The 95th Anniversary of the Catholisosate of Cilicia Seminary.

 

Aztag Daily reported that in accordance to tradition, the opening of the new academic year of the seminary of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia was announced, on the feast of the Holy Translators. This year the seminary celebrates its 95th anniversary in Antelias. On Sunday, October 12, 2025, in the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator of the Antelias Monastery, under the auspices of Catholicos Aram I, the superintendent of the seminary, Rev. Baroyr Shernezian, celebrated the Holy Liturgy and preached a sermon.

Happenstance had that on the same day, in 1930, after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 12, 1930, the Seminary was officially opened: classes were started the following day with an enrollment of 38 students.n. 

The attached is reproduced from a booklet, published in the 1950s, by the Catholicosate of Cilicia for fundraising purposes. It presents a brief history of the re-establishing of the centuries old Catholicosate of Cilicia, after its expulsion from its ancient headquarters in Sis, in Antelias, Lebanon. The site was an American orphanage   . Vaհe H Apelian

HISTORICAL STATEMENT

In 1921, after the massacres and the deportation of the Armenians from their fatherland, Sahag II, Catholicos of Cilicia, took refuge in Syria with the remnants of his flock, numbering about 200,000.  Until 1930, His Holiness, himself a refugee, did not have religious quarters in which to reside, nor facilities to organize the spiritual and educational affairs of its people. Prior to 1921, for several centuries, the Seat of the Cilician Armenian Catholicosate has been Sis in Cilicia. At the present time, although the seat is established in Antelias, Lebanon, nevertheless the Holy See reserves its original historical name, viz., THE ARMENIAN CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA.

The American Near East Foundation had been helping the Armenian refugees to settle in Syria and Lebanon, had an orphanage for Armenians since 1922 in Antelias, a village about six miles from the city of Beirut, Lebanon This orphanage with its buildings and premises, had been vacant since 1928. Upon the petition in 1929, of the Catholicos to the Executive Committee of the Near East Foundation, they were put under his disposition for a period of five years to be used as the Seat of the Catholicosate and as a Seminary for training priests and teachers, to meet the religious and educational needs of the Armenians in the Near East. The Executive Committee also determined to contribute $6000 to $7000 yearly, and some Armenian benefactors an additional $5000 for the maintenance of the Seminary.

Catholicos Sahag invited Bishop Papken Gulesserian as Catholicos Co-adjuctor, and Shahe Vartabed Kasparian of Boston, Mass. as Dean of the Seminary, in order to organize the Dioceses of the Holy See and lay the foundation for the Seminary. In the years to follow, these two noble clergymen became the soul and the pillars of the Catholicosate and the Seminary.

After the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 12, 1930, the Seminary was officially opened: classes were started the following day with an enrollment of 38 students.

Upon the completion of this period of five years, the Near East Foundation discontinued its annual appropriation and the Seminary was left to the meager resources of the Holy See. As a consequence, the number of students, previously 43 to 45, was lowered to about 20.

Unfortunately, in November 1935, the Dean of the Seminary died. A few months later, the Holy See lost Catholicos –Coadjutor Papken Gulesserian. Their death was a severe blow to the ‘newly flowering'" Seminary and the Catholicosate. But the venerable 88-year old clergyman, Sahag II, was never despondent, he appointed Archbishop Bedros Sarajian as his Locum Tenens. The latter opened a campaign to secure financial means for the purchase of the Antelias property and for the sustenance of the Seminary and the Catholicosate. Many Armenians responded to the call. Mr. and Mrs. Simon and Mathilda Kayekian of Cairo, Egypt, made possible the purchase of the property from the Near East Foundation by a generous donation of $19,000. From the contributions of the people, a sum of $30,000 was raised, with which a new Seminary building and a residence for the Catholicos were erected.

On May 10, 1943, Archbishop Karekin Hovsepian, the Prelate of the Armenian Church in North America was elected Catholicos of Cilicia. Before his coming to Anetlias, his Golden Jubilee had been celebrated in the United States and in Egypt, and all the proceeds, amounting to $100,000, were allotted to the Holy See. The faculty of the Seminary was increased by new competent professors. The number of students was raised from 22 to 43. Terenig Vartabed Poladian of New York was appointed Dean of the Seminary.

Antelias, once an orphanage, is now a center of learning and knowledge giving forth its good fruit in due season. This Seminary is truly called "The noblest Armenian educational enterprise in the Near East".

