With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, the Youth Department of the Catholicosate of Cilicia organized an online youth assembly with participants from various prelacies and the diaspora, on Friday, May 14th, 2021.
The assembly commenced with a prayer followed by opening remarks by Bishop Mesrob Sarkissian, chair of the Department, who briefed on the previous assembly held in Antelias in 2019. He stated that the Pandemic delayed the work of the previous youth assembly, however the activities will resume in the wake of the recent gathering. He also noted the main goals of the meeting and subsequently invited His Holiness to deliver his remarks.
Warmly greeting the participants, the Catholicos commended the initiative, emphasizing the importance of incorporation youth voices and perspectives, and underlined the imperative of active youth participation. His Holiness also shared his thoughts on responsible use of information technology that can be put in the service of social, religious and cultural values. In this regard, he exhorted the participants to gather their expertise and invest in IT and remain loyal to the above mentioned values.
Note that the agenda included presentations by V. Rev. Fr. Bedros Mauelian, V. Rev. Fr. Zareh Sarkissian, V. Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, followed by an open discussion between the participants, led by V. Rev. Fr. Barouyr Shernezian.
