He was born as Botros Youssef Takla (Arabic: بطرس يوسف تكلا), on 16 July 1939 in the city of Tanta, Gharbiya Governorate, Kingdom of Egypt.
He was ordained as a chanter at the age of seven, and elevated to the rank of Reader in 1946 at the hands of Bishop Theophilus of the Syrian Monastery.
[2] On 3 July 1973, he was ordained a priest and his name was changed to Macarius of Saint Pishoy (Arabic: مكاريوس الأنبا بيشوى).
[2] He was among the Coptic clergy imprisoned by President Anwar al-Sadat in his final act of repression, the September Arrests of 1981.
He spent the majority of his imprisonment in the Al-Marg and Tura penitentiaries until his release from prison by President Hosni Mubarak.