We often hear about the importance of befriending the saints and the blessings associated with our connection to them. I confess that I did not understand this concept for most of my life. As a child, saints were awe-inspiring yet simultaneously foreign and out of reach. However, a desert mother called out to me when I was friendless and spiritually barren.
Fawzia Yassa was born in the small town of Gerga in Upper Egypt in 1936, belonging to heaven upon birth. While in labor, her mother received a vision of the Theotokos, who explained: “She is not yours; she is ours, but look after her and bring her up properly.” From that point forward, Fawzia’s life was filled with heavenly interactions. Monastic life appealed to young Fawzia, who, at 18, joined the St. Philopateer Mercurius convent in Old Cairo, receiving the name Ereni. In October 1962, Pope Kyrillos VI appointed her abbess. At that time, Sister Ereni was the youngest nun. Still, her profound way of living and unconditional love exuded the type of prayerful leadership needed during a period of deep spiritual reformation within the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Tamav (Coptic for Mother) transformed convent life according to the order of St. Pachomius, ensuring that all the nuns participated as a community – as the Body of Christ. Tamav also recognized the necessity to draw light on the original pioneers of monastic life and desert asceticism. During weekly discussions, she spoke about heaven, the saints, and these early female monastics. Specifically, she taught about the original convents, known as “houses of virgins,” women who dressed in men’s garb to pass as monks, those who lived a solitary life in the desert, and those who became great anchorites. A compilation of these teachings, The Angelic Life: The Virgin Mary and Other Virgins in Different Ages, was published in 2002.
Tamav lived in communion with the saints, and there are numerous stories concerning her heavenly visitors. Many of these involve miracles that occurred through her prayers and intimate friendship with the Theotokos and St. Philopateer Mercurius. Some of these miracles involved her own healing. Tamav Ereni suffered from various illnesses during the last 25 years of her life, including cancer. Throughout it all, she never ceased praying and communing with the saints. Tamav Ereni departed on October 31, 2006, after serving as Abbess for 44 years. Her shrine is located at the convent of St. Philopateer Mercurius in Old Cairo. Beloved by many Coptic Egyptians, Tamav is truly an icon of Christ. It is reported that through her example, hundreds of women joined convents throughout Egypt, and many others’ faith transformed.
Many Orthodox women are reimagining what it means to be holy. Tamav Ereni paved the way for women today through her tenacity, prayer, strength, and eclectic relationships with the saints. If you watch recordings of her discussions online, you will see a confident Orthodox woman clothed in humility and peace. I personally view Tamav Ereni as someone through whom God used weakness as His strength. I battle a genetic condition that can leave me in debilitating pain for days at a time. Her faith and perseverance encourage me during my worst moments. I now recognize what it means to become close to the saints, for I have spent countless moments with her image by my side, pouring my heart out to her and feeling her beside me. I was lost in the desert, and she found me.
Sherry Mohr is a research librarian, aspiring theologian, and first-year student in Fuller Theological Seminary's Marriage and Family Therapy program. She currently resides in Arizona with her nature-loving husband and three adventurous and book-obsessed boys. As a Coptic Orthodox Christian, Sherry looks forward to examining how women lead and serve Christ within our ancient faith.
