Feast of Saint Abanoub (Abib 24 / July 31)
St. Abanoub was born to pure, Christian parents who raised him in the upright faith. Diocletian came to reign, ruling that all Christians should be martyred. When St. Abanoub heard of that (at the age of 12), he longed to shed his blood for Christ.
When he got to church one day, he heard the reverend father preaching everyone, strengthening their faith, telling them to never worship idols, and encouraging their martyrdom for the Lord’s name. St. Abanoub went home, set out all what his father had left him of gold, silver, and other wealth. He looked at it, remembering that the bible said, “[t]he world is passing away, and the lust of it" (I John 2:17). Thus, he rose up, gave all his money to the poor, and headed to Samanoud. Lucianus was the governor of the time. St. Abanoub went up to him, and confessed the name of the Lord Jesus Christ courageously; therefore, the governor tortured him severely. The governor hung St. Abanoub upside down on the post of his ship, but the governor sat down to have a meal; however, the angel of the Lord came down, released the saint, wiped up the blood that was running down his nose and mouth. Whenever the governor came to eat or drink, whatever was in the vessel became stone. The governor, along with his soldiers, became greatly distressed. The winds blew, making the ship go faster to Athribis. When the ship arrived, the soldiers confessed the Lord Christ, receiving the crown of martyrdom.
The governor continued to torture St. Abanoub. The Saint was sent to Alexandria where he was tortured more, and that’s where he gave up his pure soul. St. Julius El-Akfahsi was present, so he wrote the biography, and sent the Saint’s body with some of his men to Nehisa, his hometown.
Many churches were built in his name, and his body is now located in his church in Samanoud.