HR1197LRB097 22519 GRL 71283 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is home to more than 10,000
3Armenians living in communities throughout the State; the
4Armenian Apostolic Church has been the spiritual, cultural, and
5historic center of Armenian communities for more than 1,700
6years; and
 
7    WHEREAS, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I has been the
8spiritual leader of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian
9Apostolic Orthodox Church since 1995; he previously visited the
10State of Illinois in 1997 and 2005; and
 
11    WHEREAS, From October 22-25, 2012, His Holiness Catholicos
12Aram I will be visiting Armenian Apostolic Churches in
13Glenview, Granite City, and Waukegan during his Pontifical
14Visit, entitled "Witness and Renewal: Taking the Church to the
15People"; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The goals of His Holiness' visit are to make the
17life of the Church a part of the everyday life of the faithful
18of all ages, to hear the concerns and thoughts of the faithful,
19and to share his vision for the Church in a rapidly changing
20world; and
 
21    WHEREAS, His Holiness was born in 1947 in Beirut, Lebanon;

 

 

HR1197- 2 -LRB097 22519 GRL 71283 r

1he is a graduate of the Armenian Theological Seminary in
2Antelias, Lebanon, and the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey,
3Switzerland and holds his Ph.D. from Fordham University in New
4York; he was ordained as a priest in 1968 and earned the title
5of vartabed (Doctor of the Armenian Church) in 1970; he was
6consecrated as Catholicos on July 1, 1995; and
 
7    WHEREAS, For nearly 50 years, His Holiness has been a
8participant in the worldwide Ecumenical Movement and today is
9considered to be one of the ecumenical giants of our time;
10therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we designate the week of October 21-27, 2012 as "Armenian
14Apostolic Church Week" in the State of Illinois and urge all
15members of the community to unite with the Armenian Apostolic
16Churches in welcoming His Holiness Catholicos Aram I to our
17State as he spreads his theme of "Witness and Renewal: Taking
18the Church to the People" during visits to Armenian All Saints
19Apostolic Church in Glenview, St. Gregory the Illuminator
20Armenian Apostolic Church in Granite City, and St. Paul
21Armenian Apostolic Church in Waukegan; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
23presented to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I as a symbol of our

 

 

HR1197- 3 -LRB097 22519 GRL 71283 r

1esteem and respect.