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Pontifical Visit Media Advisory
His Holiness Karekin II
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
Pontifical Visit of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue New York, New York 10016
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate
Pontifical Visit
Media Relations Office
Michael O'Hurley-Pitts, Ph.D.
Director
Telephone: 212.686.0710 ext. 154
[email protected]
Facsimile: 212.689.1934
Cellular: 212.533.0335
Sylvie Keshishian
Public Relations Director
Telephone: 212.686.0710 ext. 160
[email protected]
Facsimile: 212.689.1934
PRESS RELEASE
5 October 2007
Ecumenical Leaders Gather To Greet His Holiness Karekin II at Special Dinner
New York - Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern) was host to a wide array of ecumenical
leaders who gathered for a special dinner to welcome His Holiness Karekin
II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians on his Pontifical
Visit to the Diocese.
The private dinner, included Church leaders from the Antiochian Orthodox,
Coptic, Episcopal, Greek Orthodox, Orthodox Church in America, Roman
Catholic, Russian Orthodox and Syrian Orthodox Churches, as well as leaders
of the National Council of Churches of Christ and the clergy of the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
Photos (L-R) His Holiness Karekin II, His Grace Archbishop Mark Sisk,
Episcopal Bishop of New York;
His Eminence Archbishop Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim of the Syrian Orthodox Church
and His Holiness Karekin II
Photos (L-R) His Excellency Bishop William Murphy, Diocese of Rockville
Centre, His Excellency Bishop Nicholas
Dimarzio, Diocese of Brooklyn; and His Grace Archbishop Celestino
Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio & Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the
United Nations; The Very Reverend Father Leonid Kishkovsky, Orthodox
Church in America
In his welcoming remarks and opening toast to His Holiness Karekin II, His
Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian praised the Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians for his pastoral care and leadership of his
flock in Armenian, Artsakh and the rest of the Armenian Diaspora scattered
across the globe. Noting the restoration of the Church in Armenian life
since the fall of the Soviet Empire, His Eminence Archbishop Barsamian
declared, "We are blessed to have His Holiness Karekin II as our leader. He
has shown himself to be the most successful religious leader in what had
previously been the Soviet Union."
Photos (L-R) His Grace Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio &
Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the
United Nations; His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Armenian Bishop of
Canada; His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and His Eminence Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian
Under communist governments, the Armenian Church was severely restricted to
operating just 13 churches and only allowing 26 priests to function. Under
the guidance of His Holiness Karekin II, the Armenian Church in the
motherland now has over 250 churches and routinely ordains approximately 30
new priests each year. Contrary to the trend of decreasing vocations in
other Churches in the West, Armenian Church seminaries are full, with more
than 200 seminarians studying for the priesthood at present.
His Holiness Karekin II was born in 1951 in the village of Voskehat, near
Etchmiadzin, Armenia and baptized Ktrij Nersissian. He entered the seminary
of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1965, graduating with honors in 1971. For a year
after gradu-ation, he taught at the theological seminary at Holy
Etchmiadzin. He was ordained a deacon in 1970 and a celibate priest in
1972, at which time he received the priestly name "Karekin." (In the
Armenian Church, when deacons are ordained to the priesthood they receive a
saints name or other holy name from their Bishop.)
In June of 1999, Catholicos Karekin I passed away. In October of that year,
the National Ecclesiastical Assembly of the Armenian Church met to choose a
successor to Catholicos Karekin I of blessed memory. Armenian Church
communities around the world sent delegations of bishops, priests and lay
persons to Armenia, to deliberate and elect a new Catholicos - the 132nd in
a continuous line dating back to the 4th century. On October 27, 1999,
Archbishop Nersissian was elected, and following his consecration and
enthrone-ment on November 4, he took the name and title of His Holiness
Karekin II (the Second), Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
Please log on to our website www.pontificalvisit.org
<http://www.pontificalv isit.org/> to keep up to date with His Holiness'
Pontifical Visit.
