Intro to the Eastern Catholic Churches Part II: The Armenian Rite

In my first article in this series, An Introduction to the Eastern Catholic Churches, we were able to get acquainted with the 24 sui iuris (autonomous or self-governing) Churches within the Catholic Church. 23 of those Churches are Eastern Catholic Churches, and each of those 23 Churches belong to one of five liturgical traditions or rites. The first one that we’ll take a look at today is the Armenian Rite. The Armenian Rite is unique, as it is the only Rite within the Catholic Church besides the Latin Rite to have only one sui iuris Church within its liturgical tradition. Obviously, that sui iuris Church is the Armenian Catholic Church. Armenian Catholics have a rich history, and can be found all over the globe today. The Armenian Catholic Church is also one of six Eastern Catholic Churches to be called a patriarchal Church. But just what does that mean? Don’t only the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox have Patriarchs while Catholics have bishops? Let’s take a closer look at this distinction before we delve into the distinct traditions and practices of the Armenian Catholic Church.

History

According to the Code of Canons of Eastern Churches (CCEO), a patriarchal church is headed by a patriarch who “is a bishop who enjoys power over all bishops including metropolitans and other Christian faithful of the Church over which he presides according to the norm of law approved by the supreme authority of the Church.” These patriarchs are elected by their synods, and must extend communion to and receive it from the Pope in Rome, before officially taking their office. This is basically a formality at this point, as the Pope always accepts the vote of the fully Catholic synods. Before the Great Schism in 1054, there were five patriarchal episcopal sees which were located in Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. As Churches left and re-entered communion with the Pope throughout the centuries, there are now more than five patriarchs in the Catholic Church (the Pope himself being the Patriarch of the West), and as already mentioned, one of those patriarchs belongs to the Armenian Catholic Church. The current Patriarch is Gregory Petros XX Gabroyan, and his official title is the “Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics”, making him the head of the Armenian Catholic Church. He was enthroned as patriarch on August 9, 2015. But we must look to history to see how the Patriarch of Cilicia came back into communion with the Catholic Church.

The very first Patriarch of Cilicia, Abraham Petros I Ardzivian, was responsible for bringing Armenian Christians back home in the year 1740. Many Armenian Christians had separated from the Church following the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451 over certain Christological definitions. Between then and Patriarch Ardzivian’s reign, there were a couple times that reunification was tried, but it never had any lasting effects. It wasn’t until Patriarch Ardzivian converted to Catholicism, ordained a bishop and two clergymen who then elected and consecrated him patriarch on November 26, 1740, that a real unification was made. Ardzivian then traveled to Rome with his vicar and clergymen to have his election as patriarch ratified by the Pope. On December 8^th, 1742, Ardzivian’s election as patriarch was recognized, and was given the pallium by Pope Benedict XIV, affirming the unity between the Latin and Armenian Catholic Churches, and that union has continued on since that day.

The Church Today

Since that momentous day back in 1742, the Armenian Catholic Church has grown significantly, now boasting over 735,000 faithful worldwide throughout four archeparchies (the Eastern equivalent of an archdiocese), six eparchies (the equivalent of dioceses), and several smaller exarchates and ordinariates throughout the world. This growth has continued to happen despite the Armenian Genocide under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20^th century. Most of the Armenian Catholic population is currently in Canada, the United States and France, with the Patriarch's seat currently in Beirut, Lebanon with around 12,500 faithful living there according to the 2015 Annuario Pontificio. Now, it might seem odd that most Armenian Catholics live in the US and France, but there’s a reason for that. Those numbers look larger in Western countries specifically because of the threat of ISIS and other militant Islamist groups in countries such as Iran, Iraq and Syria. For instance, the Eparchy of Ispahan, Iran, has seen a dramatic loss in population. In 2010 there were 8,000 Armenian Catholics living in the eparchy. As of 2015, there were only 200. God only knows how many Catholics are left in the eparchy in 2016, but thankfully, the liturgy and tradition of the Armenian Catholics is living on throughout the world.

Liturgy and Traditions

The Armenian Catholic Church, along with the Oriental Orthodox Armenian Apostolic Church, use the Liturgy of St. Gregory the Illuminator. St. Gregory, the patron saint of the Armenian Church, lived in the early 4^th century and first composed the liturgy in the Syriac language. It wasn’t until the 5^th century when St. Mesrob Mashdotz translated the liturgy into the Armenian alphabet that he had composed. This language differs from modern-day Armenian, and thus remains one of the oldest liturgies still said today in the Catholic Church. The Liturgy of St. Gregory differs from many of the other Eastern Catholic Churches, as there are no icons to be found around the church as we see in the Byzantine tradition, and unleavened bread is used in the confection of the Eucharist.

As we will see in the Byzantine tradition, the Armenians will sometimes have an excess of bread that is not consecrated during the Liturgy, and this unconsecrated bread (called antidoron) is given to the people after the Liturgy has ended. But as the Latin Church does, the Armenian Church reserves the excess consecrated Hosts in a tabernacle on the altar, with a small lamp burning continually nearby.

Another difference between the Armenians and their Latin and Byzantine counterparts, is that instead of using an altar rail, rood screen or iconostasis to separate the laity from the altar, two curtains are used in front of the sanctuary, concealing the priests and deacons at certain points during the Liturgy. An interesting addition to the Nicene Creed that is used at times in the Armenian Church, is that following the ordinary recitation of the Creed, a sentence pronounced by the First Council of Nicaea is said: “Those who say there was a time when the Son was not, or when the Holy Ghost was not; or that they were created out of nothing; or that the Son of God and the Holy Ghost are of another substance or that they are mutable; the Catholic and Apostolic church condemns.” Organs are typically not used during the Liturgy of St. George, although they were introduced in some parts of the world in the 1920’s. Instead, chant is used by both the choir and laity, sometimes accompanied by two instruments called the keshotz and zinzqha, the first of which is a fan with small bells and the second similar to cymbals.

