HOLY MURON: SIGN OF OUR UNION IN CHRIST

Parish pastors from across the Eastern Diocese converged on New York’s St. Vartan Cathedral on Friday evening, October 4, to receive the new Holy Muron: the oil sanctified in splendid ceremonies at Holy Etchmiadzin on September 28, to be used in the sacramental anointing services of the Armenian Church.

It was a meaningful occasion for the clergy, to receive the Holy Muron from Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, and convey it back to their respective parishes, in the final leg of the Muron’s journey from the Mother See of the Armenian Church to the faithful parishioners back home.

Following a service in the cathedral sanctuary, the clergy gathered in warm-hearted fellowship for dinner at the Diocesan Center. Afterwards, Bishop Mesrop expressed his thoughts about the occasion—and about the greater significance of the Holy Muron—in a message to the public.

Read Bishop Mesrop’s message below.

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The Sign of Our Unity in Christ

Bishop Mesrop’s Reflections on the Holy Muron

BISHOP MESROP’S REFLECTION ON THE HOLY MURON

Last Friday, [October 4, 2024] I had the great honor of bringing the newly blessed Holy Muron from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to our beloved Eastern Diocese. In a special service at St. Vartan Cathedral, I gathered with our clergy to distribute this sacred anointing oil, which will be shared with parishes across the diocese. This was a powerful reminder of the unity of our worldwide Armenian Church.

Think about this: all the different kinds of perfumes, incenses, and flowers gathered from the four corners of the world in Holy Etchmiadzin, blessed by our Catholicos, and then distributed to every corner of the globe. Bishops from different countries received the Holy Muron, and now, we, as clergy, get to distribute it to our parishes and people. It’s a living symbol of how we are all connected.

Friends, we are part of something much greater than ourselves. Our faith doesn’t exist in isolation. Whether you’re here in New York, or in Los Angeles, or in Yerevan, or Sydney—wherever you are—this Holy Muron connects us as one body, one worldwide Armenian Church. Every drop of this oil carries with it the fragrance of our unity in Christ. It’s a beautiful image of how God’s blessings flow from one place and spread throughout the entire world.

Isn’t that what Lord Jesus prayed for? In John 17, He prayed that we would be one, just as He and the Father are one. And when we share in this sacred oil, we’re reminded that we belong to the same family, the family of God. We may come from different places, speak different languages, or have different experiences, but we are united in Christ. We are not alone in our faith. We stand alongside our brothers and sisters across the globe, part of the same divine calling.

So, let’s hold on to that sense of connection and unity. Let this Holy Muron be a constant reminder that no matter how far apart we may be geographically, we are bound together in the Holy Spirit. Let He inspire us to pray for one another, to support one another, and to love one another as Christ has loved us. When we see the challenges in our communities, when we feel isolated or overwhelmed, remember this sacred oil and the message it carries: we are not alone.

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
Friday, October 4, 2024