PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: info@armenianprelacy.org
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

September 26, 2005

Ecumenical Symposium in New York and International Conference
In Massachusetts will Convene During Catholicosal Visit to Eastern Prelacy

NEW YORK, NY-An Ecumenical Symposium and an International Conference are
part of the many events scheduled during the visit of His Holiness Aram I,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, to the Eastern Prelacy.
His Holiness will arrive in New York City on October 19, beginning the
final segment of his visit to North America, which included visits to Canada
and California. Commemorative events in celebration of the 75th anniversary
of the establishment of the Seminary at Antelias, as well as religious
services and celebratory banquets are scheduled in a number of the cities
the Pontiff will visit.
An Ecumenical Symposium and an International Conference are two special
events that were planned to coincide with the Catholicos’s visit. His
Holiness will attend and participate in both.

Ecumenical Symposium
In conjunction with His Holiness’s visit, a special ecumenical symposium
has been organized on Saturday, October 22, 2005, at The Interchurch Center,
475 Riverside Drive in New York City under the general theme, “Challenges
Facing the Ecumenical Movement in the 21st Century.” The symposium, which
features The Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, Secretary General of the World Council
of Churches (WCC), as the keynote speaker, is jointly sponsored by the
Eastern Prelacy, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA,
and the World Council of Churches (WCC).
Other speakers and participants include the Rev. Dr. Wesley
Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary of the Reformed Church of America;
The Rev. Dr. Diane Kessler, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council
of Churches; Bishop Thomas Hoyt, President of the National Council of
Churches of Christ in the USA; Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary
of the National Council of Churches; Dr. Anthony Kireopoulos, Deputy General
Secretary of the National Council of Churches; The Rev. Deborah DeWinter,
Program Executive for the United States, World Council of Churches; Fr.
Leonid Kishkovsky, Moderator of the U.S. Conference for the World Council of
Churches and Ecumenical Officer, Orthodox Church in America and a
representative from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Archbishop Oshagan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, one of the hosts of the
symposium, will provide the welcome. The Symposium will start with prayers,
in the tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Church and a Meditation by Rev.
Prof. Robert Wright, General Theological Seminary.
Closing reflections will be offered by His Holiness Aram I. Attendance
to the all-day event is by pre-registration only.

International Conference
In celebration of the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian
alphabet, an International Conference will take place October 28 and 29, at
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Conference is sponsored by
the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, and Harvard
University’s Mashtots Chair, Department of Near Eastern Languages and
Civilizations, and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.
Scholars from the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Armenia
will participate in the two-day conference, which will be attended by His
Holiness Aram I, who during the opening session on Friday evening will
address the gathering.
Papers pertinent to the alphabet and its creator will be presented by
the following specialists: James R. Russell, Mashtots Professor of Armenian
Studies, Harvard University, Massachusetts; Robert W. Thomson, Gulbenkian
Professor of Armenian Studies (emeritus), University of Oxford, Great
Britain; Gohar Muradyan, Senior Scholar at the Matenadaran, Yerevan,
Armenia; Abraham Terian, Director of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, New
York; Michael Stone, Professor of Armenian Studies, Hebrew University of
Jerusalem; Karen N. Yuzbashian, Oriental Institute, Russian Academy of
Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia; John Huehnergard, Professor of Semitic
Languages, Harvard University; Prods Oktor Skjaervo, Aga Khan Professor of
Iranian Studies, Harvard University; Lusik Stepanyan, Senior Scholar at the
Matenadaran, Yerevan, Armenia; and Akeksan Hagobyan, Senior Scholar at the
Institute of Oriental Studies in Yerevan, Armenia.
The conference is open to the public. The sessions will take place at
Harvard University’s Center for Government and International Studies.
For information on both the Ecumenical Symposium and the International
Conference contact Iris Papazian at the Prelacy, 212-689-7810.

Ecumenical Leader
Catholicos Aram has been an active participant in the worldwide
Ecumenical Movement since the early days of his ministry, and is today an
internationally recognized and respected religious leader. For the past
fourteen years he has been serving as the Moderator of the Central and
Executive Committees of the WCC.
He became intensely active in inter-church dialogue, relations, and
collaboration in 1972 when he was appointed the Catholicosate’s
representative for ecumenical relations, a post he maintained until 1995
when he was elected Catholicos. Through these years he represented the
Church at major theological and ecumenical conferences, assemblies, and
consultations in different parts of the world.
As a strong supporter of inter-religious relations, dialogue and
cooperation, His Holiness has played a significant part in promoting common
values, mutual understanding and peaceful co-existence among religions.

Pontifical Divine Liturgy in New York
A large number of the faithful, especially from the greater Mid-Atlantic
area, are expected to attend the Pontifical Divine Liturgy on Sunday,
October 23, 1:30 pm, at St. Bartholomew’s Church, one of New York City’s
landmark churches. Parishes in the area are arranging bus transportation.
Contact your local parish for information.
A banquet at The Pierre, Park Avenue at 61st Street, will follow the
Divine Liturgy. Reservations for the banquet ($200 per person) can be made
by contacting Dr. Louiza Kubikian, 516-248-2955 or Sophie Khachatryan,
212-689-7810.
Complete details of the Catholicos’s visit are on the Prelacy’s web page
().