In Kecharis Monastery of Tsaghkadzor, on the occasion of the newly blessed muron, a water blessing ceremony was performed


This is a unique ceremony, because the water blessing is performed on one day a year, on January 6, when the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrates the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ. A water blessing ceremony is also performed immediately after the blessing of the Holy Muron, in order to transfer the power of the newly blessed muron to the believers.
 

"Armenia 2041" Foundation has published the winning projects of the "Strong Diaspora" program


The "Armenia 2041" Foundation operates within the framework of the Afeyan Initiatives for Armenia Foundation. The "Strong Diaspora" program awarded 10 grants worth $10,000 each. The grant was awarded mainly to Diaspora Armenians, individuals and groups with ideas on how to preserve and develop Armenian heritage and language. They are projects that, with creative solutions, can involve young people in programs that empower Armenian communities. 174 applications were received from 26 countries, 91 cities of the world.

 

A united prayer for the return of prisoners held in Baku prisons was heard in St. Anna Church


Family members, relatives and friends of the prisoners were present at the joint prayer. A year ago, on September 27, Ruben Vardanyan, a well-known philanthropist, was arrested near Hakari bridge and transferred to Baku prison. His arrest was followed by the arrests of seven Artsakh political and military figures. Nubar Afeyan insisted in a conversation with journalists that there cannot be peace without justice.

 

A festive liturgy was held in the St. Mariane Church in Ashtarak and the Relic of the Lord's cross was taken away


Rev. Fr/ Paren Arakelyan, the spiritual pastor of the Saghmosanvank pastorate, performed the liturgy in the St. Mariane Church. On the occasion of the commemoration day of the Holy Virgins Peprone, Mariane and Shushanik, the daughter of General Vardan, under the Patriarchal direction of Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for the first time, the Relic of the Lord's Holy Cross was taken to St. Mariane church.
 

The international exhibition entitled Mariam from Anahit: "Mother Goddess" was opened in the Museum of History


In one of the two exhibition halls there are finds from the pre-Christian period, in the other there are samples with the image of the Mother of God. The head and hand of the famous bronze statue of the goddess Anahit, which are preserved in the prestigious British Museum, were exhibited for the first time in Armenia. The statue was discovered in the 1870s in the Satala settlement of Erzurum, Armenia.

 

On the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the consecration, the relic of St. Stepanos the Proto-Deacon was taken to Nigavan church


The Sunday following the Exaltation is the pilgrimage day of St. Stepanos Church of Nigavan community. The dilapidated church built in the 1870s was re-consecrated in 2015. On the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the re-consecration of St. Stepanos Church of Nigavan community, with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II and His Grace Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, Primate of the Diocese of Aragatsotn, the Relic of St. Stepanos the Proto-Deacon was brought from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to the church for the first time.
 

Genocide experts consider the forced deportation of Artsakh to be genocide


"The Armenian Genocide: The participants of the international conference entitled "Introspections of the Past and Present" drew a parallel between the blockade of Artsakh and the actions of the Armenian Genocide. The conference set the task of forming a platform against genocides.
 

The world premiere of the concert "The Sun is Fair" written on the basis of the "Book of Lamentations" was held.


"Aram Khachatryan" concert hall hosted the world premiere of the "Sun is Fair" choral concert by famous Russian composer Sergey Ekimov, written on the basis of Grigor Narekatsi's prayer book "Book of Lamentations". The concerto is unique in that it is written based on Narekatsi's original grabar text. The concert was performed by the Nizhny Novgorod Chamber Choir, under the direction of artistic director and chief conductor Ivan Stolnikov.

A celebratory Liturgy was celebrated in the Holy Cross Church of Arabkir


In the Holy Cross Church of Arabkir, Reverend Fr. Partev Muradyan presented the events of the capture and recovery of the cross from Jerusalem in the 6th century, and the role of Armenians in them. The Holy Cross touches the Armenian soil and cleanses it. When Christ shed his blood on the cross, he made an instrument of death an instrument of salvation.

80 students admitted to the university are benefiting from the Armenian Apostolic Church's scholarship program


The Armenian Relief Fund of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been implementing educational and scientific programs since 1997. More than 80 percent of sponsored students work in their profession. The students are included in the volunteer programs of the FAR, they participate in picking apricots, they carry out translations, they visit the elderly.

On the day of the birth of the Holy Mother of God, a liturgy was offered in the Holy Mother of God Church in Nork


The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the birthday of the Holy Virgin Mary on September 8. Mary was the long-awaited child of pious parents Joachim and Anna. According to the sacred tradition, both receive the good news through an angel. Mary is considered the child of the covenant, because the parents, upon receiving the good news, promise to give their child to the temple. Mary is born 15 or 16 years before Christ, grows up in the temple whose high priest was Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.

 

FAR promotes youth workforce development with partner organizations


The "Workforce Development in Armenia" program is funded by the USAID and implemented by the "Enterprise Incubator Fund" and consortium partners: Agrarian University, Armenian Relief Fund, and "Civita" Armenia. The goal of the project is to equip 10,000 young people, including women and persons with disabilities, with skills that are in demand in the labor market. 5200 young people aged 15-29 have already participated in the program. 1700 of them were employed.