Announcement for the Feast Day of St. Gregory the Illuminator
On June 12 at 6:00 pm, the eve of the Feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s Deliverance from the pit, an ecclesiastical procession will bring the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator to the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. St. Gregory the Illuminator is the Patron Saint of the Armenian Church. He is referred to as “St. Gregory the Illuminator,” because he spread the light of Christ and converted the Armenian people to Christianity in 301 AD., becoming the first nation in the world to declare Christianity as the state religion.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians will preside over the ceremony, during which the Armenian faithful will have an opportunity to be blessed by the sacred relics of our holy father.
On June 13, at 9 am, the relics will be taken to the Monastery of Khor Virap, the site where St. Gregory was imprisoned and persecuted for 13 years because of his Christian faith. Following the arrival, Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the main cathedral.
