Ground Blessing Ceremony of the New Administrative Building in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On December 24, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, presided over the ground blessing ceremony of a new wing of the Administrative building on the grounds of the Mother See. Participating in the ceremony were members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The new building was designed by the Architecture Department of the Mother See. The Inter Church Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Armenia Round Table Foundation of the World Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund (ECLOF) will be located in the new wing, which is being built through the sponsorship of the Mother See, Round Table Foundation and ECLOF.

During the solemn service, under the singing of hymns and psalms, His Eminence Archbishop Tatev Sargsian, President of the Trustee Committee of ECLOF International; His Grace Bishop Arshak Khachatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See; and His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukian, Director of the Inter Church Relations Department of the Mother See; conducted the service of Ground Blessing.

During the service, His Eminence Archbishop Tatev Sargsian gave his remarks, and expressed his confidence that the new facilities would contribute to the more efficient implementation of the Inter Church activities.

His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukian read the Pontifical blessing letter on the occasion of the ground blessing ceremony which stated in part, “We extend our Pontifical gratitude and blessings to the Round Table Foundation of WCC and the ECLOF Foundation for accepting the invitation of constructing this building with Christian love, under the domes of which the important Inter Church mission of Holy Armenian Apostolic Church will be implemented”.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Mr. Karen Nazarian, Executive director of the Round Table Foundation and Mr. Tigran Hovhannisian, Executive director of ECLOF, placed a commemorative plaque of the construction in the foundation of the building.

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