Parish members and other community members packed Soorp Khatch Church of Bethesda, Maryland, last weekend as His Holiness Catholicos Aram I as he celebrated the Ponifical Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 12, assisted by His Eminence Archbishop Papken, Prelate of the Canadian Prelacy, and Bishop Torkom, Prelate of the Western Prelacy. The previous day, he had met with the youth following the Vespers service.
The liturgical ceremony was also followed by the faithful on a live-stream display in the parish hall too as the church was filled to capacity. It was one of the highlights in the intense schedule of His Holiness in his pontifical visit of the East Coast.
After service at Soorp Khatch on Saturday, His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, hailed the presence of His Holiness, which he regarded as a blessed occasion filled with spiritual renewal.
Catholicos Aram I underscored the fact that the church is the House of God and the faithful are its members who do not go just to attend a ritual ceremony. We have to become a church ourselves, he said, with conscientious and consistent participation.
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The Achahampouyr (kissing of the right hand) was followed by a meeting with the youth in a hall filled with young people and their parents. The conversation was coordinated by Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, who introduced His Holiness.
The Catholicos highlighted the importance of talking with the youth and not just giving suggestions or orders. He responded to all the questions posed to him, which were mostly related to the reorganization of the Diaspora, the renewal and the mission of the Armenian Church, and the maintenance of Armenian identity. His Holiness encouraged his audience to engage in Armenian life both through the church and various organizations.
On Monday, November 13, the Catholicos paid a visit to the ANCA offices in Washington accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan and the pontifical entourage.
His Holiness praised the ANCA’s tireless advocacy work, adding that the tragedy in Artsakh and the challenges Armenia faces in a threatening geopolitical context call for new strategies.
Since the beginning of his pontifical visit to the Eastern United States, the Catholicos’ packed agenda included the opening prayer in Congress and meetings with U.S. lawmakers on November 9, as well as the ambassadors of Lebanon (November 7) and Armenia (November 10), and a talk at George Washington University on November 10.
