Irish Armenian Community Celebrates the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varag

28 Sept

On Sunday, 27 September, the Armenian community in Ireland gathered at Christ Church in Dundrum to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varag with a special Divine Liturgy. The celebrant was His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

In his sermon, Bishop Hovakim recounted the story of the Holy Cross of Varag and reflected on the meaning of the Cross in Christian life. Once an instrument of suffering and death, the Cross has become, through Christ, a life-giving sign of God’s love. It calls us to respond to hatred with love, to suffering with forgiveness, and to death with the hope of new life.

Bishop Hovakim also recalled the 44-day war in Artsakh and the pain and loss carried by Armenian families and communities. He emphasised that faith in the Cross does not mean expecting a life free from suffering. Rather, the Cross gives us the strength to face suffering without surrendering to despair. It reminds us that pain, loss and even death do not have the final word.

Reflecting on the Armenian tradition of the flowering cross, Bishop Hovakim spoke of life emerging where all seemed lost. He encouraged the community to remain united, to care for one another and to hold fast to love and hope. He recalled St Paul’s words: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).

The Divine Liturgy concluded with a special hokehankist prayer of remembrance. Afterwards, the community gathered for a meal organised by the Ladies’ Guild of the Dublin Parish Council, sharing fellowship on this special feast day.

The Story of the Holy Cross of Varag

The Feast of the Holy Cross of Varag holds a special place in the Armenian Church. According to Armenian tradition, St Hripsime carried a small relic of the Cross on which Christ was crucified. While travelling through Armenia with her companions, she entrusted the relic to monks on Mount Varag, near Lake Van, where it was hidden for safekeeping.

Centuries later, the tradition tells us, the monks Todik and Hovel prayed for the relic to be revealed. A vision of radiant columns of light and the sign of the Cross led to its discovery. Catholicos Nerses III subsequently travelled to Mount Varag, and a church was built there in honour of the Holy Cross.