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122 The Armenian Church

rist. In the case of a bishop, the candidate
is given the episcopal staff and ring. At
different stages of the ceremony, the con-
gregation, through the choir, expresses its
approval of the moral merit of the can-
didate. At the very end of the ordination of a
celibate priest, there is a short service called
"The Blessing of the Vełar,” which is the cowl
used by the celibate priest. This service takes
place either in the morning, at the end of the
Holy Mass, or in the evening, at the end of
Vespers. In the case of a married priest,
marriage precedes the ordination. The newly
ordained priest (not a bishop) stays in seclu-
sion in a church or a monastery for forty days
praying, fasting, and reading the Bible, the
church fathers, and the life and witness of
saints. After this period of spiritual renewal,
he celebrates his first Holy Mass.
The ordination of women has not been
formally discussed by the Armenian Church.
The order of deaconess has been an integral
part of the hierarchy of the Armenian Church
since the early centuries, and monasteries of
deaconesses and nuns have played an impor-
tant part in the spiritual renewal of the
Church in Armenia and Cilicia. The revival of
the order of female diaconate, particularly
within the context of the Church's pastoral,
diaconal, and educational ministry, is of
crucial importance for the missionary out-
reach and spiritual renewal of the Church. To