20th Anniversary of the Armenian Church Chaplaincy of the Armenian Armed Forces
09.12.2017
On December 8, a festive event was held dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Church Chaplaincy of the Republic of Armenia Armed Forces. The event was held at the Sundukyan National Academic Theater, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and with participation of RA Minister of Defense Mr. Vigen Sargsyan. Prior to the event, guests and participants viewed the "Church-Army" exhibit in the lobby of the theater, where handmade works gifted to the military were on display.
The solemn ceremony began with the RA National Anthem, following which the Lord's Prayer was performed by the choir of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary. His Grace Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, Spiritual Primate of the RA Armed Forces made welcoming remarks.
Offering congratulations for the 20th anniversary of the Army Chaplaincy, Bishop Vrtanes stated in part: “Today, giving thanks to God, we have Statehood, a victorious army, and most importantly a concept of the heroic soldier of faith, which was demonstrated last year in April. Today, we can proudly say that heroism is in the blood and consciousness of the Armenian soldier, a soldier who holds a weapon in his hand, courage in his heart, and prayer on his lips protects his moral rights. Consequently, we can confidently state that military service to the homeland and defense is not a compulsory act for the Armenian people, but a noble and dedicated mission. The twenty-year old activities of the Army Chaplaincy of the Armenian Armed Forces is aimed at stabilizing our children in that mission, and endeavors to see the Armenian soldier and officer unyielding, steadfast, and spiritually stable, and our Homeland protected and strong. 20 years is both a short and a long time to evaluate what has already been done, but it is also a haven, a chance to look back, to learn from the past, and through youthful vigor move towards new challenges, as we are sure that the cherished vision and spirit will lead each of us, and all of us will unconditionally invest the best results of our body, mind and soul for the glory of God and strengthening of our homeland statehood and the victorious army”.
In his remarks Bishop Vrtanes also mentioned that one of the goals of the activity of the Army Chaplaincy of the Armenian Armed Forces is to see the Armenian soldier and the officer steadfast, firm and stable, and the Homeland protected and powerful.
Bishop Vrtanes stated that over the past 20 years, more than 300 members of the army have served in the Army Chaplaincy, more than three dozen chapels and prayer houses were built in military units; and he briefly presented the projects that were implemented.
Through prayers, His Grace Bishop Vrtanes remembered the late Catholicos Karekin I of All Armenians; and the late military leader Vazgen Sargsyan, through whose initiative in 1997, the Army Chaplaincy was launched in the Armed Forces. Bishop Vrtanes also expressed his deepest gratitude to His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; for the continual fatherly care shown towards the Armenian Army and Army Chaplaincy.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, conveyed his message and blessing to the participants.
“Glory and praise to God, that the Armenian army is unshakable and victorious, which today is a reliable guarantee of our people's safe, peaceful and creative life.
Our army was formed during the heroic days of the establishment of independent statehood and the liberation of Artsakh; and became powerful with the strengthening of our statehood. Our people have overcome all difficulties to defend their homeland and build their own free life. In the Homeland, defensive struggle, as well as on the battlefield, our Holy Apostolic Church was next to her children, strengthening them through God's word and faith as a spiritual sword rises against violence, fraud, violation of law and every evil.
The beginning of pastoral service in the army was started during the first years of independence of the native state by the late Catholicos Karekin I. Sitting on the throne of the Illuminator, we highlighted the affirmation of the status of Army Chaplaincy in the Army, which was realized by a special memorandum with the Defense Minister and current President of Armenia Mr. Serzh Sargsyan. Then we raised the pastoral service in the army to the level of spiritual guidance. Today, we are also pleased to note that we established the cross of the great Armenian King Ashot the Iron (Ashot Yerkat), which carries the relic of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ as guard cross for our beloved army and we consecrated the blessed processional banner flags for the army units.
Along with assuming a mission in our national-ecclesiastical life, the clergy and graduate deacons of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary are obliged to serve in the Army, conveying spiritual consolation and encouragement to our soldiers, strengthening their faith, keeping their fighting spirit, and being their supporter in the cherished homeland defense. It pleases me as the Patriarch to record that more than three hundred spiritual servants have served in the Armenian army till now. Indeed, during the quarter century of our independent statehood, the Army Chaplaincy was most important and fruitful in the army, where the cooperation of the National Authorities and Armenian Church provided an abundant harvest, and other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold (cf. Mark 4:8).
