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:
AROUND 20 CLERICS AND DEACONS ARE ORDAINED IN THE ST. GREGORY THE
ILLUMINATOR CATHEDRAL
Around 20 seminary students were ordained as clerics and deacons
in the service of the Armenian Apostolic Church on June 12 in the
St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral.
Rev. Fr. Tatoul Anoushian, a member of the brotherhood of the
Constantinople Patriarchate conducted the holy mass. The sermon
was delivered by Bishop Kegham Khatcherian, primate of the Diocese
of Lebanon.
The primate highlighted the character traits of people determined
to dedicate themselves to the service of the church. He stressed the
importance of the coupling of one’s rights with one’s obligations.
“Every one of you was granted the right of service to the church on a
certain level. But each right assumes an obligation. That obligation
will be your dedicated service to the holy church of God. Today you
climb the first stairs of this service, so you can reach higher levels
through your work in the future,” said the bishop.
After the mass, a procession of the newly ordained clerics and deacons
headed towards the Veharan, where they kneeled in front oh His Holiness
Aram I and received his blessings.
His Holiness advised them to prepare and self-educate themselves
for higher services. “Your study years at the seminary open up our
church’s and nations ‘ treasury. You will have to gain so much from
these years, so you can enrich our people in the near future on both
ecclesiastical and national levels through the riches you acquired,”
said His Holiness.
His Holiness also commended the dean of the seminary, its staff,
the students and their parents, for their encouragement and support
of the students throughout their study.
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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.