ARMENIAN CATHOLICOSE-PATRIARCH KAREKIN II VISITS INDIA
Paul Ciniraj
Salem Voice Ministries
Nov 4 2008
India
Kottayam (Kerala, India), SVM News, 04 November 2008: His Holiness
Karekin II, The Supreme Catholicose-Patriarch of the Armenian Orthodox
Church arrived in India on 31st of October and will be here till
November 12, 2008.
Karekin II will be received by His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Didymus
I, the Catholicos of the East & Malankara Metropolitan of the Indian
(Malankara) Orthodox Church on November 5 at the Catholicate Palace,
Devalokam, Kottayam, Kerala. He will be confered the Order of
St. Thomas by the Catholicos of the East, in a function at Mammen
Mappilai Hall, Kottayam on 6th of November.
His Holiness Karekin II
He will attend another couple of functions on 7th at Parumala Seminary
and the newly built and consecrated His Grace Paulose Mar Pachomios
Metropolitan’s Residence in Mavelikara Diocese. On 8th Karekin II
will visit the Orthodox Theological Seminary for inaugurating the
recording studio at Sruti complex.
Then he will be leaving to Chennai and Kolkata on 8th of evening to
attend the 300th anniversary celebrations of the Armenian community
in Kolkata and Chennai.
On 9th he will be attending the reconsecration ceremony of Armenian
community in Chennai.
In Kolkata Karekin II will be attending the service at Hrashapar Holy
Nazareth Church in Kolkata and the evening events on 10th of November.
On 11th, His Holiness will be inagurating the opening ceremony of the
newly constructed Holy Trinity Armenian Church of Tangra in Kolkata
and the welcome ceremony of the 300th anniversary celebration of the
Armenian Orthodox community.
Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, the Primate of the Armenian Church Diocese
of Australia, Dr. Ashot Kocharian, the Ambassador of the Republic of
Armenia in India, Bishop Arshak Khachatryan, the Chancellor of Armenia,
Bishop Armash Nalbandian, the Primate of the Armenian Church Diocese of
Damascus, Bishop Anushavan ( Andranik) Zhamkochyan, the Dean of Yerevan
State University – Theological Faculty, V. Rev. Fr. Oshagan Gulgulian,
the Pastor and Manager of the Armenian College and Philanthropic
Academy, Rev Fr Hovnan (Artur) Hakobyan, the Staff-Bearer, Rev Fr
Ktrij (Armen) Devejian, the Translator, Ms. Manya Ghazaryan, the
Executive Director-Shoghakat TV, Mr. Suren Ter-Grigoryan, the Chief
cameraman-Shoghakat TV, Ms. Paula Devejian – the Director-Internet
Development Dept., Mr. Gagik Galstyan and Ms. Aida Khachatouryan are
accompaniying His Holiness Karekin II during his visit in India.
His Holiness KAREKIN II was born in 1951 in the village of Voskehat,
near Etchmiadzin, and baptized Ktrij Nersissian.
He entered the seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1965, graduating with
honors in 1971 and was ordained as a celibate priest (monk) in 1972
by name Karekin.
In 23 October 1983 he was elevated to the rank of Bishop by the hand
of His Holiness Catholicose Vasken I and he himself . granted him
the title of Archbishop in November 1992.
He was elected the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
on October 27, 1999, when more than 450 delegates from Armenian
Church jurisdictions around the world met in a National Ecclesiastical
Assembly at Holy Etchmiadzin, the Church’s Mother See, located in the
Republic of Armenia. His consecration and enthronement followed on
November 4th. As the 132nd in a continuous line of Catholicoi dating
back to the Fourth Century, Catholicos Karekin II presides over the
Supreme Spiritual Council (the Armenian Church’s governing college of
bishops), and is the chief shepherd of the world’s 7 million Armenian
Apostolic Christians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