Dear Spiritual Servants of the Armenian Army, the service life of clergy is military, according to the Apostle Paul - military: “With God's Arms…, the truth of the Gospel, wearing the armor of righteousness, our feet strengthened with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, … with the shield of faith, salvation helmet and sword of the spirit, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…” (Cf. Eph. F 13-17). The Armenian clergy does not expect an invitation to fight evil, does not hesitate to sacrifice his life for the homeland and faith, does not retreat when evil crosses the boundary of his homeland with his insidious intention to destroy our home, to destroy our national sacred sacraments. With a cross and sword the Armenian clergy have always been in the position of defending the Homeland. This is the greatest message of the sacred and centuries-old mission of our Church - to live and serve for the spiritual and physical salvation of our people, from Avarayr to Artsakh and until the end of time. With this consciousness, in the Battle of Sardarapat, the heroic battles in May in 1918, the 100th anniversary of which we’ll celebrate next year, Catholicos George V strengthened the whole nation with his proud attitude and inspiration and the Armenian clergymen, with the example of the Armenian Pontiff, persistently struggled for our homeland, our faith, our people's free life and protection of rights. Today, with every Armenian clergy, you are called to fulfill the mission of our holy ancestors.
On this occasion we express our Pontifical appreciation to Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces; State officials and all army commanders for evaluating the mission of the Armenian Church in the Armed Forces with cherished consciousness and a high spirit of cooperation. Our appreciation to the honorable Minister of Defense, Mr. Vigen Sargsyan for the special attention to the service of clergy in the army, for supporting the activities of spiritual leadership and especially for the zeal to keep our army's combat readiness and spirit high. The testimony to that zeal is this anniversary celebration and the participation of the Minister in similar events. We convey our appreciation and blessing to His Grace Bishop Vrtanes Abrahmayan, Spiritual Primate of the RA Armed Forces, and Army Chaplaincy officers, wishing them new successes in their cherished mission. We wish new achievements to our brave army and a glorious service to all the officers and soldiers. We pray that God keep you under His Holy Right Hand and bless you and your families.
May peace be firm and steadfast in our native borders. May the Heavenly Lord protect our people and make our homeland stronger and better.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you”, stated the Catholicos of All Armenians.
RA Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan also congratulated the attendees on the occasion of the anniversary.
The Defense Minister referred to the important mission of the Armenian Church in the national life and in the preservation of the identity: “…During these days, we often hear the certainty recognized in the world, that the state and church must be separated from one another, the church and army must be separated from one another, because they say that it is the mandate of democracy and the 21st century. But is it consistent with our people's aspiration and our nation's calling? And is it the wonder and wisdom of the world's first Christian nation? 26 years ago we started to build Statehood in a reality where we had culture, language, and science, that we have gathered piece by piece from our Diaspora which was spread all over the world as a result of the Genocide. And we had a solid foundation on which our national identity has been preserved as a force for centuries and that force was the Armenian Apostolic Church. During the centuries of absence of statehood, it was this church that carried out all the state functions to unite our people; educate, organize and carry into battle if necessary. And although we did not have the institutions that were needed to build a strong statehood, we had an immense force that allowed us to stand up and support both the state and the army at once.
… One thing distinguishes us from all of the world's existing and future states, the wonder of being the first Christian nation in the world. Many people wish that this wonder be removed from our self-consciousness, and in that case we become a country of 3 million people and a few tens of thousands of square kilometers. But with that reality, as well as under the patronage of biblical Ararat, we are a people with a mission and special power. Therefore, in our case it is very logical and understandable that the church cannot be separated from the state and the army. It is set out in our Constitution and legislation and the most importantly, in the heart of every Armenian”.
Mr. Vigen Sargsyan recalled the names of cherished Armenian clergymen, who went into battlefield together with the soldiers during the worst moments of Armenian history, became the axis of the people's unity, and also the symbol of victory and struggle. Speaking about the mission of the Army Chaplaincy in the Armed Forces today, the RA Minister of Defense specifically mentioned: “It is the force that should make our army unique, it is the force that should become an important means for forming a national spirit and a new environment in our Armed Forces. During the event dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the army, I expressed gratitude to His Holiness for the service of the soldiers in the army, as they are a senior fellow and a psychologist to our armed forces, as well as an important spiritual guide to which our soldiers are allied”.
Then the participants watched the film "Praying Soldier" dedicated to the activities of the Army Chaplaincy.
The Brass Band of the Armenian Armed Forces, the choir of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the "Tsaghkazard", "Geghard", and "7 Nota" choirs, the Naregatsi Orchestra, and the Nzhdeh Dance Ensemble performed during the artistic part of the ceremony.
Attending the event were Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan, Chief of the RA Armed Forces; Representatives of the RA Ministry of Defense; members of the Brotherhood of the Mother See, soldiers and officers, clergymen and other guests who have served in the Army Chaplaincy during the 20 years.
