On Sunday, April 24, 2022, H.G. Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Prelate, on the occasion of the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, celebrated Divine Liturgy and with the relics of the Holy Martyrs conducted the blessing of water at Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Encino. Archpriest Fr. Razmig Khatchadourian assisted during the Liturgy. H.E. Archbishop Yeprem Tabakian and H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian participated in the water blessing service.
During his sermon, the Prelate first spoke about the importance and value of the eternal life given to man by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, then recalled the memory of the 1.5 million Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, stating; “For the sake of their Armenian-Christian identity, the ancestors submitted to the Turkish genocide, experienced unspeakable bitterness, and by walking through Golgotha and death, inherited the afterlife as saints.” The Prelate continued, “Today, they are conveying a message to all of us, that the Armenian Church is sending a call in our lives: ‘O children of Hayk, be united and live as one.’”
The Prelate emphasized that April 24 opens a new page in the individual and communal life of Armenians and invites us to realize that we as a nation have no choice but to come together, become one force and fight in the name of the homeland, Artsakh and the steadfastness of the Armenian Church.
