PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Catholic Mesrobian High School & Technical College
Bourj Hammoud, Arax Str.
Lebanon
Tel.961 1 260504
Fax.961 1 262955
[email protected]
The Unveiling Ceremony of St. Mesrob Mashdots Statue
Oct 19 2007
On Saturday, 13th of October, 2007 at 7:00pm in the evening, in the
courtyard of Mesrobian High School, the unveiling ceremony of the
newly sculptured St. Mesrob Mashdots monumental statue took place.
The ceremony, which was organized by the administration of the
school, took place with the blessings of His Beatitude Nerses Bedros
XIX, the Catholicos Patriarch of the Armenian Catholics of Cilicia.
The development of the statue was sponsored by Msgr. Vartan
Ashkarian, President of Armenian Catholic schools Directors council,
who dedicated the statue to his parents. H.E. Dr. Vahan Ter
Ghevondian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Planipotential of the
Republic of Armenia in Lebanon, was also present, to share his
thoughts for this distinguished event. Additionally, numerous
dignitaries were present: Armenian religious leaders, political
figures as well as Mesrobian teachers and representatives from other
Armenian schools.
The opening speech was read by Mrs. Garine Tashjian, emphasizing on
the person of the event, St. Mesrob Mashdots: one of the most notable
Armenian figures, who shaped the Armenian History, Culture and Faith
by his creation of the Armenian Alphabet.
Following the opening speech, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, Msgr.
Vartan Ashkarian, H.E. Dr. Vahan Ter Ghevondian and Mr. Gregoire
Kaloust unveiled the statue. His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX,
ceremoniously blessed the statue.
Next, Mr. Gregoire Kaloust gave his speech. According to the
principal of Mesrobian High School, the statue of St. Mesrob Mashdots
in the main court of the school is a dream-come-true, emphasizing the
fact that the school holds his name and is determined to follow His
steps, on, all the national, cultural and spiritual perspectives. Mr.
Gregoire congratulated all who were present and gave special thank to
all who supported the finality of the statue and the success of the
event. He specially thanked His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, for his
encouragement and blessing, Msgr. Vartan Ashkarian for always
supporting the school and sponsoring this project, as well as Mr.
Kakig Kevorkian and Mr. Dikran Kalousdian for designing the
supporting monument and sculpting the statue, respectively.
After a small artistic program prepared for the event, H.E. Dr. Vahan
Ter Ghevondian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Planipotential of the
Republic or Armenia in Lebanon was invited to address his thoughts to
the audience. He noted that, the greatness of Mesrob Mashdots work
lies in the fact that the Armenian people only became truly
Christians, after the translation of the Holy Scriptures to the
Armenian Language, despite the fact that Christianity was the
official faith in Armenia for more than a century. He also noted
that, Mesrob Mashdots was not alone in his project of making the
Armenian letters, but also had the Catholicos Sahag Bartev and the
King Vramshabouh at his side. Finally, he proudly declared that there
is no other nation who celebrates the Holy Translators each year.
Having sponsored the development of the project, Msgr. Vartan
Ashkarian thanked His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX for his presence
and his blessings. He also named his parents Kevork and Zarouhi
Ashkarian, to whom he dedicated the sculpture.
Finally, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, addressed the sermon of the
day to the audience. In his words, he made clear that the historical
figure of St. Mesrob Mashdots has never needed a sculpture, since he
is already sculptured in the spirit and mind of every Armenian who
comes into this world. This figure gave the opportunity to a nation
to communicate with God in his own language. This sculpture as well
as every Armenian student who attends Mesrobian High School proves
that St. Mesrob Mashdots is living in our spirits and minds.