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We will miss you too much on the earth but we have an intercessor in heaven. Remember us in front of the throne.
Abouna Mikhail,
Abouna was the first one to welcome us to Cornwall, in fact he gave my husband Giham a job in the factory that he was managing. Although he wasn't much older than us Abouna always treated us like a big brother who looked after us. We didn't have a car but he always brought us to his house and Wafaa would make us a big dinner. On Sundays, he would take us to the church in Montreal in his little car along with his family of 5 and his father. I remember Martha was 4 years old and she would say, "I'll sit on the car floor to give us enough room." When I delivered my baby Matthew, Waffa was in Egypt so Abouna visited me in the hospital and he cooked me a chicken. When we would get together for dinner he would read the bible or teach us a Coptic hymn. I always remember him when I hear (Arapsalim song.) His love to serve God was in his blood. His commitment to attend church was very serious, he would drive from Cornwall to Montreal regardless of weather, snowstorms or freezing rain. I seriously felt he was flying his car to go to church. When he became a priest and moved to Montreal he would still care for us and follow up with our needs. Abouna drove several times to Cornwall to help us. He still insisted that we all break fast together with Wafaa making us a great dinner. When we would show him our appreciation, he would say " You are my kids." No wonder his favorite chapter in the bible is 1st Corinthians chapter 13.
I miss Abouna as a brother, a friend and as a father.
He will always live in Wafaa and every member of his family.
You played so many starring roles in my life:
The Father who officiated our wedding and baptized our son.
My Father of Confession.
The Father of the household where I spent the Best years of my youth.
The Father of my Best Friends.
My father's Best Friend.
The Best spiritual coach.
The Best and wisest mentor.
The Best one to provide a witty comeback.
The Best one to make us laugh.
The Best one to find a solution to any problem.
The Best one to get us out of any problem we created for ourselves!
The Best one to lead us with a firm but tender hand.
The Best one to "say it as it is". With you, it was always the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth no matter what!
The Best one to manage projects, to build for the future, to make a vision come to life.
The Best one to defend our faith.
The Best one to stand up for our faith.
The Best one to welcome new immigrants and make them feel that they have someone they could count on.
The Best husband.
The Best father.
The Best grandfather.
If I had to describe you in one word, I would say:
The Best!
You were, will remain forever, simply the Best.
As the Best, you only deserve the Best, which you have achieved after much pain and suffering: eternal life with our Lord.
Remember us before the throne of God. We will never forget you. How could we forget the Best?
Our beloved Father Mikhail we miss you a lot
To my dear father
The meaning of a father in each and every tiny single meaning of it
You were kind
You were humble
You were loving
You thought me the true meaning of serving
You were always there for us
You taught me to be strong and to keep my point but always with kindness
When I was lost or sad you never left your door closed
When we had the big Egyptian wave you use to go to the airport at leat 10 to 20 times a week you were tired but never complained instead you were always telling me Nabila even if people are not happy just try to understand what they want and help them
You were always holding my hand and telling people around us " di benti ana el merabeha" you knew I hated that and you were smiling and telling me to unshy myself
When I left to Qc you always use to ask about us
And the last time I came to visit Mtl you left all the people outside and told me to come and sit because you miss us and you told me that people can wait but you are my daughter and I don't see you all the time!!
No words can express how sad that you left us but I am happy that you are not suffering anymore
You were a loving and caring father
You were so humble you use to wear your glasses all broken and I use to tell you Abouna lets go get you a new pair and you use to tell me Nabila all this is material stuff when they will be really unbearable I will buy new ones just for you!
Your last words to us were I love you and I miss you...I wish I had the chance to hug you one last time! Please pray for us and my deepest condolences to the family tante Wafaa Martha Aziz Marie Aziz Abouna Arsany and Morkos !
Nous etions voisin d'Abouna Mikhail entre juin 2012 et Mars 2020. Je suis né face au Mont St Michel en France. Mon troisieme prenom est Michel et depuis une quinzaine d'année je suis certain que mon Ange gardien s'appelle Michel.
