope Kyrillos VI was born on Saturday, August 2, 1902 and was called Azer Ata. When he finished high school, he went to work for a shipping company in Alexandria. Azer was content with little food and the ground to sleep on. On Wednesday, July 27, 1927, he resigned from his job went to become a monk at the Monastery of St. Mary the Virgin, known as El-Baramous. He was ordained a monk on Saturday, February 25, 1928 and was named Mina after St. Mina, his patron saint. He was ordained a priest on Saturday, July 18, 1931.

Fr. Mina’s love for God was so great that he desired a life of solitude. Only thirty years old at the time, he lived in a cave near the monastery, at El-Natron Valley in the western desert between Cairo and Alexandria. He then was appointed the Abbot of St. Anba Samuel the Confessor Monastery in upper Egypt. Afterwards he moved to a deserted windmill in El-Moukatam mountain at the outskirts of Cairo. This windmill was totally abandoned and very dangerous. It was miles from the nearest city and many dangerous animals could be found there at all times, like scorpions and snakes. Fr. Mina spent his time praying and contemplating because of his love for his Savior.

It goes without saying that Satan tried to put many obstacles in the way of Fr. Mina. For example, Satan sent robbers to the windmill and they beat Fr. Mina and injured his head. When Fr. Mina regained consciousness, he noticed he was bleeding. He crawled to the icon of St. Mina and put the icon on his head. The bleeding stopped at once. Fr. Mina then went to the hospital to be treated. The doctors were surprised when they found out that he walked 15 miles from the windmill!

Fr. Mina also built a church at Ancient Cairo under the name of St. Mina. He lived in this church till his ordination as Pope of Alexandria and the Holy See of Saint Mark on Sunday May 10, 1959.

Pope Kyrillos had a very special relationship with St. Mina and together they performed so many miracles. These are documented in many books. Pope Kyrillos, and St. Mina, still perform miracles to this day.
Pope Kyrillos loved the liturgy, Tasbeha and the Coptic language so much. It is estimated that he prayed more than 12,000 Liturgies during his lifetime.
May the prayers and blessings of Pope Kyrillos and St. Mina be with us. Amen.