On Tuesday, December 24, the Feast of St. Stephen the Protodeacon and First Martyr, 40 young men were ordained to the diaconate at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan. His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manoukian officiated and delivered the message of the day.
The newly ordained deacons met with His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and received his blessings. “May the holy example of St. Stephen always lead you in your service to the Armenian Church,” he said.
Ordinations to the diaconate are held every December at Holy Etchmiadzin, on the Feast of St. Stephen the Protodeacon and First Martyr. St. Stephen—the first deacon of the universal Church—was ordained by the Apostles and went on to preach in Jerusalem. He was persecuted for his faith and stoned to death, becoming the first Christian martyr.
