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Eastern Prelacy: Crossroads E-Newsletter - 04/14/2005

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  • Eastern Prelacy: Crossroads E-Newsletter - 04/14/2005

    PRESS RELEASE
    Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
    138 East 39th Street
    New York, NY 10016
    Tel: 212-689-7810
    Fax: 212-689-7168
    e-mail: [email protected]
    Website: http://www.armenianprelacy.org
    Contact: Iris Papazian

    CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER - April 14, 2005

    ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN ATTENDS FUNERAL FOR
    FORMER GREEK PRIMATE, ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS
    Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan attended funeral services today for
    Archbishop Iakovos, who was the primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in
    North and South America for 37 years. His death on Sunday, April 10, was
    announced by Archbishop Demetrios, the current primate of the Greek church
    in the United States.
    Archbishop Iakovos was an imposing religious leader who moved the Greek
    Orthodox Church into the mainstream of religious and political life, and a
    fierce defender of social causes. He was 93 and lived in Rye, New York.
    Archbishop Oshagan expressed his sympathy to the Greek Orthodox
    community describing Archbishop Iakovos as a special friend of the
    Armenians. "He was a dynamic leader who advanced the visibility and work of
    the Greek Orthodox Church and in many ways became a model for younger
    clergymen."

    JOINT 90TH COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS IN NEW YORK CITY
    EXPECTED TO ATTRACT THOUSANDS FROM EAST COAST
    Thousands of Armenian Americans are expected to converge on New York
    City on Sunday, April 24, to attend the various commemorative events on the
    occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
    Communities all along the east coast, and even the Midwest, are filling
    buses for the trip to New York in order to attend the various memorial
    events.
    The day will begin at 9 am with Divine Liturgies celebrated at St.
    Vartan Cathedral and St. Illuminator's Cathedral in New York City. Mass will
    also take place at St. Ann's Armenian Catholic Church in Brooklyn, and
    services will take place at the Armenian Evangelical Church in New York
    City, and the Armenian Presbyterian Church in Paramus, New Jersey.
    Memorial Gathering at Times Square will begin at 12 noon until 1:30 pm.
    The day will conclude with a solemn ecumenical requiem service at St.
    Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue at 50th Street, beginning at 2:30 pm to
    4:30 pm.
    Visit www.remembergenocide.com for full details.

    BEAST ON THE MOON BEGINS PREVIEWS
    The much anticipated New York debut of the Beast on the Moon, a play
    about two Genocide survivors, began its preview performances this week.
    Beast on the Moon has received 40 international awards, has been performed
    in 17 countries, and translated into 12 languages. The play, which has been
    described as "heartwarming" and "uplifting," tells the story of an Armenian
    immigrant and his mail-order bride, as they come to terms with their tragic
    common past.
    Tickets can be ordered through telecharge at 212-947-8844. A number of
    Armenian organizations have purchased blocks of tickets. We published a list
    several weeks ago and add the following as well:
    Armenian National Committee of NJ, April 17.
    Armenian National Committee of NY, April 22
    Armenian Presbyterian Church (NJ), April 30 (matinee)

    EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION IN ANTELIAS
    His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, ordained
    and anointed V. Rev. Khoren Doghramdjian, Prelate of the Diocese of Greece,
    and V. Rev. Fr. Shahan Sarkisian, Prelate of the Diocese of Aleppo, as
    bishops on April 9 and 10.
    On the evening of Saturday, April 9, the bishops made their vows in St.
    Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral. The two prelates declared their
    faithfulness to the creed of the Armenian Orthodox Church. Then they read
    their vows and expressed their loyalty to the Catholicate of Cilicia, His
    Holiness Aram I, and their readiness to serve the Armenian church and
    people.
    The anointing service took place on Sunday, April 10. The service was
    conducted by the Catholicos, who was assisted by Bishops Kegham and Nareg.
    Members of the Cilician brotherhood, clergy guests and a large number of
    faithful from Aleppo, Greece and Lebanon congratulated the bishops following
    the service.