THE SEMINARY

The Seminary is the center of religious education of the Catholicosate. Its aim is to prepare young men enriched in faith, knowledge, and vision as qualified clergy or teachers thoroughly devoted to the ministry of the Holy Armenian Church and the Armenian people.

At present, the Seminary has 38 students. In October 1948, the number will be raised to 53. The faculty is composed of eleven professors. It is the only institution in Diaspora, which possesses a faculty of such high reputation. The Dean is Bishop Terenig Poladian.

The Seminary has two divisions:

The Preparatory Institute (Jarankavorats - Ժառանգաւորած): This is composed of our years' course for advanced education, dealing mainly with languages, sciences, mathematics, and history.

The School of Theology (Entsayaran - Ընծայարան): This is composed of three years' course in theological and philosophical studies.

The Seminary provides facilities for recreation in sports and games, such as tennis, volleyball, basketball, and swimming.

Students participate also in extra-curricular activities, such as religious and social work.

Graduates: So far the Seminary has produced 20 clergyman and 42 teachers. These graduates are serving in various Armenian dioceses, institutions, and schools in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Cyprus, the United States, and Armenia, in the capacity of prelates, principals, and teachers.

The Seminary sends some of its graduates to American and European Universities to acquire them with Western thought. These graduates, upon their return, devote themselves to teaching.

CATHEDRAL OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR

The Cathedral was constructed in 1938-40 through the generous donation of an Armenian who remained anonymous until after his death when his son disclosed him to be Mr. Sarkis Kenadjian, from Constantinople. The Cathedral is one of the largest and most beautiful buildings in Lebanon.

MARTYRS MEMORIAL CHAPEL

The Chapel is dedicated to the memory of millions of Armenians who were massacred with ineffable brutality by the Turks during the First World War. Every year on April 24th, a commemorative Holy Mass is celebrated. From the dome hangs an unquenchable lamp symbolizing Eternal Light shining over the Souls of the Martyrs.

THE LIBRARY

The Library contains catalaqued about 8000 bound volumes and 3000 pamphlets. There is also a collection of manuscript material. The volumes are crowded in wooden shelves; steel stacks are urgently needed. There is a great want for encyclopedias, dictionaries, and books in English, French, and Armenian on theology, literary and educational subjects.

OTHER FACTS

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia comprised of 160,000 people has four dioceses, Aleppo, Lebanon, Damascus, and Cyprus. The people are economically poor, especially since the outbreak of the hostilities in Palestine. The annual expenditures of the Holy See amount to about $48,000. The normal income is only about one-third of this sum. The greater part must be provided by the generous contributions of the benefactors and pious people. The Seminary has a few benefactors in the United States, Egypt, Cyprus, France, and England, each of whom pays the annual expenses of a student, who has been adopted in his name. It should be noted that the tuition, room, board, clothing, physical care, etc. of the students are provided by the Seminary, free of charge. the yearly cost for each Seminarian is $750.

THE NEEDS OF THE HOLY SEE

Library building

Seminary Annex building

Linotype

Rooms for Vartabeds and Deacons.

Benefactors for adopting students in their names.

Memorials may be established for donations made towards filling these needs. in part or in whole. In whatever form given, the memorial lives on in the Church and through the students who receive its benefit. The memorials are commemorated annually on a special day, during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Such donations, or will be made through the Association to Aid Catholicosate of Cilicia which was established in 1944 by His Holiness Karekin Hovsepian. The association maintains branches in many cities. The address of the Executive Committee is Mr. Mihran Karagheusian, 295 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, or through

THE ARMENIAN CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA

ANTELIAS, LEBANON.

Note: The date of the publication is not noted. It presumably is in the early 1950s.

From Vahe to Vahe, Վահէ-էն, Վահէ-ին

Vaհe H Apelian

Vahe Berberian

Today I received the embedded snap shot from my former high school classmate Vaghenag Tarpinian. The picture depicts the Tarpinians, Vaghenag and his wife Shoghig with Vahe Berberian. It turns out Knights of Vartan had invited Vahe Berberian to New Jersey to stage one of his comedy acts. 

It must have been in early 1970's. I was a member of the ARF Zavarian College Student Association having progressed there from my youthful days as a member of the Papken Sunni Badanegan (adolescent union), to Zavarian middle/high school Student Association and on.  All of them happened in the same community center in what nowadays is known as West Beirut. 

