His Holiness Karekin II Blesses Foundation of the Diocesan Cathedral in Vanadzor
25.06.2003
In the early morning of June 23, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, departed for the city of Vanadzor, the headquarters of the Diocese of Gougark. He went to conduct the service of the Blessing of the Foundation for the new cathedral for the Diocese, being built in the center of the city. The groundbreaking service for the new cathedral occurred in May of 2002.
The cathedral church will be named after St. Gregory of Narek, in honor of the 1,000th Anniversary of the "Prayerbook of Lamentations". In November of 2002, His Holiness issued a Pontifical Encyclical, wherein he called upon all Armenians to celebrate the millennial anniversary of the prayerbook in the jubilee year of 2003.
The benefactors of the church, Mr. and Mrs. Sarkis Bedevian, of New Jersey, USA, were the honored guests of His Holiness, and accompanied him to Vanadzor to be present for the service.
At the entrance to the Region of Lori in northern Armenia, His Holiness, the benefactors, clergymen and guests, were met by His Grace Bishop Sepouh Chouljian, Primate of the Diocese of Gougark. Also greeting the delegation were Mr. Henrik Kochinian, the Regional Governor of Lori, Mr. Samvel Darbinian, the Mayor of Vanadzor, and representatives of regional and municipal authorities.
As the entourage arrived at the site of the new cathedral, Bishop Sepouh and Mr. Kochinian addressed welcoming messages to His Holiness and his entourage. In their remarks, the Diocesan Primate and the Regional Governor placed great importance on the necessity of building the new cathedral, and stressed its role in the spiritual reawakening of the people living in Vanadzor.
During the service, His Holiness blessed and consecrated 16 foundation stones with Holy Chrism (Muron). Each stone, engraved with a cross, was blessed in the name of one of the Apostles of Christ, the four Evangelists and St. Gregory the Illuminator, which afterwards were embedded in designated corners of the foundation of the future church.
"We offer glory and express gratitude to God, as in the difficult periods of our lives, He has widely opened the doors of His mercy before our people and grants us the grace to build a church, to reconstruct and renovate our houses of prayer, and to rally our people around our sacred faith and the sacred heritage of our ancestors.
"Pleading for God's mercy, we name this new church after St. Gregory of Narek, so that the saint's intercession on our behalf should reach the Almighty. We ask that his prayers should come to purify our souls, remove all evils from our lives, and become a means of healing, support, and the path to God.
"We are sure that this church named after St. Gregory of Narek, which is being erected due to the generosity and kind souls of the benefactors; as well as due to the zealous and devout work of our people, will work miracles in the life of the faithful of Vanadzor," said His Holiness in his remarks.
At the conclusion of the service, His Holiness and his entourage visited the "Tsitsernak" diocesan summer camp for children, where Bishop Sepouh presented the activities of the camp and gave a tour of the facilities.
Accompanying His Holiness for the blessing service were His Grace Bishop Navasard Ktchoyan, Vicar General of Araratian Pontifical Diocese; His Grace Bishop Arakel Karamian, Primate of the Diocese of Kotayk; His Grace Bishop Movses Movsissian, Primate of the Armenian Church Diocese of Southern Russia; His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian, Primate of the Armenian Church Diocese of Georgia; His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galsdanian, Primate of the Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Church; Mr. and Mrs. Sarkis Bedevian, benefactors of the Cathedral of Saint Gregory of Narek; Mr. and Mrs. Karnig Yacoubian, benefactors of the Vaskenian Seminary of Lake Sevan; Deacon Varoujan Altebarmakian, Diocesan Council Chairman for the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America; and Mr. Jack Stepanian, Diocesan Council Chairman for the Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Church.
St. Gregory of Narek was a Christian mystic, Vardapet and Bishop of the Armenian Church. He was born in 951 and educated in the Monastery of Narek. Gregory?s fame as a Christian scholar was renown. His "Prayerbook of Lamentations", written in 1003, has also been known by the title of each of the 95 chapters in it: "Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart". For ten centuries, the prayerbook has been one of the most often read and respected book among Armenians, second only to the Holy Bible.
Sarkis and Ruth Bedevian are benefactors of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and through their gracious financial and moral support, are also building the new youth center complex, a new medical center and a new soup kitchen for the residents of Vanadzor.
