Feast of the Nativity Celebrations

Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America

Pontifical Celebration of the Divine Liturgy on The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, January 6, 2016. At the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, the day’s celebrant was His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, who was assisted at the Holy Altar by His Grace Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan, the Grand Sacristan of the Mother See and His Grace Bishop Mushegh Babayan, the Director of Administration-Operations Department of the Mother See.

The Pontifical Canopy Holders were Mother See benefactors Mikayel Vardanyan and Karen Vardanyan, Aram Ananyan, the director of Armenpress News Agency, and Tigran Davtyan, Executive Director of “Converse Bank, CJSC” as His Holiness made his way with the President of Armenia from the Pontifical residence to the Cathedral.

Hundreds of faithful participated in the service. Among the dignitaries in attendance were Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, the President of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Galust Sahakyan, Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, Prime Minister, government officials, and representatives of diplomatic missions.

Below is the message of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians in its entirety delivered on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, our Lord.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

Dear Pious Faithful,

The Good News of Christmas has led us to our churches, so that with joy and spiritual awe we bow in front of the manger of baby Jesus, the Savior of the world.

Christ was born in the manger in Bethlehem, and through coming of the Savior to the world, the journey of return, reconciliation with God and of salvation, was initiated for those who fell away from Him because of sin. With the mystery of the incarnation of His Son, God turned mankind into heirs of the heavenly kingdom and through Him showed the path of being worthy of such glory in accord with the song of praises of the angels: “and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

The incarnate Son of God with His saving mission changed the course of history by calling upon mankind to establish their life on the principle of love and peace. Christ is granting humanity the greatest gift of the world, His peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John14:27), says the Lord.

The most significant contemporary challenge responding to Christ’s call and invitation to a life of peace is the disruption of peace in the life of individuals, communities and governments. Humanity entered the 21st century with great unrest. Conflicts, clash of geopolitical interests, crises and humanitarian disasters continue to disrupt the world, sowing intolerance and mistrust and spreading devastation, poverty, and suffering. Across societies moral values are distorted. Lies, addiction, murder and vice are commonplace, and the foundations of social and family life are being shaken. The terrorist organizations who preach extremist ideologies in the name of faith spread death and destruction especially in the Middle East, where along with other nations the children of our nation also suffer.

Through these destructive and deadly situations humanity is trying to find a way out, and in the state of uncertainty we hear in our souls the hopeful words of our Savior born in Bethlehem: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” The peace given to us by Christ is not the peace of this world which is uncertain and unstable. Christ’s peace is the peace of souls, which, anchored in the faith in God and in God’s word and commandments, transforms life. It dwells in a righteous heart, in truth, in justice, and it strengthens in the hearts of those who live with the of hope of eternity. Accordingly, the Apostle writes, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7).Truly, life is steady with the peace of a spirit filled with the love of God. Nothing is stable when the feeling of the presence of the Lord is diminished in mankind, and when everything from personal relationships to relations between nations is solely built on personal gains or coercion. Finding the peace of Christ means having love and happiness in families, and having solidarity and prosperity in civil society and countries. The Incarnate Son of God has given strength throughout the centuries to all nations in order to realize the joyous message of reconciliation with God and good will toward men. He gives us the strength to accept the heavenly saving grace which lives within us when we are joined to establishing peace, justice and to provide support and comfort. “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:18).

Dear pious children, in our national life as well it is an imperative to uphold the command of peace. For years our country has found itself blockaded between Turkey and Azerbaijan. The latter is committing provocations at our borders in order to trample the rights of the people of Artsakh to live freely. We believe that through initiation of peace and through strengthening of our faith in Christ, our people will turn their peaceful spirit into a stronghold against the aggression of the enemy, an indestructible shield against the encroachment of the borders of our homeland by heroically protecting our country and sacred values, and by a solid and united spirit, investing its efforts to overcome difficulties, to build our country, and our lives and communities around the world. Beloved, Christ is our might! Let us follow the messages of our Lord without doubt. According to the inspiring words of our Savior, let our hearts not be troubled or afraid. Let us not only take refuge in our weak human strength, but let us take refuge unto the blessing of God which can make the impossible possible for us. Let our guide be the spirit of service, love and devotion and our deeds born of the same spirit are a necessity to fulfill our visions of national awakening and the luminous future.

On this holy day of the birth of our Savior, let us send prayers together to heaven from our spirits, filled with joy, so that Christ our Lord may empower the souls of people with heavenly grace, faith, hope and love, in order to build a safe, peaceful and prosperous world. May the Lord also keep our nation and people in peace, bless our lives in this world and lead us into the everlasting light.

We say once more, as an exhortation, the perpetual prayer of the Holy Church of Christ: Peace be unto all!

With the marvelous good news of the Holy Nativity we greet the incumbents of the hierarchical sees our Apostolic Church Sees; His Holiness, Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; the Armenian Patriarch of Jersualem, Archbishop Nurhan Manoogian; the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian; and to all the oath-bound clergy of our Church. We convey our greetings to the heads of our Sister Churches. With Pontifical blessings we greet the President of Armenia, Serj Sarkissian and the first lady present here today for the Divine Liturgy. We extend our greetings to President Bako Sahakyan of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh; Armenia’s state officials, and the representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia. We bring our pontifical blessing to our entire nation by greeting you with a spirit of joy.

