Catholic Archives

Armenian Catholics mark Christmas Eve

December 24, 2017 By administrator

Armenian Catholic Church is celebrating Christmas Eve on December 24.

Catholic Church today holds the same ceremonies as the Armenian Apostolic Church on January 5, Father Komitas Zaveyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“There will be a liturgical service during which the Old Testament prophets will be read. Later on the Catholics will bring candles to the house, and in the morning we will have a liturgy,” he said, noting that hundred Catholcis attended the liturgy.

Father Komitas Zaveyan added that on January 6 they will also celebrate the Christmas.

Roman Catholics and high church Anglicans traditionally celebrate Midnight Mass, which begins either at or sometime before midnight on Christmas Eve.

Catholic Armenians celebrate landmark mass in Turkey’s Izmir

August 16, 2017 By administrator

Turkey‘s Catholic Armenian community held a religious service on Monday, August 14 in the western city of Izmir’s St. John Cathedral Basilica, Daily Sabah reports.

The Mass bears importance for the community as it is the first time they were able to pray in the historic church in 95 years.

The 19th-century basilica, heavily damaged in the Great Izmir Fire in 1922, was handed over to the use of NATO troops based in the city in the 1960s and was left unused for decades before its restoration in 2013.

Rev. Vartan Kazanciyan from an Istanbul Armenian church presided over the religious service attended by some 150 people.

The basilica was among the properties returned to ethnic and religious minorities after decades of discriminatory state policies toward those minorities

Representatives of Greek, Armenian and Catholic church to pray together during Pope’s visit

May 17, 2014 By administrator

May 17, 2014 | 21:15

The representatives of Greek-Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic church will pray together inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during the visit of Pope Francis, the Vatican spokesman said.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi said the service would be “extraordinarily historic”.

Pope Francis will visit Jordan,the West Bank and Israel on May 24-26. Pope Francis has a heavy schedule during the three days 13 speeches or homilies, private audiences with leaders of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinians, meetings with patriarchs, muftis, rabbis and refugees, as well as symbolic visits to some of the holiest sites in Christianity, Islam and Judaism, the Vatican Radio reported.

Lombardi said the Pope will be accompanied by ‎Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Omar Abboud, a leader of Argentina’s Islamic community.