On the morning of April 13, the Easter Celebrations took place at the Armenian Patriarchal Cathedral of Virgin Mary in Kumkapı.
The celebration was broadcasted on the official Facebook account of the Patriarchate. The Eucharist was presented by Rev. Fr. Tatul Anushyan who was assisted bu Rev. Fr. Shirvan Murzyan. During the rite, Rev. Shinork Donikyan, Rev. Zakeos Ohanyan Rev. Yeğişe Uçkunyan were also present.
Hymns were performed by the organist Artur Baghdassarian accompanied by the voices of Father Natan Arapyan and Father Nerses Ayvazyan.
In his sermon in Armenian, Rev. Tatul Anushyan expressed the meaning and importance of the day.
He said: “The life of Jesus Christs starts in Bethlehem and goes towards Calvary; at the end of this road, he dies on the cross for our sins, and rises. Jesus was the Messiah and he is risen for the forgiveness of our sins. For this forgiveness, it is necessary to believe, to renew ourselves and be brave. Because life is a struggle. God successfully accomplished his plan. We have to implement this plan in our lives. This forgiveness is a door to the heaven. We can walk towards God with our will. Jesus Christ opened this way on the cross. We can reach the resurrection by overcoming the difficulties.”
At the end of the ritual, the Hokehankisd prayers were performed for those who passed away.
Then, cantor Artur Baghdasaryan is blessed as a chief cantor of the Armenian church by His Eminency the Patriarch.
The ceremony ended with the prayer of our Father in the Heaven.
