The Feast of St. Gayane and Her Companions
06.06.2023
On June 6, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church will commemorate the Feast Day of St, Gayane and her Companions.
In the morning, the procession of clergymen accompanied by the faithful, moved to the St. Gayane Monastery. The procession led the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople His Eminence Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan to the Arch of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, blessing the clergymen and faithful with the Holy Right Hand of the Saint, passing it on to Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Oshakan Kyulkyulyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Irak.
In front of the Saint Gayane Monastery, the procession was welcomed by His Grace Bishop Artak Tigranyan, Dean of the Monasteries, spiritual servants and numerous faithful Armenians.
A Divine Liturgy was offered in the St. Gayane Monastery. The Celebrant was Rev. Fr. Simeon Odabashyan, Vicar of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. Rev. Fr. Partev Barseghyan,Vicar of the Diocese of Gegharkunik made remarks on the sacrament of the day.
In his sermon, the Celebrant, referring to the life and martyrdom of the Saint Gayane and her companions virgins, emphasized that the life and martyrdom of the holy virgins is not just behavior, it is an undeniable historical reality, the lessons of which are instructive at all times and especially nowadays, when there are often attempts to belittle and destroy such noble, cherished values such as faith and devotion.
"The feat of the holy virgins is immortal and inspires us all. Their secular behavior is contagious for us, so that we live our lives soberly, balanced and most importantly with a high sense of responsibility, true to our words and ideas, words and deeds are equivalent to each other, faith is strong, and loyalty to the country is unfathomable," stated the Celebrant, urging the faithful to build their personal lives, the peace, safety and security of the homeland with the intercession of the saints and strong faith, for the sake of the future and for the sake of the good and prosperous life of the coming generations.