ARF Zavarian Association seniors oversaw the workings of the Zavarian juniors. I was a committee member then and involved with the junior. Vahe Berberian, early in his teens, caught my attention. He stood apart from the rest. Lean, tall, with hair  smoothly flowing, hands often in the pockets of his jeans,  walked stooped gait, with an hunched over posture. It may have been his growth spur. He was towering the rest of his friends.  But most of all, it was his overall mannerism that caught my attention and stirred my curiosity to the point that I wanted to know more about this junior. Everything about this young student looked so different that I made a point of meeting his parents to find out more about him.

One day the opportunity presented itself and I drove him in my car to their house. We had recently moved from (west) Beirut to Antelias, a walking distance from the Catholicosate of Cilicia. It turned out Vahe Berberian's family also lived in Antelias, a bit further uphill from our house 

Theirs was the everyday Armenian hospitable family. They hosted me cordially, knowing that I am a senior member overseeing the juniors. There was othing unusual that stood apart in their family. But there was an unmistakable similarity between Vahe and his mother, both physically and in mannerism. In later years Vahe would crack jokes about his mother but he made his father the protagonist of a novel he wrote. That became the only time I spent time with Vahe Berberians for any appreciable length of time. 

Civil war came upon us and all of us got scattered. I heard that he had moved to Canada. Decades later I started reading about him in the Armenian media, that he was in LA and has blossomed into a writer, painter, playwright, stand alone comedian, actor.  I wrote him a letter inviting him to Cincinnati for a few days of rest and relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of the Armenian community in Los Angeles. He wrote that he was busy preparing for his next comedy and sent a copy of his newly published  book. He had personalized it "From Vahe to Vahe"  It rhymes much better in Armenian, (Վահէ-էն, Վահէ-ին). That young boy, the blossoming genius of which he seemed not to be aware, who could not bring himself to graduate from the Sophia Hagopian High school he attended, as did my brother.

Vahe Berberian has now become an Armenian cultural icon. I appreciated him sending word with my friend. «Vahe says hi to Vahe» wrote to me Vaghenag.

 

Lest we forget: Bayard Dodge, a great friend to the Armenians

The attached is my translation of the late Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian's article he posted in Simon Simonian’s "Spurk" weekly on Dec. 31, 1972.  Bayard Dodge hailed from a prominent American family. In 1923 he succeeded his father-in-law, the founding president Howard Bliss, and became the third president of the American University of Beirut that had formerly been known as "The Syrian Protestant College". The article is also a testament to young bishop Mesrob Ashjian's care and concern to pay homage to those who helped the destitute Armenians in their hours of need.  Vaհe H Apelian

Bayard Dodge (1888-1972)

“The Armenian media kept a strange silence at the death of a great friend of the Armenians, Bayard Dodge. Strange, because he was a towering figure in Lebanon and a great number of people have been beneficiaries of his good deeds. He contributed greatly towards the establishment of the Lebanese Armenian community.

It was my pleasure in the last two years to meet him and relive with him the period when caravans of destitute Armenians would arrive in Lebanon and find shelter in orphanages preparing to face life and end up establishing the vibrant present Armenian community in Lebanon. I feel a debt of gratitude towards him and belatedly pen these lines in his memory. More than others, he deserved to be remembered and eulogized by Armenians.

Bayard Dodge was born in 1888 in a family known for its humanitarian missionary zeal. His name, along with that of his father's Cleveland, great paternal uncle Steward, and father-in-law Daniel Bliss remain forever associated with the American University of Beirut (AUB).

After attending Princeton and other top American universities, Dodge headed to Lebanon. It  would become his adopted country. He set foot in Lebanon in 1913 and immediately assumed a variety of responsibilities. His caring heart and generosity of spirit would reveal themselves when he was appointed director of the Near East Relief Association in 1920 where he rendered incalculable assistance to the Armenian orphans. From 1923 to 1948 he acted as president of the AUB. During his distinguished tenure he made the university a center of learning and knowledge to people in Lebanon, in Asia, Africa and Europe.

After his retirement he returned to the U.S. For the next quarter-of-century he maintained his ties with Lebanon and continued to work for the betterment of the country. Prime Minister Saeb Salam eulogized him saying: “Bayard Dodge exemplified the best in Americans. He understood the people of Lebanon as well as the Arab peoples. He identified himself with them and made their social, educational, and national struggles his own.”

