With the blessing of Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Bulgaria, Archimandrite Isahak Poghosyan, at the initiative of spiritual pastor of the Holy Cross Armenian Church of Burgas, Priest Poghos Mikayelyan and spiritual pastor of the St. Sargis Armenian Church of Varna, Priest Bartughimeos Hakobyan, on May 5, on the occasion of the Feast of Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a crowd of faithful Armenians of Varna made a pilgrimage to Burgas where the local faithful Armenians greeted them with great excitement at the church of Burgas. Priest Hrach Muradyan of Plovdiv and Priest Tirayr Hatavyan of Ruse had also arrived in Burgas, as reported the press divan of the Armenian Diocese of Bulgaria.

The grand Divine and eternal Liturgy was served by Priest Hrach Muradyan, and Priest Bartughimeos Hakobyan gave his sermon. In his sermon, His Holiness particularly urged the faithful Armenians to stay true to the faith according to which the Ascension of Christ is not separation. “When Christ Ascended, He didn’t leave us alone, but left so that the Holy Consoling Spirit could come and guide us in our spiritual life at all times. Today we are constantly guided by Christ in the eternal presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us keep our faith strong. Let us never forget that the Lord is with us, and our power lies in this truth, as Paul the Apostle declared in his apostolic paper-“If God is for us, who can be against us?””

The Divine and eternal Liturgy ended with a Patriarchal Wish. During the ceremony, the Holy Fathers and the gathered prayed for the protection of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the longevity of the 132^nd patriarch, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

Afterwards, the pilgrims from Varna participated in the “Feast of Love” where they tasted the meals prepared by the parish of the Holy Cross Armenian Church of Burgas. During the event, the pilgrims expressed their words of gratitude to His Holiness and the Holy Fathers who made their pilgrimage unforgettable, to the faithful Armenians of Burgas for organizing such a reception under the leadership of the spiritual pastor, as well as to Chairperson of the Diocesan Council of the Armenians of Bulgaria Andranik Shakaryan, who took care of the travel expenses for the pilgrims.