The glorious consecration ceremony of St. Mary’s church in Karadouran

On Sunday, the 18th of October 2009 his Holiness Aram I the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia consecrated the reconstructed church of St. Mary in Karadouran, Kessab.
While the attending multitude was chanting the hymn ‘Amen Alelouya’, his Holiness anointed the holy altar and the main pillars of the church, then he invited his eminences Bishops Shahan and Noaryr to anoint the four corners of the church.
After the consecration ceremony was over, his Holiness Aram I shared an intimate speech with his fellow Armenians. He said that Armenian people wherever they have gone, they have constructed churches next to their homes. He also added saying that we should not only go to church, we should incorporate the church in our lives, because he said the moral of the church is presented by the presence of Jesus Christ in every aspect of our daily lives.  Regarding the spiritual and the national nature that characterize the Armenian church, he said that the Armenian church is not, and had never been throughout our history, the edifice made up of stones, iron, wood, mud…etc; The Armenian Church is not only a place where we attend holy masses, practice our rites and share spiritual secrets, But the Armenian church is where our alphabet was found; the Armenian church was who brought the faith of God to our people and led them to fight for that faith; it was who gave birth to spiritual values and spiritual thinkers such as Narekatsi and Shenorhali who enjoyed an intimate relation with God and were in an immediate communication with him via prayers. Their luminosity has drawn us closer to God, and although they have left this world, their voice continues to speak to us.
His holiness was accompanied by his eminence Bishop Shahan Sarkissian, Bishop Norayr Ashekian, Father Vahan Berberian, Father Krikor Chiftjian, Father Sipan Kechejian, friar Mesrob Sarkisian, friar Ghevont Pentezian and friar Varant Kortmosian. Present were also envois representing the diocese in regional and political summits. Present was also the general benevolent of the project, Mr. Sebouh Manjikian.
After the holly mass, the crowd headed to the gates of the church where his Holiness blessed the offerings to be sacrificed on the occasion. Then his holiness inaugurated the monumental marble stone fixed to the wall while the crowd was singing the ‘Kilikia’ and the ‘I veh partsants’ songs.
One day earlier on Saturday, the 17th of October 2009 his eminence prelate Bishop Shahan Sarkissian headed the rite of ‘opening the gates’ ‘terenpats’ of the reconstructed St. Mary’s church in Karadouran.
Related sites:
http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/doc/English/visitsarchiveseng.htm#5