Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On Sunday, September 28, the Armenian Church commemorated the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varag. His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. More than sixty pilgrims from the United States, among them Diocesan Council Members and benefactors of the Mother See, arrived in Armenia with His Eminence to participate in their "Divine Liturgy of Oath" dedicated to the 1,700th Anniversary of the Consecration of the first Cathedral of the Armenian People. 

His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Bozabalian, welcomed the pilgrims on behalf of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin during the Divine Liturgy. His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian delivered his message of the day to the faithful, noting: 

"Today we have come on a pilgrimage from the United States, to renew ourselves through this Holy and Immortal Liturgy, to kiss the anointed Right Hand of His Holiness, and to return to America renewed by the sacred mystery of Holy Etchmiadzin in order to continue our life as faithful sons of the Armenian Church, and faithful soldiers of this Most Holy See of the Catholicosate of All Armenians. . . . . Looking towards the future, we should also remember the past. All Armenians, gathering around St. Gregory the Illuminator, created spiritual unity and the built this Holy Cathedral of Etchmiadzin. Today, on the occasion of the 1,700th Anniversary of the consecration of the Mother Cathedral, we have the need for that spiritual unity. If we aspire for our homeland to grow stronger, if we desire that love, kindness, and a knowledge of conscience be spread throughout every Armenian family, and in every Armenian life, we must create that spiritual unity. Life cannot continue without the presence of God. Without the presence of God, our homeland cannot progress. We must love and respect one another, and as 1,700 years ago, we must gather around our Pontiff, and we shall continue in the building of our tradition." 

* * * 

Following the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholics of All Armenians, presided during a special requiem service held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in memory of the victims of the terrorist bombing of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003. Diplomats from foreign countries accredited in the Republic of Armenia attended the service. The Catholicos of All Armenians received the diplomats in the Pontifical Residence at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy.