13 June 2017. On Tuesday, 200 women were recognized for completing a course, compromising Bible studies, Church history and traditions, prayers and hymns, offered by the Christian Education Department of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. The course was initiated by Catholicos Aram I and adopted by the dioceses as well.

His Holiness Aram I addressed the closing ceremony and focussed his comments on the Armenian family. He said that he had dedicated 2004 as the year of the “Armenian Family” because of the important role of the family in preserving the faith of the nation, its history and culture. He described the family as the “small Church, School and Motherland.”

The Catholicos pointed out that whenever Armenians have lost their homeland, the family, as “the small school” has preserved the culture and the language. He referred to the stranded mothers who taught the Armenian alphabet to their children by writing in the sands of Der Zor. The Armenian family acted as “the small homeland” by preserving the dreams and hopes of the people, especially in the diaspora.

His Holiness emphasized the indispensable role of the family in the diaspora and Armenia today. He expressed his worry at the growing rate of mixed marriages and divorce, and emphasized the mutual love and respect that binds couples in their relationships. Stating that the Armenian Family, along with the church and the school, is one of the three key institutions in the community, he emphasized the importance of the spiritual, cultural and physical renewal of the family. The Catholicos encouraged families to study and be guided by the Bible and by Gregory of Nareg’s Book of Prayers. He emphasized once again that during our historical difficulties, the family kept the nation from perishing by preserving the values of the Armenian nation and contributing to the collective life of the community. He concluded by emphasizing the important role of parents in overcoming all arising challenges.