TO PRELATE OF THE ARMENIAN DIOCESE OF CANADA

OF THE ARMENIAN HOLY APOSTOLIC CHURCH

FATHER, ARCHIMANDRITE ABGAR HOVAKIMYAN

Your Holiness,

I convey my warm greetings and congratulatory remarks to you on being elected Prelate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church. Your election on the threshold of the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is the special appreciation of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church and His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians of the great trust in you and your devoted service.

For the past century, the Armenians of Canada have stayed clung to the national roots since they have always been nourished with spiritual and cultural values of the Homeland.

I am certain that under your leadership, the Diocese will continue the traditions of His Holiness Hovnan and will become a holy place for religion and culture, a smithy for education, discipline and for gaining knowledge about the main elements of Christianity, the endless force of which can keep the lantern of Saint Gregory the Illuminator always lit in the souls of the Armenian community.

Your Holiness, the fact that you will be serving the Armenian community of Canada is motivating. Emphasizing your pro-national activities as a spiritual pastor in Ajaria and as a vicar at the Armenian Dioceses of Georgia and Bulgaria, we are certain that your service in the Armenian community of Canada will be the logical continuation of that service.

I am certain that under your leadership, you will develop mechanisms to fight against the growing assimilation and the new challenges facing the Armenian communities of Toronto and Montreal and that there will be new mechanisms that will help preserve national traditions and raise the level of national identity and self-awareness, in the context of which the support to our Syrian-Armenian brothers and sisters will not be overlooked. Serving as the Prelate, you will become the guarantor of the deepening and strengthening of bonds between Armenia and the Canadian-Armenian community.

Your Holiness, may the 17 Armenian church communities of Canada, the Assembly of Delegates of the Diocese and Chairman Jack Stepanian support all your initiatives and implement all the programs.

Your Holiness, under your leadership, we anticipate further strengthening of the Armenia-Diaspora partnership, as well as the active involvement and participation of the Canadian-Armenian community in the pan-Armenian programs organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

I wish you more success in inter-church and ecumenical relations, especially within the Canadian Council of Churches.

May God be with the Armenian Diocese of Canada, you and the Armenians of Canada!

WITH DEEP RESPECT,

HRANUSH HAKOBYAN