His Tonsuring - Life of Fr. Benyamin the Hermit

Beginning in his monastic life

His Tonsuring:

During the few weeks Boules spent with the abbot of the monastery, the latter saw the sincerity of his desire and tested him. On 07/12/1970, he sent him to the monastery in the desert with a travelling caravan carrying the monks’ supplies that was headed to the monastery.

His love for this path was revealed in the first few months in the monastery, it was shown in his many struggles, his extraordinary love, his silence, quietness and calmness.

And on Tuesday 16/12/1971, H.H. Pope Shenouda III visited the monastery a month and a half after his enthronement. There he met Heg. Shenouda Fahim, priest of Mallawi who was Fr. Benyamin’s confessor. He was at the monastery as a delegate for the priests of Menya to meet with H.H. the Pope in the monastery. He met the young Boules and spoke greatly of him to H.H. the Pope.

On the next day, 17/12/1971 (7 Kiahk), H.H. the Pope tonsured Brother Boules and gave him the name: Monk Youannes El-Samoueli. He is most likely the first monk for H.H. the Pope to tonsure, Heg. Pachomios was another monk who was tonsured with him.

Next year on 06/10/1972, he received the blessing of the priesthood by the hands of H.G. Bp. Athanasius, Metropolitan of Beni Suef, God give him many years.

In the monastery he was appointed to work in the monastery’s farms, he is most likely one of the first to begin working on some of these lands next to the spring of water which the monastery drank from. Through this work he developed a love for silence and the life of a stranger (sojourner).

St. Samuel Monastery (1960)

Next to this, he could not bear the harsh life in the monastery of St. Samuel which was characterized by its lack of resources and hardships. Yet he did not complain of the extreme poverty of the monastery, the poverty which led to his infection with tuberculosis. As a result, he was forced to go to Cairo to present himself before the doctors to receive the necessary treatment, and he returned to the monastery. But he quickly returned to complain (express) of the symptoms of this dreaded disease which deteriorated him severely and H.H. the Pope requested to see him.