Through the veil of overcast skies, the newly-gilded gold dome of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York City shimmered with a radiant, almost transcendent brilliance. Beneath that luminous crown, the Easter Sunday Divine Liturgy on April 5 unfolded with solemn beauty and reverence, commemorating the awe-filled discovery of Christ’s empty tomb and the triumphant revelation of His glorious Resurrection.
Known in Armenian as Sourp Zadig, Easter is the major feast day of the Christian calendar and represents the promise of salvation for all humanity. 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 ethereal hymns of the choir, Bishop Mesrop, accompanied by a procession of clergy and altar servers holding colorful liturgical tapestries, walked among the worshippers, bestowing his blessing and announcing the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection with the words, “Krisdos haryav ee merelotz! Christ is raised from the dead!”
As he processed through the sanctuary, Bishop Mesrop carried the gold hand-cross among the faithful, young and old alike stepping forward to venerate it with a kiss. In that gentle, deliberate movement, Bishop Merop’s presence recalled Christ walking among His people, teaching and blessing during the days of His earthly ministry.
The cathedral’s stained-glass windows provided a radiance of luminous color to the sanctuary. White lilies and slender, tapering candles cast a gentle glow upon the altar, evoking the purity and unending light of Christ the Savior.
Throughout the sanctuary, discreetly placed cameras offered those joining from home a sense of reverent closeness, most poignantly in the intimate, front-facing view of Bishop Mesrop in prayer before the holy altar during the service. These thoughtful close-ups not only revealed the cathedral’s intricate beauty, but also captured the serene expressions of faith, hope and devotion shared among the clergy and the faithful. Furthermore, they provided a profound level of closeness and a deep connection between clergy and lay people to Our Lord through the holy badarak.
One Body In Christ
After the reading of Scripture in Armenian and English by the deacons, prayers and hymns were sung together by the choir and congregation. The the chalice containing bread and wine representing the Body and Blood of Christ was presented to Bishop Mesrop, who blessed and raised it for the faithful to witness and experience Christ’s mystical presence.
Holy Communion (Haghortoutiun in Armenian), the climax of the badarak in which the faithful unite with Christ and with each other, brought hundreds of worshippers forward to the altar to receive the Sacrament from Bishop Mesrop, supported by Cathedral Vicar Fr. Davit Karamyan, Fr. Bedros Kadehjian, and the large retinue of deacons.
The congregation also played an important role in the badarak by giving and receiving the Kiss of Peace (or Voghchooyn), one of the oldest and most beautiful Christian customs. Still practiced by the Armenian Church, members of the congregation ardently declare, “Krisdos ee mech mer haydnetsav! Orhnyal eh haydnoutiunun Krisdosee!” (Christ is revealed among us! Blessed is the revelation of Christ!).
Throughout the service, the soaring voices of the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir, directed by Hasmik Mekanejian and accompanied on the organ by Kris Kalfayan, Director of the Gomidas Choir, surrounded participants with an ethereal sense of peace and redemption.
Staying Close To God
Following the Eucharist, Bishop Mesrop delivered his Easter Sunday homily with passion and certainty, stressing the importance of staying close to God no matter how difficult or woeful the circumstances may appear.
“The very moment that tempts us to leave God’s presence is often the moment we need Him most,” Bishop Mesrop said. “That is what the women who waited at Christ’s tomb taught us on Easter morning. They did not know what story would unfold and didn’t know what Sunday would bring. All they knew was that they loved Jesus too much to walk away. And because they stayed, they became the first witnesses to Christ’s Resurrection, the greatest victory.”
The Primate expounded upon his theme of faith by emphasizing that waiting with God is never ‘wasted time.’ “Love that remains near God is always rewarded,” he said. “Sometimes God doesn’t ask us to do anything; He simply asks us to stay close. The greatest hope of all is that Christ Is Risen.”
The Primate underscored the fact that because He lives, hope can rise again. “Wherever you find yourself today, either in great joy or with a heart that still carries pain, receive the message of Easter: the tomb is empty, Christ is Risen, Love has won, life has triumphed, hope is alive. Stay close to Him.”
Staying hopeful in prayer, even when everything in front of you says, ‘it’s over,’ is exactly what faith asks us of us.
Release of Doves on the Plaza
At the conclusion of the service, despite a gentle rain falling outside, a procession of clergy and faithful made their way to the bronze entrance doors for the “Release of Doves” ceremony. Though the weather softened the usual pageantry, it did not diminish the meaning of the moment, which symbolizes Christ sending forth His apostles into the world to preach the Gospel. This special ceremony remains a beloved, decades-long Easter tradition at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, its spirit enduring regardless of grey skies above.
The godparents of this year’s ceremony were Sarkis and Maral Jebejian, parishioners of St. Thomas Armenian Church in Tenafly, NJ. As members of an Armenian-American family whose roots trace back for decades in the life of the Armenian Church, they both carry forward a distinguished legacy of leadership within the Armenian community. Both have honored the foundations laid by those before them while actively continuing that tradition through their own faithful service today.
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.
It is worth noting that this year marked the 10th anniversary of the Easter Broadcast from St. Vartan Cathedral. 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, co-producer and 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