On December 20, an event dedicated to the 92nd birthday of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bitchvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazeti was held at Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary. The student’s conference was led by the Head of the Department of History of Georgia, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Theology, Professor Sergo Vardosanidze.
The Rector of Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary, Doctor of Theology, Philology and Political Sciences, Professor, Protopresbyter Giorgi Zviadadze opened the conference with an introductory speech. He expressed his special gratitude to the Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, underscoring his invaluable role in the foundation of Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary.
“His Holiness and Beatitude wanted to establish a theological academy in Georgia so that educated clergy could serve in our Church. This idea was realized thanks to his great international authority.” The spiritual life of the nation should begin from a Theological Academy; therefore, our institution bears a great responsibility before our country. We sincerely thank you for such respect and devotion you show to our Patriarch, and in general, for this academic environment, the creation of which would have been impossible without the efforts of each of you. Through the dedicated work and prayers of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, the Georgian people, who had forsaken the Church as a result of the ideology of the atheistic era, turned to faith.
This strife was not easy, it was a path of suffering and martyrdom, which the Patriarch, with the Lord’s help, walked through with integrity. Now he is an elderly man but has an exceedingly clear mind and with his great wisdom, spirituality and love he worthily governs the Church,”- said the Rector.
At the conference, the first-year students of the seminary presented their speeches, displaying their knowledge of various aspects of the Patriarch’s ministry, based on the study of existing literary works:
1. Giorgi Kapanadze - The Enthronement of the Patriarch
2. Giorgi Aratanashvili - The First Steps as a Foremost Hierarch
3. Bukhuti Katsiashvili - Science and Education
4. Aleksandre Khiriashvili - The Patriarch and Hymnody
5. Giorgi Tsikarishvili - The Holy Trinity Cathedral
6. Monk Gabriel (Kopadze) - The New Eparchy
The event was attended by the clergy, teachers and students of Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary. The Director of the TTAS Publishing House, Doctor of Philology, Professor Nino Melikishvili delivered her speech to the public, expressing her deep reverence and gratitude to His Holiness and Beatitude.
Protopresbyter Giorgi Zviadadze extended his special thanks to Professor Sergo Vardosanidze and his students for their hard work, thus once again demonstrating the contribution of the foremost hierarch of the Georgian Church and the gratefulness of our institution towards him.
The Rector once again emphasized Mr. Sergo Vardosanidze’s special personal role in the advancement of Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary. He also thanked the employees of the Service of Public Relations and Strategic Communications and the audience.
Several hymns were performed at the event by the Choir of Tbilisi Theological Academy conducted by Lekso Gremelashvili.