# # #
His Holiness Karekin II
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
Pontifical Visit of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue New York, New York 10016
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate
Pontifical Visit
Media Relations Office
Michael O'Hurley-Pitts, Ph.D.
Director
Telephone: 212.686.0710 ext. 154
[email protected]
Facsimile: 212.689.1934
Cellular: 212.533.0335
Sylvie Keshishian
Public Relations Director
Telephone: 212.686.0710 ext. 160
[email protected]
Facsimile: 212.689.1934
PRESS RELEASE
5 October 2007
Ecumenical Leaders Gather To Greet His Holiness Karekin II at Special Dinner
New York - Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern) was host to a wide array of ecumenical
leaders who gathered for a special dinner to welcome His Holiness Karekin
II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians on his Pontifical
Visit to the Diocese.
The private dinner, included Church leaders from the Antiochian Orthodox,
Coptic, Episcopal, Greek Orthodox, Orthodox Church in America, Roman
Catholic, Russian Orthodox and Syrian Orthodox Churches, as well as leaders
of the National Council of Churches of Christ and the clergy of the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
Photos (L-R) His Holiness Karekin II, His Grace Archbishop Mark Sisk,
Episcopal Bishop of New York;
His Eminence Archbishop Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim of the Syrian Orthodox Church
and His Holiness Karekin II
Photos (L-R) His Excellency Bishop William Murphy, Diocese of Rockville
Centre, His Excellency Bishop Nicholas
Dimarzio, Diocese of Brooklyn; and His Grace Archbishop Celestino
Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio & Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the
United Nations; The Very Reverend Father Leonid Kishkovsky, Orthodox
Church in America
In his welcoming remarks and opening toast to His Holiness Karekin II, His
Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian praised the Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians for his pastoral care and leadership of his
flock in Armenian, Artsakh and the rest of the Armenian Diaspora scattered
across the globe. Noting the restoration of the Church in Armenian life
since the fall of the Soviet Empire, His Eminence Archbishop Barsamian
declared, "We are blessed to have His Holiness Karekin II as our leader. He
has shown himself to be the most successful religious leader in what had
previously been the Soviet Union."
Photos (L-R) His Grace Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio &
Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the
United Nations; His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Armenian Bishop of
Canada; His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and His Eminence Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian
Under communist governments, the Armenian Church was severely restricted to
operating just 13 churches and only allowing 26 priests to function. Under
the guidance of His Holiness Karekin II, the Armenian Church in the
motherland now has over 250 churches and routinely ordains approximately 30
new priests each year. Contrary to the trend of decreasing vocations in
other Churches in the West, Armenian Church seminaries are full, with more
than 200 seminarians studying for the priesthood at present.
His Holiness Karekin II was born in 1951 in the village of Voskehat, near
Etchmiadzin, Armenia and baptized Ktrij Nersissian. He entered the seminary
of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1965, graduating with honors in 1971. For a year
after gradu-ation, he taught at the theological seminary at Holy
Etchmiadzin. He was ordained a deacon in 1970 and a celibate priest in
1972, at which time he received the priestly name "Karekin." (In the
Armenian Church, when deacons are ordained to the priesthood they receive a
saints name or other holy name from their Bishop.)
In June of 1999, Catholicos Karekin I passed away. In October of that year,
the National Ecclesiastical Assembly of the Armenian Church met to choose a
successor to Catholicos Karekin I of blessed memory. Armenian Church
communities around the world sent delegations of bishops, priests and lay
persons to Armenia, to deliberate and elect a new Catholicos - the 132nd in
a continuous line dating back to the 4th century. On October 27, 1999,
Archbishop Nersissian was elected, and following his consecration and
enthrone-ment on November 4, he took the name and title of His Holiness
Karekin II (the Second), Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
Please log on to our website www.pontificalvisit.org
<http://www.pontificalv isit.org/> to keep up to date with His Holiness'
Pontifical Visit.
# # #