A Divine Liturgy Held at the Mother See on Army Day

On January 26, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a Divine Liturgy was held at the Holy Mother of God Church in the Armavir Diocese (Etchmiadzin) in connection with Army Day.

The celebrant was His Grace Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, spiritual leader of the Armenian Armed Forces.

Present at the sacred ceremony were Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Davit Tonoyan, Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Artak Davtyan, Commander of the Defense Army, Major General Karen Abrahamyan, members of the Mother See, representatives of the high command of the RA Armed Forces, and chaplains of the RA Armed Forces.

In his sermon, Bishop Vrtanes spoke about the significance of the day, particularly noting that for every conscious Armenian born in the bosom of the Armenian Church, strong statehood is the unity of faith, love, and dedicated service. This conviction is what the chaplains serving in the Armenian army preach daily to the soldiers entrusted to their spiritual care.

“The homeland and statehood are God-given gifts and thus deserve daily unwavering love and care, especially for us Armenians. … The homeland is our greatest treasure, and our hearts must also be there— with love, dedication, and zeal for the fatherland, according to the Gospel saying, ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Matthew 6:21).”

“There are things that are eternally beloved—God, Homeland, Mother—about which a human being, if not spiritually darkened, cannot speak without religious respect,” says the great Nzhdeh. True love, which expresses itself at all times and is ready to give oneself, we see and learn from our Lord (John 13:34). “Be thirsty for the bread of love,” calls upon the renowned Armenian poet Vahan Tekeyan. This love is preached from the altars of our churches, taught to our children, and merges with faith, transforming into dedicated service—regardless of the sphere of that service. It is the unparalleled service and dedication of our contemporaries that gave birth to the modern Armenian state and army, and again, the dedicated service of today’s soldiers and officers continues the eternal eastern border of the Christian world of our beloved country.

Today, we remember and bow our heads before the memory of all those brave men and women who laid down their lives on the altar of the homeland, as well as those men and women who devoted their youth and energy to this God-pleasing mission and have now been called to earned rest,” said Bishop Vrtanes, adding that for progress one must be filled with faith and love and grasp the hand of the Son of God, for through Christ, fear becomes encouragement, enmity becomes brotherhood, gossip and slander become integrity and truthfulness.

At the end, congratulating those present on the 28th anniversary of the formation of the Armenian army, Bishop Vrtanes wished that the Lord would keep and protect the Armenian army in His blessings, as a guarantee for the perpetuity of the independent Armenian state and for each serviceman, as an irreplaceable part of that clear structure—from the humblest rank to the highest, guided by unwavering faith and the desire to fulfill the will of the Lord.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, under the presidency of the Catholicos of All Armenians, a Republican blessing was performed, during which the clergy and attendees raised prayers to the Almighty God for the peace, stability, progress of the homeland, and victorious path of the Armenian army.

Thereafter, an official reception was held at the Gevorgian Spiritual Seminary’s event hall, during which awards were presented. In gratitude for their services to the Homeland, the Catholicos of All Armenians, upon the proposal of the spiritual leader of the RA Armed Forces Bishop Vrtanes, awarded several high-ranking military personnel with the “Saint Nerses Shnorhali” Order.

His Holiness awarded the “Saint Nerses Shnorhali” medal to Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Gabriel Balayan, Chief of the Combat Training Department of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Valeri Kocharyan, Chief of the Military Police of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel Arthur Baghdasaryan, Advisor to the Minister of Defense, Colonel Ashot Balasanyan, and benefactor of the Spiritual Leadership of the RA Armed Forces, Mr. Aram Frankyan.

During the reception, several clergy and one layperson were awarded ministry prizes for their significant contributions to the spiritual and patriotic education of servicemen.

The “Andranik Ozanyan” medal was awarded to Fr. Mesrop Ash of the San Francisco St. John Church of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in the USA and Mr. Movses Gabujyan, responsible for the “Soldier’s Bible” project of the Armenian Biblical Society. The “Karekin Nzhdeh” medal was awarded to the chaplains, Reverend Manavazd Mkrtchyan, Reverend Narek Torgomyan, and Reverend Harutyun Martirosyan.

Following the award ceremony, the Catholicos of All Armenians, conveying his paternal blessings and message on the occasion of Army Day, noted that a prayer was raised at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for the flourishing of the homeland, the well-being of the Armenian people, and the unwavering strength of the Armenian army.

“You all know well the miraculous power of faith and prayer. This is why, dear ones, we consider it important that the soldiers and commanders of our Armenian army join in prayer with our people and Armenian clergy, as this united prayer will rise to heaven and be accepted by God, and from heaven, the gifts of peace and victory will abundantly flow into our lives,” said the Armenian Pontiff.

His Holiness also affirmed that historically, the Armenian clergy have always been beside their soldiers and commanders, both in times of peaceful life and in wartime. Giving glory to the Lord for the service of the clergy in the Armenian army as chaplains at the side of soldiers, the Supreme Patriarch confirmed that Armenian clergy have the consciousness of being soldiers of the homeland and replacing the sword with the Cross.

During the event, His Holiness expressed gratitude to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia and all army commanders for their dedicated service to the homeland and the friendly, caring attitude and support shown to the Armenian clergy serving in the Armenian army. His Holiness also congratulated the awarded military personnel, wishing them to live a secure and safe life and to continue their service with hope and optimism, with which they will be able to build a strong and prosperous homeland.

Finally, Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, wished that the Almighty God always be a helper to the Armenian army, keeping it in love and under His victorious Right Hand.