Catholicos of All Armenians Receives Newly Ordained Priests


The priests ordained on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross are currently undergoing a forty-day period of fasting and preparation in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. His Holiness congratulated the priests and expressed hope that they will effectively carry out their spiritual ministry. His Holiness emphasized that the clergyman is a courageous shepherd, an exemplary figure who instills national values. The Armenian Patriarch noted that priests will encounter numerous difficulties and challenges in their pastoral service, which require strong faith, prudence and courage to overcome.

Priestly Ordination and Consecration Held at the Mother See on the Feast of Apparition of the Holy Cross


A priestly ordination and consecration ceremony was held at the Mother See under the presiding authority of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. The celebrant was Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Director of the Department of External Relations and Protocol of the Mother See. He ordained and consecrated 7 deacons serving in various church structures.

Kirants Village Holy Trinity Church Reconsecrated


Pilgrims set off from the village of Acharkut to Kirants Holy Trinity Church. The pilgrimage was led by the Prelate Vicar of the Diocese of Tavush, Father Samvel Vardapet Mkhitaryan, along with priests serving in the communities of the diocese. The church, built in 1888, was reconsecrated by Archbishop Haykazun Najaryan, a member of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. After the Divine Liturgy, the Order of the Holy Cross was performed and the four corners of the world were blessed.
 

This year, the Red Gospel was brought to the Holy Marian Church in Ashtarak


Since 2019, with the blessing of the Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Proshyan, the faithful have been communicating with the power emanating from the Red Gospel on the day of the feast of St. John the Baptist. This year, the Aragatsotn Diocese issued a statement that taking the Gospel to St. John the Baptist is not realistic, since the church is actually occupied. On Red Sunday, the Red Gospel was brought to the Holy Marian Church in Ashtarak for worship by the faithful.
 

The Intercession of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide was held at the Mother See


On the occasion of the Day of Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, under the presiding authority of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, a Holy and Immortal Liturgy was celebrated at the Mother Cathedral of the Mother See. Later, the procession of clergy, with the relics of the Holy Martyrs, gathered at the khachkar-monument of the covenant located next to the Mother Cathedral. Under the presiding authority of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, an intercession of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide was held.

A philologist accidentally discovered that the hero of Charles Tiran Tekeyan's story is his grandfather


During his research, Astghik Nersesyan, the grandson of Yenovk Nersisyan, a participant in the heroic battle of Musa Dagh, accidentally discovered that the hero of Charles Tiran Tekeyan's story "The Armenian Boy" is his grandfather. The story was published in 1915 in Alexandria. Yenovk Nersisyan was only 15 years old. He was wounded in the arm during the heroic battle and ended up on a French ship.
 

April 24 Requiem Mass Replaced by Intercession Order


100 years after the Armenian Genocide, on April 23, 2015, the victims of the Armenian Genocide were canonized by the Encyclical of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. During the Intercession Order, the Divine Liturgy, performed on April 24, while paying homage at Tsitsernakaberd, believers ask for the intercession of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide for Armenia, Armenians, including the Armenians of Artsakh who were deprived of their homeland in the 21st century. The war crimes, blockade, and forced deportations that took place in Artsakh in 2020-2023 are a continuation of the same genocidal programs by the Azerbaijani authorities in the 21st century. All actions taken by Azerbaijan - the deportation of Armenians from Artsakh, ethnic cleansing, and cultural genocide - are defined as genocide in international law.

 

The clergy of the Aragatsotn Diocese held a joint service in the Parpi Church


The clergy of the diocese and pilgrims prayed together for the unjustly imprisoned clergy, prisoners, missing persons, the repose of the Armenian Patriarch and the steadfastness of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. Next Friday, April 24, at 7:00 p.m., the joint service will take place in the St. Hakob Church in the village of Vardenis, Aparan region.
 

Defense attorney files motion to dismiss Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan's case because there is no object of crime


At the court hearing on the case of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, defense attorney Arsen Babayan filed a motion to dismiss the case and stop the criminal prosecution of the Archbishop. The attorney argued that there is no object of crime, and the Archbishop did not commit the act he is accused of. The court rejected the motion, stating that the evidence must be examined. The prosecutor filed a motion to detain Archbishop Arshak, but the court left the preventive measure unchanged.
 

The miraculous Gospel of Shuriskhan was moved to the St. Gevorg Church in Mughni


The faithful at the St. Gevorg Church in Mughni communed with the power emanating from the miraculous Gospel of Shuriskhan during the Divine Liturgy. For more than 25 years, the Gospel of Shuriskhan has been moved to the St. Gevorg Church. With the blessing of the Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, the clergy of the St. Gevorg Church are keeping the tradition intact.
 

The relic of St. Stepanos the Protodeacon has been transferred from the Mother See to the Mastara Church


By the Patriarchal direction of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, the relic of St. Stepanos the Protodeacon has been transferred from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to the St. John Church in Mastara. A Holy and Immortal Liturgy was served.

 

The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary


On the occasion of the Feast of the Annunciation, a Liturgy was served in the Mother Cathedral, at the end of which a blessing ceremony was performed for women awaiting the joy of motherhood. The wives of deacons who are awaiting the birth of their children also received a blessing. By the high decree of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, April 7 was declared the Day of Blessing for Women Awaiting the Joy of Motherhood. The holiday is dedicated to the evangelical story, when the Archangel Gabriel visits the Holy Virgin Mary and announces that the Son of God will be born from her.