On Friday, 17th of April, 2009, at 6:00AM, Mesrobian High School's Grade 11 and Grade 12 (Terminal) students went on a journey to Der Zor, Syria, along with other Lebanese Armenian students.

After a tiring trip, the students arrived to Euphrates river shore and were distributed to different hotels. After a short break, they moved to Saint Martyrs Church of Der Zor, where the Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia Aram I, as well as the bishops of Lebanon and Peri, were already present.


A memorial mass was held in front of the Lasting Fire. The pilgrims visited the museum to see the ashes, the documentary evidences and the pictures.

The candle lighting was a period of solemn silence and prayer, after which the bishop of Lebanon delivered his message.


The next morning, the crowd walked towards Euphrates river where Armenians of various countries were gathered. After the Syrian and Armenian marches, the Catholicos-Patriarch addressed his speech to the audience. He emphasized that we are gathered there to vow to defend our cause. Then, all the pilgrims threw flowers into the water of Euphrates where Armenian virgins threw themselves during the massacre. It was a motivating moment.

Following that, the pilgrims were directed towards Margadeh, though the weather was unfavourable. In Margadeh, a memorial mass was held, during which the Most Reverend Paul Haidossian, President of Haigazian University, mentioned: "Our martyrs suffered for the sake of our nation and our faith. Therefore, we Armenians should not forget this historical soil for it testifies our cause."

Some pilgrims tried to find ashes and succeeded: Der Zor is an "open cemetery".


During this pilgrimage, 94 trees were planted, one of which was planted by Mesrobian students. After which, the pilgrims had a lunch, and returned to Lebanon.

The pilgrimage was covered by Voice of Van and Radio Sevan. Moreover, Radio Sevan reporter made several live interviews with some pilgrims.



A Dialogue between students from the three Armenian Denominations

On Friday, 24th of April, 2009, at 2:00PM, Voice of Van held a dialogue with Lebanese Armenian students from the three Armenian denominations. Garen Yosoulkanian, a Mesrobian student, represented the school.