On June 1, 2025, International Day for Protection of Children, H. E. Kevork Archbishop Noradounguian, served a Holly Mass in Panik. 13 children received their first Holy Communion, who had been prepared by Fr. Mikel Dombourian, the local parish priest and the young parishioners Tagouhi Karapetian and Sona Baghdasarian. The Ordinary Archbishop, as usual for him, asked some questions to check their religious knowledge, if they knew Jesus, whose Body and Blood they were going to receive for the first time. He asked the children also about their Baptism, if they remembered how they wore the white garments, and today they wore them too as a sign of purity.

The Ordinary called to be attentive to three points:

1.to know Jesus,

2.to love Jesus,

3.to transform that love into works.

“If I don’t do well at school, if I offend my friends, then do I love? I say that I love, but afterwards I do what I will… I want to ask you to go forward on the way of knowing Jesus for your lifetime, to not stop, so as not to limit yourself with only lighting candles. The world is not happy for your white garments today, and it will try to make them filthy, by disseminating evil seed in you. How are you going to keep your hearts clean? You have to know Jesus more day by day and you have to love your neighbors more and more continually! Ask the Lord for light and wisdom to know the good and the evil… Beloved parents, live so as to be living exemplaries of holiness for your children”.

His Excellency congratulated all the children on the occasion of the Children’s’ Day and gave them his blessing.

After the ceremony, a hospitality table was served at the premises of Oratorio, near the church, where the Archbishop had an opportunity to get introduced and talk to the official persons and the parishioners.

Secretariat of the Ordinariate

2 June, 2025