Jerusalem Municipality Attempts to Seize Armenian Patriarchate Property


The reason is the community debts that have allegedly arisen since 1994, about which the Patriarchate has not received notifications. In order to avoid paying the astronomical amount, the city administration is trying to seize the property that the Armenian Patriarchate has been in charge of for centuries. Part of the property is also leased to the city administration itself. The Armenian Patriarchate has filed an administrative lawsuit against a city administration employee, whose decision indicated a debt amount without a clear basis or statute of limitations.

The first Armenian-Ukrainian international secondary school opened in Ukraine


The school operates in Odessa, it is located on the Gagarin plateau, between the Armenian church and the Armenian cultural center, not far from the seashore. The Armenian community of Odessa built the school on the parish territory belonging to the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church. The church was consecrated in 1995 by His Holiness Karekin I and was built with donations from the local Armenian community. The international school has a large green area adjacent to it, and there is also a playground for children to have active recreation.

A memorial service was held in the Khojivank Pantheon for the repose of Tumanyan's soul


On Hovhannes Tumanyan's birthday, members of the Georgian-Armenian community and the spiritual fathers of the diocese visited the grave of the All-Armenian poet, who rests in the Pantheon of Armenian Writers and Public Figures in Tbilisi. The 156th anniversary of the birth of the All-Armenian poet was marked with incense burning and a church ceremony. The tradition of giving each other a book on the poet's birthday has also been passed on to Georgian-Armenians.

The church from Aghvan has been structurally part of the hierarchy of the Armenian Church


Vahe Torosyan, Deputy Director of the Mashtots Matenadaran for Scientific Affairs, delivered a lecture on the topic “The Catholicosate of Aghvan or Gandzasar in the Hierarchical System of the Armenian Church.” The historian touched upon the place and interrelationships of the Aghvan episcopate, and then the Catholicosate, in the hierarchy of the Armenian Church. He emphasized that the independence of the Aghvan Church is in no way justified.
 

Eventful Week


The memory of St. Sarkis the Warrior was incensed in the Cathedral of Saints Jacob in Jerusalem
Newlyweds were blessed on the feast of the Presentation at the St. Yeghishe Armenian Church in London
The pre-holiday of the Presentation was celebrated at the St. Sarkis Church in Damascus under the chairmanship of the Primate of the Diocese.
Archimandrite Ruben Zargaryan gave a lecture to prisoners at the “Armavir” Penitentiary

The icon of Saint Sarkis was exhibited at the National Gallery


The National Gallery of Armenia has exhibited the icon of "Saint Sarkis" by an unknown Armenian artist. The canvas depicts one of the most beloved saints of the Armenian Church, the Warrior Sarkis and his son Martiros, who were martyred for the sake of Christianity. The canvas is the only work depicting Saint Sarkis in the gallery's collection and is included in the main exhibition.

The feast of St. Sarkis was celebrated with a solemn procession in the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia


The large procession of pilgrims gathered in the courtyard of the Holy Etchmiadzin Church in Havlabar, receiving the blessing of the priests of the diocese, visited the Armenian holy places of Tbilisi under the leadership of the spiritual fathers. The believers went to the ruins of the ruined and destroyed Shamkhoretsots Red Gospel Church, to pray for the salvation of the church. The believers then visited the St. Gevorg Primate Church, with the icon of St. Sargis and crosses, singing hymns and praying, they moved towards the St. Sargis Chapel built in 1883 in Kharpoukh.

The celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord to the Temple was held for the first time since the reconsecration at the Mother Cathedral


The liturgy was followed by the pre-holiday service, then the first Andastan Order of the year took place. Under the leadership of the Patriarch of All Armenians, the four corners of the world, the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian Patriarchate, monasteries, all settlements and people were blessed. Under the hymn "Christ is Glorious", His Holiness conveyed the life-giving light symbolizing Jesus Christ to the faithful with a lit candle from the lampstand of the Holy Altar of the Descent of the Mother Cathedral. At the end of the ceremony, the procession of the clergy headed to the enclosure of the monastic building of the Mother See, where the Patriarch of All Armenians lit the bonfire of the Feast of the Presentation.

The Mother See raised the issue of forcibly displaced people from Artsakh and Armenian prisoners of war in Washington


In Washington, D.C., Archbishop Garegin Hambardzumyan participated in the International Religious Freedom Summit and the National Prayer Breakfast. He presented issues related to the fundamental rights of the Armenians forcibly displaced from Artsakh, the need to protect Artsakh’s cultural and religious heritage, as well as the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku. Father Garegin urged U.S. lawmakers to take decisive action on issues related to the forcibly displaced people of Artsakh. Archbishop Garegin presented U.S. lawmakers with detailed reports prepared jointly with the Armenian Bar Association of America, which document ongoing human rights violations and the destruction of cultural heritage.

 

Austrian Armenologist proposes including Arakelots Monastery in the list of Europe's most endangered monuments


The 12th-century Arakelots Monastery, a border monastery in the Tavush forests, is located a few kilometers from the villages of Acharkut and Kirants, on the left bank of the Kirants River. Austrian scholar Jasmin Dum Tragut has proposed including the monastery in the list of 14 most endangered monuments in Europe for 2025, compiled by the European Heritage Network Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute.
 

Eventful Week


The Pope received a group of Armenian clergy at the residence of St. Martha in the Vatican
A solemn reception dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Armed Forces took place in Athens
Employees of the Aragatsotn regional body of the Probation Service visited the chapel-memorial complex with 34 beneficiaries
11 scribes were ordained in the Armenian Diocese of Australia and New Zealand.

Gerald Trbanjian


During the years of Armenia's independence, the name of a benefactor whose attention was especially focused on education was written in golden letters. Gerald or Jerry Trbanjian. Few people in Armenia have seen him, but they know him and are grateful. Thousands of parents, whose children received education through the Trbanjian family's generosity, have blessed him and sent him their best wishes.