This was Catena’s second visit to Armenia – in 2017 he had come to the country for the first time to participate in the Aurora Prize weekend and Ceremony, where he had been named the 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate.
Doctor Tom Catena has returned to Armenia in June 2018 with his wife Nasima Catena to take part in 2018 Aurora Prize weekend. This year’s program was intended to offer maximum opportunity for the guests to interact and to share their knowledge and experience. Doctor Tom Catena also had an opportunity to learn more about Armenia, its history and heritage, and the roots of the commitment to the humanitarian work the Aurora community members do together.
Before embarking on a journey to the south of the country, 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate has visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial and laid flowers there. At the end of the visit Doctor Tom Catena planted a tree in the Memory Alley of Tsitsernakaberd complex in memoriam of the Armenian Genocide victims. This has become a traditional step for all Laureates, starting with the inaugural Aurora Prize Laureate Marguerite Barankitse of Maison Shalom, who took part in a similar ceremony back in 2017.