Under the guidance of Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Pontifical Legate of Western Europe, an Altar Servers Workshop for Armenian Church parishes in the Netherlands and Belgium was held at the Dominican Monastery in Huissen, the Netherlands, from Friday 22 August to Sunday 24 August. The intensive, two-day program brought together 33 altar servers for training, prayer, and fellowship.

The workshop was led by Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary (Armonk, New York), assisted by Deacon Alex Calikyan, with the support of Fr. Taron Tateosyan, Pastor of Sourp Hoki Armenian Church in Amsterdam. Participants, representing Armenian parishes across the Netherlands and Belgium, were organized into two groups for focused instruction and practicum.

Key elements of the curriculum included:

✅ Liturgical practice, with special emphasis on the Divine Liturgy

✅ Practicums on the Blessing of the Grapes, the Blessing of Water, and the Blessing of the Four Corners

✅ Bible study on the origins and vocation of the diaconate

✅ Daily morning and evening worship

The workshop concluded with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, offering participants an opportunity to put their learning into practice and to serve together at the Holy Altar. In his sermon Archbishop Khajag made the following remarks to the participants: “From Friday afternoon until this holy hour, you gathered with zeal to learn, to practice, to ask questions, and to deepen your service at the Holy Altar. But more than techniques and rubrics, you discovered one another. You learned the rhythm of the Church’s prayer by moving as one body, listening as one heart, and serving with one mind. Saint Paul tells us, “For just as the body is one and has many members… so it is with Christ” (1 Cor 12:12). In these days, the Lord has knit many members into one body — altar servers from Amsterdam and Antwerp, Almelo and Liege, from different parishes, languages, and backgrounds — all under the gracious shadow of our Mother, the Armenian Church”. The parishioners from Arnhem were also present at the celebration of the Liturgy.

This gathering provided a valuable opportunity for altar servers to deepen their knowledge of the Armenian Church’s liturgical tradition, strengthen their commitment to service, and build lasting bonds with one another.