Clergy

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II was born Wagih Sobhy Baky Soliman on November 4th, 1952, in Mansoura, Egypt. His father, an irrigation engineer, moved the family across various cities, including Sohag and Damanhour, during his childhood. He earned his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Alexandria University in 1975 and went on to earn a fellowship for the World Health Organization from the British International Health Institute in 1985. He also graduated from the Coptic Seminary in 1983 and worked as a manager at a pharmaceutical company in Damanhour owned by the Ministry of Health.

From a young age, His Holiness was deeply drawn to the life of monasticism. He entered the Monastery of St. Pishoy in Wadi Elnatroun on August 20th, 1986, where he lived for two years before being ordained a monk on July 31st, 1988. He was later ordained a priest on December 23rd, 1989, and began serving alongside His Eminence Metropolitan Pakhomius of Beheira starting on February 15th, 1990.

His Holiness was ordained a bishop on June 15th, 1997, by the late Pope Shenouda III as a General Bishop. His focus on the spiritual needs of children, especially through the national children’s festival and his work with the children’s committee in the Holy Synod, marked a significant part of his service.

On November 19th, 2012, His Holiness was enthroned as the 118th Pope of Alexandria and Pope of the See of St. Mark at the Cathedral of St. Reweiss in Abbassiya, Cairo. His enthronement was presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Pakhomius of Beheira, along with other metropolitans and bishops of the Coptic Church. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II continues to guide the Church with love, wisdom, and a commitment to spreading Christ’s teachings across the world.

St. Mary & St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church in Calgary is under the loving guidance of His Grace Bishop Mina of the Diocese of Mississauga, Vancouver, and Western Canada. His Grace was born on September 30th, 1952, in Cairo, Egypt. After completing his military service, he immigrated to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, in early 1977, and later moved to Edmonton, Alberta, where he studied Accounting at the University of Alberta.

In 1980, he decided to return to Egypt to join the Monastery of Saint Mina in Mariout, near Alexandria. In December of that year, he was ordained a monk by the name of Fr. Paphnotius Avva Mina. His spiritual journey continued with his ordination as a priest in 2003, and he served in Ireland for five and a half years, where he built Saint Mina’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Cahir, Munster.

In 2009, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III ordained him as a bishop, making him the last bishop to be ordained by the late Pope.  On March 10, 2013, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II appointed Bishop Mina as the Diocesan Bishop of Mississauga, Vancouver, and all surrounding cities, towns, and villages. His Grace was enthroned in Mississauga, ON, on April 7, 2013, and in Vancouver, BC, on April 13, 2013.

His Grace’s leadership continues to inspire the faithful in Calgary and beyond, guiding the Church with love, wisdom, and dedication.