Benoît – age 23 – Latin Parish of the Caucasus and Missionary Sisters of Charity – Yerevan – Armenia
My mission:
It’s been almost four weeks since I arrived in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, for a six-month assignment. I’m greeted by Mount Ararat, which watches over the city. The first few weeks have been quite festive, with Christmas preparations underway and the presence of another volunteer and Samuel, who live in the parish. On the agenda: painting the pews, a big cleanup, and getting the chapel ready to accommodate more people for Christmas.
But beyond these festive preparations, my mission in Yerevan consists of two parts. Every morning, I work for the St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish, the only Latin Catholic parish in Armenia! Over the past few years, the community has been growing Sunday after Sunday. Mass is currently celebrated in a room that can accommodate no more than 60 people. Recent work to open a bay window onto a terrace has made it possible to welcome a larger number of the faithful outdoors.
This space is pleasant but can only be used on sunny days. Furthermore, there are no other options for increasing its capacity. To support the parish’s growth, it is now necessary to build a place of worship that will allow for the liturgy to be celebrated with greater dignity and accommodate a larger number of parishioners. My role is to assist Father Athanase, the parish priest, in developing this project.
In the afternoon, my day takes on a whole new dimension. I head to the Mother Teresa Sisters’ orphanage, located a 10-minute walk from the parish. The children at this orphanage all have physical and mental disabilities. In the house, the children are divided into two groups. On the ground floor are the older children, who are between 7 and 13 years old. That’s where I spend most of my time. My tasks are varied: picking them up from school, playing with them, helping them eat dinner, listening to music, and simply spending time with them!
Patience and creativity are needed every day, but in return there is plenty of joy and laughter. The younger children are on the first floor. Most of them cannot speak or see, and are fed through a feeding tube. The Feast of the Holy Innocents is a special time here. It’s the only time of year when all the children attend Mass. The only time they come down from their floor for a non-medical reason. Fragility is ever-present within these walls. I was particularly moved by these children and by the love the sisters have for them. I can still see their joyful faces when Narek returned after his surgery, their helplessness in the face of illness, but above all, their trust in God. It’s a true family, overflowing with love.
Christmas Party at the Orphanage:
This year, Christmas was shaping up to be different—there was no foie gras on the menu, and family was more than 3,000 km away. Christmas week at an orphanage is nothing like a typical week; every day is a celebration. All these visits, one after another, offer these children a break from their daily routine: a moment to dream, to receive gifts, and to be showered with attention. As for the sisters, they’re stockpiling enough chocolate to last a siege!
These material gifts and the steady stream of visitors may seem unnecessary, even excessive. Yet they are invaluable: they help these children understand that others see them, that they matter to us, and that we care about them. That they are loved just as they are, plain and simple.
Happy New Year 2026!
