Amid the Wonders of the Holy Land, 33 Young Adults Find a Deeper Connection to Their Christian and Armenian Roots

By Kiersten Johnston

As they traced the footsteps of Christ during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land this month, a group of 33 young leaders had an opportunity to strengthen their faith and gain a deeper understanding of biblical history. During the 9-day journey, June 9-18, pilgrims engaged in thought-provoking Bible study sessions, took part in badarak services—and learned about 1,600 years of Armenian presence in the Holy Land.

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July 2, 2012

The pilgrimage was led by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern). Assisting the Primate were the Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of New York's St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, and Dn. Justin Ajamian, deacon-in-charge at St. Sarkis Church of Dallas, Texas.

"I felt blessed to have another opportunity to travel with a group of Armenian pilgrims to the Holy Land, which is the birthplace of our Christian faith the holy apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew brought to Armenia," Fr. Chevian said.

The pilgrimage began in the birthplace of Jesus: Bethlehem. The bustling early morning hours were spent celebrating the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Nativity, where the young pilgrims served as the choir, as they would throughout the services in the days to come.

In his words that morning, Archbishop Barsamian set the tone for the journey awaiting the group: "The ground we are standing on is where Christ's journey began.... When the baby Jesus opened his eyes for the first time, to look up at the night sky, he was looking upon the stars that he had created, untold ages before. With those same eyes, our Lord spent his earthly ministry looking at the landscape around us, with many of its landmarks still in place since that time."

"Now, you too have reached this place," the Primate continued. "You are having this experience. And we as a group will be able to share that experience, as we embark on a journey that has the power to shape us, and direct us, throughout our lives."

Following the service the group proceeded to the Armenian monastery and later walked through the Shepherds' Field, where the angels passed on the joyous news of Christ's birth.

The Jordan River, where Christ was baptized by St. John the Baptist, was the first destination of the following day, where the pilgrims took part in the "Blessing of the Water" ceremony led by Archbishop Barsamian.

Still tracing Christ's footsteps, the group braved the desert temperatures to view the Mount of the Temptation. "We felt the intensity of the heat for only a few hours. But we could never imagine what Christ experienced during the long days of his time," recalled Olivia Derderian, an ACYOA Central Council member from the St. Gregory the Enlightener Church in White Plains, N.Y.

Experiencing this physical aspect of Christ's ministry instilled a new appreciation and humility in everyone. The group found relief from the suffocating humidity in a visit to the Dead Sea, where everyone relaxed in the water and reveled in its history.

Helping the Patriarchate

In Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter the following day, at the Armenian Patriarchate, the ACYOA Central Council presented a check for $1,000 to Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, the Patriarchal Vicar. The Diocesan youth organization makes such a contribution to the Armenian Patriarchate every year, to honor those who sustain the Armenian presence in Jerusalem.

"Any little bit we can do to help is beneficial," said Ani Grigorian, a Central Council member from St. Mesrob Church in Racine, Wis. "Knowing that the ACYOA Central Council is giving back what they can and playing a part in that is a very fulfilling feeling."

On a tour of the Patriarchate, the pilgrims saw the Calouste Gulbenkian Library, home to countless rare volumes; and the Holy Archangels Church, site of the prison where Jesus was tortured before his crucifixion. Tradition identifies a nearby tree as the one to which Christ was tied for scourging by the Roman soldiers.

The pilgrims especially enjoyed their glimpse into life at the Sts. Tarkmanchants School. The school holds its students to high standards which include learning a minimum of four languages. Most of the students also participate in sports, with soccer being a particular favorite.  

The tour concluded with lunch alongside some of the members of the Brotherhood of Sts. James and after that a vespers service in Sts. James Cathedral. There, in the holy atmosphere of one of the cathedral's many altars, the pilgrims had their most memorable experience of the day, when they saw one of their peers, Noel Dawood of the St. George Church of Waukegan, Ill., receive the sacrament of chrismation from Archbishop Khajag Barsamian.

A day trip took the group two hours north of Jerusalem, to Jesus' home province of Galilee. They visited Mount Tabor, the mountain of the Transfiguration; the Church of Beatitudes on the site of the Sermon on the Mount; Nazareth, the town where the Holy Family lived; Capernaum, the home town of the disciple Peter; Cana where Christ performed his first miracle at a wedding; and Tabgha, where Christ multiplied the loaves and fishes.

The last stop was the Sea of Galilee—an important site throughout Jesus' ministry, where he walked on water and saved his disciple Peter from drowning. The boat ride on the Sea of Galilee sparked powerful spiritual feelings in the pilgrims. In that atmosphere Fr. Mardiros Chevian led them in meditation. As the sun moved over the sea towards the horizon, the group listened closely to his words on the storms of life, and how faith can overcome doubt.

Endings and Beginnings

On the next day the pilgrims visited the Chapel of St. Polyeuctes: site of a 6th-century Armenian mosaic that represents one of the earliest examples of the Armenian written language. Its powerful inscription reads: "To the memory and salvation of the souls of Armenians, whose names are known to God alone."

With these words in mind, the pilgrims made their way back to Jerusalem via the Mount of Olives, walking the path that Christ did on Palm Sunday. In Jerusalem they paused at the Pool of Bethesda, where Christ healed the paralyzed man, before walking the "The Way of the Cross." As it did for Jesus, that trail ended for them with the site of Christ's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection—enshrined within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

"The pilgrimage came to an end and beginning here," explained Jonathan Pelaez, an ACYOA Central Council member from the St. Mary Church of Livingston, N.J. "This was where Jesus died and rose. This was the end of our pilgrimage—and the beginning of a new perspective on life."

That evening, the pilgrims had an opportunity to meet with local youth in the Armenian Quarter. They joined together in dancing and singing, and viewed a strongly contested soccer match that energized the entire group.

Before their departure from the Holy Land, they would meet with the local Armenian community once more for a farewell celebration at the Shahanian family residence located within the Armenian monastery. They also engaged in a discussion on the Armenian presence in Jerusalem with resident historian Kevork Hintlian. The pilgrims expressed their gratitude to the local community for the warm welcome and hospitality.

Early the next day, the group returned to the Holy Sepulcher. Travelling in silence through dark alleys and under ancient arches, they arrived at the tomb of Christ, where Archbishop Barsamian celebrated the badarak at 4 a.m., with several of the pilgrims serving on the altar alongside him, and the entire group joining their voices together in the singing of the sharagans.

In an unexpected final ceremony which lifted their spirits even higher, Archbishop Barsamian performed a traditional ring-blessing ceremony over fellow pilgrims Nadia Silk and Vache Soghomonian, who had become engaged during the pilgrimage.

"The entire pilgrimage was surreal," said Vache, who hails from the St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church of Wynnewood, Pa. "We do not understand the magnitude of our journey, until we pull away from it."

His new fiancée Nadia, from Holy Trinity Church in Cheltenham, Pa., said she would always carry with her a concern for the welfare of her countrymen in the holy city. "Every Armenian that we talked to, whether lay-person or clergy, said the best thing we could do was pray for Jerusalem. As Jesus did."

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Photos attached.

Photo 1: Pilgrims pose for a group photo outside the Church of the Nativity of Christ.

Photo 2: Pilgrims prepare for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.

Photo 3: Archbishop Barsamian performed the “Blessing of the Water” ceremony and presented the cross used for the ceremony to Enna Tunyan, a pilgrim from St. Sarkis Church of Charlotte, N.C.

Photo 4: Noel Dawood of St. George Church of Waukegan, Ill., was chrismated by Archbishop Barsamian at Sts. James Cathedral.

Photo 5: The Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian leads a discussion at the Basilica of the Annunciation, in Nazareth.

Photo 6: Archbishop Barsamian gives a sermon at the Holy Grotto in Bethlehem.