Shahe Ajemian
Archbishop Shahe Ajemian was one of the most senior members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin. He was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1926. Abp. Ajemian received his elementary education at the Haigazian School of Aleppo; from 1937 to 1939, he attended the academy of the Mkhitarist fathers.
In 1939, he enrolled in the Aleppo Friars (Franciscan) School and graduated with honors in 1943. That year, he was accepted to the seminary of Antelias and ordained a deacon. After graduating in 1947, Ajemian was ordained a celibate priest by the late His Grace Bishop Terenig Poladian.
From 1947 to 1950, he attended classes at the University of Brussels and graduated with a degree in literature and philosophy. He immediately began teaching classes at the seminary in Antelias, as well as at the Hovagimian-Manoogian School in Beirut.
During 1952-1956, Ajemian served in the Chancellery of the See of the [[Great House of Cilicia]].
Archbishop Shahe Ajemian was a member of the Brotherhood of Saint James of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem from 1960 to 1994. In 1965, he was consecrated a bishop by the late Vasken I, Catholicos of All Armenians.
During his years of service in Jerusalem, he was Chancellor and Property Manager for the Patriarchate.
His Eminence contributed numerous works to the "Sion" official monthly of the Patriarchate, focusing on religion, history, science, and philosophy. In 1982, Ajemian established the Armenian Bible Center on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
From 1975 to 1985 he was a member of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Church. He also contributed to the activities of the Armenian Church and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin through his involvement in ecclesiastical-organizational matters, the expansion and strengthening of international ties, preaching and ministry, as well as his lectures at the Gevorkian and Vaskenian Theological Seminaries of the Mother See.
In 1994, Abp. Ajemian moved to Armenia, and in 1995, established then Theological Faculty at Yerevan State University. His Eminence was renowned for his scientific-pedagogical activities and wrote numerous articles and papers.
Shahe Ajemian died on June 13, after a long and debilitating illness.
Sources
- Archbishop Shahe Ajemian Passes Away, ETCHMIADZIN(Armenpress).