"A Path to Faith, Unity, and Creation": Armenian charitable organizations organizes pilgrimage to Tatev for third time

ArmInfo. For the third year in a  row, Armenian charitable organizations organized a pilgrimage to  Tatev on the last Saturday of May for prayer, spiritual renewal,  remembrance, and good deeds.

As reported to ArmInfo by the press service of the "We Are Our  Mountains" development agency, the pilgrimage, held with the blessing  of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) under the motto "A Path to  Faith, Unity, and Creation," brought together reputable Armenian  charitable, public, and community organizations, as well as pilgrims  and clergy. Each year, a project supporting local communities is  implemented as part of the pilgrimage. This year, the goal of the  pilgrimage was to create an educational playground, "Living Hive,"  for the children of Tatev.

The pilgrims traveled to Tatev along three different routes:  Vorotnavank Monastery, Surb Azaraprkich Church, and Surb Minas  Church. "Then, all the pilgrims gathered at the Church of Saints  Peter and Paul in Tatev, where a joint prayer was offered with the  blessing of the Primate of the Syunik Diocese, His Grace Bishop Makar  Hakobyan. A prayer was offered to God for the repose of the souls of  those killed in war, for the speedy release of Armenian prisoners of  war held in Azerbaijan, and for unity based on spiritual values," the  agency reported.

Bishop Makar Hakobyan noted that today, one of the benefactors of the  Armenian people, as well as members of the Armenian elite, are held  captive due to unbelief and indifference. "As a result of our lack of  love for one another, we have lost much and we could lose everything  if we don't come to our senses and sober up. It is crucial for all of  us to pray for our unity, for our integrity, because the more we are  divided into black and white, the more we will fall apart," the  bishop emphasized. The pilgrimage co-organizers also emphasized the  importance of unity, noting that the cooperation formed around Tatev  is not only spiritual but also national in significance. "Unity is  strength, and we must work together to achieve any result, so that  Armenia is strong and to create and strengthen strong ties between  the country and the diaspora," said pilgrimage co-organizer Vazgen  Yacoubian, Chairman of the Armenian Branch of the Armenian General  Benevolent Union (AGBU).

As the agency noted, the pilgrims' visit to the new neighborhood  being built in Svarants under the Tufenkian Foundation program also  demonstrated how new life is being formed near the holy site. Aram  Voskanyan, a representative of the Tufenkian Foundation, noted that  the village will be revived if Artsakh residents settle there, as it  will provide the opportunity to preserve the school and implement  various socio- economic programs. It is noted that the pilgrimage  also served as an opportunity to share Artsakh's spiritual heritage.  Participants wore T-shirts with images of Artsakh's holy sites,  thereby reminding everyone of the need to protect them. According to  the source, the initiative was launched by the "We Are Our Mountains"  development agency, founded by former Artsakh State Minister and  philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, and was created as a platform for  collaboration, where spiritual journeys are accompanied by practical  support for the community, Syunik, and its residents. The following  organizations participated in organizing the pilgrimage to Tatev: "We  Are Our Mountains" Development Agency, AGBU, Tufenkian Foundation,  Aznavour Foundation, Armenian Relief Society (ARS), Orran Charitable  Organization, Tatev Municipality, Armenia Tree Project (ATP)  Charitable Foundation, G. Hovnanyan Family Foundation, IDeA  Foundation, Tatev Cable Car, and Tatev Revival Foundation.