The 170th anniversary of consecration of the St. Sargis Church of Varna was solemnly celebrated on the occasion of Holy Cross Day in Varaga on September 28.
On this occasion, spiritual pastor of the St. Sargis Church of Varna, Father, Priest Bartholomew Hakobyan served a Divine Liturgy, as reported on the “Kantegh Araratian” Armenian news portal of Bulgaria.
After the Divine Liturgy, the procession of deacons and secretaries led by the Holy Father came out to the churchyard where the Holy Father gave his blessings to the attending faithful and conveyed his message to them with the Cross and Bible.
The Holy Father congratulated everyone on the Church’s 170th anniversary, talked about the Armenian nation being selected by God as a Christian nation and always receiving God’s blessings and particularly mentioned: “Even 170 years ago, the Armenians living in this city felt that they were people bearing the legacy of God, and God helped them build this church.”
Among others attending the liturgy were chairman of the Diocesan Council of the Armenian Diocese of Bulgaria Andranik Shakaryan, chairman of the Parish Council of the St. Sargis Church Masis Bagdatyan and Mayor of Varna Ivan Portnikh.
Mayor Portnikh gave a speech in which he congratulated the faithful and said he had prayed for the health and welfare of every representative of the Armenian community of Varna during the Divine Liturgy. “The Armenian community is an inseparable part of the citizens of Varna,” the mayor said. Taking the opportunity, the members of the local Armenian community raised the issues related to the Armenian cemetery in Varna, and the mayor pledged to solve those issues as soon as possible.
Member of the Parish Council Edmon Martirosyan spoke on behalf of the Parish Council and briefly presented the 170-year history of the church, after which the little singers of the St. Sargis Culture Home of Varna and the members of the Gayane Marashlyan Dance Ensemble gave their performances.
The members of the Parish Council of the St. Sargis Church of Varna had prepared very well for the 170th anniversary celebration under the leadership of the Council’s chairman Masis Bagdatyan. They had started preparing weeks ago by preparing Armenian icons, Armenian-Bulgarian leaflets about the St. Sargis Church and decorating the church with flowers. They even hosted a reception for the guests and faithful in the churchyard following the festive event.
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