(Part One:
Keeping the Armenian Traditions
During the Armenians’
formation period, Don Orione always showed his affection to them, constantly
concerned that they should maintain their traditions, language and roots, and
he arranged that they should always be in touch with other Armenian religious.
Accordingly, the Founder
wanted to give them Armenian-style religious habits, like those of the Armenian
seminarians of Propaganda Fide.
Don Orione explained this
to the Armenians: “I want to give you proper Armenian habits, so
that you will indeed be true Armenians in our Congregation”.
Regarding this, Fr. Chamlian
said:
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| Fr. Chamlian |
“It was on 29th
February that Don Orione came to meet us in the “Colonia” and invited us all to
go to meet the Director of the Catholic Armenian Seminary in San Nicolò da
Tolentino Street, near Barberini Square. The aim of the visit was to see if he
could give his Armenian seminarians the same style of habit as those the
Armenian seminarians wore, with a red sash. At that time, the Director of the
seminary was a young priest called Fr. Garabed Agagianian, who was appointed
bishop a few years later, and was made a Cardinal by Pius XII in the 40s.
Accordingly, Don Orione obtained the authorization to clothe us with the same
habit as the Armenian seminarians. The sisters of the “Colonia” immediately got
to work to make 7 made-to-measure habits and seven cottas, complete with a
great mantle.”
On 4th April
1929, the Founder vested the seven with these habits, according to the Armenian
custom, each with a red sash.
In his joyful homily during
the ceremony, he said:
“… Praise be to Jesus
Christ! This is not just a cordial greeting, it is in gratitude for the simple
fact of vesting an Armenian, because it is Divine Providence which has brought
these young people all the way here from Armenia, through Turkey, then Rhodes
and finally to Rome. This alone gives us to think and moves us, but what
delights us even more is that here, before the Blessed Sacrament, this little
congregation of ours now unites members from both the Eastern and Roman rites.
Our Congregation’s first decree of approval mentions this. (…)And these young
people you see here are mostly sons of martyrs… (…) The only Christian nation
in the centre of the Muslim world, Armenia has frequently witnessed the blood
of its children shed to seal its faith in Jesus Christ. And that is why, my
dear sons, I, too, encircle you with a red sash, to remind you when you wear it
of your martyred country, and of your ancestors who shed their blood in defense
of the Roman faith. You also must be ready to shed yours, showing yourselves to
be worthy sons of your forefathers (…). This evening, we can perceive the
radiant dawn of what is to come in our little Congregation, when every language
will be spoken, and the Mass will be celebrated in every rite approved by the
Church. This evening, we have heard the Lord’s Prayer sung in the Armenian
language, but what will it be like when the Lord’s Prayer is sung in every
language in our Congregation!”
After his homily, he looked
at the Armenian seminarians and told them: “Sing the litanies in Armenian”.
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| Armenian Seminarians |
Many confreres who were
present that day remembered that Don Orione spoke very enthusiastically about
the Eastern Churches and ecumenism.
This ceremony would remain
forever in the hearts of the Armenian seminarians. Fr. Chamlian recounted: “We
were so very happy, even though our habits hampered our movements at work and
when running as we played at cops and robbers.”
“Holy Father, I too am Armenian right now”
On 23rd June
1929, for the Beatification of an Armenian martyr, Der Gomidas Keumurdjian,
Pope Pius XI gave a special audience just for the Armenians who were in Rome.
That day, Don Orione happened to be in Rome to attend the beatification of Don
Bosco, and he went to Monte Mario to visit the Armenian seminarians who were
about to go to the audience, so Don Orione decided to go with them.
Fr. Chamlian related this
episode, which shows us Don Orione’s paternal love for his Armenian
seminarians:
“In May 1929, the
Beatification of an Armenian martyr, Der Gomidas Komurgian took place, and
accordingly, Pope Pius XII gave a special audience only for the Armenians who
were in Rome. On that day Don Orione was in Rome to attend the Beatification of
Don Bosco, and he came to the Monte Mario “Colonia” to visit us. We told him
that we were going to the audience the Pope was giving especially for Armenians
in Rome, and he answered: “Well, I will come too, and if the Pope says
anything, I will tell him that I, too, am Armenian”. In fact, he came along
with us, and together we went into one of the great apartments, and he sat beside
us. When the Pope came in, he gave his hand to each of the Armenians standing
round the room to be kissed. When he came to Don Orione he said: “Oh, Don
Orione is here, too!” Introducing us to the Holy Father as his seminarians, Don
Orione said: “Holy Father, I too am Armenian right now,” and the Pope replied:
“Oh, I see: Don Orione omnibus omnia factus, and now he has also become an
Armenian”.
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| Fr. Dellalian, missionary in Chile |
The Armenian Community in Rome
The students of the
Armenian College in Rome were surprised when they heard that Don Orione, a
priest of the Roman rite, was interested in their rite, and had a group of
Armenian seminarians in his Congregation. Indeed, he was esteemed and venerated
by the entire community of Armenian religious in Rome.
The emeritus Patriarch of Cilicia
of the Armenians, His Beatitude Hermaiagh Ghedighian, showed how true this was. He met the Founder
when he was studying at the Gregorian University at the beginning of the 1930s,
and he frequently attended Masses celebrated by Don Orione in the house in
Sette Sale Street.
Don Orione’s Dream
The Founder also wanted his Armenian seminarians to be
ordained in the Armenian Rite, so he asked Fr. Sterpi to take up the matter and
bring up the case of his seminarians before the Congregation for the Eastern
Churches. He thought that they could work with the Armenian community and so
become a bridge which might bring about a union between the Roman Church and
the Eastern Churches.
But his desire was not to
be fulfilled. The Armenian seminarians, Dellalian and Chamlian, were in fact
ordained according to the Roman rite, not their own Armenian rite. This choice
seems to have been made at the request of the Apostolic Visitor, Abbot Emanuele
Caronti, due to the intervention of the congregation and the uncertainties
of the wartime and the conclusion of the First General Chapter (August 1940).
Some years later, the
Congregation obtained permission for Fr. Dellalian and Fr. Chamlian to keep the
Armenian rite.
Conclusion
The story of the Armenian
seminarians shows us the fatherly heart of St. Luigi Orione, who had a special
love for his Armenian sons, and became a father to these orphans.
He had some knowledge of
Armenian history, Church and Martyrs, whom he admired. His love and admiration
for Armenia led him to request his Armenian seminarians to maintain links to
their people, culture, language, rite, customs and traditions, giving a great
example of respect for cultures.
In his Armenian
seminarians, he saw a bridge between the Catholic Church and the Eastern rite,
but sadly his dream was never fulfilled, because his Armenian religious were
not ordained in their own rite and were not in fact given the opportunity to
engage in work for the promotion of their own people.
But we do not know if
Providence may yet perhaps make it possible for his dream to come true at some
time in the future.
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