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Crossroads E-Newsletter - August 13, 2009

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  • Crossroads E-Newsletter - August 13, 2009

    August 13, 2009
    PRELATE AND VICAR WILL TRAVEL TO TROY

    Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan will be in Troy, New York
    this weekend where they will meet with the Board of Trustees of Holy
    Cross Church
    on Saturday, August 14.

    On Sunday, August 16, Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the Divine
    Liturgy, deliver the sermon and officiate at the Blessing of Grapes
    ceremony.
    BIBLE TRANSLATION CONTINUES

    Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan will be in Montreal next week
    where they will join Archbishop Khajag Hagopian and continue their
    Bible
    translation project.


    HEAD OF MEKHITARIAN BROTHERHOOD VISITS

    V. Rev. Fr. Yeghia Kilaghbian, head of the Mekhitarian Brotherhood
    (Abbahayr) in Venice, visited the Prelacy on Tuesday, August 11,
    where he was welcomed by the Prelate and Vicar. The Abbahayr is
    currently on a visit to the United States.
    Photo: From left to right: Bishop Anoushavan,
    Archbishop Oshagan, V. Rev. Fr. Yeghia Kilaghbian, and Rev. Fr. Nareg
    Terterian.


    2009 PRELACY LINKED iN WEEKEND

    The 2009 Prelacy LINKED iN weekend for young adults will take place
    September 25-27, at the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual Vineyard, Charlton,
    Massachusetts, as part of the ongoing Year of the Youth activities..

    Under the general theme of "Know Your Church," presentations will be
    made by Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Archpriest Rev. Fr. Antranig
    Baljian,
    Professor Michael Papazian, and Yeretzgin Margaret Stepanian. The
    weekend gathering will also feature prayer services, meditations,
    bible studies,
    and panel discussion.

    For more information click
    here (
    http://e2ma.net/go/2299241061/2089057/77915414/2 4882/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/linkedin0 9.htm
    ).


    LIVE TELEVISION BROADCAST FROM BIKFAYA

    On the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, the
    Noursat will broadcast services LIVE via satellite the Holy Mass
    presided
    over by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, from Sourp Asdvadzadzin
    Monastery in Bikfaya, Lebanon, on Saturday, August 15.

    For information about how to receive Noursat in your area click here (
    http://e2ma.net/go/2299241061/2089057/77915413/2 4882/goto:http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v0 4/doc/English/cathcilnewseng.htm%234
    ).
    DAILY BIBLE READINGS

    Bible readings for today, Thursday, August 13, are: 1 Corinthians
    15:34-49; Mark 3:20-30.

    Come to a sober and right mind, and sin no more; for some people have
    no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. But someone will
    ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"
    Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for
    what you
    sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps
    of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has
    chosen, and
    to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is alike, but there
    is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds,
    and
    another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies,
    but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is
    another.
    There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and
    another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in
    glory.

    So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is
    perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it
    is
    raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is
    sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a
    physical
    body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, "The first
    man, Adam, became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving
    spirit.
    But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then
    the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the
    second man
    is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the
    dust; and as is that man of heaven, so are those who are of
    heaven. Just as we
    have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image
    of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:34-49)

    For listing of the coming week's Bible readings click here
    (http://www.armenianprelacy.org/DBR2009-8.pdf ).
    FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

    This Sunday, August 16, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of
    the Assumption (Verapokoum) of the Holy Mother of God and the Blessing
    of the Grapes. Although in modern Armenian the word verapokoum means
    "change again," in classical Armenian it means "transport up."

    According to tradition, Mary, the mother of Christ, died and was
    buried by the apostles. The apostle Bartholomew, who was not present
    at her
    funeral, wished to visit her grave, but when the gravestone was lifted
    they were surprised to find that the body had disappeared. It was
    believed
    that Christ had come and taken his mother to the Heavenly Kingdom.
    Based on this event, the Church Fathers established the Feast of the
    Assumption
    of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is one of the five tabernacle feast
    days in the Armenian Church's liturgical calendar. It is celebrated on
    the
    Sunday closest to August 15. The feast is preceded by a week (five
    days) of fasting and a memorial day the day after.

