Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On May 09, on the Day of Victory and Peace, the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin participated in the Divine Liturgy in the St. Gayane Monastery. The Celebrant was Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Mesrop Parsamian, Dean of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary.

Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Mesrop, reflrcting on the sacrament of the day, stated in part: “Today is May 9, the triple holiday of our victories, when we commemorate the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Liberation of Shushi and the foundation of the Defense Army of Artsakh. Today, however, when World War II is a distant reality for the new generation, when Shushi is under the control of the enemy, and the future of the Defense Army of Artsakh is uncertain, it seems impossible to talk about victories. But it is in these gloomy days that we need more to hear the message of the victory, to commemorate the spirit of victory, which is the guarantee of all our victories”.
Archimandrite Mesrop, speaking about the sufferings of Christ, His Crucifixion and victorious Resurrection; emphasized, that even in the hardest days of despair, such as the Apostles and His followers were before the good news of our Lord's Resurrection; the light of victory must be the driving force, and forging the promising future must be a goal for us. Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Mesrop also added, that on these days, with heartfelt prayer we also remember all those, who, with faith and sense of victory, martyred throughout the centuries for the sake of an independent life, for the sake of their Christian faith and their sacred Fatherland. In the conclusion, Archimandrite Mesrop wished that the Almighty God keep and protect our cherished Homeland, grant wisdom and intelligence to all, so that we can unite as a nation to forge our victorious future, for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, for the prosperity of our Homeland and our Apostolic Mother Church. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, under the presidency of His Grace Bishop Moushegh Babayan, Grand Sacristan of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, a Repose of Souls Service was offered for the peace and tranquility of the souls of the intrepid sons martyred during the Great Patriotic War and the War of Artsakh.

On the same day, the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin visited the Victory Park, where, after the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, they paid tribute to the immortal memory of the martyrs of the Great Patriotic War and the War of Artsakh.