A message from our Primate, Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, on “an unutterably sad day, in a painful chapter of Armenian history.” Read more here.
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United in Prayer: A Message from Our Primate
Dearly Beloved Clergy and Faithful of Our Eastern Diocese:
This is an unutterably sad day, in a painfully tragic chapter of Armenian history. Indeed, I should say: “…in another painfully tragic chapter” of our history. There are no words to convey what we are all feeling, as we witness the noble, inspirational reality of a free, independent Armenian land of Artsakh come to an end. All one can say is to repeat the words we offer to our risen Lord Jesus every week in badarak—words we have inherited from ancestors who knew all too well the tragic realities of the world:
Ungal, getso, yev voghormya.
Receive our prayers; save your people; and have mercy.
Even though they lived in distant times and places, those ancestors would surely recognize our heartfelt feelings today. But their defiant will to live, their loving sense of responsibility to the future, and their unconquerable faith in God were the answers they left to us, in anticipation of those times when we, too, would inevitably come face-to-face with the world’s most bitter realities.
Let us reflect on that together, as a people—as we undertake the urgent tasks that now lie before us.
My friends, our Catholicos, His Holiness Karekin II, in consultation with our church’s Supreme Spiritual Council, has made the weighty decision to postpone the celebratory Blessing of the Holy Muron, and in its stead hold a worldwide day of solemn “Prayer for Artsakh.” With gratitude to Vehapar’s moral leadership in this time of crisis, our Diocese will join the voices of our faithful to the chorus of prayers rising from every Armenian Church, from every Armenian soul, on this Sunday, October 1, 2023.
A special prayer service is linked below, which I ask all of our pastors, altar servers, and people to offer following badarak this Sunday.
On the same day, our Diocese will inaugurate a Diocesan-wide fundraising effort to help the refugees now fleeing for their lives from Artsakh. Please note that all the fundraising proceeds will go to Holy Etchmiadzin for direct distribution to the Artsakh refugees. Contributions may be made out to the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, Memo: “Artsakh Refugee Fund.”
You can also click the link here to donate now, using the Diocese’s secure server (make sure to select “Artsakh Refugee Fund” from the dropdown menu).
Also, our Diocese’s Fund for Armenian Relief is doing urgently-needed, on-the-ground work to help the refugee population, through its Ayo! crowdfunding platform.
Please find it in your heart to be generous in this critical time, however you see fit.
My friends, the events of the past weeks, building in intensity since the 2020 war, have cast a dark shadow over our community life. It is right and proper to mourn; the reason for our grief is real, and profound: like the tragic loss of one’s own child. Like the greatest of losses, it will also be unforgettable. We must keep the memory and spirit of holy Artsakh alive in our hearts, as we have tenderly kept the memory of the Genocide victims and survivors alive among us.
But be assured that there will come a day to wipe away our present tears. That is what the Lord Jesus Christ taught us; it is what He is has shown us during everymoment of crisis and pain in Armenian Christian history. As Scripture assures us: “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
My friends, as we unite as a people to respond to this tear-filled night, let us also lay the foundation for that future dawn of joy, in our communities, our churches, our homes, and our very souls.
With profound love and blessings,
Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan
Primate
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Download the Prayer for Artsakh Service (PDF File)
Donate Now to the Diocese’s Artsakh Refugee Fund