Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On September 13, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church solemnly celebrated the last of the five Tabernacle Feasts, the Feast of the Exaltation of Holy Cross. On the occasion of the festive day, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the St. Trdat Open Air Altar in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The celebrant was His Grace Bishop Arshak Khachatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. With the Blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; during which the sacrament of ordination and anointment of deacons into the Holy Order of Priesthood was offered.. His Grace Bishop Arshak ordained four deacons serving to different structures of the Mother See to the priesthood.

During the Ordination, Bishop Arshak consecrated the foreheads and hands of the new priests with Holy Chrism (Muron) and  give them new names. Deacon Varazdat Qocharyan was renamed Fr. Hayk, Deacon Atom Gharagyozyan was renamed Fr. Hayasa, Deacon Vahan Sahakyan was renamed Fr. Haykazun and Deacon Narek Kirakosyan was renamed Fr. Armen.

At the end of the ordination the priests offered their first blessings to the faithful who were present.

Then, His Grace Bishop Arshak addressed his massage to the faithful, reflecting on the meaning of the Feast of Exaltation of Holy Cross and the ordination of Priests. Congratulating the attendees on the occasion of the feast of Exaltation of Holy Cross being celebrated with special enthusiasm and inspiration, His Grace stated in part: “In the materialistic world, it is difficult to understand the meaning of the sacrifices and hardships the Christians paid for the Holy Cross, for that irreplaceable holiness. In this material-centered world, the human perceptions, behavior and relationships, ultimately, the policy of the states, are built on the basis of daily prudence aimed at establishing superiority over others, expanding influence or satisfying geopolitical ambitions. Whereas, the cross is the meaning and the purpose of the life of a Christian, which is inseparable from the Immortal Crucified, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, to be a follower of Christ means to be a pilgrim of the Cross. God Himself passed the path of the cross, which is the same as He endured hardships and sufferings to implement the Divine plan, passed the path of tortures and death. The sacrament of the Cross is the sacrament of salvation and victory through natural or induced obstacles, conscious sacrifices and hardships. In this way, our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, carrying out and overcoming trials and persecutions, completely rejecting all temptations”.

Bishop Arshak affirmed that the Lord’s sufferings and death are the just testimony of the truth of His mission, and this conviction inspires people to become the follower of Christ and the pilgrim of the Cross, emphasizing that the path of the Cross is crowned with resurrection and victory.

Then, His Grace Bishop Arshak, expressing his joy for the joining of the newly ordained priests who vowed to become crusaders and pilgrims on the path of the Cross, noted, that it is great honor and responsibility to become the travelers of Christ, the descendant of our enlightened, holy and famous spiritual fathers: the Illuminator, the Pontiffs Sahak Partev and Nerses the Gracious, to bear the same title and degree as Mashtots and Narekatsi Archimandrites.

 “Dear brothers, there is no easy path ahead of you in this honor and responsibility. You will meet a lot of disappointments, and you will not always be accepted with respect and praise. For some of the people, you will be outdated preachers of medieval darkness and antiquity, for the others, your thoughts and sermons on life and death, salvation and everlasting life may seem boring and ridiculous.

There will be times, when you will have to pay with your health and prosperity to be the follower of Christ, for your faith of being the pilgrim on the path of the Cross, for protecting and preaching  your spiritual, moral and national  sanctities. Natural and induced obstacles and deprivations in life you will often carry in loneliness, finding the only but irreplaceable comfort in conversations with God. And this is the faith and faithfulness towards God, our source of comfort. And that faith grants the clergy with strength and power. Our responsibility undoubtedly grows with that awareness, that we are the guardians of the Armenian spiritual fortress inherited from the Lord.

Dear brothers, to indelibly imprint the memories of the Armenian spiritual castle, our sacred Fatherland, again and again in your souls, we called you with new Armenian names…, so that you will always remember your duty to the nation who gave birth and nurtured you, your exclusive calling and responsibility of the protection, preservation and strengthening of the Armenian spiritual and national identity”, stated Bishop Arshak. 

At the conclusion, His Grace wished the newly ordained Priests the assistance and Blessings of the Lord to remain stable in the covenant, steadfast in faith, and fully dedicated.

On the occasion of the Ordination of the Priests, Bishop Arshak conveyed his congratulations to His Holiness Karekin II, the Pontiff of All Armenians; wishing Him  many years of productive enthronement. The Bishop also congratulated the clergy serving to the Mother Cathedral and other churches for the joining of new brothers.

Then, the members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin and the clergy in attendance, ascended Holy Altar, congratulated the new priests and kissed their muron-smelled foreheads and hands.

The new priests will follow a traditional 40-day seclusion period of fasting after which they will be appointed to serve in different Dioceses of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church and in different departments of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

On the same day, with the Blessings of the Catholicos of All Armenians; an Ordination of Priests was also held in the Diocese of Artsakh, in the St. John the Baptist Church of Gandzasar Monastery. His Eminence Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh, ordained two deacons of the Brotherhood of the Mother See into the Holy Order of Priesthood: Deacon Mher Haroyan was renamed Fr. Mkhitar, and Deacon Hrach Hayrapetyan was renamed Fr. Khachatur. The newly ordained priests will complete their traditional 40-day seclusion period of fasting in the Gandzasar Monastery.