H.H. Pope Tawadros II
118th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark
OUR POPE
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II was born Wagih Sobhy Baky Soliman on November 4th, 1952, in Mansoura, Egypt. His father was an irrigation engineer and his family moved around during his childhood from Mansoura to Sohag and then to Damanhour.
He received his bachelor's degree in pharmacy in 1975 from Alexandria University and earned a fellowship for the World Health Organization from the British International Health Institute in England in 1985. He attended the Coptic Seminary and graduated in 1983. He then worked as a manager in a pharmaceutical company in Damanhour that was owned by the Ministry of Health.
His Holiness's life has always revolved around church since his youth; he always desired to live the life of monasticism. He entered the Monastery of St. Bishoy in Wadi El Natroun on August 20th, 1986, and remained a brother for two years. He was ordained a monk on July 31st, 1988, and after one year he was ordained a priest on December 23rd, 1989. Two months later, H.H. Pope Tawadros started serving with H.E. Metropolitan Bakhomius of the Diocese of Beheira on February 15th, 1990. He was ordained a bishop on June 15th, 1997, by H.H. the Late Pope Shenouda III as a General Bishop assisting H.E. Metropolitan Bakhomius.
Whilst His Holiness was a bishop he focused and enjoyed serving young members of the congregation. He would travel across Egypt, to attend and organise many children's festivals and celebrations and was recognised for his achievements in this area, he was then given the responsibility to head a committee specialising in children services within the Holy Synod. Before his papacy, His Holiness wrote twelve books.
His Holiness was enthroned as the 118th Pope of Alexandria and Pope of the See of St Mark on November 19th, 2012 at the Cathedral of St Reweis in Abbassiya, Cairo. The enthronement was presided by H.E. Metropolitan Bakhomius of Beheira, many metropolitans and bishops of the Coptic church and delegates from many other Christian denominations.
H.G. Bishop Daniel
First Bishop of Sydney
OUR BISHOP
His Grace was born in the city of Atbara in Sudan on the 7th of March 1959. In 1976 he completed Secondary School in Sudan and went on to graduate in 1982 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, from Alexandria University. His Grace went on to study and gain a Master’s Degree in Church History from the College of Coptic Studies, Cathedral of St Reweis, Cairo.
His Grace served as a Sunday school servant while completing courses in Church Management, a course in Gender Awareness, and Financial Management. These were studied in English and His Grace thought it beneficial to translate these into the Arabic language.
Bishop Daniel was ordained a monk on the 5th of May 1984, with the name of Fr Mettaous El-Antony in St Anthony’s Monastery Red Sea, Egypt. He was ordained to the rank of priest on the 6th of February 1986. On Palm Sunday in 1987 his grace was promoted to the rank of Hegumen. Metropolitan Daniel of Sudan chose him to be the General Vicar of the Diocese of Khartoum and its Affiliated Regions in 1997.
During his years of service, he was responsible for preaching and serving the Orthodox Christians in the Nubian Mountains, of West Sudan. He was also an active member of the International Council of Church’s in Sudan between 1996-1999. His Grace has also served as a General Vicar of the Diocese of Ireland, Scotland and Wales under the leadership of Bishop Anthony.
On the 23rd of June 2002, he was ordained as a bishop for the Diocese of Sydney and its Affiliated Regions by the late Pope Shenouda III, Pope and Patriarch of the See of St Mark with the new name of Bishop Daniel.
Very Reverend Fr Suriel Hanna
First Priest of St Wanas Church
OUR PRIEST
Father Suriel was born Emile Hanna on the 19th of April 1967 in Khartoum, Sudan. His father Alfred and his mother Mary, with his older sister Lillian decided to migrate to Australia in December 1969. They settled in the Sydney suburb of Stanmore and later moved to the western suburb of Greystanes, where his younger brother Agathon was later born.
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He completed his schooling and tertiary studies and pursued a career in automotive electrics. His love for his work encouraged him to later open his own small business in 1998. He became very well known in the industry for his integrity and honest work ethic.
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His life always revolved around the church and service to others. He served and found great joy in the Sunday School service and believes that we can and should be able to cater for everyone’s needs with God’s grace. He was later asked by the Very Reverend Fr Suriel Yousef to take the responsibility of High School coordination at the parish of St Anthony and St Paul, which his father was one of many who were the establishing pioneers of this parish.
Fr Suriel married Val Michael, a fellow servant at the time on Sunday, 14th of July 2002 at the church of St Anthony and St Paul, Guildford, Sydney. God then called through the overwhelming number of nominations and endorsements of Bishops, clergy and congregation for Emile to be chosen to be ordained as parish priest on its altar.
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On the day of H.G. Bishop Daniel’s enthronement on the seat of the Sydney Diocese, Fr Suriel was also ordained and named after the Bishop of Melbourne, H.G. Bishop Suriel. He then travelled to Egyptian monastery of St Bishoy in Wadi El Natroun to spend his 40 days in training.
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Fr Suriel returned and spent his time visiting, counselling and serving the congregation with honesty and selflessness. He obtains great strength from the altar and believes the Liturgy is the source of blessing and peace.
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Fr Suriel is known for being present and involved at every level and area of the service. He is involved and encourages Sunday School service, youth fellowship, high school meetings, spiritual retreats, monastery and nunnery visits and overnight stays, church fetes and open days, spiritual revivals, St Mark Festival competitions and activities, trivia nights and graduation celebrations and certificate presentation ceremonies. For his commitment and active service, he was promoted by H.G. Bishop Daniel to Hegumen on Sunday, 15th April 2018.
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He believes in the power of prayer and teaches his children the necessity of our prayer book, The Agbeya. He is well known in reminding everyone the importance of - “Repentance, Confession, Communion”.
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Fr Suriel was an active member of his local parish of St Anthony and St Paul, Guildford for 53 years and served as a priest, with his wife and three children for 21 years. God called him to establish a new parish in the Inner Western suburbs of Sydney, under the direction and wisdom of H.E. Archbishop Angaelos, Papal Legate of Sydney at the time.
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The parish of St Wanas was born, and Fr Suriel and the congregation took possession of a rented property on Tuesday, 4th April 2023. The first liturgy was celebrated on the last Friday of Lent, 7th April 2023, at 458 Burwood Road, Belmore.