His Holiness Catholicos Aram I Celebrates the Antelias Pilgrimage Day and the Feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator

The Antelias Pilgrimage Day and the feast commemorating St. Gregory the Illuminator’s descent into the pit (Khor Virab) were celebrated at the Catholicosate of Cilicia on Sunday, April 6, 2025. The occasion included a grand pontifical procession featuring seminarians, clergy from the Cilician Brotherhood, the Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon, Lebanese Armenian scouts, and the faithful. During the procession, His Holiness and the clergy carried the sacred relic of St. Gregory along with other saints, touring the Catholicosate and blessing the faithful.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, presided over the Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated by HE Archbishop Shahe Panossian. In his sermon, Archbishop Panossian emphasized the significance of St. Gregory’s descent as a pivotal moment in Armenia’s adoption of Christianity. He encouraged the community to support the church with love and care while praying for the prosperity of the Armenian Church.

As part of the Divine Liturgy, the pontifical procession with the sacred relics encircled the Catholicosate before returning to the Altar, where His Holiness Catholicos Aram I performed the blessing of the water ceremony.

The relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator, St. Sylvester, St. Nicholas, and St. Barsauma were placed on the altar for the people to venerate.

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This news was originally published on the website of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, Antelias, Lebanon.