Congregation of the Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

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The Congregation of the Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Mary ( s. : Congregation of the Armenian Sisters of Immuculate Conception , religious symbol : SAIC , short form: Armenian Sisters) is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Cilicia standing, sister community in the Armenian-Catholic Church .

history

The Patriarch of Cilicia Andon Bedros IX. Hassunian (1809-1884) founded in 1847 the only Armenian Catholic women's order to date . The patriarch saw the founding initiative in the need to offer the Armenian youth a Christian education . The first nun took Serpouhie Hajie Andonian, on behalf of the Patriarch in Constantinople Opel (since 1930 Istanbul ) the structure of the Congregation . It was important to the Patriarch not to hide the Congregation behind the walls of the monastery, which is why he gave Sister Andonian the task of “gathering the daughters around her and taking the poorest into account”. Hajie Andonian and four sisters began their work on June 5, 1843 and opened the first educational institution in Istanbul on December 9, 1847 with twelve students . In a letter from the Patriarch dated June 5, 1847, the new congregation was recognized. By 1915 the sisters had built several facilities. With the arrest and deportation of Armenian intellectuals, the genocide of the Armenians was initiated. During this dramatic time, thirteen nuns lost their lives, more than forty nuns were expelled or deported, and a total of twenty-three schools in Eastern Anatolia and Istanbul were closed forever.

New beginning

Several nuns had immigrated to the United States along with Armenian refugees and emigrants . After 1918 they opened a school in Philadelphia , Boston and Los Angeles . In 1923 the motherhouse was moved from Constantinople to Rome , where the later General House was built . During the persecution of the Armenians in 1918–1920, many of them had settled in Lebanon . In 1923 the Armenian Sisters followed them and established schools in Syria , Egypt , Jordan , Iraq and the former Persia . With an apostolic letter dated June 11, 1932, the religious community of Pope Pius XI. (1922–1939) approved as a patriarchal religious order . In 1967 the first all-day school was founded in Philadelphia under the name "Armenian Sisters Academy".

After the declaration of independence on September 21, 1991, today's Armenia emerged and in 1992 three sisters established the first convention of Armenian sisters in the Shirak region - near the city of Gyumri .

The Superior General Sister Eudoxie Kéchichian SAIC participated in the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East (October 2010). On the occasion of the 150th anniversary, Pope John Paul II gave a speech and highlighted the work of the Order.

organization

The Generalate of the Armenian Sisters is based in Rome. It is headed by the Superior General, who is elected for six years by the General Assembly. Four sisters are assigned to her and together they form the general committee. The novitiate is in Rome , while the congregation has a training center and a small school in Gyumri and Aleppo .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ History of the Armenian Sisters Academy - ( Memento from September 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Participants in the special assembly of the Synod of Bishops (English) [1]
  3. ↑ To the Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception on June 27, 1997 (English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish) [2]