Editor in Chief
Youssef Sidhom
Watani
عربى English French
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Watani
ع Fr
ADVERTISEMENT

Tamav Irene (1936 – 2006): Life of Prayer

30 October, 2020 - (8:42 PM)
0 0

Heba Sharobeem

Tamav Irene (1936 – 2006): Life of Prayer
3.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Tamav Irene (1936-2006) was the late Abbess of the Old Cairo Convent of Philopater Mercurius, commonly known in Arabic as Abu-Seifein or the One with Two Swords. She was consecrated a nun on 26 October, 1954, an Abbess on 15 October 1962 and finally departed to heaven on 31 October, 2006; which makes the month of October her month.

Tamav Erene won the love and respect of the people she came in contact with, and many Christian Copts regard her as a saint. Despite the fact that it is 14 years since her decease, she still inspires many of those who want to tread the angelic road of monasticism. In fact, her life, sanctity and contribution to the Coptic Orthodox Church in general and female monasticism in particular have been the subject matter of a great number of books, articles and talks, as well as many films made about her.

Like many of her predecessors, the nuns and monks who populated the Egyptian wilderness since the fourth century, Tamav was, and still is, a teacher and role model. Like them, her life and teachings stressed the importance of the many virtues taught by the early desert fathers and mothers, namely those of prayer, mercy, love, humility, simplicity and others. What I would like to focus on in this article is prayer in her life. She was indeed, a “woman of prayer”.

Tamav Irene enjoyed prayer since her very young age, having her first example in her mother, Genevieve Al-Feazie, whom she saw praying fervently, shedding tears, and performing many prostrations. Recalling her childhood, Tamav recorded that praying with a contrite heart and tears, and performing metania was carved deeply inside her since her early childhood. She said: “I learnt prayer and metania (prostration) from my mother who used to pray the Midnight Prayer and all the hours of the Agpeya, each in its due hour. As a very little child, I used to sneak in slowly to my mother’s room and stand next to her whenever she went to her prayer corner. …. I would keep her company during the time of her long prayers and heavy tears” (Tamav: A Jewel from Heaven, 34-35).

Another effective member of the family was her pious maternal grandfather Khawaga Matta Al-Feazie. Tamav recorded: “My grandfather used to gather the whole family every evening to pray the Sunset and Retiring prayers from the Agpeya, and then read a chapter from the Bible. He used to contemplate that chapter with us, tell us a story or two, and then go to bed” (Tamav: A Jewel from Heaven, 50). It is important to note that both her mother and grandfather enjoyed special relationships with many of the martyrs and saints of the Coptic Orthodox Church, something which Tamav inherited from a very young age. Thus, home was her first “school of prayer” and the place where she was nurtured the true faith.

Her whole life story stands as a strong example of the effective power of prayer, a strong weapon that she resorted to all the time. It was through it that she found her way to monasticism and particularly to the Convent of the great Martyr Philopater Mercurius. She mentioned that while praying in heavy tears asking God to show her the way, she saw for three consecutive nights a vision of Abu Seifein, whom she had never known before. He invited her to his monastery and actually took her there through siyaha, telekinsim, a ‘spiritual journey in the body’ that does not in fact have a synonym in English. Through it the person is miraculously transported from one place to another in a twinkling of an eye. It was through prayer, fasting and the supplications of the saints that she finally managed to get her parents’ consent to join monastic life. Once at the convent, she resumed her life of continuous prayer, which was her effective weapon to ward off the enemy’s wars which started from the minute she had a cell. He would appear to her in an ugly form holding a knife and threatening her with it, or in the form of snakes and scorpions. In all these wars and others, she heeded the advice of her Mother Superior, Tamav Kyreia Wassef, by praying and making the sign of the cross. She used to tell her: “The devil is as weak as straw. If you blow in his face with the sign of the cross, he will disappear immediately” (Tamav: A Jewel from Heaven, 71).

Having tasted and experienced the power of prayer, she, to quote the great Saint Athanasius, “offered herself as a whole burnt offering, undivided” through countless prayers. As a young novice and nun she was overwhelmed with a great deal of work at the monastery; yet this would never thwart her from fulfilling her spiritual law. The price was high; she would only sleep for two hours during the night. However, God would bless them and give her energy as if she had slept the whole night. In this regard, she mentioned that she went through another spiritual war when she thought of going back to her family house, feeling that she was not praying enough because of the overwhelming work she was doing at the monastery. Once more she records: “I sought God’s guidance through prayer,” and He answered her when He sent her the Martyr Mercurius with the message to never leave the convent: “A nun or a monk out of her/his cell will eventually die, just like a fish out of water” (Tamav: A Jewel from Heaven, 73).

