Down syndrome Home
Arev Down Syndrome Children – established by Fr. Gregor Gregoryan, serves a community that is tragically forgotten and abandoned if not for the work done by Fr. Gregor and his organization
“Visiting The Down Syndrome Home and being in the presence of the children was profoundly heart warming.”
Arev Down Syndrome Children – established by Fr. Gregor Gregoryan, serves a community that is tragically forgotten and abandoned if not for the work done by Fr. Gregor and his organization. In a special center in Yerevan the children get together for educational programs that include counseling sessions with psychologists, occupational therapists, teachers, and caregivers.
During a visit to the Center in Yerevan a team from Epostle witnessed the love and energy that Fr. Gregor brings to the children. He established the Center when he and his wife were blessed with their son Monte. He was shocked to find that there were no support services in Armenia, neither for the child nor his parents. By starting Arev Down Syndrome Center, families came out of the shadows, and a new community was born.
Fr. Gregor is an incredible man of faith and he is always in awe of the wonders of God, as was evident during the Epostle visit. During their time in Yerevan Fr. Vazken invited Raffi Mikaelian, conductor at the Opera House, to join the Epostle team on their visit to the Arev Center. The children performed a song on bells and another bell rang for Maestro Raffi as he invited them to perform with the Paros group at the Opera House. To the thunderous applause of the audience and the joyous tears of the parents, another miracle took place.
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Arev Down syndrome Home
Out of the shadows, into the light
In the heart of Yerevan, there is a place where love, courage, and hope shine brightly, the Arev Down Syndrome Children’s Center. Founded by Fr. Gregor Gregoryan, this home serves children who, for too long, were hidden away, forgotten, and left without support.
Fr. Gregor’s journey began when he and his wife were blessed with their son, Monte. In that moment of joy came a startling reality, in Armenia, there were no services, no guidance, no community for families of children with Down Syndrome. Where others might have accepted silence, Fr. Gregor chose action. He gathered families out of the shadows and into the light. He named them Arev which means “Sun”, because he believed each child carries a light meant to shine. Here, children learn, create, and grow together. Psychologists, occupational therapists, teachers, and caregivers work hand in hand, offering not only education, but dignity, friendship, and love. And every visit reveals the miracle at the heart of this place, joy that is uncontainable.
When our Epostle team visited, we witnessed children singing, dancing, and reciting poetry with pride. We saw Maestro Raffi Mikaelian, conductor at the Opera House, moved to invite them to perform on one of Armenia’s grandest stages. And we saw parents, once burdened by stigma, watching their children be celebrated by the world. For generations, a cloud of shame kept many of these children unseen. But here, in this center, that darkness is gone. Like Christ, who broke the chains of old thinking and opened the fullness of life to all, Fr. Gregor has opened doors that will never close again.
Today, the Arev children shine their light into every heart they touch. They remind us of God’s promise, that every soul is precious, every life a gift, and every child worthy of love without condition. This is the work of the Gospel in action. This is education, outreach, and the preservation of what is most sacred in our Armenian heritage, the image of God in every person. And for those who have eyes to see, the light of the Arev children is not only in them… it is also in us.
Reclaim Presentation
Fr. Gregor and Monte were invited to the annual Reclaim Conference at the Western Diocese. Under the sponsorship by Epostle, the Arev Center was front, center and in focus.
Photos From Visit
The Epostle family visited The Arev Down Syndrome Home with Maestro Raffi to witness the pure hearts of these children. An experience that touched us all deeply and will never be forgotten.