Quelques jours apres notre emmenagement Abouna Mikhail et moi avons parlé. Il m'a dit qu'il est pretre copte et qu'il s'appelle Michel. Qu'il a etudié a Bordeaux et Paris. Je lui ai dit que mon epouse et moi attendions notre 3e enfants et que nous sommes Catholiques engagés dans la communauté de l'Emmanuel. Nous avons parlé du sacré Coeur. Quelle benediction d'avoir pu partager des moments de discussion profond en simplicité parfois alors qu'il s'occupé de ses tomates. Nous avons eu 3 enfants entre 2012 et 2018. A chaque fois wu'il nous voyait Abouna nous benissait. Nous sept avons vendu au 6 Browning et avons quitté un matin de Mars pour Bordeaux. J'ai sonné au 4. Son épouse et sa fille nous ont dit qu'il etait gravement malade.
Maintenant cher Michel, Abouna Mikhail, Dieu t'a accueilli en son royaume.
Tu nous manques.
Je suis dans la louange car je sais qu'un jours nous nous reverrons. Intercede pour nous.
Dear Abouna Mikhail,
I miss you dearly. I know that you are at peace in eternal joy and long for the day when we will meet again. I am writing this tribute so that people can learn from the life that you lived and prepare, for we know not the day, nor the hour.
You were my father before you became a priest. You were very strict and firm but also very kind, wise, and loving. Your hugs and your smile are what I will miss most. Your arms were always opened to me and I knew that I could come to you to debate any topic. You were my Sunday school servant and taught me hymns. The lesson that stuck most with me was the one about Athanasius. It was your favorite lesson. You would tell us, “The world is against you Athanasius” and have us answer, “And I am against the world.” God to you was everything. Your all in all. You wanted God to also be our all in all. You were someone who constantly exemplified going against the current, just like your hero, Athanasius. You had your values and stuck to them. You taught us to be strong and brave in a society that despised God. You taught us to dare to be different. From you, we knew that living out our Christianity would always be a struggle and that we would be persecuted. You equipped us with the tools to prevail.
Other than these important life lessons, you are the one that taught us “Apenchois” and “Evlogemenos”. We repeated and repeated and repeated. We gave you the worst time of it and there was a lot of yelling involved. Yet, you plowed forward feeling that it was worth the effort to teach us. When I chant these Coptic hymns today, I can envision exactly the number of “o’s” and “oo’s” with your voice in my head. Your spiritual children have also paid it forward by teaching these same hymns to the next generation and to the one after that in Sunday school.
One of the things that I admired most about you was that in spite of the fact that you lived an hour and a half away, you were the first one in church with a family of four young children. You did this consistently and never complained about the distance you had to travel. You not only came on Sundays, but at all activities, including Saturday ones for your kids. Your kids never missed out on anything and were not late to any events.
You were not someone who needed to shine in the spotlight. Actually, growing up, other than being our servant, you mostly appeared behind a video camera, filming our “performances” and our birthday parties. Yet, your presence was always felt. A strong, fiery and passionate man whose presence could not be ignored.
The next memory that I have was of the Arabic school. You and uncle Adel were staunch supporters of the project to teach us to read Arabic. You had already taught your own children not only to speak but to read fluently so this project was for the benefit of others. You wanted to ensure that the link to the motherland would not be lost. You had a strong love of your country, Egypt, and contrived to pass that on to your kids. You regularly spent your vacations in Egypt creating an attachment. Love of country is a beautiful thing and although you embraced your life in Canada, you never forgot your roots. That same love of country led you to be involved in the Coptic school project. Someday, that legacy will be continued but your efforts will not be forgotten.
Fast forward to the future, after your priesthood. You still treated me as a daughter and adopted my children as your grandkids. They would come to you and you would always be ready to give them hugs and candies. Your smile made it easy for you to connect with children. They gravitated to you without hesitation.
Father Mikhail, oh how I will truly miss your smiles and hugs. One of my last memories of our time together was when my grandmother departed. You were at her funeral. Before the funeral started, I saw you standing in the deacon area and came forward to greet you. You were high up on a platform. When you saw me, you did not hesitate. You got down on your knees, in your black priestly garments, so that you could reach me and wrap me in your warm embrace. I cannot tell you how touched I was with your love and deep humility. Who was I for you to do that?