Bayard Dodge was also known as a man of faith. Even though he was a devoted Christian he saw much commonality with Muslims. In a statement that appeared posthumously, he said:  “A good Muslim and a good Christian are alike in many ways. It is a blessing that the American University of Beirut was founded in Lebanon, which is a unique country”.

The AUB’s modest and unpretentious president was also a scholar, and a capable administrator devoted to good causes. He was honored by many universities receiving honorary doctoral degrees. Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Iranian, Polish, French, Greek and British governments decorated him with medals of distinction.  In 1960 he was honored the “Woodrow Wilson" award. Suleiman Franjieh, president of Lebanon, posthumously bestowed upon him the National Order of Cedar First Class.

Bayard Dodge died on May 30, 1972. Memorial services were rendered in Princeton and in Lebanon. Alas, we Armenians could not express our gratitude on these occasions for the services he rendered to us, among them for his decisive role in the acquisition of the [Antilias] property for the seat of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

The world bestowed upon him all the accolades it could. Surely it is the God’s recognition of him as a devoted servant mattered most to him, for he worked tirelessly to live up to the motto of the university he served: “That they may have life and have it more abundantly”.

The Dodges displayed in their home with affection the attached photo of Bayard Dodge receiving the plaque the Armenian community presented to him in 1948 as a token of its gratitude. Also in the photo, Catholicos Karekin I Hovsepian is sitting next to Mrs. Dodge.”

The Antochians’ flora and more

Albert S. Apelian’s book “The Antiochians” makes for a fascinating reading especially those who hail from Kessab. It would not take long for such a reader to draw a similarity between Albert Apelian’s father, Soghomon Apelian M.D., and to his mother, (see note 1). The attached is an early passage from the book (pages 9-11). Vahe H Apelian

Courtesy Hagop Cholakiian, Kessab native wild flower.

Albert S. Apelian wrote, “Kessab does not appear on every map of the Middle East; yet it existed as Kessabis in northern Syria, close to the borders of Cilicia, during the reign of Seleucians, wo had become heir to one part of the empire created by Alexander the Great. The crusaders, however, in their expeditions to liberate the Holy Land from the clutches of the Saraceans, had stopped at Kessabis after storming Antioch. For its natural beauty, they had named it Casabella. Thus, it is indefinite whether in later years Casabella had been mispronounced or if the Kessabis had been abbreviated to its present form. Regardless, Kessab’s approximately ten thousand Armenian inhabitants claiming descent from the nobility of the Armenian kingdom in Cilicia, called their birthplace Kaighu, meaning “hamlet” in the dialect spoken by them for hundreds of years. 

Anyone traveling along the banks of Orontes River – also known as El-Assie for its rebellious northerly course – and approaching Antioch, will come face to face with the pyramidal Mount Casius, which the natives, irrespective of the language or origin, call Jebel-Akra, meaning in Arabic “the bold mountain.” The towering summit of Jebel-Akra, appearing from afar like a hairless giant, watches tirelessly from above the timber line over the Mediterranean Sea into which the serpentine Orontes spits its ever-turbid  waters and dives under the white-crested waves to reach the rocky shores of Cyprus, the Adam’s apple of the Anatolian Peninsula. And Kessab, appearing from a distance like a large amphitheater, is located on the southeastern slopes of that mountain. 

The picturesque countryside, with its mild climate, is a paradise containing a great variety of flowers, ranging from the common red poppys to scented violets, to exquisite mountain tulip, and to noonoofar, lavishly used in the luxurious hairdos of Kesabisti maidens, roaming the Caradouran Valley – known as the Corridorion, during the Roman conquest.

        The earliest panorama of Kessab at the foot of Mount Casius,
 courtesy Ms. Effie Chambers by Danette Hein-Snider

Miss Prockter, who was greatly interested in the flora of Cilicia and northern Syria, wrote to teacher Osanna asking for certain species of wild flowers. Osanna searched the countryside for such specimens, at times all alone, at other times accompanied by her devoted pupil Zaroohi Mossian. (see note 2).

In one letter, the missionary mentioned Jabalakra flowers, indicating that they thrived mainly on the mountain bearing that name. Blooming in earl spring, these blood-red and canary yellow strawflowers remained intact through summer and autumn, but as soon as snow covered the beak mountainside, they withered and died to reappear, when the sun again warmed the earth.

When one day Osanna mentioned Miss Prockter’s request to the pupils, Zaroohi Mossian offered to donate one of her precious bunches. However, the teacher said she would rather pick the antarams herself. 

