On Friday evening, September 27^th, 2019, a Cilician brotherhood meeting was held at St. Mary Monastery in Bikfaya presided over His Holiness Aram I, and attended by 5 bishops and 20 vartabeds (priests).

Delivering the welcoming remarks, His Holiness expressed his pleasure over brotherhoods’ perseverance in serving the community over the summer both in Antelias and the Monastery in Bikfaya, and stressed that the Cilician Brotherhood is one entity whether they are serving in the Catholicosate in Antelias, Monastry in Bikfaya, and in the Armenian prelacies in the Diaspora.

His Holiness Aram I then informed the Brotherhood about the new appointments, the forthcoming projects, conferences and the renovations taking place on the campus of the Catholicosate.

At the end, he welcomed Archbishop Oshagan Tcholoyan, who had returned to Antelias to continue the Armenian Translation of the Holy Bible, as well as the priests who had arrived from Venezuela and Thessaloniki with a special mission. Finally, they bid farewell to V. Rev. Fr. Smpad Sabounjian and Rev. Fr. Ashod Khtachadourian, who will depart to Fresno and San Francisco respectively, with the “Ashagerdk Krisdosi” hymn (Disciples of Christ).