28 June 2018. On Sunday, during the Holy Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedra, the Catholicosate of Cilicia celebrated the 20^th Anniversary of the election and consecration of His Holiness Aram I.

During his celebration of the Holy Liturgy, Bishop Torkom Donoyan, the Dean of the Seminary performed the special Thanksgiving ritual. In his sermon, he described the achievements of the Catholicos in four domains: Sustenance of the cultural heritage, construction of churches and institutions, promotion of interfaith relations and advocacy for justice and the restitution of the stolen rights due to the Genocide. The celebrant called the contribution of His Holiness in these four areas profound and everlasting.

At the end of the Liturgy, His Holiness went to the main hall in procession, accompanied by the clergy and the faithful, where he said, “ We are the ordained servants of the Church and it is our duty serve God, our Church, people and homeland unconditionally and in humility, because such service requires neither recognition nor honour. In the past 20 years I have tried to reconstruct and build upon the spiritual, moral and cultural values inherited from our ancestors. Together with the members of our brotherhood, we shall continue our work with the same determination, responsibility and commitment.

The Pontifical Thanksgiving celebration ended with the faithful’s expression of their gratitude, His Holiness’s blessing and the Cilicia anthem.