Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

 

 

By the merciful will of the Lord, together, we have offered prayers and have now completed the sacred ceremony of the reconsecration of this Mother Cathedral, founded by Christ. At the conclusion of the Cathedral’s major renovation, we render glory and thanksgiving to Almighty God, by whose grace, the Mother Cathedral, now fortified, beautified and anointed with the new Holy Myron, opens its doors once more to our faithful sons and daughters in Armenia, and the Diaspora, and to pilgrims, and visiting guests.

 

At this solemn moment, the words spoken by the Almighty to the great prophet, the divine witness Moses, resound in our hearts: "The place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). Through the blessings of the Most High, our homeland is sacred—a land where, after the Flood, God accepted the first offering of the patriarch Noah under the shadow of Ararat and established His covenant with mankind, saying, "I will not again curse the ground because of mankind." (Genesis 8:21). Holy is this land of Ararat, where the valiant forefather of the Armenians, Hayk, cherishing freedom, triumphed over the tyrant Bel and vanquished the forces of evil. Holy is this place, where, through the vision of our Patriarch, equal to apostles, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, the Only-Begotten Son of God descended from heaven, and, shedding radiant light upon this sacred site, established the spiritual center of all Armenians—this Holy of Holies, this Mother Cathedral․ Indeed, Holy Etchmiadzin is the priceless gift of our Lord Jesus Christ to our nation, the inexhaustible font of God's blessings for our faithful people dispersed throughout the world.

 

With the heavenly light and grace emanating from Holy Etchmiadzin, the faith of the sons and daughters of our nation has been enlivened and strengthened the love towards the homeland. Inspired by the spirit of our holy sanctuary, the Armenian alphabet and education system were created; the brave defenders at Avarayr were imbued with spirit and courage. The heroes of Sardarapat drew inspiration from Holy Etchmiadzin, and under its gracious arches, the sons and daughters of our nation who endured trials and tribulations, and who even survived Genocide, found solace and peace. On this sacred site, the vision of our independent statehood was also kept alive, a vision that became a reality through the united will and unwavering struggle of our people.

 

Holy Etchmiadzin, founded by the Lord, with its Mother Cathedral, built by the Illuminator, is the testament to our eternal covenant with God, the age-old witness of our collective determination to live in devotion to God and the homeland, the bright beacon of our national and ecclesiastical home. It is right and true that through its service of saving souls and preserving the nation, Holy Etchmiadzin has become the cornerstone and impregnable fortress of Armenian identity and existence, the symbol of our nation’s unity, and of eternal existence like the sacred Mount Ararat.

 

Holy Etchmiadzin is the perpetual presence of God in our lives, steadfast and invincible. In the course of history, the Armenian Church, with Holy Etchmiadzin at its spiritual center, has repeatedly faced attacks and persecution. Yet with invincible faith, it has overcome difficulties and challenges. It is an undeniable historical truth: to battle against Holy Etchmiadzin is to battle against the existence and identity of the Armenians, to strike at the heart of Armenian statehood, and to drain Armenian life of its national and spiritual substance. Any attempt to debase the mission of Holy Etchmiadzin is an attempt to weaken our nation, to undermine the foundations of an independent and sovereign life, of which the Armenian Church is the advocate and defender. The filial warmth and zeal toward Holy Etchmiadzin on the part of the Armenian people scattered across the world strengthen our homeland and the unity of our people, making it powerful and inviolable. This gold-anchored holy place, established by Christ, will always be the axis of our national and spiritual life; for Holy Etchmiadzin, with its gaze fixed upon Ararat, is marked by God, holy and imperishable.

 

Dear Ones,

 

Throughout all times, the Catholicoses of the Armenians, with their unwavering care for the faithful sons and daughters of our nation, have preserved, renovated and rebuilt the Mother Cathedral so that it might always lead all Armenians along the path to salvation and forever remain the bedrock of our ardent faith and of the unshakable witness of Christian Armenia. This reconsecrated holy site will impart new fortitude to our faith, power to our arms, clarity to our minds, and optimism to our hearts, through which, without a doubt, we shall endure the emerging challenges and perilous threats that lie before us.

 

In this moment of spiritual renewal, we extend our pontifical blessings to all the sons and daughters of our nation, who today rejoice with spiritual vigor on the occasion of the reconsecration and reopening of the House of God. Our pontifical appeal to you, faithful Armenian people, is to defend our land and our most sacred values with the love of the homeland and of Holy Etchmiadzin, as did our pious forefathers. With hope and optimism, let us dedicate ourselves to the growth and progress of our lives, grounding in righteousness, truth, and dignity. Let us everywhere strengthen the spirit of national dedication, brotherly love and harmony. Let us reject indifference, intolerance, and revenge. Let us keep our history free of falsehood and distortion.

 

United, let us care for our homeland, with the understanding that our sovereign ancestral home is the guarantor of the preservation of our identity and the realization of our national aspirations and dreams. Let us raise our children in their ethnic identity, with the faith and courageous spirit of our lucid forefathers, so that our future may be bright and victorious. Therefore, let us live and work with sound faith, spiritual diligence, with the singular and resplendent vision to strengthen our state and national life.

 

With profound gratitude in our hearts, we extend our pontifical blessing and utmost appreciation to the illustrious benefactors of our Church, whose generous contributions made it possible to complete the full restoration of the Cathedral. Our blessing and appreciation go to the faithful Armenians who, over the years, have contributed to this important work and patiently waited for this long-anticipated day. Your reward is the gift heralded by the prophet, according to God’s promise: "I will give peace to this place, the peace of souls, salvation to everyone who works to raise this temple" (Haggai 2:9). With paternal warmth, we express our appreciation to the diligent and skilled builders, architects, restorers, and other specialists involved in the renovation of the Mother Cathedral, who conscientiously performed their work.

 

We offer our first prayer to God from this newly reconsecrated Cathedral and through the intercession of Saint Gregory our Illuminator and King Saint Trdat, beseeching Him for peace in our homeland and in the world. We ask for the mercy and support of God for the Artsakh Armenians who were forcibly displaced from their homeland, and for our sons who are missing or still in captivity. Strengthened in faith and hope, and united in love, we pray that our nation may flourish and brighten the field of our national and ecclesiastical life with accomplishments ever-pleasing to God, and that the blessings and graces shining forth from the Holy Altar of the Descent of the Only-Begotten may envelop the lives of all our people now and forever. Amen.