    AREC SPONSORS SEMINAR FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS
    Sixteen Sunday School teachers and directors from four New England
    parishes gathered at St. Stephen Armenian Church on Saturday, April 9, 2005,
    for a daylong seminar on the Bible and the Sacraments of Christian
    Initiation-Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist.
    Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the
    four-hour seminar focused on the service of the Word in these sacraments.
    Deacon Shant Kazanjian, director of AREC, led the seminar.
    Dn. Shant walked the participants through the services, highlighting the
    ritual movements, prayers and the readings of the scriptures. While the
    service of the sacrament of Baptism-Chrismation contains several fixed
    biblical readings, the scriptural readings for the Soorp Badarak (as for
    every day) are prescribed by the lectionary of the Armenian Apostolic
    Church. "The way the Church uses the scriptures in her services provides an
    important lens through which we can learn about the mind of the church, how
    the church understands a particular passage," said Deacon Shant.
    "For instance, reading John, chapter 3, where Jesus teaches about new
    birth or being born 'of water and spirit,' a passage which is read during
    the service of baptism indicates that the Armenian Church understands the
    new birth as something brought about in and through baptism. But this same
    passage is read on the third Sunday of Easter {last Sunday's reading), known
    as the Sunday of World Church (Ashkharhamadran Giragi), which commemorates
    the establishment of the first church. By doing so, the Church wants to
    remind us also of our baptism, in and through which we became members of the
    Church of God, we were born into the family of God. Hence, on the third
    Sunday of Easter, we commemorate and celebrate our own baptism as well." He
    continued, "We should not view this as simply a souvenir from the past. This
    invites us and challenges us to live the new life that we have received in
    Christ as a gift in Baptism, to actualize the grace of baptism in our daily
    lives. This means then we have to live as aliens to sins, to confess the one
    true and holy faith, to submit ourselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ,
    and to live according to the teachings of scriptures," said Deacon Shant.

    ONNIC MARASHIAN WILL REPRESENT PRELACY
    AT COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS IN ARMENIA
    Onnic Marashian, a former chairman of the Prelacy's Executive Council
    and faithful supporter of the Armenian Church, will represent the Eastern
    Prelacy at a series of commemorative events for the 90th anniversary of the
    Genocide in Armenia. The events are sponsored by the ARF, and include an
    international symposium on the Genocide. Delegations from all over the world
    are expected to attend the events which will begin on April 20th and
    continue through to April 24th with a visit to Dzizernagapert, the martyrs
    memorial in Armenia.

    PASHALIAN FUND TRUSTEES MEET
    The annual meeting of the trustees of the Pashalian Family Scholarship
    Fund took place on Monday, April 11, at the Prelacy offices. The trustees
    reviewed the financial reports of the Fund and then discussed the
    distribution of funds for the current year. Recipients of grants will be
    announced shortly.
    The trustees of the Fund are: H. E. Archbishop Oshagan (exofficio), Ms.
    Gloria Tarsy, Dr. George Dermksian, and Michael Derian.

    NALG CONFERENCE THIS SATURDAY
    The National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG) and the Ladies Guild of
    Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church will host the 2005 regional religious
    conference this Saturday, April 16, 10 am to 3 m at the church, 4906 Flint
    Drive, Bethesda, Maryland.
    The keynote speaker will be Yeretzgin Joanna Baghsarian from Providence,
    Rhode Island. Her presentation will focus on women of integrity in the
    Bible. Mary Derderian, adjunct instructor at George Washington University
    and Stratford University, will conduct a workshop for special event
    coordination, implementation and evaluation.
    For information contact Mary Derderian, 703-759-3908.

