An Unbroken Chain of Grace
Our pilgrimage reached its final stop at the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, where we were received with a Hrashapar service and had the joy of meeting with His Beatitude Patriarch Sahak II Mashalian.
As the hymns filled the sacred walls of the Patriarchate, I felt immense joy and deep humility. After traveling through the lands where generations of Armenians lived, prayed, created, suffered, and remained faithful, we ended our journey in a place that has been a beating heart of Armenian faith, spirituality, and culture for centuries.
It was a fitting conclusion to our pilgrimage.
For our Eastern Diocese, the Armenian Patriarchate carries special meaning. Our first clergymen and our first Primate came from this historic Holy See. To stand before its altar was to remember that our ministry today did not begin with us. We are inheritors, links in an unbroken chain of grace stretching across generations.
Scripture says, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… let us run with perseverance the race that lies before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Throughout this pilgrimage, that cloud of witnesses felt very near. We encountered their presence in ancient churches and monasteries, in ruined sanctuaries, in prayers still remembered, and in the faith that has survived every hardship.
I am deeply grateful to His Beatitude Patriarch Sahak II for his gracious invitation and warm, brotherly welcome. In his presence and pastoral care, we experienced the living spirit of this ancient Patriarchate. His welcome reminded us that although the Armenian Church is scattered throughout the world, we remain one family.
Our pilgrimage may be ending, but the journey of faith continues.
The chain of grace remains unbroken only when the faith we have received becomes the faith we live and pass on.
As we return home, may we carry the faith of our ancestors, live it with courage, and pass its light to those who come after us, so that, through God’s grace, the chain remains unbroken, and the light of Christ will continue to shine from generation to generation.
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