Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On November 24, in Vanadzor, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; presided over the funeral service of the late Archbishop Sepouh Chuljian, Primate of the Diocese of Gougark. In the morning, a Divine Liturgy was offered in the St. Gregory of Narek Church in Vanadzor. During the Divine Liturgy, the Pontiff of All Armenians, addressed His speech to the clergy, the relatives of His Eminence Archbishop Sepouh Chuljian, and the faithful of Gougark Diocese. “Your Eminences, Reverend Fathers, Dear mourning faithful, With deep sorrow, We mourn the untimely death of the clergyman of our Church; Primate of the Diocese of Gougark His Eminence Archbishop Sepouh Chuljian. At this difficult moment for all of us, may our heartfelt prayers accompany the late Archbishop on his way to heavenly eternal life. We have known Archbishop Sepouh since his student years in the Seminary. He was born in Western Armenia, in the town of Malatya, Turkey, then immigrated to the homeland with his parents and settled in the city of Gyumri. Throughout his life, the heart and soul of His Eminence remained inseparably linked to his birthplace: our historical homeland, our sanctuaries, and the rich heritage of our fathers. From his student years, His Holiness was distinguished by his energetic and lively character; with sincere aspirations to contribute to the prosperous life of our people and the brightness of our Holy Church. Completing his study, with the Blessings of the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Vasken I, of Blessed Memory; the late Archbishop was ordained as a celibate priest. He carried out various administrative commitments in the Mother See, served as a pastor in the homeland and abroad, serving his abilities to the prosperity of the mission of our Holy Church. In 1997, with the Blessings of His Holiness Karekin I, Catholicos of All Armenians of Blessed Memory; His Eminence Archbishop Sepouh was appointed to serve as the Primate of the Diocese of Gougark; and was consecrated as a Bishop; to continue his service to the Most High God and our faithful people with a new and more responsibility. The late Archbishop Sepouh, preached the Word of God to the Armenian faithful with inexhaustible energy. Due to the high sense of responsibility towards Almighty God and our fathers; he did his best to revive the spiritual life in the Diocese. During his dedicated service for about a quarter of a century, His Eminence has initiated and encouraged the renovation and reconstruction of dozens of monasteries and churches in the Diocese. He was one of the happy leaders, during whose tenure; with the Blessings of God; the bells of our monasteries rang again in the land of Lori; the doors of the closed churches were opened; the hymn and prayer of an Armenian clergyman continued in all our sanctuaries, after the collapse of the Soviet years. The late Archbishop also undertook the implementation of social and charitable programs. Trough his initiative, the "Tsitsernak" summer camp was established under the auspices of the Diocese, under the roof of which many young people from needy families spent their summer vacations. We know how much he loved and consistently took care for that children's camp, so that the camp days were filled with educational and upbringing events for the children and teenagers hosted under the roof of the camp. In recent years, due to the Archbishop's zeal, the "Give a Hand to Your Brother" charitable program was implemented, within the framework of which, thanks to his personal reputation and relationships, he was able to provide apartments for dozens of families - as support from our Holy Apostolic Church. The Archbishop of a Blessed memory also served his abilities and experience to the construction and vibrancy of Holy Etchmiadzin, undertaking commitments in various committees of the Mother See, and as a member of the Supreme Spiritual Council. We elevated the late Eminence to the rank of Archbishop in appreciation of his merit to our Church. Due to the death of Archbishop Sepouh Chuljian, our Church lost its devoted and courageous servant. On the occasion of His death, we have received condolences from the Patriarchs of the Hierarchical Sees: His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople His Beatitude Archbishop Sahak Mashalian; Diocesan Leaders; and many of our faithful Armenians. From the depth of our hearts, we pray to Our Merciful Lord to receive the Soul of the newly deceased; His Eminence Archbishop Sepouh Chuljian, in peace and tranquility in His dwellings and grant him with His endless mercy the glorious immortal crown. May the good memories of the God-loving life of Our beloved Archbishop Sepouh; and the vital message of Jesus Christ; be a consolation to the mourning hearts of all of us: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” (John 5:24). We beseech Merciful God to console the grief in the hearts of the family members; brothers, sisters, relatives and all those who mourn the death of the late Eminence, with the peace of the Holy Spirit. The blessed memory of His Eminence will always live in our souls and hearts: the clergy and the faithful of our Holy Church. “May God remember the newly deceased, and the light of the Holy Spirit grant serenity to her son. Amen”, - stated the Armenian Patriarch. Following the Divine Liturgy, the funeral procession brought the body of the deceased Archbishop to the grounds of the headquarter building, and according to the request of His Eminence, was interred next to the Cross-Stone dedicated to the victory of Shushi.