That is your ultimate legacy. A father who prevailed with love and who never wavered from his faith. “The world is against you, Fr. Mikhail”. You responded to the call and said firmly, “and I am against the world.” Remember us before the throne.
Your loving daughter,
Myriam Farag
This some of our memories with my beloved Abouna Michael
Visionary
Fearless Church leader
Faithful servant of Christ
My dearest father, supporter, and intercessor
These are just a few of the words I would use to describe what you were to me.
Our story goes back over 2 decades ago when you gave me my first caramel square candy – it was love at first sight. I knew, right then and there, that you would become a dear friend of mine. From that moment on, every Sunday, I would knock on your office door to satisfy my sweet tooth, and no matter how busy you were, without hesitation, you welcomed me inside and gave me a treat.
As I grew older, you became my teacher, giving me lessons on service and unconditional love – occasionally through your words, always through your actions, but most importantly, through your smiles which could heal a thousand wounds.
Never once did you forget to ask about me when I missed a Sunday liturgy. Never once did you forget to pray for me when I was going through a difficult time. Never once did you miss the opportunity to give me a hug and kiss…no matter how many rambunctious tants stood behind us in line, pushing impatiently to get their piece of orban.
Anyone who has ever been lucky enough to be hugged by you knows the deep and overwhelming feeling of warmth, security and love that exudes from your embrace. Every time you wrapped your arms around me, it felt as though I had become a little girl once more, clinging onto the bosom of Christ Himself.
Your voice was the sound of home. Every feast of the Nativity and Resurrection, I would eagerly wait for you to switch to the Gregorian liturgy just to hear you zealously say: “Rompe encore maintenant”. No liturgy prayed by even the most angelic of voices could ever match the fervour of your prayer. As St. James says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”, and it would be impossible to count the number of mountains that were moved by your prayers.
You were restless for the service of Christ and His Church. Every day a new challenge, a new project, a new mission. There were always more seeds to be planted, more harvest to be collected. “Therefore by their fruits you will know them”, and fittingly so, God chose November 1st, All Saints Day, to reunite you with Him. Your fruits can be seen not only through the physical building of our Church, but also through the people who make up its body. Each life you have touched in your own special way, now a walking and breathing testament of your love – starting with your family. “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.” Your children – my big brothers and sisters, my role models – are not only your blessing from God, but also a blessing to the entire congregation as they continue to share the love you imparted to them. And so, your fruits will continue to ripple throughout the generations through your children and your children’s children, both physical and spiritual, across the entire globe. And even though you are now resting in Paradise, I know that you are not finished working and I can’t wait to see all the fruits you will continue to bear through your prayers in Heaven.
My heart broke when you got sick, but God graciously turned your tribulation into my blessing. Seeing you in the hospital every day after work was the highlight of my day. With Covid visitation restrictions, I felt so lucky to be able to steal a few moments with you all to myself. Even though you were the patient and I the doctor, your love and concern for my wellbeing always made it feel like the other way around. Though no gift could ever be enough to repay all that you have done for me, I am so blessed to have gotten the chance to sing to you in your final hours – a small gift of thanks for the 26 years of service you have given me, every candy, every prayer, every kiss, every hug, every phone call and text message. Feeling your hand twitch beneath mine, I know you were reciprocating with “I love you too”.
My dearest abouna Mikhail, your departure leaves a hole in my heart but the joy I have of knowing you are no longer suffering is enough to wipe all the tears away. I love you with all my heart. Please pray for us before the Throne.
Your daughter,
Justina
Abouna Mikhail was a faithful pillar of our church and a true friend to all who knew him.
Although he has left us in body, he is now our intercessor before Christ our Lord. As he was always in haste to help everyone around him and to receive new comers, he was also in haste to depart from this world to dwell in the Paradise of Joy with our Heavenly Father.