    Because Bartholomew was very fond of the Holy Mother, the apostle John
    gave him an image of her (which she had given to John). Bartholomew
    took
    this image with him to Armenia to Darbnots Kar in the province of
    Antsev, Vaspourakan (in Western Armenia) where a convent of nuns,
    Hagyatz Vank
    (Monastery for the Spirits) was built and where the icon was
    kept. Most images of Bartholomew show him holding this icon.

    The concept of the Virgin Mary's Assumption is an old one as seen in
    sacred prose and poetry dedicated to the Holy Mother. However, it did
    not
    become a basic doctrine of the church until the ninth century and it
    was in the twelfth century that the feast was called "The
    Assumption."
    BLESSING OF THE GRAPES

    In the Armenian Church the Blessing of the Grapes takes place on the
    Feast of the Assumption, although there is no direct
    connection. Similar to
    other holidays, it coincides with a pagan era festival, which the
    Church Fathers incorporated into the liturgical calendar. The hymn
    Park Sourp
    Khatachesi (Glory to Your Sacred Cross) is sung; Biblical passages are
    recited, followed by a prayer composed by Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali
    specifically for this occasion. After the prayer, the grapes are
    blessed three times with Orhnestsee Bahbanestsee and then the blessed
    grapes are
    distributed to the faithful, many of whom refrain from eating grapes
    until this blessing take place.