Osanna had already heard a great deal about the never-fading lowers from a medical student whom she had met the previous summer. According to the information revealed by the youth, the Jabalakras thrived best in certain ravine near a stone pile which marked the grave of a mythical princess, who in a futile attempt to escape from a would be abductor, had thrown herself from the top of precipice. It was rumored that the red flowers sprouted from the princess’s blood, and the yellow originate form her blond hair.  

One morning Zaroohi Mossian approached her teacher and stuttered excitedly “Var…Varjoos…he….Osanna ……Varjou…joohi”

“My brother – I mean Doctor Haig – is arriving late his afternoon. He, he is returning from Constantinople, where he had gone to receive his certidicate for the practice of medicine.” (see noted 3). ……….”

Note 1: Altough Albert S. Apelian notes that “THE ANTOCHIANS is a work of fiction. With the exception of historical names, events and dates, any similarity to the names of persons living or dead or to actual events is coincidental and unintentional.” But, he also claims that “It is also self-evident that truth must prevail, or we shall all parish. And truth is to be found everywhere, even in the pages of a work of fiction.” There is much that will resonate, especially in a Kessabtsi reader.

Note 2: Dr. Albert Apelian’s mother’s name was   “Osanna, ne’e Arakelian. She was a graduate of the Aintab American School for Girls and taught Kessab Schools for some time. She wrote article for “Rahmuna” periodical in Constantinople.” (Yervant Kassouni from the book about Dr. Albert Apelian’s student thesis he edited).

Note 3. Albert Apelian’s father Soghomon Apelian was the first Kessabtsi to graduate from the American University Medical School.

"Kessab and its villages" by Albert Apelian, Yetvart Kassouny edited 
THe ANTIOCHIANS, Dr. Albert S. Apelian literary opus.

  

The common sense for informed patriotism

Vaհe H Apelian

Recently I read the farewell speech, president Ronald Reagan gave after serving the nation with distinction for eight years. In his farewell address, the great communicator said, “informed patriotism is what we need.”  He also invoked, “common sense”, twice. Yes, invoked because common sense is not something that we can dismiss. In fact, common sense, above and beyond everything else, often guides leaders. It is thus that I came with this blog’s title. 

Patriotism is not a commodity that a person possesses it or not, much like a precious metal, such as gold, that some may happen to have it while others not. Patriotism is also not like a garment or a scarf that one wears to make a public statement. According to the Merian-Webster dictionary patriotism is “love for or devotion to one's country”, and quotes the following: “Although poles apart ideologically, they are both unashamed of their patriotism.”—Christopher Hemphill. Therefore there is a whole spectrum between the two ideological poles for a patriot to espouse. 

But this blog is not about patriotism per se, but it’s about the politization of patriotism on false pretense. Simply said, having the audacity to claim being more patriot than thou.

This blog is about the former FM of Armenia, Vartan Oskanian, who in his latest comment against the PM Nikol Pashinyan, posted the following on his Facebook page: “when a leader (read Nikol Pashinyan) deliberately erases parts of this (read Armenian) history to justify his own failures, he betrays not only his country’s (read Armenia) past but also its future. This is precisely what Nikol Pashinyan is doing—rewriting Armenia’s story to excuse his political failures, offering the nation nothing but resignation and defeatism.”

Let us face it, it’s pretty harsh and damning judgement that the foreign minister Vartan Osakanian levies against the PM and shares it with the Diaspora. The official language of Armenia is Armenian and not many in Armenia are as well educated in English as Vartan Oskanian is, to read his post in English. He was born in Aleppo and studied in the American University of Beirut. 

Vartan Oskanian wrote, “no serious nation simply forgets its lost territories. Greece has never erased the memory of Constantinople. Poland continues to commemorate Lviv….”.

 I do not know about Lviv to know how Poles remember it. But it is fair that I point to the former FM that his anti-Pashinyan pollical calculus is blinding him for what we have upheld.  Yes, unlike the Greeks, the seat of our Orthodox Apostolic church is not in Turkey any longer, but we resurrected the Cilician Catholicosate in Sis in Antelias, Lebanon and, after every Sunday mass, the faithful sing the famed Armenian song Cilicia (Giligia) and will continue singing it as Catholicosate of Sis / Cilicia’s unofficial anthem. If Poles remember Lviv, I want to note what Vartan Oskanian knows, but choses to ignore, that we have named many towns in Diaspora and as well as in Armenia after our historic towns, such as Nor Marash, Nor Hadjin, Nor Aresh. Vartan Oskanian hurling such insults, does not aim the PM only, but it also aims to insult ordinary, everyday Armenians. 

