The Mother See Demands the Restoration of Spiritual Service in Penitentiary Institutions


The Mother See urges the government to respect the law and the perceived church order and, without hindering the mission of the Church, to restore the normal course of spiritual service in penitentiary institutions. By an illegal decision of the Head of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice, clergymen appointed by the Armenian Church were prohibited from entering places of imprisonment. The Head of the Penitentiary Service has effectively suspended the spiritual service in penitentiary institutions of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, at the same time, bypassing the Mother See and ignoring legal regulations, he has signed employment contracts with individual clergymen.
 

On March 29, the Armenian Apostolic Church will celebrate Palm Sunday


On Palm Sunday, in the morning, the Andastan service will be held in all churches. The four cardinal directions will be blessed, as well as the willow branches and twigs. The altar curtains will be opened and communion will be given. According to the tradition established by the Patriarchal decree, at the end of the liturgy, a rite of blessing of children will be performed in all churches. Palm Sunday will end the Lenten period and begin Holy Week - the commemoration of the Lord's passion, crucifixion, burial and miraculous resurrection.

The celebration of Palm Sunday marks the end of the forty-day period of Great Lent and the beginning of Holy Week


Holy Monday is the day of remembrance of the parable of the barren fig tree and the gospel stories of the cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem. Holy Wednesday is the day of remembrance of the anointing and betrayal of the Lord. Holy Thursday is the day of the Washing of the Feet. Before the Crucifixion, Christ knelt before his disciples in the Upper Room and washed their feet as an example of meekness and humility. Good Friday is the day of remembrance of the sufferings, crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus Christ. On Holy Saturday, in the evening, candles and lamps are lit in churches. On Sunday, April 5, in the morning, a Patriarchal Liturgy will be served in the Mother Cathedral of St. Etchmiadzin.
 

On March 1, the Armenian Apostolic Church will commemorate the Gospel story of the Prodigal Son


The parable of the Prodigal Son, presented in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, is the story of a man who repents for his sins, seeks forgiveness, and returns to his father's arms. The commentators consider the prodigal son a symbol of fallen and sinful humanity. Man commits sins in his life, whether he wills it or not, but blessed is the person who, following the example of the prodigal son, repents of his sins and seeks forgiveness from God.

On February 12, the Armenian Apostolic Church will celebrate the feast of Vardanants and the 1036 Martyrs


The feast of Vardanants and the 1036 Martyrs usually follows the feast of the Ghevondyan priests. The martyrs who shed their blood in the Battle of Avarayr in 451 for the sake of the Christian faith and homeland are known as Saint Vardanants. The Battle of Avarayr was perhaps the first military clash of the Christian world with the non-Christian world for the sake of faith. The Armenian Church has gratefully canonized the 1036 martyrs of Avarayr, led by the general Vardan. On the feast of commemoration of Vardanants, a Divine Liturgy will be served and a Patriarchal greeting will be delivered.
 

Armenian Apostolic Church to Celebrate the Presentation of the Lord on February 14


Forty days after the Nativity, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of Jesus to the Temple. The previous day, on the evening of February 13, a pre-holiday service will be held. At the end of the service, according to folk custom, a bonfire will be lit. By order of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord was declared a day of blessing for newlyweds many years ago.

On February 15, the Armenian Apostolic Church will celebrate the Feast of the Great Barekendan, which will mark the start of Great Lent


Great Lent precedes the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Jesus Christ and lasts 48 days. During the liturgy on Barekendan itself, the curtains of the altars are closed and communion is not given throughout Lent, with the exception of a few feast days. On the first Wednesday of Great Lent, the church invites people to enter the fasting period with a special rite of penance. And on the last days of Lent, Maundy Thursday, the rite of absolution is performed, the curtain is opened and Holy Communion is given, because on that day Christ, sitting at the table with his apostles, established the mystery of Holy Communion.

 

The Armenian Apostolic Church will commemorate the day of remembrance of St. Sarkis, his son Martiros and 14 warriors


On January 31, a Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in all churches named after Saint Sargis. On the feast of Saint Sargis, a Divine Liturgy will also be celebrated in the Saint Sargis Monastery Complex in Ushi. On that day, the relic of Saint Sargis will be brought from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to the Ushi Church, which will be transferred to the Saint Sargis Church in Ashtarak at the end of the Liturgy. According to tradition, Mesrop Mashtots brought the relics of the Warrior Sargis from Persia and buried them here, on the hill of the village of Ushi.
 

The week-long Fast of Catechumens will begin on January 26


At the end of the Fast of Catechumens, on Saturday, January 31, the Armenian Apostolic Church will celebrate the feast of St. Sargis the Great, his son Martiros, and 14 soldiers. The Fast of Catechumens was established by Gregory the Illuminator. After leaving Khor Virap, at his urging, King Trdat and the entire people repented by fasting for five days. The last, fifth day of the Lent is the commemoration day of the prophet St. Jonah.

 

Catholicos of All Armenians visited the Armenian Humanitarian Seminary of Calcutta


The first pontifical visit of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, to India was in 2008. In the years that followed, through the consistent efforts of His Holiness, the church administration was reorganized, which began the improvement of churches, church buildings, Armenian cemeteries, and their surrounding areas. Almost every year, the Catholicos of Armenia visits India and personally monitors the work of churches and church-related structures.

The feast of the Apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew will be celebrated this year on November 29


The feast of the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew is a day of renewal for Christians. By the canonical Encyclical of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, since 2015, the day of the commemoration of the Apostles has been declared the day of the feast of the Holy Geghard, the First-Present-Father of God. On that day, the pan-Christian sacredness is taken out of the treasury of Holy Etchmiadzin and a festive liturgy is served, during which the faithful receive communion with the holy relic, receiving the blessing distributed by the miracle-worker Geghard. The holy icon remains in the church until the evening service.

The reliquary of the holy relics of Skevra will be brought out on the occasion of the anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness the Patriarch


On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the consecration and enthronement of the Catholicos of All Armenians, on Sunday, November 2, in accordance with the accepted order, during the Holy and Immortal Liturgy, a Patriarchal blessing will be performed and the reliquary of the holy relics of Skevra will be brought out to touch this greatest pan-Christian sanctity and to commune with its blessing power.