CATHOLICS OF AZERBAIJAN HAVE CELEBRATED THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY IN GABALA

On 26th of May, the day of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan made a pilgrimage to the village of Nij in the Gabala region of the country.

Holy Mass celebration in the Church of St. Elisha (“Jotari”) of the Alban-Udi Christian community was led by the head of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan, Bishop Vladimir Fekete. He was concelebrated by the priests of the Prefecture Fr. Emil Shafar and Fr. Selva Kumar.

The spiritual mentor of the Alban-Udi Christian community, Rafik Danakari, and representatives of the Udi community also participated at the solemn service.

 

At the beginning of the Holy Mass, Bishop Vladimir Fekete addressed those gathered in the church with a welcoming speech.

 

“With all my heart I congratulate you all on the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, a holiday on which we solemnly express our Christian faith in God, One in Three Persons. We have gathered here, under the arches of this ancient temple, to glorify the Lord for the gift of faith we received from disciples of Christ, among whom was Saint Elisha, whose name this temple bears. I would like to thank our Udi brothers, personally you, dear Rafiq muallim, for your hospitality, for the testimony of your faith. Nij has already become a place of pilgrimage for Christians of Azerbaijan and a place of grace for the whole country.”, – Bishop Vladimir noted in his welcoming speech.

 

In his sermon, the head of the Catholics of Azerbaijan emphasized that faith in God as One in Three Persons, united by one Divine nature and love, should encourage Christians to be witnesses of unity.

 

“Now the world is going through a crisis, which we could call a crisis of relations: new hotbeds of political conflicts are emerging and old ones are flaring up. Even close people, members of the same family or old friends begin to quarrel due to differences in worldviews. In this world torn apart by contradictions, we, as Christians should serve as a constant reminder of the value of dialogue, respect for others and unity,” Bishop Vladimir noted.

At the end of the Holy Mass, the spiritual mentor of the Alban-Udi Christian community, Rafiq Danakari, addressed the pilgrims: “We are always glad to host you, your excellency dear Bishop Vladimir, and our Catholic brothers and sisters. Today is a unique day for us, since in the morning we together with the Baku Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the day of St. Elisha, the Enlightener of Caucasian Albania, and now we are united by the feast of the Most Holy Trinity.”

After the Mass, pilgrims and representatives of the Udi community gathered for a fraternal meal.