    ORDINATION OF ALTAR SERVERS IN PHILLY
    Ordination of altar servers will take place Sunday, May 1, at St.
    Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the Divine Liturgy. His
    Eminence Archbishop Oshagan will preside. A banquet in honor of the newly
    ordained altar servers will take place immediately after the services. For
    information contact the church office, 215-482-9200.

    PHOTOS OF FATHER TANIEL ON WEB
    Last week we reported on V. Rev. Fr. Taniel Garabedian, who celebrated
    the Divine Liturgy in the parish he grew up, Sts. Vartanantz, Ridgefield,
    New Jersey. To see some photographs of that day go to:
    http://www.armenianprelacy.org/041405a.htm

    INTERCOMMUNAL COMMITTEE OF PHILADELPHIA
    WILL COMMEMORATE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF GENOCIDE
    The Armenian Intercommunal Committee of Philadelphia will commemorate
    the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on Thursday, April 21, 7 pm at
    Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church, 630 Clothier Road, Wynnwood,
    Pennsylvania, with a prayer service and program. Guest speaker on this
    occasion will be Mgr. James E. King, PhD.

    BAYRAKDARIAN WILL PERFORM IN BOSTON
    FOR BENEFIT OF ARMENIAN RELIEF SOCIETY
    The acclaimed soprano, Isabel Bayrakdarian, will perform on Thursday,
    May 5, at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, along with pianist Serouj Kradjian.
    All net proceeds will benefit the Armenian Relief Society Eastern USA's
    programs in Armenia and the Diaspora. An afterglow reception will follow for
    VIP guests.
    For information contact the ARS regional office at 617-926-3801.

    ARMENIAN SISTERS ACADEMY WILL UNVEIL
    NEW EXPANDED 24,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY
    Armenian education in the United States is an important endeavor and we
    here at Crossroads are pleased to support the educational institutions which
    provide outstanding educational opportunities for our younger generations.
    The Armenian Sisters Academy in Radnor, Pennsylvania, will unveil its
    newly expanded and renovated 24,000-square foot facility on April 29. The
    event will salute three individuals who have supported the school's goals:
    Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York; Wallace
    F. Forbes, son of the founder of Forbes Magazine, and currently president of
    Forbes Investors Advisory Institute; and Janet Janjigian, Senior Vice
    President of Corporate Communications at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Inc. (MGM).
    The April 29th celebration will feature inspiring and oral depiction of
    the meaningful lives of Gregorian, Forbes, and Janjigian. For information
    contact Rita Ohanyan, 610-647-2016.

    THIS SUNDAY IS RED SUNDAY
    This Sunday, April 17, the third Sunday after Easter, is called Red
    Sunday (Karmir Kiraki). The name does not have an ecclesiastical origin, but
    rather similar to Green Sunday, it is a celebration of nature, especially
    the rebirth of springtime when red flowers grow in the green fields. The
    forty days after Easter are also a commemoration of Christ's various
    appearances to His disciples before His ascension. The two Sundays, Green
    and Red, are good days to concentrate on our relationship with nature and
    our stewardship of this good earth given to us by our Lord.

    TOMORROW IS TAX DEADLINE
    And, of course, tomorrow, April 15 is the deadline to file your income
    tax returns, unless you filed for an extension, which would allow you a
    reprieve until August.
    In 1913, the 16th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified
    empowering Congress to tax "incomes, from whatever source derived, without
    apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or
    enumeration." While some states do not have an income tax (i.e., Nevada),
    all residents and all citizens of the United States are subject to the
    federal income tax.

    "The tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but
    was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'" Luke
    18:13 (NRSV)

    We leave you this week with these words of Archbishop Iakovos, who was laid
    to rest today.
    "I will not remain still or I will die. I will use the time I have left to
    further my ecumenical work. I will elucidate the positions of the Orthodox
    Church in America. It must be an active church and an activist church,
    because the world today needs to be rearranged."
    >From statements made by Archbishop Iakovos, at the time of his retirement as
    prelate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.

    Visit our website at www.armenianprelacy.org
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