PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
12TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS HOLINESS ARAM I’S
ANOINTMENT AND ENTHRONEMENT MARKED IN ANTELIAS
On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of His Holiness Aram I’s
ordination and anointment as Catholicos, a special service was held during
the Holy Mass in the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias on
June 24. Representatives from Der Zor, Aleppo, and other areas in Syria,
former Ambassador of Armenia to Syria, Levon Sarkissian, as well as a large
number of believers attended the service.
The service was performed by Vicar General Archbishop Ardavazt Terterian
and members of the Cilician Brotherhood. The passages selected from the
Bible about the relationship between a spiritual leader and his community
and the characteristics of a true and brave shepherd were dedicated to the
Pontiff.
The prayers authored by our forefathers for the canon represent, with
great historical depth, the history of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, the
agony it shared with its people during the Armenian Genocide and its rebirth
on the welcoming shores of Lebanon. The Armenian nation was specifically
mentioned in the prayer, with an appeal to God to protect it from foreign
challenges.
V. Rev. Krikor Chiftjian performed the Holy Mass and delivered a sermon on
this occasion. He talked about the image of Jesus Christ as a brave
spiritual shepherd, drawing parallels with the Armenian Pontiff’s courageous
leadership of the Armenian Church and nation.
After the service, Deacon Kevork Arabian addressed His Holiness on behalf
of the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Seminary, students and the attendants in
general, wishing a fruitful tenure and good health to His Holiness Aram I.
The Armenian Spiritual Leader expressed his gratitude for the well wishes
and considered the reason for his existence to be serving the Armenian
Church, nation and homeland. The Seminary choir sang the hymns "Aisor
Kahanayabed" and "Aghpur Genats", as well as "Cilicia" and "I Veh Partsants".
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View the photos here: 5
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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.