Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Prelate Gets Joyous Welcome

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Prelate Gets Joyous Welcome

    PRELATE GETS JOYOUS WELCOME
    By K.O. Jackson

    Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN
    Dec 5 2006

    Talk explores health link to faith
    Clint Keller/The Journal Gazette

    His Holiness Aram Ivisits with Dorothy Koomjohn Escosa, left, and
    Adrienne Schwartz, 9, at the home of Zohrab Tazian.

    Seeing, they say, is believing.

    So is kissing the right hand of His Holiness Aram I, the spiritual
    leader of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

    His Holiness made his first visit to Indiana on Monday and was greeted
    by more than 300 people at the home of businessman Zohrab Tazian.

    "This is like the pope coming to America for Armenians," says John
    Escosa, of Stedman Studios who was there to shoot photos of His
    Holiness' visit. "My mother's name is Dorothy Koomjohn. Her parents
    are from Armenia. This is big. This is hard to believe."

    When His Holiness - carrying a gold-tipped staff and wearing a gold
    double eagle necklace that reached down toward his stomach - entered
    Tazian's foyer, there was slight applause from people lined up to
    bow and kiss his right hand.

    When the greetings were finished, Aram I, blessed bread and water
    that were placed in the lobby. He then led people in a prayer and song.

    Following that, he sat with local and out-of-town religious leaders
    and laymen discussing issues facing the church.

    Aram I was the first orthodox and youngest person to be elected
    moderator of the central and executive committees of the World Council
    of Churches - the organization's highest-ranking position.

    Dr. Raffy Hovanessian traveled from Munster to meet Aram I.

    Hovanessian said there are about 10 Armenian families in Fort Wayne,
    but this event brought people from all over the state to Fort Wayne.

    "He is blessing the house. This is a first for Armenian Catholics.

    This is very special."

    His Holiness spent about five hours in the city before heading to South
    Bend to address a "Faith and Healing: Interdisciplinary Conference on
    the Dynamics of Religious Coping," at the University of Notre Dame. The
    university co-sponsored his visit with the Indiana University School
    of Medicine. The conference ends today.

    During the weekend, he also addressed U.S.-Armenian students in
    Detroit, encouraging them to take the renewal of the Armenian Church
    seriously. "We must remind ourselves that we are the first Christian
    nation which accepted Christianity as a state religion, but at the
    same time, we must realize that our church direly needs renewal,"
    he told students, according to a written statement at www.cathcil.org.

    "By renewal I don't mean changing the language of the liturgy or
    introducing some changes in the administration or the structure of the
    church. This would be a very superficial and one-sided perception of
    renewal. By renewal I understand making our church a people's church
    impacting the life of our people. By renewal I mean making our church
    responsive to the needs and expectations of our people. By renewal I
    mean reaffirming the missionary, evangelistic and educational outreach
    of the church. Therefore the renewal must be perceived as a process
    permeating the entire life of the church."

    During his Fort Wayne visit, Aram I spoke about the connection between
    faith and health. "Healing is a spiritual process and the greatest
    healer was Jesus Christ. You can't draw a line between medicine and
    faith. The mind, soul and body are one. There has to be a holistic
    approach. You cannot separate them."

    Bishop John M. D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Catholic Diocese,
    says His Holiness' words of faith and healing are starting to be
    heard in the medical community.

    "More doctors are starting to realize the connection," he says. "It
    is a great code of Christian education."

    In addition, His Holiness, who leads more than 1 million followers
    worldwide, says the church "needs to have courage to face challenges.

    This is the Christian way. It is our responsibility to show the right
    way; the Christian way," Aram I said, while joking that leading Notre
    Dame's football team is one of his secrets.

    "My people, 1.5 million, were massacred during World War I. The church
    has a bridge to build. It's not an easy task but we have to do it.

    "Reconciliation is the role of the church. These are the challenges
    of the church today."

    Father Paul Bebis, of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, says
    His Holiness' visit was "huge. He is a spiritual leader for us all.

    He is the head of the church. That is why we are all here."

    Photo: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/ 16167411.htm
Working...
X