On September 27, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians granted the St. Gregory the Illuminator High Medal of Honor of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church to benefactors of the Mother See, Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Janet Mardigian as a token of high appreciation of their merit in the life of the Armenian Church and faithful Armenians, as reported the information system of the Mother See.

Prior to the award ceremony, a plaque was unveiled on the building of the Yeremyan Congregation located near the Mother See during a ceremony held under the direction of the Catholicos of All Armenians and with the participation of Mr. and Mrs.  Mardigian. After the ceremony, the guests were introduced to the conditions of the building, which was fully renovated through a sincere donation from Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Janet Mardigian.

The award ceremony began with the Lord’s Prayer, followed by a welcoming speech by Director of the Inter-Church Relations Office of the Divan of the Mother See, Fr. Priest Paruyr Avetisyan.

Among the attendees of the ceremony were members of the Board of Directors of the Fund for Armenian Relief of the U.S. Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who are in Armenia on the occasion of their annual assembly, under the leadership of Primate of the Diocese, President of the FAR, His Eminence, Fr. Archbishop Khazhak Parsamian and the Fund’s Executive Director Karnig Nanagoulian.