Divine Liturgy on the Feast of St. Ghevond the Priest
21.02.2017
On February 21, the Feast of St. Ghevond the Priest and His Companions; a Divine Liturgy was offered in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
The Divine Liturgy was attended by Diocesan Primates, the members of the Brotherhood of the Mother See, and 230 priests from various dioceses.
The celebrant was Rev. Fr. Yegishe Nazaryan, spiritual pastor of the Pemzashen community in the Diocese of Artik.
In his sermon Father Yegishe reflected on the wonder and significance of the feast, specifically referring to the character and heroic deeds of the martyred priests.
“The light of Christ has appeared to many nations, but for our nation it has a patriotic significance. And the Priestly followers of St. Ghevond, as Christ's true confessors, are the vivid embodiment of true faith and patriotism. As true bearers of the spiritual homeland, they realized that the Homeland, the Armenian identity, and the Christian faith is a great gift given to us by God”, noted Father Yegishe.
Fr. Yegishe urged the faithful to become like the martyred Holy Ghevonds priests, follow their glorious example, devotedly love the Homeland, and seek renewal through Christ’s faith.
“This is the sacred mission of every priest: to confess Christ before men. For the Holy Ghevonds, faith and the God-given homeland have been one single sanctuary. Therefore, martyrdom and fighting for the sake of the faith and Homeland were equal to confessing Christ before men. For the Holy Ghevonds this faith and love towards Christ strengthened them, shattered the fear of death, enlightened their thought and willingly filled their hearts”, stated the celebrant.
At the conclusion of the sermon, Father Yegishe urged the clergy to continue to serve with the same spirit and loyalty for the vibrancy of the Armenian people, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
At the end of Divine liturgy, the priests, after receiving the blessing of His Holiness, returned to their places of service.
