Habib Girgis: Theological Dean and Coptic Saint

Habib Girgis: Theological Dean and Coptic Saint • Historical Context: The lecture begins by painting a picture of the Coptic Church in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, describing it as a "very dark period" marked by a lack of formal education, high illiteracy, and external pressures from Western missionaries. Pope Shenouda III regarded Habib Girgis as a "light in the midst of this darkness" and attributed the revival of education within the church to him. • Pioneer of Religious Education: Habib Girgis is presented as the "pioneer of religious education" in the modern Coptic Church. He was born in 1876 in Cairo and, despite losing his father at a young age, excelled in his education at the Great Coptic School.