Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On May 21, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. This day also commemorates the return of the Catholicosate of All Armenians from Sis to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1441.

Led by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the Brotherhood of the Mother See attended the Divine Liturgy at the St. Gayane Monastery. The Celebrant was Very Rev. Fr. Senior Archimandrite Shahe Ananyan, Director of the Ecumenical Relations Department of the Mother See.

During the Divine Liturgy, Father Shahe offered his sermon on the sanctity of the day and stated in part:

“It is not difficult to imagine that the Heavenly Archimandrite, who has been an absolute example of the inspiration, faith, love and humanity for the apostles, ascends  to Heaven immediately after being resurrected, and they will never see Him again, will never have a dinner with Him or hear His divine words. However, Jesus is in a hurry to dispel their doubts: "I am with you until the end of the world."

Where should the apostles seek and find Jesus. In all the places where the footsteps of Jesus were, where the memories of Jesus were kept in the minds of the apostles: it was at the foot of the Mount of Olives that Jesus wept, sweated and prayed for the salvation of the human, it was in Bethany that Jesus resurrected his friend Lazarus, and cried for the death of the man. It was in Jerusalem that He confirmed the Last Supper and distributed His body and blood to the apostles, and finally, it was in Golgotha that Jesus was crucified, died, and resurrected to save the mankind. All those places were sanctifies just at the moment of ascension, because at that very moment when Jesus blessed his disciples and told them these remarkable words, they immediately remembered that Jesus will no longer walk with them on earth, but He will change their lives forever. The rest of the years, the apostles will live after the ascension of Jesus, which will be their time to act, the time to bring the presence of God into the people’s lives”, _ stated in part the celebrant Father Shahe.

Father Shahe emphasized that the Feast of the Ascension is just the memory of the footsteps of Jesus for all of us, and blessing like the disciples, stated the same words: “ I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”.

The celebrant Father Shahe also spoke about the other cherished mystery of the day, reflecting on the historical commemoration of the return of the Catholicosate of All Armenians from Sis to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

“This fact, which took place in the fifteenth century, is historical, not in the sense that the Holy See has returned to its first and legal place, but in the sense that in the bitter trials of the history, after wandering many centuries, the Illuminator’s vision has finally found its historical justification and implementation.  In that sense, today is the holiday of all of us, the children of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Brotherhood and All Armenians, as the Holy Etchmiadzin is the Zion of the Armenians, the spiritual centre, from where, according to our historians, St. Gregory the Illuminator gave birth and baptized the Armenian people in the spiritual sense. 

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is just the footprint of Jesus for us in this world. If we want to kiss that footprint, it is enough for us to bow before the sacred stones of Holy Etchmiadzin, if we want to see, feel and touch the real presence of Jesus on the Armenian soil, and then we must all look to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

No matter how much the Armenian Christian civilization develops, it will never rise above the dome of Holy Etchmiadzin, because for us Etchmiadzin is an earth on earth and a sky in the sky.”, _ stated Father Shahe, urging everyone to pray that the Lord will keep the Haykazyan See steadfast, granting health and many years of reign to his Patriarch.

At the conclusion, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, a Special Prayer Service was offered, during which the clergy prayed to God for the steadfastness, vibrancy and prosper of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, as well as, the Patriarchate of All Armenians.