Clergy
Father Gawargios Hanna
Church Priest
Father Gawargios Hanna was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1951, where he grew up and attended the Faculty of Medicine at Ain Shams University. He completed his studies in 1974 and obtained his Doctor of Medicine thereafter.
Shortly later, he immigrated to the United States of America and completed his Medical School Residency at the David Geffen School of Medicine, specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
In the late 1980s, Father Gawargios and his wife, Hoda Hanna, moved to Alta Loma, California, which later became part of the City of Rancho Cucamonga. They served in various Coptic churches within the region, and in 2003, Fr. Gawargios, then Dr. George Hanna, and Hoda Hanna dedicated their service time at Saint Justina. As an ordained Subdeacon, Dr. George taught hymns to various ages and has taken a lead role on the church board. In addition to his church services, he served as an Occupational Medicine Doctor at the Kaiser Permanente Fontana and Ontario Medical Centers.
In August of 2016, Dr. George Hanna was nominated by His Grace Bishop Serapion to be ordained as a General Priest within the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles. On September 3rd, 2016, he was ordained as a Deacon at Saint Paul American Coptic Orthodox Church in Tustin, California. He was then ordained as a Presbyter on September 4th, 2016, under the name of Father Gawargios.
Father Gawargios is the proud father of Mina Hanna, Jenny Hanna, and Mary Hanna. He, his wife, and children are dedicated servants within the church and serve in numerous capacities and roles.
Shortly later, he immigrated to the United States of America and completed his Medical School Residency at the David Geffen School of Medicine, specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
In the late 1980s, Father Gawargios and his wife, Hoda Hanna, moved to Alta Loma, California, which later became part of the City of Rancho Cucamonga. They served in various Coptic churches within the region, and in 2003, Fr. Gawargios, then Dr. George Hanna, and Hoda Hanna dedicated their service time at Saint Justina. As an ordained Subdeacon, Dr. George taught hymns to various ages and has taken a lead role on the church board. In addition to his church services, he served as an Occupational Medicine Doctor at the Kaiser Permanente Fontana and Ontario Medical Centers.
In August of 2016, Dr. George Hanna was nominated by His Grace Bishop Serapion to be ordained as a General Priest within the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles. On September 3rd, 2016, he was ordained as a Deacon at Saint Paul American Coptic Orthodox Church in Tustin, California. He was then ordained as a Presbyter on September 4th, 2016, under the name of Father Gawargios.
Father Gawargios is the proud father of Mina Hanna, Jenny Hanna, and Mary Hanna. He, his wife, and children are dedicated servants within the church and serve in numerous capacities and roles.
Father Gabriel Iskander
Church Priest
Father Gabriel Iskander was born in 1983 in Mansoura, Egypt. In 2005, he received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Mansoura University. He also obtained his Master of Science in Engineering from the same institution in 2010.
Before his arrival in the United States, he worked for NEC and Huawei Technologies on a number of national and international telecommunication projects as a Microwave and Transmission Engineer. In 2011, he began his doctoral studies at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, working on flexible adaptive antenna arrays, as well as, integrating reconfigurable metamaterial unit cells in antenna systems. He won 3rd Place Prize in the Nano Expo Poster Competition in 2011, and was conferred his Ph.D. in 2014.
Upon completing his Ph.D., he joined Qualcomm Inc. in San Diego, California, as a Senior Engineer, where he worked from 2014 to 2023. During that time as well, he served as a reviewer for the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.
Answering God’s call to serve His Church, Father Gabriel was ordained a full deacon on August 13, 2023, by His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion, along with His Grace Bishop Suriel, His Grace Bishop Abraham, and His Grace Bishop Kyrillos. He was then ordained a Presbyter by His Eminence and Their Graces on August 20, 2023, to serve at St. Justina Coptic Orthodox Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Father Gabriel is married to Tasoni Clarissa, and they are blessed with two children, Youssef and Magdalen.
Before his arrival in the United States, he worked for NEC and Huawei Technologies on a number of national and international telecommunication projects as a Microwave and Transmission Engineer. In 2011, he began his doctoral studies at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, working on flexible adaptive antenna arrays, as well as, integrating reconfigurable metamaterial unit cells in antenna systems. He won 3rd Place Prize in the Nano Expo Poster Competition in 2011, and was conferred his Ph.D. in 2014.
Upon completing his Ph.D., he joined Qualcomm Inc. in San Diego, California, as a Senior Engineer, where he worked from 2014 to 2023. During that time as well, he served as a reviewer for the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.
Answering God’s call to serve His Church, Father Gabriel was ordained a full deacon on August 13, 2023, by His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion, along with His Grace Bishop Suriel, His Grace Bishop Abraham, and His Grace Bishop Kyrillos. He was then ordained a Presbyter by His Eminence and Their Graces on August 20, 2023, to serve at St. Justina Coptic Orthodox Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Father Gabriel is married to Tasoni Clarissa, and they are blessed with two children, Youssef and Magdalen.