Page 167 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

EDUCATIONAL ROLE

Education is an essential aspect of the
missionary vocation of the Armenian Church.
The Church promotes Christian values and
enhances Christian formation through edu-
cation; it fulfills its missionary engagement
by supporting a broad network of schools
and educational programs and activities. The
Church works continuously to ensure that
the educational structures, programs and
methodologies respond to the specificities
and needs of the community in its concrete
context.

The first Armenian school
The creation of the Armenian alphabet in
the 5th Century led directly to the founding
of the first Armenian school. The exemplary
Armenian teacher, St. Mesrob Mashdots,
together with Catholicos Sahak, taught a
group of selected students the written Ar-
menian language. These students, whom his-
torians refer to as the holy translators, played
an instrumental part in organizing Armenian
Christian education. The Church continues to
commemorate them at the beginning of the
scholastic year.
The first generation of Armenian teachers