The Story of Heavenly Holy Oil

A Testimony of Tamav Irene

The holy oil used in the Church is a blessing upon earth. Heavenly holy oil is also a blessing, received from heaven.

The following accounts were shared by Tamav Irene, a nun of the convent of Saint Mercurius Philopater (Abu Seifein), who was entrusted with preserving a special collection of holy oils. Through her testimony, we learn of the origins of these oils and the remarkable events associated with them.

The Three Flasks of Holy Oil

When I first joined the convent, I served Mother Kyria (1928–1962), the Mother Superior. I noticed that she kept three different flasks of oil. On certain occasions, she would ask me to bring her one particular flask. When she was very ill and suffering from severe pain, she would ask for oil from another. When she needed oil simply as a blessing, she would ask for the third.

One day, I asked her, “Mother, tell me, what is the difference between these oils?”

She replied:

“The oil in the first flask was received from Anba Ebraam, Bishop of Fayoum (1829–1914), when he visited our convent. He cherished the convent and visited us often. Before one of his departures, he told us, ‘This is my last visit, and I have a precious gift given to me by Saint Michael: heavenly oil. I do not want it to leave this place. Keep it here as a blessing.’”

The second flask contained holy oil from Jerusalem and certain monasteries. The third contained the holy oil I used daily, particularly before going to sleep, as a blessing.

After Mother Kyria departed to heaven, the oils came into my care.

As several churches were built within our convent, I felt that the oils should no longer remain in my cell. I decided to place them beneath the altar. From that time onward, they remained there during the Divine Liturgies. Only during Holy Week were they taken from their place, after which they were returned.

The Oil That Brought Relief from Pain

One day, I suffered from unbearable pain. No medicine could relieve it, and tears flowed from my eyes. I prayed to God, asking Him to ease my suffering and help me endure it.

That day, I did not know that Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite was the saint commemorated by the Church.

Suddenly, I saw Saint Shenouda standing before me, clothed in white and surrounded by a luminous appearance. I had seen him two or three times before. He wore a cross upon his chest and held another in his hand.

He said to me:

“It is true that your pain is unbearable. Our Lord Jesus Christ has sent me to pray for you and to give you this cotton wool, soaked with holy oil, through which the pain will become bearable.”

He prayed for me and rubbed the oil upon me with the cotton wool. He then left the cotton with me.

The pain became bearable.

I placed the cotton wool in a small jar and kept it in the prayer corner of my cell. While praying, I thought of adding this oil to the oil of Anba Ebraam. Suddenly, I found the jar filled with oil and noticed its fragrant smell. I took this oil and added it to the oil of Anba Ebraam.

The Child Who Spoke of Saint Philopater

One of the nuns had a relative whose child was three and a half years old. The child suffered from a very high fever. After conducting tests, the physicians diagnosed a viral infection affecting his brain. His condition deteriorated, and he fell into a coma.

He was hospitalized, but the physicians eventually told his mother to take him home, believing that he would die within a day.

In her distress, his mother called our convent and tearfully asked for the prayers of the nuns. I instructed her to anoint the child with holy oil associated with Saint Mercurius Philopater, known as Abu Seifein.

After she did so, the child got out of bed and began playing on the floor.

His mother asked him, “What happened, sweetheart?”

He replied, “Saint Philopater took the pain away.”

The child then described seeing Saint Philopater riding a horse and holding two large knives. He said that he had been afraid, but the saint had told him not to be afraid.

“See what he put around my neck,” he said.

Around his neck was a handmade leather cross woven by the nuns, with a small vial of oil attached to its string.

When I heard the account, I asked the mother to share some of the oil with me. I added it to the oil of Anba Ebraam.

Oil Flowing from an Icon of the Crucifixion

In the sanctuary of the church of Saint Demiana, we had a beautiful icon depicting the Crucifixion of our Lord.

One day, while the nuns were cleaning the church, they discovered oil flowing from the icon. They brought it to me, and I examined it together with Anba Reweis and Anba Misael.

The oil continued to flow from the icon for forty-eight hours.

I collected the oil and added it to the oil of Anba Ebraam.

The Icon of the Flight into Egypt

Long ago, I had a vision in the large garden of our convent. I saw the Holy Virgin Mary, who asked me to build a church in her name at that location, where the Holy Family had rested during their journey into Upper Egypt.

A small church was built, and on the day of its consecration, Pope Kyrillos VI came to anoint the icons. When he reached the icon of the Flight into Egypt, painted on the wall, the holy oil moved toward it.

This was the first of two remarkable accounts associated with this icon.

In 1989, work was needed to widen the church, and a group of deacons came to remove the old icons painted on the walls. When they reached the icon of the Flight into Egypt, oil began flowing from it in great abundance.

The deacons immediately called the nuns to witness what had happened. We understood this as a message from the Holy Virgin, asking that the icon be left intact.

We collected the oil that flowed from the icon over a period of three weeks and added it to the oil of Anba Ebraam.

The Visit of Bishop Ireneaus

I would also like to share an account concerning an Orthodox Greek bishop named Ireneaus, who was responsible for the Diocese of Birmingham in England. He loved the Church deeply and prayed fervently before our Lord for its unity.

One day, he experienced a vision in which he saw Pope Kyrillos VI and a child dressed in white.

Pope Kyrillos said to him:

“I am very pleased that you are praying for the unity of the Church. I am also praying with you.”

Pope Kyrillos then identified the child as Saint Abanoub the Martyr and told the bishop that he wished to send him on a mission to Egypt.

He instructed him:

“Go to the convent of Saint Mercurius Philopater, which I cherish, and ask for Tamav Irene, my dear spiritual daughter. Give her this oil and ask her to add it to the special heavenly oil she has. After mixing them together, take some.”

Pope Kyrillos also told the bishop that he would face serious illnesses, operations, and many difficulties. Yet he encouraged him not to be afraid, assuring him that God would be with him and that his father would pray for him.

He also asked the bishop to visit the monastery of Saint Menas and venerate the saint's shrine.

In 1991, Bishop Ireneaus visited Egypt and related this account in the presence of Anba Misael and Dr. Ahmos Abahour. He brought me a beautiful flask of oil, which I mixed with the oil of Anba Ebraam.

I called it “the distinguished oil.”

I gave this oil to those who were sick and to those facing difficulties, considering it a blessing from heaven. As with all such blessings, I understood that any miracle would be according to God's will and in accordance with the faith of those who received it.

A Blessing Preserved Through the Years

The heavenly holy oil was distinguished from the other oils by its enduring fragrance.

Throughout these years, the oils remained in our care, preserved with reverence and used as blessings for those who came to us. Their story was passed down through the testimony of Tamav Irene, who regarded their preservation as a sacred responsibility.

For the Coptic Orthodox faithful, holy oil holds a special place in the life of prayer and devotion. It serves as a reminder of God's grace and the blessings received through the prayers of the Church.

The story of this heavenly oil is a testimony to the faith of those who preserved it and to the experiences they believed they had witnessed. It has been cherished through generations, with reverence for the holy saints, the prayers of the Church, and the will of God.

May God bless all who seek Him with sincere hearts, strengthen those who are suffering, and grant peace to every home.

Glory be to God, now and forever. Amen.