The Easter Sunday Divine Liturgy on March 31, 2024, at New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral was a time for our Armenian Christian family to rejoice in the glorious resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His victory over sin and death. Known in Armenian as Soorp Zadig, Easter is the major feast day of the Christian calendar and represents the promise of salvation for all humanity.
Marking his first Easter badarak since his consecration as a bishop of the church, Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, celebrated the Divine Liturgy before the faithful in the cathedral, as well as to a global audience via the livestream broadcast. Upon entering the sanctuary to the dulcet tones of the choir, Bishop Mesrop bestowed his blessings among the lay people in attendance while a procession of clergy and altar servers elevated a gold cross and colorful liturgical tapestries.
Beams of sunlight streamed through the cathedral’s stained-glass windows, bathing the sanctuary in multi-colored rays of light, as if to illustrate the warmth and limitless spectrum of God’s love. As an expression of purification and spiritual cleanliness, Bishop Mesrop symbolically washed his hands in a small basin and assumed his priestly function at the altar as he turned to the faithful and made the sign of the cross.
Beautiful white lilies adorned the altar, symbolizing new life and the purity of Christ our Savior. Multiple stationary cameras placed throughout the sanctuary provided home viewers with immersive views of the service, including an intimate, front-facing view of Bishop Mesrop praying on the holy altar during the Synaxis (teaching) section of the badarak.
A visually-engaging addition to this year’s broadcast was the inclusion of a mobile video cameraman who moved throughout the entire sanctuary. This unique angle periodically provided viewers with an up-close, fluid view of the clergy and congregation as they performed their symbolic actions. Among the clergy and altar servers assisting Bishop Mesrop throughout the liturgy was Fr. Mamigon Kiledjian.
After the reading of Scripture in Armenian and English by the deacons, prayers and hymns were sung together by the choir and congregation, underscoring the congregation’s steadfast conviction as one unified body in Christ. Thereafter, the chalice containing bread and wine representing the body and blood of Christ was presented to Bishop Mesrop, who blessed and raised it to the heavens for the faithful to witness and experience the revelation of our Lord and Savior.
Witnesses to the Resurrection
The congregation also played an important role in the service by giving and receiving the Kiss of Peace (or Voghchooyn), one of the oldest and most beautiful customs still practiced by the Armenian Church, in which Christian brothers and sisters share the declaration “Krisdos ee mech mer haydnetsav! Orhnyal eh haydnoutiunun Krisdosee!” (Christ is revealed among us! Blessed is the revelation of Christ!) to express their united bond in Christ.
As is the case each Sunday, the soaring voices of the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir, conducted by Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, with accompaniment by organist Florence Avakian, punctuated the centuries-old service and surrounded participants with an aural sense of peace and redemption.
Following the Holy Eucharist, Bishop Mesrop delivered his Easter Sunday homily with passion and fervor to inspire all who listened.
“We all stand as witnesses to the Glory of Our Lord’s Resurrection,” he began, “for in His mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead.”
Citing the words of the Apostle Peter, one of the first to witness the resurrection of Christ with his own eyes, Srpazan emphasized that Christ’s Resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. “It’s a beacon that illuminates life in the darkest of times and is the divine assurance that there is always the promise of renewal and redemption, no matter what we face in life,” he said.
Bishop Mesrop further expounded on Peter’s words by pointing out that they spoke to the very heart of the Easter message. “Through the resurrection, Our Lord, Jesus Christ not only defeated death, He opened the door for us to experience a relationship with our Heavenly Father. God saw us in our struggle, our pain and our brokenness, and He said, ‘you are My creation. I love you and will never abandon you.’”
Bishop Mesrop then applied the message of God’s love for his children to modern times to help us navigate today’s challenges and tribulations. “We all see how hard life can be and we face trials that will shake our faith. Yet, the incredible message of Easter remains: the same power that raised Jesus is alive and at work in each of us every day.” He emphasized that when we struggle with our jobs, face challenges in our relationships, and battle illness or despair, the power of Christ’s resurrection is a constant source of strength, hope and new beginnings.
Srpazan concluded by urging the faithful to share the joy and hope that we have in our hearts with everyone so as to bring glory to God’s name.
Doves Take Flight on the Plaza
At the conclusion of the service, a procession of clergy and the faithful exited the cathedral to gather outside on the plaza for the “Release of Doves” ceremony, symbolizing Christ’s sending out his apostles into the world to preach the gospel. The special ceremony, a beloved, decades-long Easter tradition at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, was restored last year after being suspended during the pandemic.
The godparents of this year’s ceremony were Alyssa Keleshian and her family members, parishioners of St. Gregory the Enlightener Church in White Plains, NY.
From the plaza, extensive scaffolding surrounding the cathedral was visible, part of a major restoration project of the structure’s exterior and interior. The work will repair and refurbish the considerable damage that time and the elements have inflicted upon our Mother Cathedral for nearly 60 years.
The Easter Sunday service marked two of the Armenian Church’s days of note: the culmination of Holy Week, the sacred commemoration of the events leading to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as the beginning of Eastertide, the 50-day period known as Heenoonk in Armenian, that lasts from Easter to Pentecost. The latter is dedicated to the mystery of our Resurrected Savior and His encounters with His followers.
Holy Week services took place at the cathedral in the days prior to Easter Sunday, with Bishop Mesrop presiding over the Holy Thursday “Vodunluva” (Washing of Feet) ceremony. (Click the following link to view photos of that service.)
As in previous years, the viewing audience for St. Vartan Cathedral’s Easter Sunday liturgy included thousands of people from across the Diocese and around the world, sharing in the service as it was broadcast over the internet. The small, dedicated production team included Yervant Keshishian, who directed the program, cameraman Mano Baghjajian, and host and narrator Christopher Zakian.
CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINKS TO:
- VIEW a gallery of photos from the Easter liturgy, by photographer Harout Barsoumian.
- WATCH the recorded service in its entirety.
- WATCH Bishop Mesrop’s sermon, in English and Armenian.
By Stephan S. Nigohosian