Christ is Risen! On Sunday 17 April 2022, even though numbers were not as high as before the Coronavirus pandemic, when more than a thousand believers attended Easter Holy Mass at the Church of the Holy Resurrection, many community faithful gathered to participate in the Episcopal Divine Liturgy celebrated by Archbishop Najarian accompanied by the Reverend Fathers and the Combined Church Choirs singing. With the vesting in the Diocesan Centre from where the procession began, the choir led with the Hrashapar processional hymn to the entrance into the church.
During the liturgy, the Archbishop delivered his Easter message. The Archbishop compared the Resurrection to the rejoicing of the entry in the heavenly Jerusalem today as it was one week before with Christ’s entry into the city of Jerusalem, when the same people who had come to meet Him as king had left Him today.
At the end of the service, the Archbishop was led in a procession to the Edgarian hall where the Blessing of the Residence took place in the form of the blessing of the salt, water and bread.
It is a custom every year for representatives of Armenian community organisations to visit the Diocesan Centre to convey Easter wishes, creating an opportunity for Archbishop Najarian to bless our organisations and personally congratulate their representatives. Representatives of the three traditional political parties, almost all organisations and schools, as well as church bodies, gathered to deliver their messages. It was gratifying to see the willingness to resist the challenges of the pandemic and the dark night clouds over the Homeland and Artsakh, expressed by each of the representatives, which is a positive thing in the Armenian community.
The Diocesan Ladies Guild hosed the visitors with light refreshments.
