During the Lent period, on Fridays, there will be a Divine Liturgy


During the Lent period, on Fridays, Rest services  will be held, and on Wednesday mornings, at Sunset service
Evening Peace and Rest services are held before sunset, symbolizing the burial of Christ, his descent into hell, and the deliverance of the righteous from torment. The clergy ask for peace and tranquility for the soul of a person burdened by daily sins.
 

Rehabilitation center for children displaced from Artsakh opened in Yerevan


The program is implemented with the funding of the "SOS Christians of the East" organization. The newly opened center will provide free services to children with cerebral palsy, global developmental delay, and other congenital and acquired abnormalities. The doors will also be open to children in need of a kinesiologist, psychologist, or speech therapist, without age restrictions. The center was opened with the blessing and guidance of Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, Primate of the Artsakh Diocese.

New appointments of clergy have been made by the patriarchal order of the Catholicos of All Armenians


His Grace Bishop Vardan Navasardyan, having been relieved of his duties as Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Baltic States, has been appointed to serve as the Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, and Patriarchal Delegate to India and the Far East. Rev. Fr. Shnorhk Sargsyan, having been relieved of his duties in the Patriarchal Delegation to Western Europe and has been appointed to serve in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin as Deputy Director of the Training Programs for Clergy and Youth. Rev. Fr. Gabriel Vardanyan, having been relieved of his duties in the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary, has been appointed to serve in the Armenian Diocese of Canada.

The Diocese of Kotayk organizes a Christmas celebration for children every year


The social department of the Kotayk diocese implements various programs. Through their daily work, the clergy personally know people in need, including families displaced from Artsakh and resettled in various communities of Kotayk in recent years. Various support programs are implemented for them.

The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the naming and baptism of Jesus Christ


On the Feast of Naming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a Divine Liturgy is celebrated in all Armenian churches, and the day before, at the end of the evening service, a pre-Christmas ceremony is held. On this feast, the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke is read in all Armenian churches. Just as the day of the birth of the Son of God, January 6, is unchanging, so is the day of His naming and baptism.

Christmas Candlelight Liturgy celebrated at the Mother Cathedral


The liturgy of the Nativity of Christ was celebrated in the Mother Cathedral under the presiding authority of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. The pre-Christmas service was celebrated with the singing of Christmas hymns and the reading of the Gospel prophecies announcing the birth of the Son of God. Lighting lanterns and candles, the faithful took the blessed good news to their homes and passed on the joyful news of Christmas to each other.

The gala concert marking the 30th anniversary of the Youth Center was held at the Sundukyan National Academic Theater


The students of the Armenian Youth Houses of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Armenian General Benevolent Union presented all branches of performing arts at the National Academic Theater: song, dance, classical and national instruments, theater and circus. About 500 young people of different ages from eight Armenian Youth Houses operating in the communities of Armenia performed a common concert program. It was planned to be organized a year ago, in September. The anniversary concert was postponed due to the forced displacement in Artsakh.

The Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II received the priests of the training course


The December gathering of the priests’ training program has concluded at the Mother See. On that occasion, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, received the priests from the dioceses of Armenia and the Diaspora participating in the course. For almost two years, dozens of priests have been undergoing a three-week period of prayer, reflection, and knowledge renewal at Holy Etchmiadzin.

The ceremony of opening the doors and consecration of the nave was held at the Holy Savior Cathedral of Gyumri, which was consecrated 36 years ago


A solemn procession of high-ranking clergy and religious fathers, led by the Primate of the Shirak Diocese, Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, went from Vardanants Square in Gyumri to the Holy Savior Cathedral. The clergy, singing psalms and praying, led the faithful to the newly built cathedral. The Primate of the Diocese anointed the nave of the cathedral with holy myron, and the bishops anointed the columns and the baptismal font.

The Catholicos of All Armenians receives clergymen ordained as priests


His Holiness blessed the priests with a protective prayer, wishing them a fruitful spiritual mission. The newly ordained priests' fast will end before Christmas, after which, with the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians, they will celebrate their first liturgies and be called to serve in the dioceses and structures of the Mother See, replenishing the ranks of clergy serving in the church.

 

The students of Mkhitar Sebastasi Research School went on a pilgrimage to Jordan


Travel training with the author's program of the educational complex is a mandatory component of the curriculum in the Sebastsia educational complex. This program includes climbing, training and military sports camps, and educational exchanges. In that context, the head of the research school Martha Asatryan and deacon Hovhannes Martirosyan initiated an educational pilgrimage to Jordan.
 

A copied manuscript of Amirdovlat Amasiatsi’s “Benefits of Medicine” donated to Matenadaran


Through the efforts of Yerevan State Medical University named after Mkhitar Heratsi, an 18th-century copied manuscript of the 15th-century Armenian physician Amirdovlat Amasiatsi’s “Benefits of Medicine” was acquired and donated to Matenadaran. The manuscript was acquired through an auction from a private collection. They were also keen for the manuscript to find a place in Matenadaran and become a study material for medical scholars.