Holy and Immortal Liturgy at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
22.11.2025
On 22 November, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the Sunday Eve service was celebrated in the Mother Cathedral of the Descent of the Only-Begotten.
Upon the conclusion of the service, at the initiative of the clergy of the Shirak, Tavush, and Aragatsotn Dioceses, the Holy and Immortal Liturgy was offered. The celebrant was the Reverend Father, Hieromonk Shnork Paloyan, Chairman of the Administrative Council of the Aragatsotn Diocese.
Present at the sacred celebration were the ruling hierarchs of the Armenian Church, members of the Monastic Congregation of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, clergy of the Shirak, Tavush, and Aragatsotn Dioceses, pilgrims from various regions, as well as public and political figures.
In his sermon, Father Shnork emphasized that the faithful had gathered in the Mother Cathedral of the Descent of the Only-Begotten to raise prayers for the liberation of the unlawfully imprisoned Archbishops Mikael and Bagrat, Bishop Mkrtich, Father Garegin, the national benefactor Samvel Karapetyan, and other sons of the Armenian people, as well as for the return of the hostages and captives forcibly held in Baku.
Offering thanksgiving to the Lord, the Reverend Father implored the Almighty for the grace of the Holy Spirit, that He may renew their vow of obedience and fidelity to Christ, the Holy Church, her canonical order, and sacred hierarchy.
Speaking of the challenges facing the Church, Father Shnork stated:
"Let us look upon our reality, and we shall see how, in an atmosphere of militant ignorance and widespread agitation, our faith in Christ is put to the test, as are our obedience and humility before the Mother Church and the tradition of the holy fathers. Truly, today our loyalty and devotion to the Homeland are being tried; our patience, the steadfastness of our faith, and the perseverance of our prayer."
The Reverend Father further stressed that if our faith is truly enlightened, and our love sincere and pure, then we shall indeed be deemed worthy of the divine mercy and grace, affirmed through the sufferings and prayers offered for Christ:
"It is known to all what attempts are presently made to replace our Holy Apostolic Church with a false, surrogate'church', to construct a caricatured likeness in which everything possesses only a feigned ‘order’ and an artificial ‘rightness.’ And God cannot dwell therein," he added.
In conclusion, Father Shnork exhorted the faithful to persevere in prayer, to be ever ready to enter by the narrow gate, in union with Christ, so that the Lord may guard and preserve them from every spiritual and bodily temptation, and make them heirs of His boundless blessings.
During the chanting of “Lord, have mercy” at the Holy Liturgy, the clergy and faithful offered fervent prayers for the liberation of the unlawfully imprisoned clergymen, the national benefactor, all hostages and captives, as well as for peace and the flourishing of the Homeland.
