In front of the altar of the Soorp Asdvadzadzin Cathedral in Ani Today, we visited Ani, once the magnificent capital of the Armenian kingdom. Ani was no small outpost. In 961, King Ashot III made it the capital of the Armenian kingdom, and under the Bagratuni dynasty it grew into something extraordinary. “A city of a thousand and one churches”, they used to say, a crossroads of merchants and monks, scholars and kings. Yet the king who helped make Ani magnificent is remembered

A suitcase can be packed in an afternoon. A soul takes longer to prepare. We fold our clothes, check the weather, gather our documents, and make sure we have everything we need. But a pilgrimage requires another kind of preparation. The heart must grow quiet, the mind attentive, and the soul open to whatever God desires to reveal. As the Psalmist writes, "Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage" (Psalm 84:5). Today, we begin our diocesan

On Sunday, August 30, I celebrated the last Episcopal Badarak at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral before its temporary closure for a comprehensive interior renovation. It was an emotional day for me and for our entire Cathedral community. These sacred walls hold generations of memories: baptisms and weddings, ordinations and funerals, joyful celebrations and quiet moments of prayer. Yet, in the language of faith, a last moment is often the beginning of something new. We are not