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: nian.htm
Watch the video summary here:
eos/Palm%20Sunday.avi
THOUSANDS CELEBRATE PALM SUNDAY IN ANTELIAS
Thousands of Armenian children renewed the Armenian Church and the
Catholicosate of Cilicia with their strong faith as they came to the
headquarters in Antelias with their parents to celebrate Jesus Christ’s
entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
The Holy Mass in the Cathedral was followed by a procession of the children
who came out of the Catholicosate’s northern gate, made a round turn around
the Catholicosate from the coastal side and returned to the Catholicosate
>From its main gate.
Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian officiated the Mass. His Holiness Aram I
delivered his Pontifical address from the balcony of the Veharan given the
large number of people present. In his sermon, the Pontiff greeted Armenian
children in all the corners of the world, considering that Jesus Christ’s
entry to Jerusalem is the holiday of the Armenian children and Armenian
families.
His Holiness said Antelias was renewed on that occasion in view of the
strong faith of its people, their attachment towards the church and in
particular their love for and trust in the Catholicosate of Cilicia. At the
end of the Pontiff’s speech, the thousands of Armenian children lived
unforgettable moments of joy as colorful balloons were launched into the sky
and brightened the air around the Catholicosate with their lively colours
and movements.
After his sermon, the Catholicos received in the Veharan the endless queues
of children who came with their parents for Atchahampouyr. The Pontiff
distributed gifts to all the children, filling their hearts with the season’s
joy.
Soon after his election as Catholicos, His Holiness Aram I had announced
Palm Sunday as the Day of Armenian Children. Since then, the Catholicos has
annually received children in the Veharan, spread joy in their hearts by
distributing special gifts and making Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem an
unforgettable experience for them.
In the afternoon, the Gate-Opening ceremony took place in the Cathedral.
This is an ancient Armenian liturgical ritual. During the forty days of lent
the curtain on the altar remains closed. On the afternoon of the Palm
Sunday, the priest kneels in the front of the closed curtain and asks for
compassionate forgiveness on behalf of the community gathered in the church.
The service was presided by His Holiness Aram I and conducted by Archbishop
Gomidas, who delivered a sermon on Jesus Christ’s second coming.
Thus, with the services of Palm Sunday and "Gate-Opening", the Armenian
Church entered the last week of Jesus Christ’s earthly life, the Holy Week,
during which the faithful live, liturgically, the events of the last week of
Christ’s life on earth and the torture He bore for the sake of saving
humanity.
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Watch the video summary here:
eos/Palm%20Sunday.avi
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View the photos here:
c/Photos/Photos213.htm
http://www.armenianorthodox church.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos214.htm
http://www .armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos2 15.htm
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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.