On the 25^th of February, the feast of St. Ghevondian priests was celebrated in the Cathedral of Holy Martyrs in Gyumri, with a Holy Mass, served by H.E. Kevork Archbishop Noradounguian, with the assistance of Rev. Fr. Nerses Galstyan and Rev. Fr. Hovhannes Melikyan, also with the concelebration of the priests serving in the communities of the Ordinariate. The Armenian sisters of the Immaculate Conception and parishioners were also present. His Excellency invited the priests and the faithful to think about the mystery of the unison of St. Ghevondians and St. Vardanians as the ancient Armenian expression of the sinodality, a solidarity, which culminated in martyrdom for faith and for the homeland.

“Ghevondian priests are the ecclesial part of Armenian people, the clerical wing, and Vardanians are the lay part, the faithful. The moral imperative their heroic act we summarized in two concepts: for faith and for the homeland. If it were a defense of religion, faith, then the lay people would not be able to succeed for themselves in the war. And if the fight were only for the homeland, then the clergy would not be able to succeed only for themselves. And thus our Armenian army had a united leadership. The Universal Catholic Church would go for the same concept, without using the same words, but another word. So, which word has been used so frequently in the recent years in the vocabulary of the Catholic Church, which supposes both the clergy and the lay people… That’s “sinodality”! So, we had this sinodality already back in the 5^th century A.D. If our war was not merely for territory, if it had first of all for moral and religious motives, in that case a unity was necessary… and it was the common challenge that united everyone. And thus the clergy lead the soldiers, and they went to the war field in unison. The sword was in the hand of the soldier, and the cross was in the hands of the clergy. When the sword and the cross are together, it is impossible to win them. The sword can be won by quantity, and the cross can be won, when the infidelity ushers in”.

The unity of St. Ghevondians and Vardanians has remained exemplary in the life of the Armenian people in the flow of the centuries: the clergy and the laity can overcome the present moral, religious and social challenges only supporting each other, said the Ordinary Archbishop. Moreover, His Excellency sees His all brothers and sisters as Ghevonds.

“Every one of them is a Ghevond in his/her small community and is fighting for the defense of the faith, to protect you from your shortcomings, from foreign novelties, immoralities”.

His Excellency deeply appreciates also the service of the sisters in the Church.

After the Holy Mass an agape dinner was organized for the priests and sisters, after which a meeting of the priests took place, where some important issues were discussed. In the end, His Excellency beseeched the intercession of the Ghevondian priests for all of the priests serving in the Ordinariate and sent them to continue their mission for the glory of the Lord.

Secretariat of the Ordinariate

25.02.2025