Catholicos of All Armenians Receives the “Commander Vazgen Sargsyan” Order
May 2014
On May 26, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, welcomed Lieutenant General Manvel Grigoryan, President of the Volunteer Defenders Union, Member of the Republic of Armenia Parliament; Mr. Karen Grigoryan, Mayor of Vagharshapat; and the Volunteer Defenders Union board members. Present at the meeting was His Grace Bishop Arshak Kachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
General Manvel Grigoryan expressed his gratitude to the Catholicos of Armenians for the special Divine Liturgy and Requiem service, offered in the Mother Cathedral and the churches of the Armenian Dioceses on May 8th, the Volunteer Defenders’ Union Day, for the souls of the martyrs. General Grigoryan, President of the Union, granted to His Holiness the Order of “Commander Vazgen Sargsyan”, by the Volunteer Defenders Union.
His Holiness Karekin II offered his appreciation on this occasion, accepting the order as a symbol of the most valuable sacrifice of the devoted Armenian people in committing their lives and spilling their blood in the name of the Homeland. The Catholicos of All Armenians expressed his gratitude to General Grigoryan and the Union Members, reflecting on the loyal service and contributions that the Volunteer Defenders made in liberating Artsakh, and keeping safe the borders of the Homeland. His Holiness expressed his wish that the Volunteer Homeland Defenders Union Board always remain strong, and that the Union members continue their service with united and enthusiastic patriotic spirit for maintaining independent life for the Armenian people, realizing their innermost dreams. His Holiness Karekin II was confident that the devoted spirit of the Armenian people would always radiate in their souls, while the history and the heroic figures would continually inspire the Armenians in their benevolent deeds for the welfare and prosperity of the Homeland.
During the meeting the educational projects of the Volunteer Defenders Union were presented which are directed at the patriotic education of the younger generations.
