At a top of a steep cliff near an old oak tree stands the guardian of the valley overlooking the river opening its arms to its twin Deirmimas and to thousands of olive trees surrounding it from all sides, its saint Mema monastery built after saint Mema the martyr who lived during the Roman Empire era.

The story starts in 1386 AD, in this year a “bedewing” girl was born in Yemen from non-Christian parents, her father served a Greek merchant who brought her back home where she embraced Christianity and baptized in 1402 AD at saint Mema day and named after him.

One day during her daily prayers she had a revelation where she saw saint Mema standing on a large rock overlooking a valley and asked her to build a church named after him at the gate of the holy land and her sign was a bird in the sky which she followed till it stopped in a fine piece of land near a high cliff where she started to build a church and establish an order named after the martyr spreading the word of GOD to the locals in the nearby village which to be named after the holy saint, Deirmimas.
The order continued and flourished for 200 years until it became empty of its residents in the year of 1620 AD for the first time in its history and remained in that way until the year 1866 AD when a young and playful guy from Deirmimas called Jacob Abo Risk decided to enter the monastery after a revelation and started to rebuild it and pledged all his life to its service until his death where he was buried near its church.
After Brother Jacob, Brother Mikhail came who lived the life of a true saint devoting his time for service and prayers till death.  Shortly followed by Brother Elias Adado who looked after the monastery and expanded its property until the year 1927 where he passed away at the dawn of a very sad day to Deirmimas and its residents.

 
The monastery remained a very sacred and holy shrine and a center of festivities during saint mamas day but still with no life in it , you can feel it each time you enter the gate that something is missing and that charming site should not be neglected in that manner . Well its not that way any more for life is coming back to that old place and a sound in the wilderness can be heard again after 75 years of silence, it is the sound of brother Sergious seaman who came to visit the charming site and caught by its beauty and decided to stay. “I am here for good” he says and believe him I say, for behind those eyes is a determined man carrying with him hundreds of years of unspoiled Christian teachings, living the traditional way, time stops in front of him and you feel that your looking at a monk from the early times of Christianity, a tall strong bearded man all in black with serious eyes, yet you cant but feel kindness coming out from him.
He receives you with a smile in his small humble room near that old church, so simple with a weary carpet on the floor and a wooden stove in the middle where brother Sergious prepares everything from baked potato to holly bread prepared the traditional way as early Christians did, time did stop here and the things you think are essential are really minor to him, working in the fields is the best pleasure and yet its a way for putting food on the table, spending his day between rebuilding the monastery walls and passage ways yet he finds time  for his prayers at 2 am when he wakes up to start each day with a prayer and then at 4 am when the day starts between work and prayers till 7 pm.

Looking around in the monastery you cant but notice that life is coming back indeed, small pieces of land are already planted, walls are being rebuilt, but a lot is needed to be done he says, this place was neglected for along time but with God’s help it will return to its past glory, and yes this man means business for it didn’t take him long to win the hearts and minds of Deirmimas’s people. Young and elderly are visiting the newcomer offering help whatsoever , “I don’t mind “ he says  “ I’d like to renew the old relation that bounded the village and the monastery and every help is welcomed , and already he is receiving support from many young men willing to take their share of hard work.

You leave him there in this sacred and charming place by himself, and you cant but respect such man of God who devoted all his life in that manner in a land where he came as a stranger and soon to become his home and refuge, living the life of simplicity, ready to serve and love expecting no gratitude or reward whatsoever.

For me, I cant but respect and envy such willingness and determination, for he gets to wake up each morning to see such sceneries, and to live in a place near god, under the sacred oak tree which carried in its arms the relics of our ancestors, blessing their souls each morning with his divine prayers.

God bless you brother Sergious with all the best.

Report: William N. Hasbany

Financial manager

Ministry of finance

Pictures:           Nizar G. Diab

Webmaster