On December 31, the Catholicos of All Armenians visited the maternity hospital of Etchmiadzin


Accompanied by the leadership of the maternity hospital, His Holiness met with all the newborns and their mothers, blessed them and prayed for their health and happiness. Women awaiting childbirth were also blessed. His Holiness presented the maternity hospital with an icon of the Holy Mother of God. During the visit, on behalf of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the Social Services Office of the Mother See distributed gifts to all the newborns and their mothers.

Pontifical Liturgy celebrated at the Mother Cathedral on Christmas Day


The Brotherhood procession accompanied the Catholicos of All Armenians, dressed in the vestments of a Celebrant, to the Mother Cathedral. This year, the canopy of the Armenian Patriarch was carried by members of the Architectural Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church. A Pontifical liturgy was served, at the end of which a water blessing ceremony was performed. It symbolizes the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River. A muron-bearing dove was brought to the altar and the Armenian Patriarch poured holy muron into the pots. This year, the godfather of the cross is Karen Nazaryan, Executive Director of the Armenian Round Table Foundation of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Mother See has published the schedule for the New Year and Christmas holidays


The Mother See invites the faithful to participate in the New Year's Pomegranate Blessing Ceremony. At midnight, a Republican Prayer will be held in the Mother Cathedral. On January 1, at 10 a.m., a Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the Mother Cathedral. On the evening of January 5, the Christmas Eve will begin with the Candlelight Divine Liturgy. At 10:30 a.m., a Pontifical Liturgy will be celebrated, during which a Water Blessing Ceremony will be performed.

Eventful Week


The Assyrian Church of St. Mary of the East in California celebrated the upcoming Christmas with a bilingual church concert
A consecration ceremony was held at the St. Vardan Cathedral of the Eastern Diocese of the USA
A concert dedicated to the 155th anniversary of Komitas' birth was held at the Holy Trinity Church in Constantinople

The past year was historic for the Armenian Apostolic Church


In 2024, two historic events took place in the life of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian people: after decades of renovation, the Mother Cathedral was reconsecrated and reopened. Then the Holy Myron was blessed. In addition, bishops, priests, and deacons were ordained this year. The Brotherhood of the Mother See was replenished with new members.

The exhibition "Evangelical Manuscripts: The Biblical Treasury of the Matenadaran" has opened at the Matenadaran


A new thematic exhibition opened in the Donation Hall of the Mashtotsyan Matenadaran presents the Four Evangelists. Exclusive manuscripts that have not been exhibited or have been rarely exhibited have been selected. They tell the story of the art and artists of the time, starting from the 11th-12th centuries to the later period.

The degrees of acolytes, oratory, and semi-deaconry were given at the Mother Cathedral.


In front of the Holy Table of the Descent, Bishop Makar Hakobyan, Primate of the Diocese of Syunik, conferred the degrees of scholastic, oratorical, and semi-deacon upon the students of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary and the Priest Training Course. A Liturgy was celebrated under the presiding authority of the Catholicos of All Armenians. 11 students of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary and one graduate of the Priest Training Course were ordained deacons by His Bishop Makar.

The annual chess tournament dedicated to King Abgar has been restored


After a four-year break, the annual chess tournament dedicated to King Abgar has been restored in the Araratian Pontifical Diocese. The tournament began in 2013 with the blessing of Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan. The event dedicated to the feast of St. Abgar, the first faithful king, is one of the most unique chess competitions in Armenia. Members of the APD Youth Union and Sunday School students, priests, students of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary, spiritual servants and soldiers of different ages and experience participate. This year, participants were young people from the Artsakh Diocese and the Yerevan Chess Federation.

Eventful week in summary


An expanded meeting was held in Damascus, attended by the leaders of the Armenian dioceses of Damascus and Berio
The Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Damascus and the leader of the Armenian Catholics discussed the current situation with the Armenian Ambassador to Syria
Archbishop Khajak Parsamyan participated in the enthronement ceremony of the newly appointed Metropolitan of Warsaw
The European regional forum of the World Youth Union of the Armenian Church (ACYO) was held in Sweden.

An eventful week


The Extraordinary Assembly of the Primate of the Bishops of Damascus decided to create a committee to work with the new Syrian government
The 92nd anniversary of the community and the 20th anniversary of the ordination of Father Hovsep Karapetyan were celebrated at the St. Mary's Church in Washington
With the blessing of Archbishop Khajak Parsamyan, a three-day camp of the Youth Union of the Armenian Church of Belgium took place
The head of the United Kingdom diocese presented the issue of the forced displacement of the Armenians of Artsakh, the destruction of Christian heritage and the hostages

The 14th annual ecumenical gathering took place in the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America


Representatives of local Christian communities, clergy and believers gathered at the St. Ghevondyants Armenian Apostolic Church. Rev. Father Vazgen Movsesyan spoke about the difficulties that have occurred in the world and in the life of the Armenian people in recent years, asked for prayers for the Armenian prisoners held in Baku, and reminded that the Armenian community in the United States was formed by the generations of survivors of the Armenian Genocide. He emphasized that today, too, war and persecution have not stopped in the life of the Armenian people.

54th anniversary of St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral celebrated in Montreal


The festive Divine liturgy was served by the diocesan Primate, Bishop Abgar Hovakimyan. It is the main church of the Armenian Diocese of Canada. The church life of the Armenian community in the city was officially organized in 1948, and in 1970, by decision of the parish council, the church was purchased and consecrated. The temple plays a vital role in preserving the Armenian heritage and faith in Canada, promoting unity and spiritual growth among community members. A Saturday school, cultural associations, and organizations for the elderly, women, and youth have begun to operate under the auspieces of the church.