Holy Martyrs Church of Encino marked its name day and 56th anniversary of consecration with Episcopal Divine Liturgy and blessing of madagh, celebrated and conducted by Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, with the assistance of Archpriest Razmig Khatchadourian at the altar. The celebration took place on Sunday, November 3.
Having just returned from the Catholicosate Central Executive meetings in Antelias, the Prelate first and foremost conveyed the blessings of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, and referencing the volatile situation in the Middle East, prayed for peace and safety for the people of Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
During his sermon, Prelate Mardirossian referred to the following verses; “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” from the Beatitudes, and “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it,” from Luke 8:21 of the day’s Gospel reading. Noting that the Armenian Apostolic Church observed the Feast of All Saints the previous day, the Prelate stated that our saints, old and new, known and unknown, lived their lives as mother and brothers of Christ, and they were blessed and inherited the earth for their meekness.
Posing the question as to what constitutes meekness, the Prelate stated that the meek are those who seek God’s presence throughout their lives, who profess the Lord, who, enriched by the fruits of the Holy Spirit, live with love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22 – 23), and reflect His love for mankind.
Prelate Mardirossian stated that the saints were not all miracle workers, adding that we have saints among us today and we, too, can resemble our saints through our meekness, by recognizing the need for Christ in our lives, accepting Him in our hearts with love and joy, abiding by His Word, and welcoming the Holy Spirit to reside in our souls.
The Prelate urged for all to take this occasion of the Church’s name day celebration to become renewed in faith, in confession, and in familiarity with God’s Word, so that we may be enriched by the fruits of the Holy Spirit and enjoy His presence always. He concluded by congratulating the parish family and commending the parish pastor, delegates, board, and ladies guild members, altar servers, and choir members for their service.
At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, the Prelate presided over requiem service and blessed the madagh, which was sponsored by Janette Vartazarian in memory of her husband Razmig. Prayers were offered for the souls of all departed Church religious and lay servants.
The service concluded with Cilicia.
