On July 25, Fr. Abraham hosted an orientation for participants of the Holy Martyrs 2017 Pilgrimage to Jerusalem which will take place in August. In attendance were Fr. Abraham, Parish Council Vice-Chair Aram Ciamician and six of the pilgrims. Fr. Abraham presented videos about the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as well as some useful historical, religious and cultural information about the Holy Land.  Der Hayr stressed that the upcoming visit to the Holy Land was not an ordinary vacation, but rather a pilgrimage, which would allow all of the participants to grow together spiritually.  The pilgrims were visibly enthusiastic about their upcoming journey, and the orientation was a successful kick-off to the actual pilgrimage, which will take place from Aug. 4-14 and will include visits to the Armenian Patriarchate, St. James Monastery, Old City/Tomb of Christ, Bethlehem, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, Dead Sea and Nazareth.