Prayer would continue to be Tamav’s very effective weapon when dealing with all the challenges she faced when she assumed leadership of the Monastery. The nuns have many audio and written records of the incredible number of troubles that she went through, many of which were solved miraculously by the power of prayer. I will mention just one strong example which happened at the beginning of her life as an abbess. She was keen on making a renaissance in monastic life at the convent, but was not sure of the way or the right discipline. Prayer with prostrations and fasting for three successive days concluded with her going to heaven and meeting the great St Pachomios, founder of cenobitic monasticism. He told her to follow the communal life discipline, and informed her of the existence of a manuscript with his regulations in the convent’s library. What proves the authenticity of this vision is the fact that no one knew beforehand of this manuscript or its place.

It was no surprise that being a first-hand- experiencer of the power of prayer, she left us many teachings and sayings about it. Among them are: “The life of prayer is beautiful and gives us joy and peace. It is a key by which we open heaven and get what we want from God according to His will” and “Sitting with God, we acquire some virtues and some of His characteristics. It is exactly like when we live with someone, so we start to adopt some of his qualities. …. We take from God peace, joy, love, giving and sacrifice” (Tamav Erene: Leader and Mother 55-56).

This is a brief glimpse of a nun who lived among us and experienced the true meaning of prayer.

Indeed, she managed through prayer to stay in the company of God all the time and to radiate the joy, love and peace that this companionship offered her to all those who knew her or came in touch with. May her prayers be with us all, protect our Church and country.

Watani International

30 October 2020

Comments

comments

Tags: Convent of St Mercurius CairoTamav Irene (1936 - 2006)

Related Posts

Rolling Plus produces tyres in Egypt
E Choise

Rolling Plus produces tyres in Egypt

September 21, 2023
Coptic Church shares in grief for Storm Daniel victims in Beni Sweif
Coptic Affairs

Coptic Church shares in grief for Storm Daniel victims in Beni Sweif

September 21, 2023
Egypt donates to Cote d’Ivoire medical equipment for liver centre
E Choise

Egypt donates to Cote d’Ivoire medical equipment for liver centre

September 19, 2023
Singular surgeon and preacher Mufeed Ibrahim Said (1930 – 2023) passes away
features

Singular surgeon and preacher Mufeed Ibrahim Said (1930 – 2023) passes away

September 18, 2023
Egypt’s Arab Contractors win seven ME awards
E Choise

Egypt’s Arab Contractors win seven ME awards

September 14, 2023
Egypt mourns victims of Morocco earthquake and Libya storm
E Choise

Egypt mourns victims of Morocco earthquake and Libya storm

September 12, 2023

Discussion about this post

Editorial

Operation 2024 to do away with Sisi

More

MOST READ

Singular surgeon and preacher Mufeed Ibrahim Said (1930 – 2023) passes away
features

Singular surgeon and preacher Mufeed Ibrahim Said (1930 – 2023) passes away

September 18, 2023
0

“The scholarly and professional community in Egypt has lost Dr Mufeed Ibrahim Said, one of the pillars of humanitarian generosity;...

Read more
For 28 years in Port Said: Holy Virgin icon still drips miraculous oil

For 28 years in Port Said: Holy Virgin icon still drips miraculous oil

February 26, 2018
Youssef Sidhom

Operation 2024 to do away with Sisi

September 22, 2023
Copts in western Canada fast and pray three days for children

Copts in western Canada fast and pray three days for children

September 18, 2023
Tamav Irene (1936 – 2006): Life of Prayer

Tamav Irene (1936 – 2006): Life of Prayer

October 30, 2020

Features

Upgrade for Cairo’s Coptic Hospital
Coptic Affairs

Upgrade for Cairo’s Coptic Hospital

September 27, 2023
0

In a meeting that took place on 25 September between Pope Tawadros II and Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population...

Read more
Watani started as an Egyptian weekly Sunday newspaper published in Cairo. The word Watani is Arabic for “My Homeland”. The paper was founded in 1958 by the prominent Copt Antoun Sidhom (1915 – 1995), who strove for the establishment of a civil, democratic society in Egypt, where all Egyptians would enjoy full citizenship rights regardless of their religious denomination. To this day when Watani is published as a weekly paper and an online news site, the objective remains the same. Those in charge of Watani view this role as a patriotic all-Egyptian vocation. Special attention is given to shedding light on Coptic culture and tradition as authentically Egyptian, this being a topic largely disregarded or little-understood by Egypt’s media. Watani is deeply dedicated to offer its readers high quality, extensive, objective, credible and well-researched media coverage, with special focus on Coptic issues, culture, heritage, and contribution to Egyptian society.
-----------------------------------------------------------

27 Abdel Khalek Tharwat st, Downtown, Abdeen,Cairo

00202-23927201

00202-23935946

 [email protected]

      

categories

  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Egypt – Arab Spring
  • Coptic Affairs
  • Features
  • Watani Special Features

Recent Posts

  • Upgrade for Cairo’s Coptic Hospital
  • Dates for Egypt’s 2024 presidential election announced
  • Operation 2024 to do away with Sisi
  • Rolling Plus produces tyres in Egypt
  • Coptic Church shares in grief for Storm Daniel victims in Beni Sweif
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Egypt – Arab Spring
  • Coptic Affairs
  • Features
  • Watani Special Features

Powered BY 3A Digital.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum

Powered BY 3A Digital.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In