    Certainly we can say that the Blessing of the Grapes commemoration is
    a celebration of the fruitfulness of the earth. Grapes are one of the
    oldest
    cultivated plants in the world. According to Biblical history, Noah
    planted a vineyard immediately after disembarking from the Ark
    (Genesis, Chapter
    9) in Nakhichevan. And, of course, the wine of the Divine Liturgy
    comes from grapes.
    "Bless, O Lord, the grape plants and vineyards from which these grapes
    are taken and presented to the
    holy church, and make them bountiful and fruitful; let them be like
    good and fertile land, protect the vineyards from all kinds of
    misfortunes and
    destruction which come from above because of our sins, from hail, from
    cold, from hot winds, and from destructive insects, so that we may
    enjoy that
    which You have created in this world for our enjoyment and for Your
    glory, and grant that we may be worthy to eat and drink with You from
    the bounty
    of Your most fruitful vine at the table of Your Father's Kingdom,
    according to the just promise which You made, to the honor and glory
    of Your
    coexisting Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the most Holy Spirit to
    whom is due glory, power, and honor, now and forever. Amen."
    (From the prayer written by Nerses Shnorhali (the Gracious)
    for the Blessing of the Grapes.)
    Photo: St. Stephen's Church (Watertown) marked the Blessing of the
    Grapes last Sunday at Camp Haiastan in Franklin, Mass. In this
    photo, left to right: Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian, Archbishop
    Oshagan, Archpriest Fr. Arshag Daghlian (seated), and Archpriest
    Fr. Aram
    Stepanian. The Prelate's sermon centered on the Andastan ceremony
    (Blessing of the Harvest), explaining how centuries ago our Church
    Fathers blessed
    the four corners of the world and respected the earth and its
    bountiful harvest. By today's terminology they would be described as
    "being green."
    They were hundreds of years ahead of their time.
    MONDAY IS MEMORIAL DAY
    Monday, August 17 is Memorial Day. In accordance with the tradition of
    the Armenian Church the day after each
    of the tabernacle feasts is designated as a Memorial Day, a day of
    remembrance of the dead, as well as a day of thanksgiving. For
    Christians, and
    especially in the Armenian Church, remembering the dead is a noble
    deed. Lighting a candle, burning incense, or visiting the grave site
    and placing
    flowers is a way of being with loved ones who have passed on.
    CALENDAR OF EVENTS
    August 16--Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, annual
    picnic and Blessing of the Grapes.
    August 16--St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts,
    picnic and Blessing of the Grapes.
    August 16--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Assumption of the Holy
    Mother of God, Grape Blessing picnic. For information: 215-482-9200.
    August 16--St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Granite City, Illinois,
    annual Blessing of the Grapes picnic, following Divine Liturgy and
    Blessing of the Grapes, 12:30-3:30 pm, at St. Gregory Community
    Center. Delicious
    shish, losh and chicken kebab dinners, Armenian pastries, and
    specialty foods; raffle, games and activities for kids. Rain or shine.
    September 13--Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Worcester,
    Massachusetts, 75th anniversary Holy Mass and banquet, under the
    auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan.
    September 13--St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley, North Andover,
    Massachusetts, annual picnic on newly renovated church grounds, 158
    Main St., North Andover. Enjoy food, music. Fellowship. For details
    go to
    church's web site (www.Saintgregory.org (
    http://e2ma.net/go/2299241061/2089057/77914404/2 4882/goto:http://www.saintgregory.org/
    )) or call 978-685-5038.
    September 12--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia; opening of Haigazian
    Armenian School.
    September 13--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia; opening of Sunday
    School.
    September 13--Annual picnic of St. Stephen's Armenian Church of New
    Britain and Hartford at the Quartette Club, 225 Wooster Street, New
    Britain, Connecticut, beginning at noon, rain or shine. Live
    music. Armenian
    food. Free admission.
    September 19-20--Re-consecration of the altar and the newly renovated
    St. Illuminator's Cathedral in New York City on Saturday. Episcopal
    Divine Liturgy and Madagh on Sunday.
    September 20--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia. Lobster Fest. For
    information: 215-482-9200.
    September 20--St. Sarkis Church (Douglaston, New York), annual picnic
    on
    the church grounds, 38-65 234th Street, Douglaston, beginning at 1 pm
    immediately following church services and the blessing of the basil.
    Delicious
    Armenian kebabs, sweets, etc., along with games, music, dancing,
    tavloo, basketball, volleyball, vendors and returning by popular
    demand--"Kid-Z-One," with a host of activities for children. For
    information 718-224-2275.
    September 21--St. Stephen's (Watertown, MA) Armenian School/ACEC 14th
    annual Golf Outing at Framingham Country Club. $170 includes golf,
    lunch, dinner, and contests. For information contact Astor at
    781-326-5764.
    September 25-26-27--Prelacy Linked In, gathering of the youth. For
    details click here (
    http://e2ma.net/go/2299241061/2089057/77915414/2 4882/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/linkedin0 9.htm
    ).
    September 27--75th anniversary of St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard,
    Massachusetts, under auspices of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan. Country
    Club of Wilbraham, 859 Stony Hill Road, Wilbraham,
    Massachusetts. Special
    performances by Dottie Bengoian and the St. Gregory Sunday School
    children. For information: 413-596-9242.
    September 28--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Golf Outing at
    Talamore
    Country Club, Ambler, Pennsylvania. For information: 215-482-9200.
    September 28--Holy Trinity Church (Worcester, Massachusetts), 6th
    annual Golf Outing, Sterling National Country Club, Sterling,
    MA. Golf, breakfast, dinner, and prizes, $130 per person. For
    information send email
    to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), or telephone
    508-872-9629.
    October 1--Sts. Vartanantz Church (New Jersey), presents 7th annual
    Golf Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey. $175
    includes lunch, dinner, golf and contests. Come out and enjoy a great
    day and
    support the church. For information contact Mark, 201-483-3200.
    October 15-18--Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland, Food Festival
    and Bazaar.
    October 17--National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG) annual
    conference at the Prelacy offices in New York City. Details will
    follow.
    October 18--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Intercommunal Cultural
    Celebration at Holy Trinity Church, Cheltenham, PA.
    November 1--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Sunday School Halloween
    Party.
    November 6-7--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia. Food
    Festival.
    November 14--Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland, 45th anniversary
    celebration.
    November 20, 21, 22--Sts. Vartanantz Church (Ridgefield, New Jersey)
    Annual Bazaar and Food Festival. Saturday night dancing with "Onnik
    Dinkjian"; Sunday traditional kavourma dinner.
    December 20--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia. Sunday School
    Christmas
    Pageant.
    December 31--St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Seroonian Community
    Center New Year's Eve celebration.
    December 31--Sts. Vartanantz Church (Ridgefield, New Jersey), New
    Year's Eve Dinner-Dance. Details to follow.
    Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy's web
    site.
    To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
    add [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) to
    your address book.
    Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
    credit Crossroads as the
    source.
    Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
    their major events to be
    included in the calendar. Send to: [email protected]
    (mailto:info@armenianprel acy.org)
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