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PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-0710
Fax: (212) 779-3558
Web: http://www.armenianchurch.org/
Email: [email protected]
TOP STORY July 14, 2011
_Exploring the Vocation of Lay Ministry _
_`Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe whatever
I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of
the world' (Mt 28:19-20)._
With those words, known as the `Great Commission,' the risen Jesus Christ
charged his followers to take his mission to the entire world. Those words
echo down to us today, guiding the actions of the church and shaping the
life decisions of its members. This call to serve God-a person's
`vocation,' or purpose-has been a subject explored by the Diocese in its
programs and publications for the past two years.
In the Armenian Church, the ordained clergy have a unique and indispensible
vocation, having received the transformative power of the Holy Spirit
through the laying-on of hands, which constitutes a living continuance of
the Apostolic mission our Lord Jesus Christ established.
But Christ also calls upon each and every person to exemplify his life and
teaching through his own activities. His call to the lay members of the
church is the vocation of lay ministry-the `Ministry of the Faithful,' to
which the Diocese has turned its focus for the coming year.
As the Great Commission suggests, at the heart of the vocation of lay
ministry lies the call to teach others as Jesus has taught us. We are called
to minister to the church, to each other, and to the world around
us-reminding them all that Christ is truly in our midst.
The `Ministry of the Faithful' theme was introduced during the 109th
Diocesan Assembly, hosted in Boston last spring by the Holy Trinity Church
of Cambridge, MA. [4]Click here to watch the Diocese's latest web video, and
see how parish leaders view their role as lay ministers of the Armenian
Church.
Links:
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30MKIsPItw8&feature=channel_video_title
Scripture of the Week
Is 2:5-11
Rom 8:31-10:4
Mt 13:24-30
Prayer of the Week
O giver of good gifts and bountiful in all your gifts, immortal God, we
beseech you, dispel from us dark thoughts, preserve us from the deceits of
the tempter, and grant us in faith to take refuge in the all-Holy Trinity,
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always, forever and
ever. Amen.
Upcoming Saints & Feasts
_14 July: _Holy Translators Sahag and Mesrob
_16 July:_ Sts. Tiridates the King and Queen Ashkhen
_21 July:_ St. Elisha the Prophet
CHURCH NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
Documents on the Armenian Genocide will be exhbited by the Vatican next
winter.
_Vatican to Exhibit Documents on Armenian Genocide _
The Vatican announced last week that its archives contain
never-before-released documents pertaining to the persecution of Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire during the Genocide of 1915. In addition to grim
eyewitness accounts of atrocities endured by Armenians at the hands of
Turkish forces, the documents seem to refer to reports on the Hamidian
massacres of the 1890s.
The documents are slated for publication in a book being prepared by the
Vatican Secret Archives. They will also be on view starting this winter at
an exhibit titled "Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed."
The Vatican archives have never been unveiled to the public in their more
than 1,000-year history. Other items in the upcoming exhibition include
papers from the 17th-century trial of Galileo Galilei and a letter asking
the Pope to annul Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
[5]
Click here to read more.
Links:
5. http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/the-vatican/detail/articolo/genocidio-armeno-archivio-segreto-archivo-secreto-secret-archive-armenian-genocide-4385
_Holy Etchmiadzin Launches Redesigned Website _
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin launched a redesigned website earlier
this week: [6]www.armenianchurch.org.
Links:
6. http://www.armenianchurch.org
The site features content in English and Armenian-including an overview of
Armenian Church history and information about programs at the Mother See.
Other highlights include a video library, photo galleries, a new section on
youth, and links to Holy Etchmiadzin's social media sites.
Additional updates will be made to the website in the coming months.
DIOCESAN NEWS
A GTech graduate presents her thesis project.
_FAR's GTech Celebrates Projects by Graduates_
On Friday, July 8, 13 graduates of the Fund for Armenian Relief's Gyumri
Information Technology Center (GTech) defended their theses, highlighting
the knowledge they've gained in the areas of application development,
project management, and teamwork.
Their projects led to the creation of GTech's Information and Library
Portal, the IT Community Blog, and the development of websites for other
organizations in Gyumri.
GTech was established in 2005 by FAR, in partnership with several technology
companies. The goal of the center is to strengthen the information
technology skills of young Armenians and to expand opportunities in the
region. GTech also helps to bolster development by providing an incubator
space for new start-up IT businesses. [7]
Click here
to visit FAR's blog and learn more.
Links:
7. http://blog.farusa.org/2011/07/12/gtech-gtech-grads-present-final-projects
_Growing Readership for Diocesan Website _
We are excited to announce that traffic on the Diocese's
website-[8]www.armenianchurch-ed.net - has increased by 50 percent in the
last month.
Links:
8. http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net
Visitors worldwide are using the website's multitude of features-including
its news section, blog, and video and photo galleries-to keep up to date
with the latest happenings in the Eastern Diocese and to learn more about
the history and traditions of the Armenian Church.
The website, which was redesigned last summer, is complemented by Vemkar-a
free mobile phone application for the [9]Android and [10]iPhone platforms.
The Vemkar app allows users to view daily scripture readings, listen to
Armenian spiritual and folk music, request prayers, post comments, and much
more.
Links:
9. https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mobileroadie.app_1348
10. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vemkar/id421691043?mt=8
If you've already downloaded the application, please consider reviewing it
in the App Store or on the Android Market.
_Ararat Center Festival Scheduled for July 23_
The Ararat Center will host its 8th annual festival on Saturday, July 23,
from noon to 5 p.m. on the center's grounds in Greenville, NY. Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Diocesan Primate, will preside over the day's program.
