Bishop Kyrillos
His Grace Bishop Kyrillos (Arabic نيافة الأنبا كيرلس ) (formerly Fr. John Paul Abdelsayed) is the first American-born bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church.[1] He serves as General Bishop of Christian Education for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii. He is also the Dean of St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological School in Anaheim, California.
Kyrillos | |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Bishop of Christian Education for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii and Dean of the St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological School | |
 Bishop Kyrillos | |
| Church | Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria |
| Metropolis | Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 20 October 2002 by Bishop Serapion |
| Consecration | 12 June 2016 by Pope Tawadros II |
| Rank | General Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Hany Abdelsayed |
| Born | Los Angeles, California |
| Denomination | Coptic Orthodox Christian |
| Alma mater | Georgetown Law |
Early life and education
Bishop Kyrillos was born in Los Angeles, California as Hany Abdelsayed.[2] He obtained a Bachelor of Science in communication studies from UCLA.[1] While at UCLA, he and his twin brother Nagui Abdelsayed (now Fr. David Abdelsayed) spearheaded the first formal Coptic Clubs in Southern California in 1993.[2] After his graduation from UCLA, he obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.[1] He practiced law before serving as a consecrated deacon from 2000 to 2002.[1]
St. Paul Brotherhood
On October 20, 2002, he was ordained as a celibate priest by Bishop Serapion for St. Paul Brotherhood, joining Fr. Isaac Paul (now Bishop Abraham) as the second member of the order. While serving in this capacity, he also earned two master's degrees in Theology from Holy Cross Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, and a Ph.D. in History of Christianity from the University of Notre Dame, School of Theology in Indiana.[1] He also served at St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church in Riverside for several years and was involved in ecumenical dialogue with several other denominations.[1] During this time, he published many books and worked to establish a theology school as well as a central education department for the diocese.
Department of Christian Education
Envisioning the future of Christian Education throughout the lands of immigration, Metropolitan Serapion and Bishop Kyrillos saw the need for a centralized place for Christian Education. The Department of Christian Education was established to ensure that servants throughout the diocese had a solid foundation of knowledge from which they would be able to effectively teach the children and youth of the diocese.[3] The Department established a core Sunday School Curriculum, Diaconate Program, Servants Preparation Program, and a special program for children 8–13 on advanced subjects like Church History, Theology, and Apologetics.[3]
Episcopate
Following the elevation of Metropolitan Serapion, Fathers Isaac Paul and John Paul (Bishops Abraham and Kyrillos, respectively) were chosen to be consecrated as auxiliary bishops for the Metropolis of Los Angeles. In preparation for this, Metropolitan Serapion elevated them to the priestly dignity of Hegumen on March 14, 2016.[1] On Thomas Sunday, May 8, 2016, they were tonsured as monks by Bishop Sarabamon at the monastery of Abba Antony in Yermo, California.[1] Finally, they were consecrated as general bishops to aid Metropolitan Serapion on Sunday, June 12, 2016 at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Mary in Zeitoun, Egypt by Pope Tawadros II.[1]