His love for God and for his congregation knew no limits. He knew each one of us, his children, and cared about us so deeply and dearly. He loved the youngest and the oldest equally, and it showed both in his speech and through his actions. He insisted on keeping the Arabic language in the liturgies to let the elderly enjoy it, but he never forgot to pray in French and English for the younger ones. Thanks to him, I learned the Gospels and Litanies of the 3rd and 6th hours of the Agpeya all in Arabic, only from listening to him one liturgy after the other. Until this day, I only pray them in Arabic, and each time, it is Abouna Mikhail's voice that I follow in my head. ❤️
Abouna Mikhail, you never failed to put a smile on my face. When you knew that someone in my family was sick, before we even mentioned, you would offer to come pray an Andeel at home, and would instantly fit us in your extremely busy schedule. You made me love 5am Liturgies. You constantly encouraged me and supported me through my spiritual growth. You trusted me to take care of a whole summer camp when I was still very young. You were always my first reference when I applied to jobs, and you never failed to give me a good one.
The entire church misses hearing you as you prayed "Er7amna" with tears in your voice, but we are sure that you will keep asking God on our behalf to "Have mercy upon us" while now you are even closer to Him. I miss your voice, your laugh, and your countless Vespers' sermons which you addressed specifically to kids. More than anything, I miss your warm hugs and smile, and our very unique inside jokes.
May you keep lifting our prayers to God as you fervently did during each Liturgy, and may you watch over us. 🙏❤️ Until we meet again, my beloved Father.
~ Your daughter, Johanna
A Heartfelt Tribute to our Dear Father Mikhail:
F firm in your hope and steadfast faith
A astonishing wisdom
T taught us with energetic enthusiasm and tenacity
H heaven has gained you as an angel
E each of our lives you have so greatly impacted
R rivers of tears you have cried when you prayed for us, your children
M magnitude of knowledge of scripture and valuable lessons you imparted
I imprinted on our hearts is your love and devotion to our Saviour
K kindness and the joy of the Lord are your trademarks which we will treasure
H how many souls have been saved and how many were healed with the offerings of your fervent prayers?
A always in our hearts and never forgotten
I immense peace, relief, and wise advice you blessed us with
L loved and are loved beyond measure
May your soul rest in peace our dear Father Mikhail. We will forever treasure the valuable lessons you have taught us while growing up. Until we meet again🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️
Baptism David 2016❤
In May, 1995 my marriage ceremony was the first one Father Mikhail ever performed. That day he made me laugh so hard! After we prayed before the alter I asked him if we stay or go back to our seats.
He smiled and answered: I have no idea... let me ask! My wife, Marianne, and I laughed so hard and he joined us laughing. He also never came back to tell us! 😂
My beloved father Abouna Mikhail,
With the approach of forty days since you left for you to be with the one you have loved and served,
I have a word to say to you:
I have known you, secular serving my children in Sunday school.
Your door in Cornwall was open to them as it was to other children of the church, as well to the servants.
Without forgetting your wife who did a lot to help you with this hospitality, your wife simple and welcoming like you, Wafaa.
You lived miles from the church, but you were among the first to enter every Sunday to celebrate the Mass.
Your children in hand:
Mina (abouna Arsani), Marmoura, Mersousa and Morcos.
Mina, very young deacon served the altar with abouna, we were impressed with his mastery and memorization of MARADATE EL SHAMES
But that's not strange for those who have a father like you.
I have known you to be a simple, straightforward, and non-hypocrisy person, and this you gave to your natural children, the ones I love with all my heart.
I have known you as a big heart loving children, and you sincerely expressed this love.
When I needed you were always there to help, even during your illness you served me.
You taught me good things that I will never forget.
What would I say my father, except to ask you to remember our Pope, the priesthood and all the people before the throne of God.
I thank you for everything
أبي الحبيب آبونا ميخائيل،
مع أقتراب أربعين يوما منذ انتقلت لتكون مع من خدمته وأحببته،
لي كلمة معك:
عرفتك منذ سنين هذا عددها
منذ كنت علمانيا تخدم اولادي
وكان بابك في كورن ووال مفتوحا لهم ولكل اولادك في مدارس الاحد ومفتوحآ آيضا للخدام وشاركتك في هذا زوجتك الحلوة البساطة وفاء
كنت تقطن بعيدامن الكنسية بأميال ولكنك كنت من اوائل من يدخلها
تصطحب في يديك اطفالك الصغار
مينا (آبونا آرساني) ، مرمورة، مرثوسة ومرقس
مينا الذي كان يشارك خدمة المذبح طفلا صغيرآ جدا وكنا نتعجب من حفظه المردات بكل اتقان
ولكن لاعجب فهذا ليس غريبا علي من كان له ابآ مثلك
عرفتك انسانا بسيطا تلقائيا بلا رياء وهذا قد نقلته لاولادك بالجسد الذين أحبهم من القلب
عرفتك محبآ للاطفال ومعبرآ بكل صدق عن هذه المحبة
عرفتك قلبا مفتوحا بسيطا بساطة الاطفال
لم احتاجك الا وجدتك قريبآ
حتي في مرضك خدمتني
تعلمت منك الكثير، وفي مواقف معينة أسمع صوتك تقول لي ماذا افعل
فماذا أقول ياأبي ألا أن تذكر الكنيسة، البابا، والاكليروس والشعب أمام عرش النعمة
لك امتناني وشكري
Abouna el habib,
Votre départ m'as beaucoup perturber.
