Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On May 27, the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorated the Feast Day of St. Hripsime and her Companions. That festive day is also the Pilgrimage day of Saint Hripsime Monastery, when with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the reliquary of St. Hripsime is taken from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to St. Hripsime Monastery.

In the morning, the procession of clergymen accompanied by the faithful, under the beat of drums by the students of the Youth Center of Etchmiadzin, moved to the Holy Hripsime Monastery, carrying the reliquary of St. Hripsime. In front of the arch of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the Patriarch of All Armenians, blessed the clergymen and faithful with the Holy Right Hand, passing it on to Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Harutyun Kirakosyan, acting Grand Sacristan of the Mother See.

In front of the St. Hripsime Monastery, under the leadership of His Grace Bishop Artak Tigranyan, Dean of the Monasteries, the procession was welcomed by the spiritual servants of the monastery and many pilgrims from different places.

On the occasion of the sacred feast, a Divine Liturgy was served in the Saint Hripsime Monastery. The Celebrant was Rev. Fr. Voskan Voskanyan, member of the Brotherhood of the Mother See.

Fr. Voskan reflected on the sacrament of the day and stated in part: “The Hripsimians did not deny Christ, they did not exchange the kingdom of heaven for royal glory, preferring the Lord's love and martyrdom. By her example, the saint shows us that being a partner of Christ does not make our life bitter, but rather sweetens the bitterness of our life and guides us to overcome the trials of our life”.

At the conclusion of his sermon, Father Voskan urged the faithful Armenians to be encouraged by the intercession of the Hripsimians and not to fall before trials and to remain faithful to Christ.