On Sunday, November 10, a special prayer service was held at the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection in New Britain, Connecticut during the Divine Liturgy, for hostages being held in Artsakh.
The prayer service was held pursuant to a communication sent to all Armenian dioceses throughout the world from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia regarding the plight of the Artsakh Armenians who are still being held captive in Azerbaijan — one year after the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and four years after the surprise attack and subsequent war against our people there.
His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, announced that the special service would be held during the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin to pray for the well-being of the Armenians held captive in Azerbaijan and to draw international attention to the illegal and immoral imprisonment of the ethnic Armenians. Special prayers and hymns were incorporated into the service.
Catholicos Karekin II requested that all Armenian churches around the globe join in the prayer service on that date. The special request was communicated to Eastern Diocese Armenian churches by Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in America. The Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, based in New York City, oversees more than 60 parishes in 21 states, from the East Coast to Texas.
In lieu of a sermon on that day, Atty. Harry N. Mazadoorian spoke to the congregation concerning the situation in Artsakh, the importance of the prayer service, the issue of defending the rights of Artsakh Armenians and the urgent need to gain liberty for the Armenians still being held prisoner. He stressed the need for increased humanitarian relief for the region, its refugees and the captive hostages from both governmental and non-governmental sources, as well as the critical need to shine awareness on the brutality inflicted on the long suffering expelled residents.
Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, is an enclave between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with centuries-old Armenia habitation and influence. In 1988, Nagorno-Karabakh’s legislature passed a resolution declaring independence and an intention of reunifying with Armenia. Following the declaration, numerous battles with Azerbaijan ensued resulting in a 1994 ceasefire. The local Armenians retained control, but in a subsequent war in 2020, Azerbaijan acquired some of the territory. Another ceasefire was brokered but again was followed by hostilities in 2022 and total disruption of essential food, fuel, supplies and medicine in the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijani elements.
In September of 2023, a brutal Azerbaijani attack and invasion, with sophisticated weapons of war provided by Turkey and other countries, resulted in the expulsion of the entire 120,000 ethnic Armenian population from the region and the retention of hostages, including prisoners of war and political prisoners.
A period of widespread ethnic and cultural cleansing followed with centuries-old Armenian churches, monuments, cultural sites and even cemeteries destroyed and remnants of Armenian history and tradition eradicated.
Rev. Fr. Haroutiun Sabounjian, pastor of the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, said of the prayer service, “It was a privilege to participate in the special prayer service observed on this day by all Armenian churches throughout the world. We pray for the release of the hostages, the return of the evacuees to their homeland and the restoration of peace to this historic area.”
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