On September 13, 2015, on the occasion of the celebration of the Fifth Tabernacle Feast - the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Khachverats), the newly-appointed Archimandrite Ter Khoren Hovhannisyan conducted his first Liturgy.

At the beginning of the liturgy, the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan introduced Archimandrite Khoren to his congregation.

His Grace mentioned Ter Khoren’s merits before the Armenian Church, especially his two-month service at the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy in Kolkata, India. He is going to serve in Marneuli and nearby communities as well.

Ter Khoren expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians for appointing him to serve in the Armenian Diocese in Georgia and expressed his belief to the Primate of the Diocese that he will do his best to contribute to the development of the spiritual life in the Diocese. The Father then read a sermon on the sacrament of the day. At the end of the Liturgy the congregation approached the Father and congratulated him on his appointment.

Archimandrite Khoren was born in the Avshar village, Ararat region, RA. After finishing secondary school he studied at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. In 1997 he was ordained as a celibate priest. He was the personal secretary and the Mace-bearer of the greatly lamented, Karekin I Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

In 2001 he continued theological studies in New-York. In 2009 he was appointed to serve as a spiritual father of the Armenians in India and the director of the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy in Kolkata. He defended his thesis at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary and received a rank of Archimandrite (Vardapet). Father also served as a prior at the Saint Gayane Monastery.

In 2009 Father Khoren founded the bilingual Annual “Indian Armenians”. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin published his work, Wedding Traditions and Ceremonies in the Armenian Church. Father is the author of more than ten historical and religious articles.

On the same day the glorifying ceremony of the Elevation of the Holy Cross was conducted in the St. Echmiadzin Church in Avlabari. At the end of the Evening Service, the procession of the Holy Cross took place. The priests of the St. Echmiadzin proceeded around the church with the Cross in their hands and blessed the people with rosewater. At the end of the ceremony they blessed the congregation with basil, which is considered to be the flower of the cross. The blessed basil was distributed among the believers.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was solemnly celebrated with the Divine Liturgy in the Surb Prkich Church (Saint Savior) in Batumi, the Surb Grigor Lusavorich Church (Saint Gregory the Illuminator) in Akhaltsikhe, the Surb Sargis Church in Ninotsminda and the Surb Khach Church (Saint Cross) in Akhalkalaki.