THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE GREAT HOUSE OF CILICIA HELD ITS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Brotherhood of the Great House of Cilicia held its general assembly on July 4-5, presided by His Holiness Aram I, at the hall of the Catholicosal Residence and the hall of the Cilicia museum.  

A religious service was held at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, followed by a funeral service in memory of the late members of the congregation. 

After elections held during the opening session, the assembly was chaired by Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan and Bishop Mesrob Sarkissian, with Very Rev. Frs. Boghos Tinkjian and Baruyr Shernezian as secretaries. The motions’ committee was formed by Archbishop Krikor Chiftjian, Very Rev. Fr. Stepanos Pashayan, and Very Rev. Fr. Shnork Ashekian. 

In his message, His Holiness Aram I highlighted that the goal of the assembly is to study, reflect, and think aloud about the issues and challenges faced by the Church, the clergy, and our people, The Catholicos referred to the conditions that we confront these days, exhorting in particular to the young members to maintain the traditional positions and conceptions that have characterized Brotherhood members over the years. He also underscored the importance of consolidating the links of love and fraternity between Brotherhood members. 

In the second session, Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian read the report of the Board of Directors, while Archbishop Nareg Alyemezian read the report on the bylaws. Afterwards, there was an election of new members for the Board of Directors, with Bishop Magar Ashkarian, Very Rev. Fr. Paren Vartanian, Very Rev. Fr. Barouyr Shernezian, Very Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, and Very Rev. Fr. Zaven Najarian elected for the position. 

During the following seven sessions, there were four keynote speeches, reports, and discussions, where the following subjects were treated: 1) “Brotherhood and Mission” (Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian and Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian); 2) “Re-evaluation of the Mission of the Theological Seminary” (Bishop Torkom Donoyan and Very Rev. Fr. Barouyr Shernezian); 3) “Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations” (Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian and Very Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian); 4) “Cooperation with Hierarchial Sees” (Archbishop Shahe Panossian and Archbishop Nareg Alyemezian). 

At the end of the sessions, the motions’ committee submitted the guidelines for the mission service of the Brotherhood. In his concluding remarks, His Holiness Aram I highlighted the key concepts of the mission of the Cilician See. He pointed out that the focus of the ecclesiastic’s life is the intellectual and spiritual formation, which is indispensable to keep up with the world of today and the needs of our faithful. His Holiness shared his blessings with the Brotherhood members, wishing them success in their service to the Church and the nation.