Beirut -- Marking the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and the annual remembrance of the victims of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide, Assyrian Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan urged Assyrian Christians to remain steadfast in their faith, preserve their ecclesiastical heritage, and strengthen the next generation against the pressures of displacement and cultural assimilation.

The Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Sunday, 21 June, at Mor Ignatius of Antioch Church at the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal See in Beirut's Mathaf district. Patriarch Younan presided over the service, assisted by Fr. Karim Kalash, with Chorbishop Habib Murad concelebrating alongside deacons and a congregation of faithful.

Related: The Assyrian Genocide

In his homily, the Patriarch reflected on the memory of the Assyrian martyrs who lost their lives during the genocide of 1915, describing them as men and women who willingly offered themselves "as sacrifices on the altars of martyrdom" out of devotion to Jesus Christ, the Gospel, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.

He recalled that the Assyrian Catholic and Assyrian Orthodox Churches had agreed in 2015 to commemorate the victims together each June under the name Sayfo (the Assyrian word for sword) symbolizing the genocide that devastated Assyrian Christian communities across the Ottoman Kingdom.

Drawing on historical accounts, Patriarch Younan said that those driven in forced death marches toward execution continually prayed for strength and sought the intercession of the Virgin Mary. Among the prayers most closely associated with the martyrs, he noted, was the traditional Assyrian hymn known as the Sahrana, which many recited from memory as they faced death.

The Patriarch emphasized that remembering the martyrs should not be understood as glorifying bloodshed or suffering. Rather, he said, Christians are called to accept sacrifice only when it becomes part of God's providence. He lamented the dramatic decline of Christian communities in their historic homeland, particularly in eastern and central Turkey, where many Assyrian once lived before the genocide. He also prayed that Christians in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq would remain rooted in their ancestral lands despite continuing political, economic, and security challenges.

Patriarch Younan warned that younger generations face increasing pressures from social media and contemporary culture that risk distancing them from the values inherited from their ancestors. He stressed the importance of strengthening faith formation among children and youth so that they remain connected to their spiritual and cultural identity.

Reflecting on his pastoral visits to Assyrian and Christian communities throughout the diaspora, the Patriarch acknowledged that many families have found stability and security abroad. At the same time, he expressed concern that the continued growth of diaspora communities comes at the cost of a diminishing Christian presence in the Middle East, the region where Christianity first took root.

Coinciding with Father's Day, observed in Lebanon on 21 June, Patriarch Younan also extended greetings to fathers, praying that they would remain faithful guardians of their families and help build homes rooted in faith, hope, and love.

Concluding his homily, the Patriarch reaffirmed the Assyrian Church's enduring commitment to its faith and heritage.

"We will remain steadfast in our faith in the Lord Jesus, committed to our Assyrian Church and its teachings, and faithful to the heritage of our fathers and grandfathers despite the challenges and sacrifices," he said. "We bear witness to the Lord among the societies in which we live, confident that life on earth is not the end, but that we are all called to eternal life with the saints and martyrs in heaven."