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.

 

The New Rituals of the Armenian Church


In the fourth century, during the patriarchate of Karekin II, the ritual life of the Armenian Church was enriched. Under the direction of His Holiness, new orders and ceremonies were established in the church calendar. They gradually became an integral part of church life. Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, by establishing new orders of spiritual worship, continues the work of the patriarchs of the Armenian Church.

Bishops’ Assembly launches in St. Pölten, Austria


The Bishops’ Assembly is attended by twenty-five archbishops and bishops of the Catholicosate of All Armenians of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, including those from the Armenian Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Constantinople. His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Nourhan Manukyan, and the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan, addressed the congregation with their fatherly words and messages.

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.

Catholicos of All Armenians meets with the Pope of Rome


During the meeting with the Pope, the Catholicos of All Armenians touched upon the problems of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh, the preservation of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage facing the threat of destruction in Artsakh, and the situation of prisoners of war and hostages. His Holiness presented the Pope with a replica of the Artsakh khachkar. At the end of the meeting, His Holiness invited Pope Leo XIV to Armenia.

"HayArt"'s Content Struggles


"HayArt" as a museum of contemporary art, from the day it was founded in 1985 to the present day, is perhaps one of the most troubled cultural structures in the history of Armenia. The building of the Center for Contemporary Art has periodically undergone absurd changes in content. Now they are trying to solve these problems. Anahit Margaryan spoke with Sona Harutyunyan, the acting director of "HayArt" in "Artfocus".

Victoria and Lyanq Ulikhanyans


Cellist Liana Ulikhanyan, violinist Victoria Ulikhanyan, and pianist Araks Ashjian perform Arno Babajanyan's "Anurjner" arranged by Martin Ulikhanyan, and Alexander Harutyunyan's "Dance of the Sasuns" and "New Year's Suite" arranged by Martin Ulikhanyan.

"Your First Words" collection


Hovhannes Grigoryan's collection of children's poems entitled "Your First Words" has been published
 
The presentation of the collection of children's poems entitled "Your First Words" by poet, translator and writer Hovhannes Grigoryan took place at the "Zangak" bookstore, which was accompanied by a puppet staged reading by actors Aghasi Melkonyan and Liana Nikoghosyan. The book was published at the initiative of the author's family. Anahit Margaryan's guests at "Artfocus" are Hovhannes Grigoryan's daughter, business consultant Sona Grigoryan, and actor, puppeteer Aghasi Melkonyan.