Ce que j'aimais avec vous c'était c'était votre franchise et vos conseils directs qui se basent sur la vrai doctrine.
Votre sourire, vos mots réconfortants vont me manquer. Vous me manquer déjà et vous me manquerez jusqu'à ce qu' on se retrouve à nouveau.
J'attend votre visite... 💖
We’ll never forget Abonna Mikhail, he’s the one that took care of us when we were newcomers from 25 years ago. He always supported us and gave us the hope that we’ll have a very good future here but that we need to believe and to be patient. And this is actually what happened.
May god rest his soul in heaven.
My dear beloved Abouna Mikhail used to pass by to pick me up at 4am to attend the early Wednesday mass. After the mass, I used to accompany him when he gave communion to elders who were not able to attend the mass at church. He used to drive me to my school afterwards. This went on for years, may be over 5 years; for every single week.
He made the youth as a priority in his life and we were very close to him. He used to play Ping-Pong with us in the church basement after Vespers prayer. He played soccer with us at the gym the church was renting for us.
Mikaela, my daughter loved him so much and she always repeats that she has a name like his.
When my wife, Flora, was pregnant with our second child, Gabriel, and when she was 2 months pregnant, he told me: "this child will be a baby boy"
I miss you so much Abouna Mikhail
Abound Mikhaïl,
Thank you for being here for me since the very first moment I landed to Montreal and through every event in my journey. Without knowing me (at the beginning) and without any hesitation, you were always present and you managed always to give me your full attention. I learned a lot from you and still try to be more like you.
I will miss your strong hugs ♥️
Thank you Abouna
There are no words that describe his love and care. He was the one who waited for us on our arrival in Montreal. He supported us on many difficult days.
He helped us to find an apartment and he cared about the government documents. He was and still our beloved father who can not be forgettable.
Fr Mikhail Aziz during the Easter 2018 Celebration Mass
Fr Mikhail Aziz with Raouth Raphael, Vivian Guirguis and Theresa Rezk
HG Bishop Boulos ordains Fr Mikhail Aziz to a Hegumen.
Arsenius and Akram Guirguis with our beloved father Abouna Mikhail after the Sunday’s Holy Liturgy (2018)
Fr. Mikhail Aziz congratulates Ihab and Vivian during their engagement (1994)
فى سنه ٢٠١٣ عرفت انى حامل وانا كان عندى ولدين ومكنتش منتظره حمل تانى. لما كملت ١٢ اسبوع رحت المستشفى عشان اعمل التحاليل والاختبارات اللازمه فى الوقت ده من الحمل. بعد السونار الدكتور اكدلى ان كل قياسات الطفل غير سليمه وان ده طفل عنده Down syndrome وغالبا مشاكل صحيه اخرى ولازم ينزل. والكلام ده اكده دكتور تانى جه عشان يقول رايه. طبعا انا انهرت وكلمت ابونا ميخائيل فى التليفون اساله اعمل ايه زى ماكنت بعمل فى كل امور حياتى من يوم ماجيت كندا. ابونا قالى لا طبعا ماتنزليش الجنين ولما لقانى منهاره قالى ادينى خمس دقايق اصلى واكلمك تانى. بعد خمس دقايق كلمنى وسالني انت فى كام اسبوع، قولتله ١٢، قالى دى بنت. قولتله بنت ايه ياابونا هو فى حد لسه يعرف دى بنت ولا ولد وحتى لو كانت بنت اجيب بنت متخلفه. قالى بالحرف الواحد:انا بقولك دى بنت وسليمه ومحدش يلمسها.
