On December 25, His Holiness Karekin II received at the Mother See the Primate of the Shirak Diocese, Archbishop Michael Ajapahyan, and a delegation of regional, community and diocesan representatives. His Eminence Archbishop Michael Ajapahyan was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by the Pontifical Encyclical of Catholicos of All Armenians. On the eve of the New Year, a festive concert performed by the "New Camerata" ensemble was held at the "Ruben Sevak" Museum of the Mother See. On December 25, at the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, children with special needs visited the Etchmiadzin Youth Center on the occasion of the New Year and Christmas holidays. Deacon of the Mekhitarist Seminary of Beirut Church Harutyun Harboyan, dressed as St. Nicholas, introduces himself as a kind Santa Claus in Yerevan and border villages. The staff of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia studied valuable manuscripts owned by individuals and Holy Books. Presentation of Deacon Artak Ghevondyan's collection of poems entitled "A Handful of Silence". The Armenian Diocese of Canada celebrated the 49th anniversary of the consecration and naming of the Mother Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator.
