The spiritual life of the Holy Mother of God Church in Nork is disrupted


The community of the Holy Mother of God Church in the first district of Nor Nork is now divided into two parts: the majority of believers no longer visit this holy place, the reason being the joining of the spiritual pastor Father Ashot Safaryan's anti-church campaign. The once active and united community is now, in essence, fragmented, the spiritual pastor's decision to join the anti-church campaign has caused great harm to the community's residents.

 

Man looks at the face of man, but God looks at the heart


According to Father David Gishyan, the saying “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart” is taken from the Bible’s First Book of Kings. The prophet Samuel was to anoint young David as king. God tells Samuel: “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature. People look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.”

What you sow is what you reap


Father David Gishyan believes that Physical Laws help build our external, spiritual laws, our spiritual life. The Apostle Paul, in the sixth chapter of his letter to the Galatians, notes that life is a field where we reap what we have sown in the past. Our present is the harvest of what we have sown in the past.

God sees the mountain and makes it snow.


Father David Gishyan believes that the folk saying “God sees the mountain, he puts the snow” has spiritual roots connected with the first letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. According to him, the difficulties of life are given to man by God out of exceptional trust. God gives us trials corresponding to our abilities and at the same time suggests ways to overcome them.

The Department of Spiritual Service of Penitentiary Institutions was established under the direction of His Holiness Karekin II


The Department of Spiritual Service, established in 2003, has been closely cooperating with the Ministry of Justice and the Penitentiary Department to this day. In penitentiary institutions, the spiritual minister carries out his mission in three main directions: he helps a person deprived of his liberty to reconsider his life, contributes to the strengthening of the spiritual life of the prison servant, and also provides spiritual, moral and social support to the families of those deprived of their liberty. As a result of the active activity of the structure in these years, churches, chapels have been built in penitentiary institutions, cross-stones have been installed, and spiritual corners have been created. Churches have been built in "Sevan", "Kosh" and "Artik", chapels in "Hrazdan", "Vanadzor", "Armavir", "Vardashen" penitentiary institutions.

The clergy of the Aragatsotn Diocese and pilgrims participated in the evening service at Saghmosavank


The clergy of the Aragatsotn Diocese, together with the faithful, prayed for the stability of the church, the longevity of the life of the Armenian Patriarch, for the holy saints Mkrtich, Bagrat, Michael, Arshak, benefactor Samvel Karapetyan, and for the Armenians who are illegally imprisoned and in captivity. The services, held every Thursday, are performed with the blessing of the diocesan leader, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan.
 

Criminal proceedings against Catholicos may hinder the organization of the bishops’ assembly: lawyer


Member of the Supreme Spiritual Council Gevorg Danielyan fears that the proceedings initiated by the Investigative Committee against the church for failure to execute the judicial act may put the bishops’ assembly to be convened in Austria in February under attack. His Holiness Gevorg was declared deposed on January 27, and on January 29 it became known that the Investigative Committee had initiated proceedings against the church. He considers the claim that the Supreme Spiritual Council adopted a directive specifically to allegedly hinder the judicial act to be unfounded. He argues that the church has the authority to make decisions and if there are sufficient grounds for it, on the contrary, not executing it can be problematic.

Clergy members of the Supreme Spiritual Council have been summoned for questioning as defendants


Criminal cases have been initiated against the bishops, they are accused of obstructing the execution of a judicial act. And the judicial act concerns the lawsuit of the former leader of Masyatsotn, Arman Saroyan, who was declared a canon. The court, examining his lawsuit with lightning speed, decided that in order to stop Arman Saroyan’s “mental suffering”, a measure of securing his lawsuit should be immediately applied. And the members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, who spoke in favor of the excommunication of the former bishop, obstructed the execution of the judicial act.

 

The Aragatsotn Diocese held a service for those in prison at the St. Gevorg Church in Kosh


During the service, the clergy and believers of the Aragatsotn Diocese prayed for those unjustly imprisoned, prisoners, defenders of the homeland and the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, is also in prison. The clergy of the diocese hold a service and pray for those in prison every Thursday.

Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, Primate of the Shirak Diocese, Released from Izmirlyan Medical Center


After 8 months of being in prison, the Court of Appeals granted the defense attorneys’ motion and imposed house arrest. Prior to that, the Archbishop had been transferred to the Izmirlyan Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. The Archbishop appealed to the European Court. According to the application, the clergyman’s rights to personal immunity and freedom of expression were violated, and the criminal prosecution was carried out for political purposes.
 

A Rest service was held at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Byuravan


The prelate of the Masyatsotn Diocese, Archimandrite Ruben Zargaryan, presented the sermon for the “Expulsion Sunday” of Great Lent, with the theme “Where are you, Adam?” The clergy and believers serving in the churches of the Masyatsotn Diocese gathered in the church. During Great Lent, joint services will be held in other churches of the Masyatsotn Diocese as well.g

 

Boris Stepanyan after the war


Boris Stepanyan is from the village of Togh in Hadrut. The war took away not only Boris' health, but also his home and place. After being seriously wounded, they had to wander from region to region, from hostel to guesthouse, and finally, with the support of a close family member, they organized a fundraiser on the social network "Facebook" and purchased an apartment in the village of Argel in the Kotayk region.