Today, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the foremost of the four feasts dedicated to the Holy Cross and the last of the five major feasts of the Church.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me\u201d (Matthew 16:24). These words of Christ teach us that to be a Christian means to renounce a self-centered life. <\/p>\n
On September 17, a festive Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Stepanakert. The celebrant was Rev. Fr. Matthew Priest Dravants, who, in his sermon, congratulated the faithful on this great feast and highlighted the significance of the Cross in Christianity. He emphasized that \u201cthe Cross is the victorious weapon of the Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the occasion of the feast, as an expression of love and care for the people of Artsakh, local grapes were distributed to the participants of the liturgy. This initiative was organized by the president of the \u201cJermolio\u201d Association, Teresa Mkitaryan, and her colleagues. The grapes were provided through the Artsakh Diocese\u2019s \"YNTSA\" social-spiritual-psychological center with the help of youth union members.<\/p>\n\n\t\t