A summary of History :

The Youth Saint Virgin Fraternity is a religious, cultural, social, one Fraternity sponsored by the Armenian Catholic Archdiocese in Aleppo, Syria. It is founded in 1969 at the time of his Eminence the Bishop George LAEQ in order to include the cultivated Youth under the protection of Saint Mary the virgin.

The Fraternity throughout its activities :

1-     Develop of the young fellows religious culture and engagement towards their church obligations.

2-     Incarnation of the Christian Teaching principles inside the environment where they live.

3-     Convincing the opening towards others and living the Christian affection in their relationship with them
without discrimination.

4-     Loving the homeland and learning its ancient History.

The Fraternity and its development on lines :

-         In the 1969 year when the Fraternity has been founded, it was including the University stage   student and exceptionally the students of the third secondary class.

-         In the 1987 year, the Fraternity began to receive the students of secondary stage inside the weekly activities and meetings pertaining to them under the name “Youth of Saint Mary”, meeting every Friday from five hours until seven and half hours.

-         In the 1990 year, a new group is founded in order to include the feeder schools students meeting every Thursday from five o’clock until seven and half hours (P.M.)

-         In 1991 year the cupper team is founded playing in the following religious holidays : Palm Sunday – Good Friday – Armenian martyrs memory – Fraternity holiday – Merry Christmas – Plus the occasion where the team is invented.

-         In 1994 year, another new group is founded to gather the elementary schools students, the classes 4, 5, 6, meeting every Saturday from 4 hours and half until seven o’clock.

-         In 1997, a group is formed from the responsible under the name of “Saint Mary Bourgeons”.

-         In the year 1997, a group is founded to gather everyone was responsible But the circumstances of his work didn’t help him to follow the Fraternity, inside the Team under the name of “Friends of Saint Mary” meeting at the rate of one time every 2 month, furthermore to their participation in the mass of the Fraternity and general Fraternity activities.

-         In the 1998, a decision has been taken that the Fraternity participates in “Universal Youth memorial” meetings where the Pope invites. The first participation was in the “Universal Youth day” into Rome in 2000, Jubilee. 55 members participated in that meeting.

-         In the year 2000, the first conference of the Fraternity took place during which the conference took place every five years, where are invited all the responsible, friends and some of members during which the walk of the fraternité is studied and the required amendments are effectuated for the members benefit. Among of this conference results is founded also the a division constituted from some of responsible under the name “General relations division”. Its role is to represent the Fraternity near the rest of fraternities and to reply to the invitations addressed to the Fraternity, as well as it organises the responsible activities and the subjects pertaining to them. About the second division which was from the fruits of the first conference which leads to found “the preparing division” who gathers the members who ended the secondary stage. This division prepares them to be charged to receive responsibility later of what there is in the Fraternity and to be interested by the centre of the Fraternité, its library, to encourage the members to read the books.    

-         In the year 2005, the second conference is held, its results were the foundation of the division of the elementary schools students.

The first :    

For the first, second and third class, they will be among the “St. Mary virgin Bourgeons” under the name of “St. Mary ears”.
A committee is founded too in the 2005 year constituted from some friends and parents of the Fraternity meeting three times a week per year to debate with the administration of the Fraternity to keep on the continuity of cooperation between them for the farewell of the members and the good promotion and prosperity of the Fraternity. It is decided to hold a common day for the parents which will be the last day of the divine sacrifice, to discuss the item and to eat the dinner and lunch together and, if possible to produce a paragraph during “The camp fire”.     

Pray of the Fraternity :

“Teach us, o God, to chose you every day and to renew our love to you in all our works, help us to follow you without hesitation to believe you without fear, let us be brothers to you and apostles to your Gospel, to plant among the people the hope, peace and joy by the mediation of “Mary the virgin, Madonne of Youth Amen”

Fraternity Emblem :

A symbolic Drawing (Picture) referring to St. Mary the virgin embracing in her shroud students of different age the letter S, in English students and it is written around the drawing the three goals of the Fraternity “The service, love and joy”, about the three letters in French : “Fraternity of Notre Dame des jeunes”, (Fraternity of Notre-Dame des jeunes).

Fraternity mass :

The Fraternity members assemble with their responsible and friends every Sunday, the God day to participate to the divine sacrifice, the Fraternity members serve this sacrifice through “The Choral of Notre-Dame of Youth”, to read the missions and to present the sacrifices and applications ………….. and that every Sunday at six o’clock in the evening into Notre-Dame of Aids in Cathedral of Armenian Catholic – Tilel furthermore to that the Fraternity serves the both masses of Christmas night and the lightening Saturday at ten hours in the night at the said Cathedral, after them a reception ceremony for all the audience in familial ambiance.

 
The Fraternity holiday :

The Fraternity celebrates in its intercessor holiday on 21 November, Holiday of Notre-Dame presentation to the alter, this holiday is preceded a common day of entertaining where all the members of all age are assembled to consolidate the relation between them.

The spiritual exercises and social activities :

Every year the Fraternity – holds for each group two spiritual exercise preceding the glorious Christmas and the Easter as well each group tries to visit the convents in Aleppo, to be a ware of the monks and nuns life, to pray to their attention. The Fraternity holds, too, some social activities at the occasion of Holydays, like the visiting of hospitals, and poor families, to offer to them the substantial aids, to visit old age houses and orphanages, especially in lent time, as well as it endeavours to offer the beggaries to miscellaneous intentions.

 
The camps :

Every group set up a summer camp for eight days during which the member takes a look on the Archeological and Touristic sites in our country Syria, except “Madona of Youth” who, sometimes, set up its summer camp into a brotherhood neighbour Country. Every year he sets up a winter camp in a Syria town, Furthermore each group organize excursions during the academic year for one day only.

General Fraternity activities :

Every year, the Fraternity, periodically, sets up with the participation of members and friends, a religious scene at the occasion of Easter or a procession celebration in behalf of “mother holiday”.

The participation in the “universal Youth days” by the invitation of his Eminence the Pope, preceded by ready meetings for who will participate, is varying between one or two years. The participants meet one time each month to debate and discuss the items around which the universal youth days has meeting.

Preparing meditations at the occasion of Christmas and that the Sunday for four weeks.

Meditation Wednesday of the holy week.

The Fraternity participates in all the activities to which the bishops of inside and outside Aleppo, Catholic it will be or ecumenical.

The Fraternity begin to serve the Cathedral at the following occasions : Palm Sunday, secret Thursday, grand Friday, St. Rita holiday – celebration of the end of St. Mary month and else.