From July 9 to 11, 2026, H. E. Archbishop Kevork Noradounguian paid pastoral visits to the Armenian Catholic communities of Javakhk. On July 9, the Ordinary celebrated Holy Mass at the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Tskhaltbila, concelebrated by the local parish priest, the Father Sahak Aghekyan, and joined in prayer by the Deacon of the Armenian Catholic communities of Georgia, the Very Reverend Archpriest Fr. Mikayel Khachkalyan, the Very Reverend Fr. Hovsep Vrd. Meliksetyan (a native of the same village), the parish priest of the Armenian Catholics of Siberia, as well as the Very Reverend Fr. Hakob Vrd. Sahakyan, the spiritual supervisor of the Armenian Apostolic Church communities of Akhaltsikhe and Borjomi, and in the presence of a multitude of local believers. During the Holy Mass, the Archbishop expressed his paternal gratitude to the local parish priest, the Fr. Sahak Aghekyan, presenting him with a pectoral cross as an expression of appreciation for his priestly merits over the past ten years and for his commendable service rendered from September 2019 to the present day in the communities of Tskhaltbila, Sukhlis, and Julgha. It must be noted that the faithful of these communities are distinguished by their traditional and devoted character in defending the Armenian Catholic faith, the development and adornment of which is also the fruit of the clergy serving in these communities, matured through the graces of the Holy Spirit. For the Ordinary, priestly dedication and unconditional service for the glory of God are always highly appreciated.

With his paternal visit, the Ordinary also honored the faithful of the villages of Julgha, Sukhlis, Tsinouban, Naokhreb, Abatkhv, and Ghulalis, conversing with them on issues of concern and imparting his paternal blessing.

On July 10, the Archbishop was also present at the village festival of Heshtia, which is celebrated here with great splendor every year. This year, the village celebrated the 198th anniversary of its founding. The village festival began with the Holy Mass, celebrated by the Archbishop and concelebrated by the parish priest of Heshtia, Fr. Anton Antonyan. In his sermon, the Archbishop congratulated everyone on the occasion of the Heshtia festival and spoke with great appreciation and satisfaction about the spiritual history, traditionalism, and prayerful spirit of the village. During the Holy Mass, the Ordinary also presented a pectoral cross to Fr. Anton Antonyan, offering fatherly words of gratitude for his long-standing priestly service, which he has been carrying out in Heshtia and the Armenian Catholic communities of the Akhalkalaki region since 2008. Father Anton comes from a lineage of priests that has produced more than a dozen clergymen who served in Western Armenia and, following the migration, in Heshtia until the communist era.

After the Mass, the performances and concert part of the celebration took place in the village square. Local public and political figures were present—including members of the Parliament of Georgia, the Mayor of Ninotsminda, benefactors, and numerous guests, along with the entire population of the village.

On July 11, the Archbishop visited the communities of Alastan and Varevan, presenting to the multitude of local believers the newly appointed parish priest of those villages, Fr. Ruben Misisyan, who replaced the Very Reverend Archpriest Fr. Andrey Yanitsky, who served faithfully in those communities for many years, while simultaneously being the parish priest of Turtsk and several other villages. The Archbishop first expressed his deepest gratitude to Fr. Andrey for his highly meritorious and fruitful service as an untiring laborer of the Lord, wishing him good health and inexhaustible priestly zeal to continue his service as the parish priest of Turtsk. The Fr. Ruben Misisyan will henceforth ease the burden of his spiritual service and assume the pastorship of the villages of Alastan and Varevan, parallel to his pastorship of the villages of Kartikam, Khulgumo, and Bavra. The Archbishop prayed for Fr. Ruben, invoking God’s graces and gifts upon him so that he may care for the spiritual prosperity of the people entrusted to his charge.

In the village of Varevan, the village festival was celebrated, during which they also commemorate the feast of Ghunkianos Karnetsi, а hymnographer, singer, educator, and public figure, whom the local people revere like a saint. According to preserved accounts, Ghunkianos was born between 1781 and 1786 in Karin (Erzurum), was educated at the monastery of the Antonian Order in Lebanon, served in various countries, and starting from 1828 settled in Tbilisi, later moving to the village of Varevan to assist the newly immigrated Armenian Catholic population with the mission of raising and educating children. Ghunkianos was a versatile educator, schoolmaster, and catechist. Many spiritual songs and poems belong to his pen, only a part of which has been preserved. He passed away in 1841 and was buried near the village church, where a chapel bearing the name of Saint Ghunkianos was built, which has become a place of pilgrimage for the Armenians of Javakhk. According to some sources, Ghunkianos was a celibate cleric and highly skilled in the chanting of Armenian sharakans (hymns).

H. E. Archbishop Kevork Noradounguian attended the celebration dedicated to Ghunkianos and celebrated Holy Mass, delivered a paternal message, after which he performed the rite of blessing and anointing a stone image of the Mother of God and sat at the banquet table with the local people for a warm conversation.

Fr. Hovsep Galstyan
Chancellery of the Ordinariate of Armenian Catholics
July 12, 2026