– Engagements With Spiritual, National, Educational Institutions And Representatives
– Divine Liturgy, Sermon, Blessing Of Madagh, And Name Day Celebration On The Feast Of St. Gregory The Illuminator’s Descent Into The Pit
From Friday, April 4 to Sunday, April 6, 2025, H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the United States, conducted a three-day pastoral visit to the Armenian community of San Francisco. Throughout his visit, H.E. Archbishop Khacherian, offered spiritually enriching messages and heartfelt words of encouragement to all ages, students, educators, scouts and their leaders, national figures, community representatives, church volunteers, benefactors, and faithful parishioners.
Friday, April 4, 2025
H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian visited St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church’s Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan (KZV) Armenian School. H.E. Archbishop Khacherian was accompanied by Rev. Fr. Artsakh Badoyan, Pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of San Francisco, Mr. Rostom Aintablian, member of the Central Executive Council of the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia, and Mr. Matt Senekeremian, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The delegation was warmly welcomed by Mrs. Grace Andonian, Principal of Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School, along with faculty and students. The Prelate also joined the students and staff for lunch.
During a comprehensive tour of the school, Archbishop Khacherian visited each classroom, engaging with students and gaining insight into their academic and extracurricular programs. The Prelate offered reassuring words of encouragement to the students with a heartfelt message stating, “Though we may be physically distant, you have a permanent place in my thoughts and in my heart”.
That evening, Archbishop Khacherian presided over the Lenten Vigil Service at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church and delivered a spiritual reflection centered on a poignant line from Catholicos St. Nerses the Gracious’ (Shnorhali) poem Morning of Light, “O Jesus called Love, crush my stony heart with Your Love.”
Saturday, April 5, 2025
At 11:00 AM, with the initiative of Archbishop Khacherian a special meeting was convened with local Armenian organizations and institutions at the Armenian Senior Citizens Center. Participants included members and representatives from the ARF Krisdapor Chapter, both local Armenian National Committee chapters, Armenian Relief Society Garin and Erepouni Chapters, Homenetmen San Francisco and Ani Chapters, and the Hamazkayin Nigol Aghpalian Chapter, as well as KZV’s Principal, School Board Chair, Rev. Fr. Artsakh Badoyan, pastor and Mr. Matt Senekeremian, chairperson of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church.
Rev. Fr. Artsakh Badoyan welcomed attendees and expressed his appreciation for H.E. Archbishop Khacherian’s initiative in organizing the meaningful and beneficial gathering and thanked the organization members and representatives for their presence at this important meeting.
Archbishop Khacherian, in turn, warmly welcomed all attendees acknowledged the important roles each organization plays in the life of the Armenian community of San Francisco and our nation. The Prelate also spoke about the upcoming Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, to the Western Prelacy, scheduled for October 2025, noting that St. Gregory the Illuminator Church and the San Francisco Armenian community would be one of the key Western Prelacy communities His Holiness Aram I will be visiting.
In the evening, Archbishop Khacherian attended a dinner-reception held in his honor at Saroyan Hall of the Khachaturian Armenian Community Center. During the evening Archbishop Khacherian engaged in warm conversations with members of the Board of Trustees, Ladies Guild, and delegates. In his Welcoming remarks Rev. Fr. Artsakh Badoyan thanked Archbishop Kegham Khacherian for his care, attention and commitment to the San Francisco parish.
In his remarks, the Prelate praised the devotion of parish volunteers, emphasizing that service in the House of God holds enduring value and strengthens both the church and the nation building mission of the Armenian people. The Prelate then elaborated on the upcoming Pontifical visit of His Holiness Aram I and called for the formation of a special committee, under the leadership of the Board of Trustees, to begin preparations for welcoming His Holiness Aram I to San Francisco.
In reference to His Holiness Aram I’s proclamation of 2025 as the “Year of the Revitalization of Traditions,” H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian offered practical recommendations to fulfill the points outlined in the proclamation and encouraged the parish leadership to carry out their responsibilities with care and devotion.
Sunday, April 6, 2025
In celebration of the Feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s Descent into the Pit, Archbishop Kegham Khacherian celebrated Divine Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church. The Prelate delivered a sermon and conducted the blessing of the offering (madagh), extending congratulations to St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic church on its name day, and to all bearing the name Gregory, and conveyed his well wishes to the parish and broader Armenian community of San Francisco.
In his sermon, Archbishop Khacherian recounted the story of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the first Catholicos of Christian Armenia, who was thrown into a deep pit yet remained alive for 13 years by God’s divine providence. Interpreting this miracle, Archbishop Khacherian emphasized that St. Gregory’s survival was a result of his unshakable faith in Jesus Christ, which enabled him to endure the pit and fulfill God’s divine plan for the Armenian nation. The Prelate elaborated, “After surviving for 13 years, St. Gregory the Illuminator emerged from the pit, healed Armenian King Tiridates (Dertad), who then proclaimed Christianity the official religion of Armenia.”
Archbishop Khacherian also spoke about the establishment of the pilgrimage feast at the Holy See of Cilicia in Lebanon in 1931, initiated by Catholicos Sahag II, in connection with the Feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s Descent into the Pit. The Prelate provided detailed explanations and noted, “St. Gregory the Illuminator established Christianity in Armenia not only as a church but also as a new identity for our land and people.”
Following the Divine Liturgy, memorial prayers were offered in the church courtyard during the blessing of the offering (madagh). Archbishop Khacherian commemorated departed community volunteers, past members of the Board of Trustees and Ladies Guild, and especially recently departed Mr. Sako Bezjian, whose father, Mr. Garbis Bezjian, a member of the Western Prelacy Executive Council, had graciously sponsored the day’s madagh in loving memory of his beloved son.
