Saint Gregory of Narek

*Little is known of the life of St. Gregory of Narek, other than that he was a dedicated monk who lived his entire adult life in a monastery situated in todays’ eastern Turkey, in the Armenian homeland between the Black and Caspian Seas. Saint Gregory’s essence is truly to be found in the spaces between his words. He is his writings. Saint Gregory was never formally canonized, a not uncommon fact for holy men and women of his era. During a Mass in 2015 commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Turks, Pope Francis declared St. Gregory of Narek a Doctor of the Church, the thirty-sixth person so honored and only the second from the churches of the East.

Surprisingly, St. Gregory was not a Catholic, though he did pertain to an apostolic church with legitimate sacraments and a hierarchical structure which, however, is not in formal communion with Rome. The narrow theological arteries that run east from Constantinople become thinner as they spread ever eastward, often terminating in ecclesiastical cardiac arrest—in churches without people, in thrones without bishops, in altars without sacrifices, and in monasteries without monks. It is one of the holy obligations of the still robust Roman Church to exalt those whom others cannot, to witness to beauty wherever it may be found, and to call Christian leaders to gather in the immensity of St. Peter’s Basilica to anoint the memory of a gifted Christian of long ago with the noble title of doctor.

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/saint-gregory-of-narek/

Lenten Weekday violet Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church Lv 19:1-2, 11-18/Mt 25:31-46 (224).

**Grigor Narekatsi (Armenian: Գրիգոր Նարեկացի; anglicized: Gregory of Narek) (c. 950 – 1003/1011) was an Armenian mystical and lyrical poet, monk, and theologian. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2015. The son of a bishop, Gregory was educated, ordained and later stationed at Narekavank, on the southern shores of Lake Van (modern Turkey). Gregory is considered by scholars of being the most beloved and significant theological and literary figure of the Armenian religious tradition.

He is best known for his Book of Lamentations, a major piece of mystical literature, a confessional prayer book present in every Armenian religious household. His works have inspired many Armenian literary figures and influenced the Armenian literature in general throughout the ages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_of_Narek#:~:text=Grigor%20N

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

Rev 2:10