Furthermore, the former FM seems to have conveniently dismissed that that in 10 weeks, Armenia will come to a standstill. Its citizens will take a day off from their work to remember and pay homage to the victims of the Armenian genocide and much like he and president Robert Kocharian at one time, Nikol Pashinyan, his FM Ararat Mirzoyan and the rest of the government officials will do the same, visit the Armenian Genoide memorial

Common sense tells me that it is not in history’s defense, the FM is coming. He is resorting to history as a political tool and is taking it to Diaspora. That is far more destructive, than confinjng to Armenia, especially coming from a foreign minister..

Yes, I envision that the 2026 election will be about “real Armenia”. The citizens of Armenia are rightfully concerned about their lives and livelihood, their security, about the escalating cost of living, the increase in the property taxes, increase in the transpiration fees, and in everything else citizens of a country remain concerned. 

But Vartan Oskanian, does not entertain such mundane concerns the citizens have, such as taxes, fees, etc. Vartan Osakanian claims that he has a far broader concerns in mind that have to do with dignifying Armenia or Armenians and salvaging Armenia or Armenians, from defeatism. He puts forth an academic argument alleging that when negotiating with the enemy around the negotiating table, a distinction can be made between active territorial claims and historical (territorial) truth.

Such academic arguments and the lack of well -defined policy, with its pros and cons,  are the very reasons that the 2026 will be a hotly contested election. Since June 20, 2021, the opposition has not gone beyond attributions, labels.  The opposition has not presented a principle for negotiating with Armenia’s neighbors. It has not presented an alternative policy to PM’s Crossroad for Peace initiative. On the NA floor the oppositions members did not put forth a coherent counter-argument. Simply said, the opposition either does not have any plan, or if it has, it hides it from public. 

It is time that the citizens of Armenia vote either for Nikol Pashinyan’s “real Armenia” advocacy that surely includes his government’s Crossroad for Peace initiative or in favor of the opposition’s “Not for Real Armenia", or for “historical Armenia” advocacy, whatever that is. 

It is time that the citizens of Armenia take the matter into their hands, and cast their votes in the ballot boxes to shape their destiny in Armenia, in the South Caucasus, far from the Diaspora, and sort their relations with their eternal neighbors, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia. 

 

Cilician See and the mountains of Lebanon and its Cedars.

 Vahe H. Apelian

The Corona virus pandemic ranged in 2020. During that Easter, Catholicos Aram’s pictureշ taken at the end of the  mass in the Catholicosate’s cathedral, went viral. He was depicted with teary eyes as the famed “Cilicia – Giligia” song was sung, after he had led the Easter Sunday’s mass, to an almost empty cathedral  .

The picture seemed to encapsulate the mood of the Armenian communities in the Diaspora as each braves the devastating effects of the Corona virus pandemics, especially as an added burden to the Middle Eastern communities that have been facing dire political and economic situations in Lebanon and in Syria. 

A friend wondered if the Cilicia song is customarily sung at the end of mass. The hymn obviously is not part of liturgical mass. However, it turns out that the hymn is sung in the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in the Catholicosate of See campus in Antelias, Lebanon every Sunday at the end of mass. The rest of the churches sing the song on special occasions and not necessarily only in the church but also during fellowship.

Regarding the song, Garo Armenian noted the following.  The Cilicia song is not a folk song, though it is very popular. It is a poem by Nahabed Roussinian (19th Century) fashioned after a French poem bearing the  title of “Normandide". The music is by the 19th century composer Kaprield Yeranian, also of Constantinople."

I became reflective as to when the song became a trademark of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, if not its unofficial hymn.

I inquired with Der Torkom Chorbajian, who is the priest of the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Worcester, MA and with my friend Sarkis Mahserejian who, for many years, was the administrative secretary at the West Coast  Prelacy for many years. Upon confirmation with the Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Sarkis as well as Der Torkom claimed that the tradition of singing the song Giligia (Cilicia), at the end of the mass in the Cathedral of St. Gregory Illuminator, began with Catholicos Zareh I Payasilian, of blessed memory  (1956-1963), who loved the song. 

Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian of blessed memory reminisced that after the interment of the late Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin I, when they were left by themselves,  Vehapar Aram I, requested that they sing Cilicia at the tomb, before Vehapar Aram I returned to Antelias.

