Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
April 24th
Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex (Tsitsernakaberd) in Yerevan, Armenia. Built in 1967 and dedicated to the victims of Armenian genocide of 1915. Twelve slabs are positioned in a circle, representing the 12 lost provinces in present day Turkey. In the center of the circle, at a depth of 1.5 meters, there is an eternal flame dedicated to the 1.5 million people killed during the Armenian Genocide. Photo Credit: alex_u / iStock
~ from posts on The United Church of Canada’s Facebook page
In the summer of 2022, General Council 44 made a decision to recognize April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Today, we join Armenian communities across Canada in observing Armenian Genocide Memorial Day, also known as Medz Yeghern. The atrocities, we know, are among the worst in human history; in remembering this, we renew our commitment to the work of peace, to support those who are displaced by war, by genocide and by circumstances beyond their control.
We honour the descendants of those families who lost their homes, their lives and their possessions and property during the systematic elimination of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire, which began on April 24, 1915. Their generational resilience and their faith have strengthened our country and our communities.
We honour their spirit. We honour their stories. They inspire us to work for a world where hate and discrimination and intolerance have no place, where there is healing and hope.
See this Prayer of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide, written by Rev. Takouhi Demirdjian-Petro, the first Armenian woman ordained by The United Church of Canada and a descendant of an Armenian Genocide survivor.