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Remembering the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

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April 17, 2026

Friday 24 April marks 111 years since the start of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, where authorities carried out the systematic destruction of Armenian Christians resulting in the devastating deaths of approximately 1.5 million people between 1915 and 1923.

This year is also 11 years since the Uniting Church formally recognised this tragedy as genocide during the 14th Assembly in July 2015.

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A PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE

Gracious and Sovereign God,
God of mercy, justice, and steadfast love.

We gather in Your holy presence with hearts that remember.
We remember the sorrow and suffering of the Armenian people,
the lives taken, the families torn apart,
the ancient communities uprooted in the darkness of human cruelty.

Lord, we bring before You the weight of history—
the grief that has not faded,
the wounds that echo across generations.
You are the God who sees, the God who knows,
the God who does not forget.

We lament before You.
We cry out for all who perished,
and for all who carried their pain in silence.
Receive their memory into Your eternal care,
and grant that truth may shine where denial has lingered.

Compassionate Christ,
You who bore suffering and injustice upon the cross,
draw near to those who still feel the ache of loss.
Comfort the descendants of survivors,
those whose hearts carry stories of sorrow and resilience.
Wrap them in Your peace,
a peace the world cannot give.

We lift before You also the people of Artsakh—Karabagh—
those who have lost their ancestral homes,
who now walk the uncertain path of displacement and exile.
Be their refuge and their strength,
a present help in times of trouble.
Provide for their needs, restore their dignity,
and plant within them a living hope that cannot be extinguished.

Righteous God,
we confess that all of history lies in Your hands.
Even in the midst of human sin and brokenness,
Your purposes are not defeated.
You call us to be a people of truth,
a people who remember rightly,
a people who seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with You.

Empower Your Church in this land of Australia
to stand in solidarity with the Armenian people,
to bear witness to truth,
to work for justice,
and to be instruments of Your peace in a fractured world.

Renew in us the hope of the resurrection—
that death does not have the final word,
that light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness shall not overcome it.

We entrust all who suffer into Your eternal care,
and we look toward the day when You will wipe away every tear,
and justice and peace will embrace.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Written by the Rev Dr Krikor Youmshajekian
Retired Uniting Church Minister
Executive Director of the Armenian Evangelical World Council
President/CEO Armenian Missionary Association of Australia

DOWNLOAD THE PRAYER

Suggested Hymns for Community Worship

  • “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” (TiS 607)
  • “Lord of All Hopefulness” (TiS 613)
  • “Beauty for Brokenness” (TiS 690)
  • “God of Freedom, God of Justice” (TiS 657)
  • “Great is Your Faithfulness” (TiS 154)

Music sheets are available in the Together in Song hymn book.

Practical Guidance for Congregations

Consider:

  • Reaching out to local Armenian communities and any of our Armenian and Middle Eastern Ministers within the Uniting Church to build relationships and better understand their stories.
  • Hosting educational forums about Armenian history and culture.

Additional Information

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