As far as the other sacraments go, the sacraments of initiation are given together, as is typical with many of the other Eastern Catholic Churches. Immediately following the child’s baptism, confirmation (or chrismation, as it is called in the East) is administered by the priest as he anoints with the holy chrism on the child’s forehead, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, palms, heart, spine, and feet, each time with a reference to the seal of the Holy Spirit. Then, the priest or bishop lays his hands on the child and makes the Sign of the Cross. Following that, Holy Communion may be given to the child, either by a small drop of the Precious Blood directly into the child’s mouth or a small piece of the Eucharistic bread. Sometimes, the first reception of Holy Communion is withheld until the child turns 7 or 8, as we see in the Latin Catholic Church. To learn in even greater detail the peculiarities and specifics of the Armenian liturgy, you can read more information from the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The liturgical calendar also differs from the Latin and Byzantine Calendars. For instance, most Holy Days are moved to the following Sunday, except for a few feasts including Christmas, Epiphany, and the Ascension of our Lord. Holy Days of Obligation which are specific to the Armenian Catholic Calendar include the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (usually moved to the nearest Sunday of September 14^th), and the feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator (always celebrated three weeks after the feast of Pentecost). The seasons also differ from the Latin calendar in that the equivalent of Advent, which is called Aratchavorats, lasts six to eight weeks, and begins on the feast of Christ the King. The Armenians also have a special season of preparation between the Epiphany season and Bahots (what the Latin Church calls Lent), which includes the ancient Fast of Nineveh, lasting for two weeks. This Lenten preparation is analogous to the season of Septuagesima, or Shrovetide, which was seen in the Latin Rite before the new calendar was issued in 1969, and is now only used in the West by those in the Anglican Ordinate. However, the Latin season of Septuagesima did not include fasting, meaning that the Armenian preparatory season before Lent is actually closer to the ancient Lenten fast of the early Church.

Great Saints

The Armenian Catholic Church has produced some wonderful saints for the entire universal Catholic Church to venerate and imitate. As was already mentioned, St. Gregory the Illuminator is the foremost among these saints. But perhaps the greatest of the Armenian Catholic saints would be St. Gregory of Narek, who was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in February of 2015. St. Gregory of Narek was born in 950, and lived in the Narek monastery on the south-east shore of Lake Van in present day Turkey. His writings are numerous and have been translated into several languages. His most popular work entitled “The Book of Prayers” has been called an encyclopedia of prayers for all Christians. He has been included in the Roman Martyrology since 2005 with a feast day of February 27^th (October 13^th in the East) where he is listed as: “monk, doctor of the Armenians, distinguished for his writings and mystic science”. He was even quoted by name in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in Article 2678 on the section entitled “The Way of Prayer”. In addition, this great Doctor of the Church was also mentioned by a Roman Pontiff before Pope Francis, specifically by Pope St. John Paul II in his 1987 encyclical, Redemptoris Mater, where he says:

“In his panegyric of the Theotokos, Saint Gregory of Narek, one of the outstanding glories of Armenia, with powerful poetic inspiration ponders the different aspects of the mystery of the Incarnation, and each of them is for him an occasion to sing and extol the extraordinary dignity and magnificent beauty of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Word made flesh.”

Another recent Armenian Catholic saint beatified by the Church is martyr Blessed Ignatius Shoukrallah Maloyan. Blessed Ignatius was the Armenian Catholic bishop of Mardin from 1911-1915, and was especially devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During the Armenian Genocide in the summer of 1915, Bl. Ignatius along with most of his flock was forced to march into the desert where he was made to watch his clergy and flock murdered before his eyes. Before Bl. Ignatius was executed he was asked if he would convert to Islam, to which he refused. He was subsequently shot, and then attained the martyr’s crown. On the day of his beatification, St. John Paul II said in his homily:

“Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan, who died a martyr when he was 46, reminds us of every Christian's spiritual combat, whose faith is exposed to the attacks of evil. It is in the Eucharist that he drew, day by day, the force necessary to accomplish his priestly ministry with generosity and passion, dedicating himself to preaching, to a pastoral life connected with the celebration of the sacraments and to the service of the neediest. Throughout his existence, he fully lived the words of St Paul: ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of courage, of love and self-control’ (2 Tim. 1:14). Before the dangers of persecution, Bl. Ignatius did not accept any compromise, declaring to those who were putting pressure on him, ‘It does not please God that I should deny Jesus my Savior. To shed my blood for my faith is the strongest desire of my heart’. May his example enlighten all those who today wish to be witnesses of the Gospel for the glory of God and for the salvation of their neighbor.”

The patrimony of the Armenian Catholic Church is a great treasure to the Catholic Church as a whole. Many great people have come from this beautiful liturgical tradition, and their lives and writings still inspire us to this day. If you live nearby an Armenian Catholic parish, it might be worthwhile to check it out and become more acquainted with our Eastern Catholic brethren. In our next installment on the Eastern Catholic Churches, we’ll delve into the three Churches of the Alexandrian Rite: the Coptic Catholic Church, the Ethiopian Catholic Church and the Eritrean Catholic Church.