On February 25, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Priests of Ghevondyan. In this regard, the Holy Liturgy was celebrated.
As reported by the press office of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, about 250 priests serving in Armenian dioceses and church structures, heads of dioceses, the Congregation of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and numerous Armenian believers took part in the ceremony.
As noted by the spiritual rector of the Surb Nshan Church in Gyumri Nshan Panferov, the Ghevondyan priests became the inspiration for the Vardanank war “In the name of the Fatherland and Faith”.
“The Ghevondians and Vardanank taught not only us, but the whole world that when the Homeland and the faith of the people are in danger, the whole nation must raise the banner of struggle, the whole nation must enter the struggle, with God at its head,” Panferov said, adding that the Ghevondians, by the example of their lives, today call for us to be the masters and defenders of our Christian faith and our Homeland, which is in danger.
After the liturgy, the priests gathered in the ceremonial hall of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary. The award ceremony was also held there. At the end of the ceremony, the Catholicos of All Armenians, having conveyed his blessing to the clergy on the occasion of the holiday, highly appreciated the gathering of priests from the point of view of strengthening the spirit of the clergy, increasing the effectiveness of spiritual service and establishing new priorities in service.
He also touched upon the challenges faced by the Homeland and the Armenian Diaspora, caused not only by the loss of Artsakh, thousands of victims, missing and still captive Armenians, but also by the targeting and distortion of the components of Armenian identity in our lives.
“Therefore, it is necessary to maintain in our people the correct ideas about the value system, the Homeland, the Armenian Church, our shrines, our historical past, which have been carefully preserved for centuries. In this way, we can strengthen our state and contribute to the well-being and security of our Homeland,” he said.