On 14 August, St Catherine's Church will host an extraordinary concert of religious music - heavenly music in Jesus' native Aramaic language will be performed by Assyrian monks from the Assyrian Fathers Monastery of the Holy Assyrian Fathers of Trinitarian Greece, led by the Archimandrite Seraphim Bit-Kharibi (Seraphim Bit-Kharibi). These monks came to Saqqartveli from Assyria in the 6th century AD, preached the faith, founded monasteries and helped Christianity to take root. To this day, the town is home to a community of some 2,000 descendants of Aramaic-speaking Assyrians.
Seraphim Bit-Kharibi (Bitbunov) is an exceptional personality. A former martial arts expert and member of the Ukrainian security forces, Seraphim's father was born and raised in Saqqartveli, and graduated from the Swiss International University in Lausanne with a Master's Degree in International Relations and a degree in Conflictology. He lived in Ukraine, running a sports school in Kiev until he dedicated his life to Christ in 2006, serving in a small village in his home country. He is also known as a linguist who is working to preserve the Aramaic language and is one of only two priests in the world who celebrate the Divine Liturgy in this language.
During Pope Francis' visit to Saqqartveli in 2016, Father Seraphim and his choir received international acclaim as they greeted the Bishop of Rome with hymns in Aramaic. Among the many performances around the world, a concert at the Vatican was also notable, with diplomatic representatives from 63 countries in attendance.
Videos:
Father Seraphim and his choir perform a song of prayer to the Pope
