On Saturday evening, at the end of the Vespers dedicated to the feast of St Gregory the Illuminator, which was held at the Cathedral in Antelias, His Holiness Aram I addressed the clergy, seminarians and the pilgrims, and spoke of the past and present meanings of sainthood, illuminator and pilgrimage.

Sainthood is a gift of God that some human beings have attained through their lifestyle. In the Armenian Church, sainthood has been bestowed on those who have become the living church through their exemplary lives. After mentioning the beatification of the one-and-a-half million martyrs in 2015 on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, His Holiness Aram I spoke of St Gregory the Illuminator. He said that the light St Gregory brought to our people during his lifetime has accompanied us throughout our history and has kept our hope alive.

In his conclusion, the Catholicos described pilgrimage as the tangible expression of faith and commitment. He said: “Membership in the Church means being on a pilgrimage. The Church and the celebrating of the feasts of the saints invites the faithful to renew and reconfirm their journey of faith, and leads them to the second coming of Christ.”