On the occasion of the 205th anniversary of Khrimyan Hayrik, members of the Vaspurakan NGO visited the Mother See


A requiem service was held at the tomb of Patriarch Mkrtich I in front of the Mother Cathedral. With prayer and incense, the Brotherhood of the Mother See and members of the Vaspurakan NGO commemorated the memory of the patriarch, who enjoyed great popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The participants of the event visited the Ruben Sevak and Khrimyan Hayrik museums of the Mother See.

The epigrapher has found out why the Tatev Monastery is also called the Monastery of St. Eustathius the Apostle


Epigrapher Arsen Harutyunyan, while studying the Tatev Monastery, noticed that in the works of church historians and in late periodical documents, the Tatev Monastery is also called the Monastery of St. Eustathius the Apostle. His study showed that until the 15th century, there was no mention in historical sources that the monastery was named after the Apostle Eustathius. The name of the Apostle Eustathius is also not attested in the stone inscriptions of the Tatev Monastery. Only from the 15th century, during the reign of the Tatevites, does the tradition associated with him circulate.

 

Catholicos of All Armenians receives participants of priest training courses


His Holiness conveyed his blessing to the priests, highly appreciating the zeal of the clergy in enriching their ritual and theological knowledge. His Holiness emphasized that continuous education is important for more effective service. His Holiness urged the priests to put their abilities and knowledge at the service of the Church, the welfare of the Armenian people, and the development of the homeland.

The Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Brazil asked the president to mediate the release of the captives


The Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Brazil, Bishop Narek Berberian, has sent an official letter to the President of the Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in which he reported on the unjust and inhuman treatment of Armenian prisoners of war in Baku and their violated rights. The Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Brazil has asked the President of the Republic and the Brazilian government to mediate for the release of the prisoners. During the Sunday liturgy at the St. George Cathedral, the Armenian community of São Paulo prayed for the Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku.

Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan was appointed as Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Baltic States


Prior to this, he was the director of the Office for Developing Social Teaching of the Mother See. His Eminence Vazgen was the staff bearer of Catholicos Vazgen I of All Armenians. For more than ten years, he lectured at the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary, during which time he also worked in Sunday schools affiliated with the Mother See and the Armenian Apostolic Church, and was the director of the Christian Education and Preaching Center.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorated the parable of the unjust steward


This Sunday of Great Lent is named after the unjust steward. The day gets its name from the Gospel parable of the same name. A wealthy man entrusted all his affairs to his steward. The wealthy man hears that the steward is wasting his property and dismisses him from his job. According to the parable, instead of being depressed, the man who lost his job relieves the rich man’s debtors before leaving. However, the rich man does not get angry, but on the contrary, praises him.
 

The Arakelots Monastery in Tavush has been declared one of the most endangered monuments of European heritage


The project on the 13th-century Arakelots Monastery and Settlement in Tavush has won the Europa Nostra 2025 competition and has been declared one of the 7 most endangered monuments of European heritage. The project was presented to Europa Nostra by Austrian Armenologist, Doctor of Armenian Studies at the Center for Christian Oriental Studies at the University of Salzburg, Jasmin Dum-Tragut.

Catholicos of All Armenians received clergy participating in training courses


The Catholicos of All Armenians received clergy from various dioceses of Armenia and the Diaspora who had arrived at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to participate in training courses. His Holiness conveyed his fatherly love and blessing to the spiritual fathers and reflected with satisfaction on the effectiveness of the training courses.

His Holiness was awarded the first class Order of "Metropolitan of Moscow, St. Alexy"


On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin was presented the Order of the First Class of “Metropolitan of Moscow St. Alexy”, awarded by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill I. The Patriarch of the Russian Church expressed his appreciation for the significant contribution of the Armenian Patriarch to the development of relations between the two Churches.

Registration for Haycamp and St. Vardan summer camps has begun in the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America


Children and youth ages 8 to 15 and 14 to 17 are registered to participate in the camps. Each summer, Armenian-American youth and children gain new experiences at the diocesan summer camps, learning to understand Armenian culture and faith more deeply. Both camps create a physically and spiritually healthy environment where young Armenian-American Christians participate in spiritual and Armenian culture classes and sports. The camps operate through community donors and the philanthropy of the Armenian Diocese.

 

 

The Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the United Kingdom has appealed to the Prime Minister to release Armenian prisoners of war


The Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland, Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, has written a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It was signed by eight other church leaders, including the bishops of Winchester, Southwark and Leeds. The church leaders called on the Prime Minister to put pressure on Azerbaijan to release Armenians imprisoned on trumped-up charges. The letter from Bishop Hovakim and other church leaders was widely reported in the British media.
 

The Mother See uses its opportunities and leverage to secure the release of prisoners


The head of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America has appealed to the US President with a request to support the release of Armenian prisoners. He reported that Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan are being subjected to inhuman treatment and torture. The French diocese, together with the leaders of the Coptic and Assyrian Sister Churches, demanded the immediate release of the prisoners from the relevant bodies. Earlier, in November, at the call of the Catholicos of All Armenians, a joint prayer was held at the headquarters of the World Council of Churches in Geneva for peace, the release of prisoners, and support for the forcibly displaced.