Ordination of Deacons at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Mother Cathedral of Yerevan

December 2014

On December 24, on the Feast day of St. Stephen the Proto-Deacon and First Martyr of the Church, with blessings from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, 40 seminarians were ordained to the Diaconate　at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Mother Cathedral of Yerevan, during the celebration of Divine Liturgy.

During Evening Services on December 23, ordination for the minor orders of sub-deacon, acolyte and stole bearer was offered in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin.

During the Divine Liturgy, 22 students from the 5th level class of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, 17 students from the Accelerated Priest Course, and one candidate from the Diocese of Syunik, were ordained to the diaconate by His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manoukian, Director of the Inter- Church Relations Department of the Mother See and Primate of the Artik Diocese.

Following the solemn ordination ceremony, Bisop Hovakim congratulated the newly ordained deacons and the entire ranks of deacons of the Mother See. Reflecting on the calling and service of the deacons, His Grace noted that the Feast of St. Stephen the Proto- Deacon bears a clear and significant message for all the deacons, to devoutly serve the Mother Church and Armenian people. Bishop Hovakim exhorted the newly ordained to commit to the living faith.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, His Holiness Karekin II offered his Pontifical blessings to the ranks of deacons and newly appointed deacons of the Mother See. Congratulating the deacons on the occasion of the feast, the Catholicos of All Armenians urged them to live with devotion and commitment, as spiritual servants bearing the distinguished consciousness of martyrdom.

His Holiness offered his Pontifical love and appreciation to the deacons, wishing them fruitful service. The Catholicos of All Armenians emphasized that deacons inspire hope and optimism for the future of our Church.

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