Singing Cilicia-Giligia, has become a trademark of sorts or an unofficial hymn of the Catholicosate of Antelias whose seat for centuries was in Sis, in the historic Armenian Cilicia.

Hard to believe that I became conscious that the hymn sings in praise of the mount of Lebanon – the seat of the Cilician See - and its cedars using the classical Armenian word for mountains, thanks to medieval Armenian poetry reading course I am attending conducted by Dr. Jesse Arlen, the director of the Zohrab Center of Eastern Diocese 

The talented Stepan Frounjian singing the Giligica- Cilicia song in Racine, WI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZJdQb4pt0A

The lyrics.

Giligia

"When doors of hope are opened wide,
And dreary winter flees away,
Our beauteous Armenia
Beams forth in glad and smiling day;
When swallows to their nests return
And trees put on their leaves so bright
I yearn for my Cilicia,
The land where first I saw the light.

I’ve seen the wide Vonarian fields
And cedar-clad Mount Lebanon,
Italian shores and Venice fair,
Where gondolas are gliding on;
There’s nothing like our Cyprian isle,
No spot on earth can be so bright,
I yearn for my Cilicia,
The and where first I saw the light.

There comes to each a time of life
When all our hopes have gone at last,
The poor soul longs and strives no more;
And dwells alone upon the past;
The, when my breaking harp, unstrung
Shall sing to hope a last good-night,
I’ll sleep in my Cilicia,
The land where I first saw the light.
The land where first I saw the light..."

Կիլիկիա

Երբոր բացուին դռներն յուսոյ
եւ մեր երկրէն փախ տայ ձմեռ
Չքնաղ երկիրն մեր Արմենիոյ
երբ փայլի իւր քաղցրիկ օրեր
Երբոր ծիծառն իւր բոյն դառնայ
երբոր ծառերն հագնին տերեւ՝
ցանկամ տեսնել զիմ Կիլիկիա
Աշխարհ՝ որ ինձ ետուր արեւ

Տեսի դաշտերն Սուրիոյ
Լեառն Լիբանան եւ իւր մայրեր
տեսի զերկիրն Իտալիոյ
Վենետիկ եւ իւր կոնտոլներ
կղզի նման չիք մեր Կիպրեայ
եւ ոչ մէկ վայր է արդարեւ
գեղեցիկ քան զիմ Կիլիկիա
Աշխարհ՝ որ ինձ ետուր արեւ

Հասակ մը կայ մեր կենաց մէջ
ուր ամենայն իղձ կ’աւարտի
Հասակ մը ուր հոգին ի տենչ՝
յիշատակաց իւր կարօտի
Յորժամ քնարն իմ ցրտանայ
սիրոյն տալով վերջին բարեւ՝
երթամ ննջել յիմ Կիլիկիա
Աշխարհ՝ որ ինձ ետուր արեւ

Catholicos Aram I’s Armenian Independence Day ecclesiastical procalamation

Բնագիրը կցուած է. I am not sure if Catholicos Aram I’s Independence Day ecclesiastical proclamation has been translated. Attached is my translation of the pontiff’s proclamation, issued today, at the Armenian Independence Day, September 21, 2024. I found it to be timid and elusive. The original is attached.  Vahe H Apelian

The Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia is an independent Oriental Orthodox church. Since 1930, its headquarters is located in Antelias, Lebanon and its ministry covers most of the Armenian communities in the Armenian Diaspora.

 "LET'S UNITE AROUND A UNITED ARMENIAN AGENDA" 

“Today is September 21. It is the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia. In other words, it is not an ordinary day, and should not be an ordinary day for every Armenian and for the entire Armenian people. In the course of our history, we fought for Armenia's independence, created, and even shed blood with the deep awareness that independence is a God-given right and, therefore, a sacred value, and its safe preservation and protection is the duty of every Armenian.

Today, when we celebrate the independence of Armenia, it is necessary to reflect on what is our obligation and rights towards it. Especially today, when we look at independent Armenia, we reflect that it is surrounded by terrible troubles, internal and external, far and near. Troubles that can violate the foundations of the independence of the Motherland, even render its independent existence questionable. It is true, that we should not be hopeless and pessimistic. But the matter-of-fact appreciation of Armenia's state leads us to realism and, without a doubt, realism pushes us to defend Armenia's independence with a collective will and conscious commitment to keep it away from all kinds of approaches, concessions and agreements that undermine its territorial integrity and security.

