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| Fr. Matta El-Maskeen/Matthew the Poor |
The
Reason for Changing his Name from Matta to Mettaos:
“Their bodies were buried in peace, but their name lives for generations.” (Sirach 44:14)
At the beginning of 1951 in the month of March, Monk Matta El-Samoueli (the late Fr. Matta El-Maskeen/Matthew the Poor) came to Der El-Suryan as he was sent by Hegumen Mina the Hermit (the late H.H. Pope Kyrillos VI). He was to live in this monastery instead of the monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor after it was derecognized by the Holy Synod at that time due to circumstances.
“Their bodies were buried in peace, but their name lives for generations.” (Sirach 44:14)
At the beginning of 1951 in the month of March, Monk Matta El-Samoueli (the late Fr. Matta El-Maskeen/Matthew the Poor) came to Der El-Suryan as he was sent by Hegumen Mina the Hermit (the late H.H. Pope Kyrillos VI). He was to live in this monastery instead of the monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor after it was derecognized by the Holy Synod at that time due to circumstances.
When the late Bp. Theophilus abbot
of the monastery wanted to change the form of monasticism (the change of a monk’s
affiliation from one monastery to another) of Fr. Matta El-Samoueli, he wanted
to change his name as well. This was due to the fact that another monk carried
the same name (Fr. Mettaos) and the order of monasticism does not allow two
monks to carry the same name within the same monastery, for personal privacy
and to avoid confusion.
Monk Matta El-Samoueli refused to change his name and said, “I am a Coptic monk and not a Syrian one!!!” and asked for the name “Matta El-Maskeen (Matthew the Poor)” after the name of Pope Matthew I (the 87th Patriarch) whose life the monastery was working on printing and publishing at the time. Also because he said he received this name through divine vision.
In order to prevent overlapping and confusion, Bp. Theophilus and the fathers of the monastery began from that day to call Fr. Matta El-Suryani by the name of Fr. Mettaos, they began to call him by the Greek pronunciation of the name Matta (Matthew).
Whenever Fr. Matta El-Maskeen recalled this event, he would be amazed by the humility and love of Fr. Mettaos because he changed his old name and did not hold on to it even though he was entitled to it because it was by the name of Matta that he became a monk and ordained priest by!!!
Monk Matta El-Samoueli refused to change his name and said, “I am a Coptic monk and not a Syrian one!!!” and asked for the name “Matta El-Maskeen (Matthew the Poor)” after the name of Pope Matthew I (the 87th Patriarch) whose life the monastery was working on printing and publishing at the time. Also because he said he received this name through divine vision.
In order to prevent overlapping and confusion, Bp. Theophilus and the fathers of the monastery began from that day to call Fr. Matta El-Suryani by the name of Fr. Mettaos, they began to call him by the Greek pronunciation of the name Matta (Matthew).
Whenever Fr. Matta El-Maskeen recalled this event, he would be amazed by the humility and love of Fr. Mettaos because he changed his old name and did not hold on to it even though he was entitled to it because it was by the name of Matta that he became a monk and ordained priest by!!!
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