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Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
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Contact: Karine Abalyan
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E-mail: publicrelations@armeniandiocese.org
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September 25, 2009

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10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PASSING OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN I OBSERVED LAST WEEKEND

In a sermon at Holy Etchmiadzin, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
remembered the late Catholicos as `an example of a man who lived a
godly life’

His Holiness Karekin I Sarkissian, the late 131st Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians, was memorialized on the 10th
anniversary of his passing through a series of events held on
September 19 and 20. His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians, presided over the events at the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and in Yerevan, Armenia,

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), took part in the commemoration,
celebrating the Divine Liturgy at Holy Etchmiadzin on September 20. At
the Primate’s direction, special requiem services were also held at
parishes across the Eastern Diocese last Sunday.

On Saturday, September 19, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the
new `His Holiness Karekin I Religious Missionary Educational Center,’
which is to be built at Holy Etchmiadzin. The center will house an
extensive library, conference facilities, and classrooms, and offer
enrichment opportunities to ordained clergy and teachers of Christian
education.

His Holiness Karekin II prayed for the successful completion of the
new building, and expressed his gratitude to the project’s benefactors
– Mr. and Mrs. Haig and Elza Didizian of London, lifelong friends of
the late Catholicos Karekin I, who also sponsored other memorial
events taking place in Armenia last weekend.

Haig Didizian was honored with an award from the government of the
Republic of Armenia, presented to him on Tuesday, September 22, by His
Excellency Tigran Sargsyan, Armenia’s Prime Minister.

On Saturday evening, a Concert of Remembrance was held in memory of
the late Catholicos at the Aram Khachaturian Philharmonic Hall in
Yerevan. The evening’s program included the viewing of a film about
the life and ministry of His Holiness Karekin I, and performances by
Armenia’s Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Academy Choir.

His Holiness Karekin II, presiding over the concert, remarked on `the
Christian faith and the Armenian national spirit that fused in the
soul of His Holiness Karekin I.’

`While ten years have elapsed since his passing, His Holiness remains
alive in the hearts of the Armenian people, and he will continue to be
remembered by new generations,’ said the Catholicos of All Armenians.

Prime Minister Sargsyan attended the concert, along with government
officials and dignitaries from around the world.

`A great Armenian, a religious man, a national figure, an intellectual
truly dedicated to Armenian letters and culture – such was our Vehapar
Hayrabed,’ Prime Minister Sargsyan said. `He was called to be such, in
order to face the global challenges of those contradictory times: the
preservation of Armenian identity, the expansion of the church, and
the struggle for the preservation of national values.’

On Sunday, September 20, Archbishop Barsamian celebrated the Divine
Liturgy at Holy Etchmiadzin. A requiem service followed at the tomb of
His Holiness Karekin I. His Holiness Karekin II led the procession of
dignitaries from around the world to the gravesite.

In his sermon, Archbishop Barsamian spoke of Karekin I’s strong
leadership at a time when Armenia was transitioning from Soviet rule
to independent statehood.

`Our homeland was taking its first steps into a new era of freedom.
Armenians around the world needed to be reminded of their heritage,
and the church itself required renewal,’ the Primate said. `It was a
heavy burden. But he did not bear it alone. His Holiness was always
supremely aware of that `greater Hand’ at work in human affairs. And
he had faith that this Hand would guide his people – our people –
through all difficulties, to a better place.’

Speaking of Karekin I’s international presence, Archbishop Barsamian
described the late Catholicos as `an international figure, who
inspired people from every conceivable background.’

`He was an example of a man who lived a godly life. But he also
invited others to live such a life,’ the Primate said. `As a pastor to
God’s Armenian flock, his invitation went out, first and foremost, to
his own people. But it did not end there. Countless others – Armenian
and non-Armenian, in the ecumenical arena and in the world at large,
people great and small – found themselves inspired by that
invitation.’

His Holiness Karekin I (1932-1999) – a key figure in the worldwide
ecumenical movement, an intellectual of international stature and
reputation, and a fiercely dedicated leader of the Armenian Church and
nation – was born in Kessab, Syria, with the baptismal name Neshan
Sarkissian.

He studied in Lebanon and then at Oxford, and was an official observer
to the Second Vatican Council. After serving as a bishop in Iran, New
York, and Lebanon, he was consecrated as Catholicos of the Great House
of Cilicia, in Antelias, Lebanon (1977-1995).

In 1995 he was elected the 131st Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians. As leader of the entire Armenian Church – and the first
Catholicos to be elected in the free Republic of Armenia – Karekin I
resided at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin until his untimely death
in 1999. A theologian of enormous breadth, his numerous books and
essays have appeared in Armenian, English, French, Spanish, Italian,
and Russian.

Catholicos Karekin I above all considered himself a pastor – an aspect
of his ministry evident in a long interview published in English as
Between Heaven and Earth: A Conversation with His Holiness Karekin I
(New York: St. Vartan Press, 2000). Speaking with journalist and
religion scholar Giovanni Guaïta, the late Catholicos addressed some
of the most pressing issues of the day: happiness, faith and beauty;
authority and power; the laity, young people, women in the church,
love, the family and sexuality; justice, ecology, and bioethics. The
book remains the best introduction to Karekin I’s spirituality and
thought.

His writings are being systematically issued as the `Karekin I
Theological and Armenological Studies Series.’ Eight volumes in the
series have already been published, and seven more are forthcoming,
all thanks to the generous sponsorship of Haig and Elza Didizian. They
are available at Armenian Church centers on the east and west coasts
of the United States, and through Armenian institutions around the
world.

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Photos attached.

Photo 1: On Saturday, September 19, a groundbreaking ceremony was held
for the new `His Holiness Karekin I Religious Missionary Educational
Center,’ which is to be built at Holy Etchmiadzin.

Photo 2: An image of the future `His Holiness Karekin I Religious
Missionary Educational Center’ at Holy Etchmiadzin.

Photo 3: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian addresses to the faithful at Holy
Etchmiadzin on Sunday, September 20.

Photos 4 and 5: A requiem service for His Holiness Karekin I was held
at the late Catholicos’s tomb at Holy Ecthmiadzin.