In an ordinary year, by the end of June schools are winding down, summer is gearing up, and many parishioners settle into a more “relaxed” habit of church participation.
Recent summers, of course, have been anything but ordinary.
In an ordinary year, by the end of June schools are winding down, summer is gearing up, and many parishioners settle into a more “relaxed” habit of church participation.
Recent summers, of course, have been anything but ordinary.
On Saturday, July 2, the Armenian Church will observe one of several feast days associated with St. Gregory the Illuminator. This particular feast is dedicated to the saint’s later years and the discovery of his relics.
This Sunday will be observed as Father’s Day across the United States: a chance to reflect, with gratitude, on the deeper meaning of fatherhood. While the surrounding popular culture may sometimes fail to treat fatherhood with due seriousness, the Armenian Church accords great reverence and respect to fathers.
The yearly transition to summer is a special time in the Armenian Church calendar. In quick succession, we observe our Lord’s Ascension, Pentecost, St. Gregory’s release from the pit, and the birth of Holy Etchmiadzin.
He was a man of holiness and generosity; but also a man who could countenance the cruelest violence. His very name confessed his loyalty to God—but also prefigured the loneliness that can follow any man with such loyalties. He was Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah “the Stranger”: