| Sharing the Inextinguishable Light of the Holy Orthodox Faith of Jesus Christ Re-dedicated on the Feast of St. Gregory the Enlightener, September 30th, 2018 |
| St. Gregory the Enlightener Institute |
| The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned... (St. Matthew 4:16) |
| St. Gregory the Enlightener of Armenia ~AD 301~ The 1st Christian Nation |
| Orthodox Christians maintain ancient expressions of Christianity. Armenians, for example, have a recorded history of over three thousand years and are the bearers of an ethnic and cultural patrimony which distinguishes them as one of the most ancient people in the world. Armenia's Mount Ararat is the place where Noah's Ark rested, making this historic homeland in eastern Anatolia a cradle of civilization. But more important than these is the fact that after two centuries of intense persecution upon those who adhered to the Christian faith brought there by the Holy Apostles Thaddaeus & Bartholomew, Armenia became the first nation on earth to "turn to God from idols, to serve the living and true God." This definitive conversion of the nation in A.D. 301 was accomplished through the preaching & sufferings of our father among the saints, Gregory the Enlightener, who established the Orthodox One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in Armenia. This pattern of evangelization, conversion and Apostolic Succession has been repeated in all Orthodox Churches down to our day. For example, St. Peter first went to Antioch and St. Paul evangelized throughout the Near East. St. Matthew went to Syria, St. Mark to Egypt, St. Philip to Asia Minor and St. John to Ephesus. St. Thomas went all the way to India before undergoing martyrdom. Finally both Sts. Peter and Paul went to Rome and were martyred there. St. Andrew the Apostle, brother of Peter, preached in Scythia, Asia Minor and Greece and was crucified in Achaia. Therefore, he is considered patron of the Church of Constantinople. Several centuries later in the 9th century, the bishop of Constantinople, Patriarch St. Photius the Great, sent Sts. Cyril and Methodius to be "Apostles to the Slavs." Eventually the Holy Orthodox Faith was brought to America by the North American Saints who helped establish the Orthodox Church in America. Today this autocephalous (completely self-governing) Church has its own American hierarchy, headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada, and is the only Eastern Church in America which is not dependent upon a foreign hierarch. Formerly under the Russian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church in America is comprised of Americans of all ethnic backgrounds and its services are typically entirely in English. These distinct qualities make the Orthodox Church in America unique, offering an indigenous expression of Orthodox Christianity in America, and providing a firm foundation for reaching our nation with the truth of Jesus Christ. Together with the other historic Orthodox Churches we comprise the Orthodox One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:4-6). Today western secular influences have greatly impacted the various churches and Christians. Many Christians in western society are sophisticated in everything except knowledge of their faith and, as a result, are easily swayed by the opinions of the world. Others study Christianity like an artifact in a museum or a specimen in a science lab. But unless the Orthodox Faith, Liturgy, hymns, feasts and fasts are internalized in our hearts and actualized in our lives, they do us no good. As Orthodox Christians, our Faith and Liturgy are meant to impact and be a meaningful part of our daily lives. Today many have lost, drifted away from, or abandoned the Holy Faith which the Apostles once preached, turning again to the idols of this world: materialism, secularism and even atheism. We need to turn, once again, from the darkness of error in the world to the light of the knowledge of God. To accomplish this we must return to the very source of our faith: Jesus Christ -the same Christ preached by the Apostles, St. Gregory the Enlightener and the Church Fathers. This "once for all delivered faith" (Jude 1:3) was entrusted to the Orthodox Church which Christ established (St. Mt. 16:16-18) and does not change (Heb 13:8). St. Cyprian of Carthage once wrote: "No one can have God for his Father, who does not have the Church for his mother." St. Paul the Apostle states that the Church is the “pillar and foundation of truth” (1 Tm 3:15). Just as St. Gregory brought the Gospel to the Armenians and Sts. Cyril and Methodius brought it to the Slavs, today we as Orthodox Christians are called to share the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ with our fellow Americans. Mission Statement: The St. Gregory the Enlightener Institute Website is meant to contribute to the above stated mission. Its goal is to be a multi-faceted website which provides valuable information for those interested in learning more about the ancient Orthodox Faith. It relates some of the great history and ecclesial tradition of the Orthodox and Armenian Churches and presents the great Orthodox theological tradition of the Christian East. |
| Thanks for visiting. The following pages are for your perusal: |
| Sub-Deacon Lazarus W. L. Der-Ghazarian, M.Th. was ordained in the Armenian Orthodox Church, underwent diaconal formation in the Armenian and Byzantine Traditions, and now is blessed to serve in the Orthodox Church in America. |
| St. Thaddaeus the Apostle One of the 1st to Enlighten Armenia: Martyred c. AD 50 |
| St. Bartholomew the Apostle One of the 1st to Enlighten Armenia: Martyred c. AD 68 |
| This is a personal web-site. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s). To the best of my knowledge the information is in full accord with the authentic Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. You may contact me with any questions or concerns (St. Mt. 18:15-17). (c) Copyright: 2001-2020, Lazarus Der-Ghazarian, looys.net, All Rights Reserved |
| Khatchkar: Traditional Armenian Stone Carving of the Holy Cross |
| "As for us, we shall glorify Him who was before the ages, worshipping the All-Holy Trinity and one Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen." -The words of St. Gregory the Enlightener upon his acceptance of the 1st Ecumenical Council |
| Holy Icons of those who first brought Christ's Light and evangelized Armenia |
Seasonal Highlighted Page: The Great Fast |
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| Highlighted Essay: Christ Over Conora: A Christian Response During Times of Disaster |