وبما ان الدكاتره كانوا مصممين ان الطفل غير سليم ولازم ينزل قرروا يعملولي تحليل amino acid synthesis دى عينه بياخدوها من السائل اللى حوالين الجنين والنتيجه المبدئية بتظهر بعد ٣ ايام والنتيجه الاكيده بعد ١٥ يوم. بعد تلات ايام كان يوم جمعه ختام الصوم كلمونى وقالوا ان التحليل بيقول ان فى حاجه مش طبيعيه بس مش Down syndrome هانعرف هى ايه فى النتيجه النهائية بعد ١٥ يوم. بعد ١٥ يوم تطلع النتيجه سليمه جدا. لكن الدكتور مصمم ان الطفل غير طبيعى وفضل يعمللى تحليل ورا تحليل طول فتره الحمل وهو متاكد ان الطفل غير سليم وكل مره اسأل ابونا يقولى اعملى التحاليل اللى يقولولك عليها بس محدش يلمس الطفل. وكل مره التحليل يطلع سليم وفى الاخر الدكتور قالى هانعرف لما الطفل يتولد ايه المشكله اللى عند لانه متاكد انه طفل غير سليم.
يوم الولاده كان فيه ٣ دكاترة اطفال فى انتظار الطفل لفحصه. اخدوها فى غرفه تانيه لاكتر من ساعه ورجعوا قالولى بالحرف دى اكتر طفل طبيعي اتولد فى المستشفى النهارده. واللى يعرفنى ويعرف بنتى ايرينى يعرف انها طفل سليم تماما.
وكان حبيبى ابويا ميخائيل كل مايشفها يقولى مش هى دى اللى كنت عايزه تنزليها.
انا عمرى ماشفت محبه وحنيه زى اللى شفتها فى ابونا ميخائيل. ابويا وحبيبى اللى عمرى ماقدر انساه ولاانسى محبته ووقفته معانا فى كل حاجه من اول يوم لينا فى كندا. انا دلوقت بس اللى حسيت فعلا انى يتيمه من غيرك. وحشنى قوى ياحبيبى.
In 2013, I knew that I was pregnant, I already have two boys and was not expecting this pregnancy. On the 12th week, I went to the hospital to do the necessary tests at this time of pregnancy.
The sonar showed that all the baby's measurements were abnormal, and that it is a baby with Down syndrome, probably other health problems and must be aborted. This was confirmed by more than one doctor.
I called abouna Mikhail to ask him what to do. He told me: “No, don’t do this, do not abort the baby” and asked me to take five minutes to pray and to call me back.
After five minutes, he called me and asked in which week I was pregnant, I told him 12, he answered: “This is a GIRL”.
I replied , "A girl, who can tell at this time if the baby is a boy or a girl and even if she is a girl, she is not normal.” But he literally answered: “I’M TELLING YOU, THIS IS A GIRL, VERY NORMAL AND DON’T LET ANYONE TOUCH HER”.
Since the doctor was determined that the baby was not healthy and must be aborted, he decided to do an amino acid analysis by taking a sample from the fluid around the fetus, the initial result appears after 3 days, and the more accurate result appears after 15 days. Three days later, the doctor told me that the analysis showed something abnormal with the baby, but not Down syndrome and that the final result should confirm what is the problem. After 15 days, the result came out NORMAL.
The doctor was still determined that the child was abnormal, so he made me go through a lot of tests during my pregnancy. I asked abouna before each test, his answer was always “Do whatever they ask you to do, but don’t touch the baby”.
All the tests came out normal, but the doctor confirmed that the problem should appear after delivery.
On the day of delivery, 3 pediatricians were waiting for the baby to examine her. They took her to another room for more than an hour. They came back confirming, “This is the most normal baby born at the hospital today”.
Who knows my daughter Irinie, knows that she is a completely healthy child.
In my whole life, I didn’t know and I will not know such a loving person as abouna Mikhail. I love you abouna, I will never forget you and I miss you very deeply. I am an orphan without you.
