Metropolitan Mikhail of Asyut (1920-2014)

In 1946, he was expelled from the monastery after calling out his abbot for certain wrong practices, only to be ordained immediately as Metropolitan of Asyut by Pope Yusab II. The previous patriarch, Pope Macarius III, had been the Metropolitan of Asyut, and his death in the previous year had left the seat vacant (at this point, diocesan bishops were still eligible to hold the office of patriarch). As his successor on the patriarchal throne, Pope Yusab needed to find a suitable replacement, and it was rumoured that on the same night that Matyas was expelled from the monastery, St Mary appeared to Pope Yusab and instructed him to go immediately to St Macarius’ monastery and ordain the monk Matyas as the new metropolitan of Asyut.^[2]Monks of St Macarius, “The Departure of His Eminence Metropolitan Mikhail, Metropolitan of Asyut and Abbot of the Monastery of St Macarius (1920–2014).” The Monastery of St Macarius the Great, http://www.stmacariusmonastery.org/ava_michael.htm/, accessed June 28, 2020.

In addition to managing the Diocese of Asyut through the reigns of four successive patriarchs (Yusab II, Kyrillos VI, Shenouda III and Tawadros II), Metropolitan Mikhail was the Abbot of the Monastery of St Macarius. However, for most of his time in this role, he left the daily management and spiritual leadership of the monastery to Fr Matta al-Miskin.