Who Was Pope Kyrillos?

By 1927, Azer Youssef Ata, a young man of 25, felt a deep call to serve God alone. Working at a shipping company in Alexandria, he had a good job, but his heart longed for Christ. Against his family’s wishes, he resigned, and tradition says he declared, “I want to be a monk.” In 1928, he joined the Baramous Monastery, taking the name Father Mina after Saint Mina the Wonderworker, his patron saint. Craving deeper solitude, he lived briefly in a desert cave before moving to an abandoned windmill on Mokattam mountain near Old Cairo—a harsh and desolate ruin. For Father Mina, it was home, a place to pray under the stars, with only the desert’s challenges for company.

Life in the windmill tested his faith. One tale says robbers attacked, striking his head until blood flowed. Wounded, Father Mina prayed before an icon of Saint Mina, and through St. Mina’s intercession, guided by Christ, the bleeding stopped, giving him strength to reach a doctor who marveled at his survival. Another tale says a guard refused him water, leaving him parched. That night, a dream inspired the guard, through St. Mina’s intercession, to bring water, trembling with awe. These trials deepened Father Mina’s trust in God, who never left him alone.

In the windmill, Father Mina’s prayers wove a bond with heaven. Rising in the early hours, he chanted psalms by lamplight, his voice mingling with the desert’s silence. Coptic tradition holds that St. Mina’s intercession strengthened his faith. This rugged life shaped a monk who sought Christ above comfort, preparing him to lead millions as Pope Kyrillos VI. For children today, Father Mina’s windmill reminds them: even in the loneliest places, God’s love builds a home.