Feast of Saint Gayane and Her Companions celebrated in the Armenian Church
On June 2, the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church commemorated the sacred feast dedicated to the memory of St. Gayane and her companion nuns.
The ecclesiastical procession, accompanied by numerous pilgrims and the drum band of the AGBU Armenian Church Youth Centers, walked to the Monastery of Saint Gayane. The procession of clergy and lay took with them the relic of the Holy Right Hand of Saint Gayane.
The relic of the Holy Right Hand was carried by His Grace Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan, Grant Sacristan of the Mother See.
The procession was met in front of the St. Gayane Monastery by the clergy and His Grace Bishop Artak Tigranyan, Dean of the Monasteries of the Mother See.
On the occasion of the feast, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Khachatur Knyazian, acting Abbot of the Monastery of St. Gayane.
Father Khachatur delivered a sermon about the significance and mystery of the feast and noted in part, “Saint Gayane and Her Companions with their strong faith opposed godlessness: their spirits were enlightened, for them life was filled with Christ and death was a benefit, as they knew that after death, they would achieve rewards in the heavenly kingdom due to their devotion and good works that they had accumulated during their lives. Death is terrible, when we live a life far from God. Death can become an access to the heavenly kingdom if we have lived our lives according to Lord’s will and commandments. The martyrdom of St. Gayane and her Companion Nuns conveys this message to us”.
Father Khachatur also noted that there is no need of martyrdom today, but we need to instill Christian values in public life with that same level of spirit and devotion. The celebrant urged the attendees to follow the example of the martyred nuns, who valued their faith and spirit more than their lives.
At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, the faithful were blessed with the sacred relic.
