Father Okeen El-Souriany

Father Okeen El-Souriany is a hegumen and one of the senior monks of the Monastery of the Holy Virgin Mary (El-Sourian) in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt. He bears the name of Saint Mar Okeen the Copt, the fourth-century father of monasticism in Mesopotamia, whose Life is preserved in Manuscript 297 in the library of his own monastery. This page gathers what is documented about his monastic life, the story of his name as he told it, and a testimony of more than thirty years of spiritual friendship.

Father Okeen El-Souriany is not to be confused with Saint Mar Okeen, who lived sixteen centuries earlier.

Monastic Timeline

1. 4 February 1942 Birth.
2. 28 October 1973 Entered the Monastery of the Syrians, as Brother Behnam.
3. 13 April 1974 Monastic tonsure, on Holy Saturday.
4. 8 August 1976 Ordained a priest (2 Mesori 1692 A.M.).
5. 5 October 1980 Elevated to the rank of hegumen (Qummus).

Document From the biographical document displayed outside Father Okeen's cell, photographed by Father Abali El-Souriany on 31 October 2026. Every date above has been checked against the photograph.

Reviving the Name of Saint Okeen the Copt in Modern Egyptian Monasticism

The Monastery of the Syrians, al-‘Amer (“the ever-inhabited”), in Wadi El Natrun preserves an ancient library of old church and historical manuscripts, an important part of the Christian and Coptic heritage.

The monastery is known by the title al-‘Amer. In the account commonly told, the title is linked to the continuity of monastic life there and to the monastery never having been laid waste by the Berbers.

The late Anba Theophilus, bishop and abbot of the Monastery of the Syrians, took a deep interest in reading ancient manuscripts and studying the lives of the saints.

Firsthand testimony According to Father Okeen’s own oral testimony, which he told in 1992 to a servant of the monastery library (Samy Sorial), Anba Theophilus read Manuscript No. 297, already preserved in the monastery’s ancient library, which contains the Life of Saint Okeen the Copt.

After reading the Life of this saint, Anba Theophilus decided to revive his name in modern Egyptian monasticism, and chose the name Okeen for one of the monks at his monastic tonsure.

So it was that the monk Hegumen Okeen El-Souriany came to bear the name of this saint, and was, according to his personal testimony, the first monk to be named after him in modern Egypt.

Source: a direct oral account by Hegumen Okeen El-Souriany, heard in 1992 during service in the library of the Monastery of the Syrians in Wadi El Natrun.

Monastery record The monastery’s own biography of Anba Theophilus records his care for the library: he brought large collections of books and manuscripts, built new cabinets for them, and had the library catalogued. It does not mention the naming of Father Okeen.

Historical note: the date of his tonsure, 13 April 1974 (Holy Saturday), comes from the document outside his cell and has not yet been confirmed against the records of the Monastery of the Syrians. Whether he was the first to bear the name in modern Egypt, and the explanation of the title al-‘Amer, also await review of the records and historical sources.

Samy Sorial’s Historical Testimony and Spiritual Friendship with Father Okeen

Firsthand testimony Samy Sorial, founder of Okeen.net, served in the ancient library of the Monastery of the Syrians in 1992. It was there that he heard Father Okeen tell, in his own words, how Anba Theophilus read Manuscript 297 and chose the name Okeen for him. This is a firsthand account of an oral testimony, not a story passed on by others.

Since then, for more than thirty years, a personal and spiritual friendship has joined them. They have spoken through many telephone and video calls, and Samy Sorial has visited Father Okeen at the monastery three times during his trips to Egypt.

The Wedding of 12 November 1996

Firsthand testimony On 12 November 1996, at Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, Father Okeen El-Souriany took part in the Coptic Orthodox wedding ceremony (the Crowning) of Samy Sorial, together with Hegumen Ibrahim Nawar. Father Okeen travelled from the monastery for the occasion with the permission of His Grace Anba Matthaeus, bishop and abbot of the monastery.

Serving the Elders: Father Abali El-Souriany

It is an ancient spiritual tradition of monastic life that a younger monk serves one of the elders of the monastery, especially when age or health calls for care and companionship.

This service is not limited to daily needs. It extends to spiritual discipleship: learning from the elder’s experience and wisdom, listening to his words and memories, and keeping what can be kept of his life and monastic history as a blessing for the generations to come.

A present-day example of this life is the service of Father Abali El-Souriany to our beloved Father, Hegumen Okeen El-Souriany, one of the elders of the Monastery of the Syrians. Father Abali accompanied Father Okeen through his treatment in hospital, which lasted twenty-one days, and remained beside him, serving and caring for him.

31 October 2026

Firsthand testimony On Saturday, 31 October 2026, Father Okeen returned to his cell at the Monastery of the Syrians.

On the same day, Father Abali El-Souriany made it possible for Samy Sorial to speak with Father Okeen by video call, to see him, talk with him and receive his holy blessing. Father Abali also photographed the document that Father Okeen had placed outside his cell, which records the dates of his birth, his entry into the monastery, his monastic tonsure, his ordination to the priesthood and his elevation to hegumen.

That photograph is an important contemporary witness to Father Okeen’s history, and it complements the oral testimony that Samy Sorial heard from him directly in 1992 while serving in the monastery library.

Source: Samy Sorial’s testimony of the direct call on 31 October 2026, and the photograph taken by Father Abali El-Souriany.

Related Pages

• The 1987 Icon of Saint Mar Okeen the Copt at the Monastery of the Syrians
• Oral-History Archive
• Manuscript 297 and Saint Mar Okeen: History and Tradition

Open Questions

• Whether Father Okeen was the first monk in modern Egypt to bear the name Okeen, to be checked against the monastery’s records.
• The date on which Anba Theophilus read Manuscript 297 and the exact occasion of the naming.
• The names and dates of the photographs in the archive below, to be completed by Samy Sorial.

May the Lord keep the life of our father Hegumen Okeen El-Souriany, grant him health and length of days, and keep the blessing of his prayers and his service in his monastery, through the intercession of Saint Mary and of Saint Mar Okeen. Amen.

Sources

• Biographical document displayed outside Father Okeen's cell, photographed by Father Abali El-Souriany, 31 October 2026
• Oral testimony of Father Okeen El-Souriany, heard by Samy Sorial at the Monastery of the Syrians in 1992
• Testimony of Samy Sorial, founder of Okeen.net
• Monastery of the Holy Virgin Mary (El-Sourian), biography of His Grace Anba Theophilus www.st-mary-alsourian.com