Acyo-Wd Lock-In

This past weekend, the St. Garabed Rancho Mirage ACYO hosted their very first lock-in retreat at their parish on March 9-10, 2024  at St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of the Desert. ACYO members from all across the Western Diocese were invited to attend the overnight lock-in. Members participated in a spiritual discussion and question-and-answer session with ACYO-WD Youth Director Very Rev. Fr. Yeremia Abgaryan, where they all shared stories of when they knew they would devote their lives to Christ. During breaks, members played games, wrote prayers and Bible verses on the prayer wall, and enjoyed a delicious lenten meal provided by the St. Garabed Ladies Society. Later in the evening, all practiced in a midnight hour jamergutyun service. They closed the night by singing Psalms and making nshkars for the members of St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of the Desert. The next morning, the youth attended Divine Liturgy, with Very Rev. Fr. Yeremia Abgaryan as the celebrant and several youths serving on the altar and singing in the choir. Afterward, the congregation were invited to the hall to enjoy a lenten lunch, while the youth learned the importance of giving back to the homeless and less fortunate, especially during this time of lent.
 
On behalf of the ACYO-WD Central Council, we would like to extend a special thank you to Dn. Gevork Gevorkian and the Gevorkian family for their generosity in hosting the lock-in for the ACYO members and to the St. Garabed Ladies Society for preparing all of the meals for the weekend.