The Church has always been on the side of independence in the life of all nations, seeing it as one of the essential areas of its mission. This is how especially the Armenian church has been during the history of our nation, actively expressing its strong position towards all the attempts that could undermine the independence of the Fatherland. Let's look at our past so that we can assess the present state of the Fatherland and adopt appropriate approaches, with the sacred zeal to put its independence on a firmer foundation.

Therefore, the unity of our people around a pan-Armenian agenda, by consolidating forces and strengthening our collective determination, is more than imperative at this milestone in our history.

This is the message on the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia.

Catholicos Aram I

September 21, 2024”

                                    *****

Բնագիրը՝

«ՀԱՄԱԽՄԲՈՒԻ՛ՆՔ ՀԱՄԱՀԱՅԿԱԿԱՆ ՕՐԱԿԱՐԳԻ ՄԸ ՇՈՒՐՋ»

Այսօր 21 Սեպտեմբեր է. Հայաստանի Հանրապետութեան անկախութեան օրն է. այլ խօսքով, սովորական օր չէ՛, պէտք չէ՛ ըլլայ իւրաքանչիւր հայու եւ ողջ հայութեան համար։ Մեր պատմութեան ընթացքին Հայաստանի անկախութեան համար պայքարեցանք, ստեղծագործեցինք, նոյնիսկ արիւն թափեցինք այն խոր գիտակցութեամբ, որ անկախութիւնը Աստուածատուր իրաւունք է եւ, հետեւաբար, սրբազան արժէք է եւ անոր անվթար պահպանումը ու պաշտպանութիւնը պարաւորութիւնն է իւրաքանչիւր հայու։

Այսօր, երբ կը նշենք անկախութիւնը Հայաստանի, հարկ է անդրադառնալ, թէ ի՞նչ է մեր պարտաւորութիւնը ու իրաւունքը անոր նկատմամբ։ Այսօ՛ր մանաւանդ, երբ կը նայինք անկախ Հայաստանին, կ՚անդրադառնանք, որ ան ահաւոր տագնապներով է շրջապատուած, ներքին թէ արտաքին, հեռաւոր թէ մօտաւոր։ Տագնապներ, որոնք կրնան խախտել Հայրենիքին անկախութեան հիմերը, նոյնիսկ հարցականի տակ առնելով անոր ինքնանկախ գոյութիւնը։ Ճի՛շդ է, պէտք չէ յուսահատ ու յոռետես ըլլալ. սակայն, իրապաշտ արժեւորումը Հայաստանին պարզած ներկայ կացութեան մեզ կ՚առաջնորդէ իրատեսութեան եւ, անկասկած, իրատեսութիւնը մեզ պէտք է մղէ հաւաքական կամքով ու գիտակից յանձնառութեամբ պաշտպանելու Հայաստանի անկախութիւնը՝ զայն հեռու պահելով անոր հողային ամբողջականութիւնը ու անվտանգութիւնը խաթարող բոլոր տեսակի մօտեցումներէ, զիջումներէ ու համաձայնագրերէ։ 

Եկեղեցին բոլոր ազգերու կեանքին մէջ միշտ եղած է անկախութեան կողքին՝ զայն նկատելով իր առաքելութեան էական տարածքներէն մէկը։ Այսպէս եղած է մանաւանդ հայ եկեղեցին մեր ազգի պատմութեան ընթացքին՝ գործնապէս արտայայտելով իր ամուր կեցուածքը այն բոլոր փորձերուն նկատմամբ, որոնք կրնային խաթարել Հայրենիքին անկախութիւնը։ Նայինք մեր անցեալին, որպէսզի կարենանք Հայրենիքի ներկան արժեւորել եւ համապատասխան մօտեցումներ ճշդել՝ անոր անկախութիւնը աւելի ամուր հիմերու վրայ դնելու սրբազան նախանձախնդրութեամբ 

Հետեւաբար, մեր ժողովուրդին միասնակամութիւնը համահայկական օրակարգի մը շուրջ՝ ոյժերու համախմբումով եւ մեր հաւաքական վճռակամութեան ամրացումով աւելի քան հրամայական է մեր պատմութեան վճռադրոշմ այս հանգրուանին։

Ա՛յս է պատգամը Հայաստանի Հանրապետութեան անկախութեան տօնին։ 

Ն.Ս.Օ.Տ.Տ. ԱՐԱՄ Ա. ԿԱԹՈՂԻԿՈՍ 

21 Սեպտեմբեր 2024