News

On June 28, an inter-religious Armenian-Iranian discussion on Religion and the Environment, was held in the Vatche and Tamar Manookian Library of the Mother See. The event was organized by the World Council of Churches Armenia Round Table Foundation; in cooperation with the Ecumenical Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Armenia.

On June 25, in the Vatche and Tamar Manookian Library of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; received pilgrims from the Eastern and Western Dioceses of North America. They were accompanied by Rev. Fr. Tatev Harutyunyan of St. Andrew Armenian Church in Cupertino, CA; and Rev. Fr. Hakob Gevorgyan of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia, PA.

With the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians; the Publishing Department of Mother See has published two new boosk. The first is a Russian-language work entitled “St. Grigor of Tatev and his Morality”by Rev. Fr. Ghevond Hovhannisyan, a member of the Brotherhood of St. James in Jerusalem. The second book is a monograph called “Soul Care Philosophy and Modernity of David the Invincible” by Mrs. Silva Petrosyan.

With the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the Publishing Department of Mother See has published - the “History of the Catholicosate of Akhtamar” book by Mr. Vrej Vardanyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences. The book is next in the series "The History of the Armenian Church".

With the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the Publishing Department of Mother See has published - the “History of the Catholicosate of Akhtamar” book by Mr. Vrej Vardanyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences. The book is next in the series "The History of the Armenian Church".

The publication covers the history of the Akhtamar Catholicosate from 1113 to 1895.

The history of the Catholicosate of Akhtamar, is needed for the comprehensive study of the past of the Armenian Church. The Catholicosate had its unique place and role in the centuries-old history of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. The author has thoroughly presented the history of the See, according to Akhtamar's enthronement periods.

The book was published by the patronage of the Sarkis Gabrellian Fund.

On June 11, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; received pilgrims from the Western and Eastern Dioceses of the Armenian Church of North America; and the Australian and New Zealand Diocese.

His Holiness conveyed his blessings to the Armenian pilgrims and their spiritual pastors, expressing joy that they are on a pilgrimage to the Spiritual Center of All Armenians, that for centuries has bound the Armenians to their homeland; inspired hope and faith with its mystery and created and saved souls. The Catholicos of All Armenians stressed that during his pastoral visits he has always seen the powerful faith of the American-Armenian and Australian-Armenian communities, and the unconditional love and devotion towards the Catholicosate of all Armenians.

With the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the Publishing Department of the Mother See, and the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Library; have published a book on Images in the “Voskanyan” Bible, dedicated to the 350th anniversary of the first Armenian printing of the Bible. The book was put together by Rev. Fr. Ararat Poghosyan, Director of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Library of the Mother See.

On April 7, the Feast of Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; met with roughly 160 female employees who are working in different structures and departments of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The meeting was held in the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Library.

On March 13, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; a defense of doctoral thesis was held in the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Library of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Rev. Fr. Zakaria Baghumyan, a member of the Brotherhood of the Mother See; defended his thesis for the rank of Senior Archimandrite, on the subject: “Explanation of the works of St. Yevagr Pontatsi by Archimandrite Kirakos Yerznkatsi (studies and originals)”;.

On 28 December, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; a defense of doctoral thesis was held in the Vatche and Tamar Maookian Library of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

For the ecclesiastical degree of Archimandrite (Vardapet), Rev. Fr. Zaven Yazichyan, member of the Brotherhood of Mother See, Armenian Spiritual Pastor of Myanmar, Singapore and Dhaka, and representative of His Holiness in the Far East; presented his thesis entitled: “The Importance of Psychology in the Service of the Spiritual Pastor”.

Printing is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. It offered an opportunity for the knowledge and achievements of the human mind to be rapidly spread and enlighten all segments of society. We can even say that printing provided one of the favorable conditions for the formation of modern civilization. It is not accidental that our people were one of the first in the world who began the work of printing. It was the natural path of our people that prior to the century of the introduction of printing, they created native language manuscripts for a millennium, very often under conditions lacking peace and security, and living in hardship. But in the reformer force of spiritual power, and lived and created for the sake of a peaceful and just world.

On 16 October the participants of the 14th annual East-West Design & Test Symposium were received by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. They were accompanied by Dr. Yervant Zorian, President of IEEE, Chairman of the Symposium, and President of Synopsys Armenia.

On October 6, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the International Symposium on “Armenian Translation of the Holy Bible and Its Publication in the Evolution of History” was opened in the Events Auditorium of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.