BISHOP MESROP’S LENTEN MESSAGE 2025

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We have entered the Season of Lent, and I want you to know that I will be praying for each and every one of you as you take this journey of reflection and preparation for the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ at Easter.
Great Lent is a time of many rich traditions in our Armenian Apostolic Church. It’s a time to engage in prayer, fasting, and giving—practices that open the door to God’s grace. I encourage you to take part in them and to be enriched in your spiritual life. Open yourself to the great love that God has for you. Listen for His voice and where it calls you.

Lent also reminds us of our need for repentance and the honest recognition that we are sinners who fall short of God’s glory. To many in the modern world, the very concept of sin seems old-fashioned. Yet, sin is part of our human nature; brokenness is our human condition.

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A LEGACY OF FAITH AND COURAGE

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Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Ghevont, the priest, and his clergy brothers. In the fifth century, when our people faced one of the greatest threats in their history and the Persian Empire sought to erase Armenia’s Christian identity, St. Ghevont and his clergy brothers stood boldly with the Armenian army for their faith and their nation, defying impossible odds.

On the eve of the Battle of Avarayr, May 24, AD 451, when the enemy was closing in, St. Ghevont gathered the soldiers, celebrated Badarak, administered Holy Communion, and even baptized those who had not yet been received into the church. And with his words, he reminded them about the love of God and that no battle, no hardship, not even death itself, could separate them from His love.

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VARTAN MAMIGONIAN

Vartan Mamigonian was the leader of the Armenians in the decisive battle of Avarayr, and although outnumbered, the Armenians put up a valiant defense. Vartan and many of his soldiers were killed, but the Persians suffered greater casualties and with this battle the Persians recognized the strong commitment the Armenians had for their Christian faith.

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STS. GHEVONT AND PRIESTS

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After the battle of Vartanants, a number of priests and deacons were abducted by the Persian king and imprisoned, tortured and martyred. Ghevont is revered as the leader of the group because he was an advisor to Vartan Mamigonian, and is remembered for the inspiring message he delivered on the eve of the battle of Avarayr. Ghevont, who was highly educated, assisted …

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SAINTS MARK THE BISHOP, PIONIUS THE PRIEST, CYRIL AND BENJAMIN THE DEACONS

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Commemoration of Saints Mark the Bishop, Pionius the Priest, Cyril and Benjamin the Deacons, and Martyrs Abdelmseh, Ormistan, and Sayen.

During the reign of King Yazdegerd I of Persia (399–420), severe persecutions arose against the Christians living in Persia, forcing them to renounce Christianity and return to fire worship. Among the many martyrs of that time was Deacon Benjamin, who, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, fearlessly preached and evangelized, converting many from sorcery to the worship of the true God.

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ST. SAHAG BARTEV

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This Saturday, February 22, the Armenian Church commemorates Catholicos Sahag (Isaac) Bartev, a strong and great leader who is recognized as one of the greatest saints of the Armenian Church. His accomplishments, even under very difficult political situations, secured the survival of the Armenian nation. He was the son of St. Nerses the Great and a descendant of St…

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HOLY VOSKIAN PRIESTS

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The Armenian Church remembers the Holy Voskian priests—five men who were sent to Rome as ambassadors by the Armenian king, Sanadrook. On the road to Rome they met the Apostle Thaddeus who converted and baptized them…

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COMMEMORATION OF STS. VOSKIANS PRIESTS

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Sts. Voskians were five ambassadors sent by the Roman Emperor to the Armenian King Sanatruk in the 1st century. During their time in Armenia, they encountered St. Bartholomew the Apostle and, inspired by his preaching, were baptized and converted to Christianity.

One of them, Khrussi (whose name in Armenian means “Voski pronounced Vosgi” or “Gold”), was ordained into the holy order of priesthood…

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FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

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Today, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord, the moment when the forty-day-old baby Jesus was brought to the temple by His mother, Mary, and Joseph. They came to fulfill the law, to offer a sacrifice, to do what was expected. But what seemed like an ordinary ritual became an extraordinary revelation!

Because in that temple, there were two people who had been waiting, watching, believing. Simeon, a devout man, and Anna, a prophetess—two people who refused to give up, who held onto hope when it seemed like nothing was changing. And on that day, their faith was rewarded!

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PRESENTATION OF THE LORD TO THE TEMPLE

In the temple, a righteous and devout man named Simeon to whom it had been revealed that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord, took Jesus in his arms, blessed God and said, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for…

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