Feast of the Universal Holy Church of Etchmiadzin
18.06.2017
On June 18, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church solemnly celebrated the Feast of the Universal Holy Church of Etchmiadzin.
Under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; Divine Liturgy was offered in the Mother Cathedral. The Celebrant was His Grace Bishop Moushegh Babayan, Director of the Administrative Department of Mother See.
In attendance for the Divine Liturgy were Primates of the Armenian Dioceses; bishops officiating in various institutions of the Armenian Church; members of the Brotherhood of the Mother See; as well as Armenian Church benefactors Mr. and Mrs. Bedros and Anna Oruncakciel (California, USA), and many pilgrims from different communities in the Diaspora and Armenia.
In his sermon, His Grace reflected on the sacredness and significance of the feast and stated in part: “God descended to the Armenian grounds, sanctified it and settled there. Through the golden rod was confirmed the Holy Altar, and today, for the glorious commemoration of that revelation of the Church foundation, we - children and adults, men and women, clerics and lay, have gathered under its sacred arches from all over the world. It’s the 1714th Feast of the Universal Holy Church of Etchmiadzin. It is exceptional and a reward and an offering of prayer, a solid vision, an indelible imprint of God and a stigmatized seal on the Ararat valley. The foundations of this holy place is the rock that overcame the flood, on which St. Gregory the Illuminator blessed and established the "Pontifical See", as the mother of all churches. Now, as the Gospel parable; wind and storm, and tempestuous challenges were not fearful, because our Holy church was built on the foundation of faith.
In his sermon, His Grace Bishop Moushegh stressed that despite the hardships and sufferings of the Mother See throughout history, it has always arrisen thanks to her faithful, whose dedicated love towards Holy Etchmiadzin has pushed them to sacrifices. “Love, tenderness, and devotion towards Holy Etchmiadzin is immeasurable, is immeasurable and invaluable. Some of us love through constant prayer for her steadfastness, some express their love through heartfelt and generous donation for her brightness. Some convey their love to those whom they tell about her miraculous power and glory, spreading everywhere the God-established fame of the Holy Temple.
Today also, dear faithful, Etchmiadzin lives in you and your ancestors. It is due to your faith and your prayers that from a stone building she has become and remains a house of prayer and a nurturing mother”, stated Bishop Moushegh. Bishop Moushegh urged the faithful to take a vow at the Holy Altar of Descent, to visit Holy Etchmiadzin often, to be empowered through it and strengthen it; live and breathe through Etchmiadzin; and prosper it.
“Nations came and went without a trace. Ascended disasters and our nation that embraced the faith of Christ, confronted through the Cross and power of the Pontifical and Republican Prayers of Etchmiadzin. It is Echmiadzin that for centuries, has been a beloved mother in the course of our unmatched history and has preserved us as a shield, taking us to the 21st century”, concluded Bishop Moushegh.
On behalf of the faithful, Bishop Moushegh congratulated the Catholicos of All Armenians on the occasion of the feast, wishing him many years of a fruitful pontificate.
At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy and under the presidency of His Holiness, a prayer for Holy Etchmiadzin was offered. The faithful prayed for the steadfastness and never-ending success of the eternal mission.
A requiem service was held in the Mother Cathedral for the vibrant memory of the deceased members of the Oruncakciel family.