Christ is born and revealed,
Blessed is the revelation of Christ.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness presided over the “Blessing of the Water” ceremony, which in the Armenian tradition, also commemorates Christ’s Baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. The Godfather of the Cross was Colonel Jalal Harutyunyan, of the NKR Armed Forces. The Cross will be used to bless the soldiers who serve in military units across the nation’s border.

Following the service, a reception was held at the Alex and Marie Manoogian Treasury House Museum.

Feast of the Nativity at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral

“Armenian Christmas,” as it is popularly called, is a culmination of celebrations of events related to Christ’s Incarnation. Theophany or Epiphany (or Astvadz-a-haytnootyoon in Armenian) means “revelation of God,” which is the central theme of the Christmas Season in the Armenian Church. During the “Armenian Christmas” season, the major events that are celebrated are the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem and His Baptism in the River Jordan. The day of this major feast in the Armenian Church is January 6th. A ceremony called “Blessing of Water” is conducted in the Armenian Church to commemorate Christ’s Baptism.

At St. Leon Armenian Cathedral, the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was celebrated with tremendous zeal and reverence. More than one thousand faithful had filled the Cathedral’s sanctuary with thousands more awaiting outside to light candles and to say heartfelt prayers.

Prior to the start of the Morning Prayer Service, the Diocesan Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian met with the AGBU Scouts who would participate in the Christmas Divine Liturgy. His Eminence commended the youth for their initiative and explained the significance of the Miraculous Birth of the Savior in each of our lives.

At 10:30 a.m., assisted by the Rev. Fr. Mikayel Kyureghyan, the Rev. Fr. Khajag Shahbazyan, and the deacons of the Cathedral at the Holy Altar, the Primate celebrated the Divine Liturgy. The liturgical hymns were performed by the Khachadourian Choir under the conductorship of Deacon Stepan Gozumian. The Rev. Archpriest Fr. Arshag Khatchadourian participated in the service.

Click on the photo to watch the Christmas Divine Liturgy video

Among the dignitaries in attendance were His Excellency Valery Mkrtumyan, Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles; Joseph Kanimian, Esq., Chairman of the Diocesan Council; Diocesan benefactors and representatives of Armenian organizations. The Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith, Ecumenical Officer of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles was the ecumenical guest who participated in the service.

In his homily, the Primate stressed the significance of the Tabernacle feast in the Christian world. His Eminence stated “We are celebrating Christmas – the blessed Birth of Christ, our Lord, through which God enters into the life of the world, into the depths of our souls and brings to us all the New Life, a life renewed with new visions and aspirations to be the architects of peace and prosperity.

Christmas is the time, when God and man meet in the context of history. The Miraculous event reminds us all that the Birth of Christ is the journey of light graced upon us to live a life with Christ and perfect within of spirituality the Image of the Almighty.

Christmas is the time in our God-given lives to respond to God’s call and live the Gospel throughout the journey of our lives.

Christmas is the time for the faithful of our church and nation to foresee the spiritual rebirth of a martyred nation. A year ago, the entire nation commemorated the centennial of the Armenian Genocide and the world clearly witnessed that Armenians as a Christian nation have been a peace-loving and creative members of the world’s family of nations.

The celebration of Christmas becomes purposeful and meaningful when we make the commitment to instill in the hearts of our children the faith of our forefathers and heroic acts of history to inspire them with their Christian-national identity.”

A multitude of faithful received Holy Communion.

The Divine Liturgy was broadcast live on the Diocesan website and the Facebook page.

Home Blessing (Dunorhnek)

At 6:00 pm, on January 6, the Primate and Diocesan clergymen of the Greater Los Angeles area performed the Home Blessing (Dunorhnek) ceremony following an evening prayer service at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral.

Close to 500 people attended the traditional evening reception which followed the Home Blessing Dnorhnek service. Guests were treated to a reception at the Paul Brothers Galleria and enjoyed a festive celebration at the Nazareth and Sima Kalaydjian Hall featuring the wonderful dance performances by the talented children of Anoush Dance Studio.

During reception, which lasted more than three hours, the hundreds of faithful in attendance addressed their congratulatory wishes to the Primate.

Christmas Eve Service (Jurakaluytz)

Hundreds had gathered at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral on Tuesday, January 5, in celebration of the eve of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With the participation of Diocesan clergy, the service which was presided by Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the Diocesan Primate.

The Rev. Fr. Khajag Shahbazyan was the celebrant and homilist on the eve of the Feast. The “Juhrakaluyts” (lamp-lighting) service also featured scripture readings.

On behalf of the Parish Council and the auxiliary bodies of the Cathedral Parish, Fr. Khajag congratulated the Primate and the entire faithful on the occasion of the Miraculous Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

At the conclusion of the service, the faithful took part in a candle-lighting service where they received the light (News) of the Miraculous Birth of Christ from the clergymen.

Feast of the Nativity Celebrations at the Western Diocese

St. John Garabed Armenian Church – Hollywood, CA