The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the feast of the Holy Etchmiadzin


The Holy and Immortal Liturgy was celebrated under the presiding authority of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. His Holiness, the clergy and the faithful prayed for the stability and eternal radiance of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Amid the sounds of the Patriarchal greeting, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, distributed a blessing to the people gathered at the Mother See on the occasion of the feast of the Catholicos of Holy Etchmiadzin.

 

Catholicos of All Armenians Voted at the 14/11 Polling Station in Etchmiadzin


His Holiness arrived at the polling station accompanied by the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. After the election, the Patriarch of All Armenians answered questions from journalists gathered near the polling station.
 

Episcopal ordination and consecration by the Catholicos of All Armenians


The Vicar of the Diocese of Gegharkunik, Bishop Isahak Poghosyan, the Vicar of the Diocese of Masyatsotn, Bishop Ruben Zargaryan, the Vicar of the Diocese of Masyatsotn, Bishop Anania Tsaturyan, and the Director of the Evangelization Center of the Mother See, Bishop Zakaria Baghumyan, were ordained bishops by the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II. During the pontifical liturgy, His Holiness prayed for the ordinations, asking the Holy Spirit for graces to be true shepherds. In the coming days, the newly consecrated bishops will celebrate the liturgies of the ordination in the Mother Cathedral.
 

Catholicos of All Armenians Speaks to Priestly Assembly About the Situation Around the Church


About 200 clergy serving in the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church - priests, deacons, archpriests, diocesan leaders, and members of the Mother See - participated in a priestly assembly at the Mother Cathedral on May 26. Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, the chairman of the organizing committee for priestly assemblies for 20 years, did not participate because he is under house arrest. The meeting was attended by the Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, who is under administrative supervision. This year, the priestly assembly was held in the absence of high-ranking clergy and a group of priests who joined the anti-church campaign. The Armenian Patriarch spoke with the priests about the worrying developments around the Church and the persecutions being carried out against clergy.

Republican Wishes Held at Mother Cathedral on the Occasion of the Holiday


On the occasion of the Republic Day, a Republican wish was held at the Mother Cathedral under the presiding authority of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. The clergy and the faithful prayed for the stability, peaceful and secure life of the Republic of Armenia. After the Republican wish, Bishop Ruben Zargaryan celebrated the first episcopal liturgy in front of the Holy Table of the Descent in the Mother Cathedral of the Nativity. His Holiness was ordained and consecrated by the Armenian Patriarch last Sunday, on the feast of Pentecost.
 

Church relics brought out in Holy Etchmiadzin ahead of Araratian Week celebrations


With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, the relics of the Cross of Christ, St. Gregory the Illuminator, and St. Sahak Partev, Patriarch, were brought out for the worship of the faithful. On the feast of the memory of St. Elijah the Prophet, a liturgy was celebrated in the Mother Cathedral under the presiding authority of His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, by Father Mkhitar Yepremyan, a member of the Brotherhood of the Mother See.

 

The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ


On the occasion of the feast, a Holy and Immortal Liturgy was served at the Mother Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ under the presiding authority of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. It is commemorated 40 days after the Feast of the Resurrection, which concludes the period of Christ’s earthly mission. The Feast of the Ascension commemorates the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven and his sitting at the right hand of the Father. The same day also commemorates the transfer of the See of the Catholicosate of All Armenians from the city of Sis to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1441.
 

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.

On the occasion of the New Sunday, members of the youth unions of various Armenian dioceses gathered in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin


On the occasion of the New Sunday, more than 650 young people welcomed the Catholicos of All Armenians with a pontifical hymn. At the request of the members of the youth unions of the dioceses of Armenia, the clergy organized the pilgrimage to the Mother See. The Catholicos of All Armenians blessed the young people and wished that they would always be in the grace of God, be bearers of the rich heritage left by our Holy Church and the holy fathers. They had the opportunity to communicate, talk about joint programs and participate in the Holy and Immortal Liturgy of the Second Advent in the Mother Cathedral.
 
 

3 Lawyers Carried the Canopy of His Holiness the Patriarch on the Feast of the Holy Resurrection


On the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Catholicos of All Armenians traditionally serves the festive Liturgy in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. This year, the canopy of His Holiness the Patriarch was carried by lawyers Ara Zohrabyan, Yerem Sargsyan, Ara Ghazaryan, and Dr. Arthur Grabsky. This is not accidental, because since last year the church has been forced to defend its right to independence, autonomy, and spiritual mission in court.

 

The Foot Washing Ceremony was held in the Mother Cathedral under the leadership of the Catholicos of All Armenians


A foot washing ceremony was held in all churches. In the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, according to tradition, the ceremony was presided over by the Patriarch of All Armenians. During the foot washing ceremony, accompanied by prayers and hymns, His Holiness Karekin II, the Patriarch of All Armenians, following the example of Christ, first blessed the water and oil placed on the altar, then knelt and washed the feet of 12 people symbolizing the disciples of Christ.
 

The Bishops' Conference became a unique haven of spiritual awakening and inner strength


On the last day of the meeting, the participants of the meeting were joined by the Patriarch of All Armenians and 6 bishops via video conference. In the difficult situation created, under the restrictions imposed on the Patriarch, the Armenian clergy united its will, reaffirming its loyalty to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos of All Armenians. The united position of the bishops' class became a message of confidence to the Armenian people, expressed in a jointly adopted statement, in which the 25 participating bishops affirmed: They will continue their sacred mission unwaveringly, remaining faithful to the Holy Gospel, the Orthodox doctrine of the Armenian Apostolic Church.