The activities of the Youth Department of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia include the celebration of the feasts of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and going on a pilgrimage to strengthen a believer’s faith.

On April 1, 2017, on the occasion of the feast dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator (the Commemoration of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s Torments and Commitment to the Pit), the Youth Department of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia organized a pilgrimage to the eponymous church in Akhaltsikhe. The pilgrimage was implemented at the initiative and with the support of the Right Rev. Father Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia.

Early in the morning, more than 30 young Armenians united around the Church, headed by the Director of the Diocesan Youth Department, Valery Badalian, Dean of the Department, Deacon Gevorg Antonyan, in the company of Youth Programs Coordinator, Nina Seropova, and the Educational Department Director, Eugenia Markosyan, traveled to Akhaltsikhe.

The pilgrims attended the Holy Mass in the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church in Akhaltsikhe conducted by the Pastor of Akhaltsikhe, Rev. Father Hakob Sahakyan. The attendees listened carefully to the homily offered by Father Hakob about the torments which St. Gregory had suffered during his 13 years imprisonment in the pit. Warmly welcoming the pilgrims from Tbilisi, Father Hakob urged them to avoid tribulations, follow the example of willpower and resistance of the first Catholicos of All Armenians, live a life of gratitude and commitment to Christ.

The pilgrims lit candles and offered prayers in memory of St. Gregory the Illuminator, beseeching his intercession.

The Armenian youth from Tbilisi, led by the Dean of Akhaltsikhe and Rev. Father Torgom Vardanyan, the Pastor of Akhaltsikhe region and nearby villages, visited the St. Stepanos Church, which is in danger of collapse, and the Surb Nshan Church in Akhaltsikhe. There, they lit candles and received the clergy’s blessing.

The youth from Tbilisi also visited the Rabati Fortress and took a sightseeing tour of Akhaltsikhe.

The pilgrims returned to Tbilisi late at night with great spiritual power from their visit to the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church.