NEW YORK, NY—An Ecumenical Symposium and an International Conference are part of the many events scheduled during the visit of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, to the Eastern Prelacy.

His Holiness will arrive in New York City on October 19, beginning the final segment of his visit to North America, which included visits to Canada and California. Commemorative events in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Seminary at Antelias, as well as religious services and celebratory banquets are scheduled in a number of the cities the Pontiff will visit.

An Ecumenical Symposium and an International Conference are two special events that were planned to coincide with the Catholicos’s visit. His Holiness will attend and participate in both.

Ecumenical Symposium
In conjunction with His Holiness’s visit, a special ecumenical symposium has been organized on Saturday, October 22, 2005, at The Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive in New York City under the general theme, “Challenges Facing the Ecumenical Movement in the 21st Century.” The symposium, which features The Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches (WCC), as the keynote speaker, is jointly sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Other speakers and participants include the Rev. Dr. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary of the Reformed Church of America; The Rev. Dr. Diane Kessler, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches; Bishop Thomas Hoyt, President of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA; Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches; Dr. Anthony Kireopoulos, Deputy General Secretary of the National Council of Churches; The Rev. Deborah DeWinter, Program Executive for the United States, World Council of Churches; Fr. Leonid Kishkovsky, Moderator of the U.S. Conference for the World Council of Churches and Ecumenical Officer, Orthodox Church in America and a representative from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archbishop Oshagan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, one of the hosts of the symposium, will provide the welcome. The Symposium will start with prayers, in the tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Church and a Meditation by Rev. Prof. Robert Wright, General Theological Seminary.

Closing reflections will be offered by His Holiness Aram I. Attendance to the all-day event is by pre-registration only.

International Conference
In celebration of the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet, an International Conference will take place October 28 and 29, at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Conference is sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, and Harvard University’s Mashtots Chair, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Scholars from the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Armenia will participate in the two-day conference, which will be attended by His Holiness Aram I, who during the opening session on Friday evening will address the gathering.

Papers pertinent to the alphabet and its creator will be presented by the following specialists: James R. Russell, Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies, Harvard University, Massachusetts; Robert W. Thomson, Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian Studies (emeritus), University of Oxford, Great Britain; Gohar Muradyan, Senior Scholar at the Matenadaran, Yerevan, Armenia; Abraham Terian, Director of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, New York; Michael Stone, Professor of Armenian Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Karen N. Yuzbashian, Oriental Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia; John Huehnergard, Professor of Semitic Languages, Harvard University; Prods Oktor Skjaervo, Aga Khan Professor of Iranian Studies, Harvard University; Lusik Stepanyan, Senior Scholar at the Matenadaran, Yerevan, Armenia; and Akeksan Hagobyan, Senior Scholar at the Institute of Oriental Studies in Yerevan, Armenia.

The conference is open to the public. The sessions will take place at Harvard University’s Center for Government and International Studies.

For information on both the Ecumenical Symposium and the International Conference contact Iris Papazian at the Prelacy, 212-689-7810.

Ecumenical Leader
Catholicos Aram has been an active participant in the worldwide Ecumenical Movement since the early days of his ministry, and is today an internationally recognized and respected religious leader. For the past fourteen years he has been serving as the Moderator of the Central and Executive Committees of the WCC.

He became intensely active in inter-church dialogue, relations, and collaboration in 1972 when he was appointed the Catholicosate’s representative for ecumenical relations, a post he maintained until 1995 when he was elected Catholicos. Through these years he represented the Church at major theological and ecumenical conferences, assemblies, and consultations in different parts of the world.

As a strong supporter of inter-religious relations, dialogue and cooperation, His Holiness has played a significant part in promoting common values, mutual understanding and peaceful co-existence among religions.

Pontifical Divine Liturgy in New York
A large number of the faithful, especially from the greater Mid-Atlantic area, are expected to attend the Pontifical Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 23, 1:30 pm, at St. Bartholomew’s Church, one of New York City’s landmark churches. Parishes in the area are arranging bus transportation. Contact your local parish for information.

A banquet at The Pierre, Park Avenue at 61st Street, will follow the Divine Liturgy. Reservations for the banquet ($200 per person) can be made by contacting Dr. Louiza Kubikian, 516-248-2955 or Sophie Khachatryan, 212-689-7810.