The day will feature worship, remarks by Ambassador Garen Nazarian,
Armenia's Ambassador the United Nations, and a book-signing by Michael
Bobelian, author of _Children of Armenia_. The Shushi Armenian Dance
Ensemble of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral will perform.
Guests are invited to enjoy Armenian delicacies, vendor booths, and
activities for children. [11]Click here for more information.
Links:
11. http://www.araratcenter.org/calendar/event.php?eid=34&ref=homepage
PARISH NEWS
Fr. Shnork Souin distributes Holy Communion during his first Divine Liturgy
in Providence, RI.
_Providence Parish Welcomes New Pastor_
On Sunday, July 10, parishioners at Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of
Providence, RI, welcomed their new pastor, the Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin. Fr.
Souin celebrated the Divine Liturgy and offered the day's message.
Most recently, Fr. Souin served as the pastor of St. Mary Church of
Livingston, NJ, where he began his ministry in 2001. He was assigned to
serve the Providence parish this spring by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian,
Diocesan Primate.
A native of Canada, Fr. Souin was ordained a priest in 1994 by Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian, then-Primate of the Canadian Diocese.
YOUTH NEWS
His Holiness Karekin II blesses the participants of the Pan-ACYO assembly.
_Pan-ACYO Assembly Concludes in Armenia_
Some 150 young delegates gathered for the international Pan-Armenian Church
Youth Organization (Pan-ACYO) assembly in Tsakhadzor, Armenia, from July 7
to 10. Gevork Vartanian, secretary of the ACYOA Central Council, represented
the Eastern Diocese at the four-day meeting.
The assembly opened on July 7 with a visit to St. Gregory the Illuminator
Cathedral in Yerevan, followed by a drive to Tsakhadzor for the start of the
sessions. Participants began working on a long-term goal to establish a set
of bylaws for the Pan-ACYO. They also elected 15 people to a Pan-ACYO
Council-an important step for the young organization.
The young people had opportunities to worship together, share experiences
from their dioceses, and plan activities and programs that will be carried
out at the local level. They also took part in social and cultural
activities.
[12]Click here to read more.
Links:
12. http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net/wpblog/2011/07/eastern-diocese-takes-part-in-pan-acyo-assembly
Campers at St. Vartan Camp.
_St. Vartan Camp Welcomes Session B Participants _
The Diocesan summer camp program welcomed campers taking part in Session B
of St. Vartan Camp at the Ararat Center in upstate New York this week.
Session B will conclude with the celebration of the Ararat Festival on
Saturday, July 23, and Session C will begin on the following day. [13]Click
here to read the daily camp blog, and to view photos and videos.
Links:
13. http://armenianchurch.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=727aaae8ea56658ecf4a092d5&id=ecd5b489c8&e= 3aa2e2c3e9
Meanwhile, staff are preparing for Hye Camp in the Midwest region. Hye Camp
staff training will begin on Wednesday, July 27; campers will arrive on
Saturday, July 30. The camp is housed at Camp Hickory in Ingleside, IL.
To learn more about St. Vartan Camp or Hye Camp, e-mail the Diocese's Youth
Outreach coordinator, Jennifer Morris, at [14][email protected].
Links:
14. mailto:[email protected]
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-0710
Fax: (212) 779-3558
Web: http://www.armenianchurch.org/
Email: [email protected]
TOP STORY July 14, 2011
_Exploring the Vocation of Lay Ministry _
_`Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe whatever
I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of
the world' (Mt 28:19-20)._
With those words, known as the `Great Commission,' the risen Jesus Christ
charged his followers to take his mission to the entire world. Those words
echo down to us today, guiding the actions of the church and shaping the
life decisions of its members. This call to serve God-a person's
`vocation,' or purpose-has been a subject explored by the Diocese in its
programs and publications for the past two years.
In the Armenian Church, the ordained clergy have a unique and indispensible
vocation, having received the transformative power of the Holy Spirit
through the laying-on of hands, which constitutes a living continuance of
the Apostolic mission our Lord Jesus Christ established.
But Christ also calls upon each and every person to exemplify his life and
teaching through his own activities. His call to the lay members of the
church is the vocation of lay ministry-the `Ministry of the Faithful,' to
which the Diocese has turned its focus for the coming year.
As the Great Commission suggests, at the heart of the vocation of lay
ministry lies the call to teach others as Jesus has taught us. We are called
to minister to the church, to each other, and to the world around
us-reminding them all that Christ is truly in our midst.
The `Ministry of the Faithful' theme was introduced during the 109th
Diocesan Assembly, hosted in Boston last spring by the Holy Trinity Church
of Cambridge, MA. [4]Click here to watch the Diocese's latest web video, and
see how parish leaders view their role as lay ministers of the Armenian
Church.
Links:
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30MKIsPItw8&feature=channel_video_title
Scripture of the Week
Is 2:5-11
Rom 8:31-10:4
Mt 13:24-30
Prayer of the Week
O giver of good gifts and bountiful in all your gifts, immortal God, we
beseech you, dispel from us dark thoughts, preserve us from the deceits of
the tempter, and grant us in faith to take refuge in the all-Holy Trinity,
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always, forever and
ever. Amen.
Upcoming Saints & Feasts
_14 July: _Holy Translators Sahag and Mesrob
_16 July:_ Sts. Tiridates the King and Queen Ashkhen
_21 July:_ St. Elisha the Prophet
CHURCH NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
Documents on the Armenian Genocide will be exhbited by the Vatican next
winter.
_Vatican to Exhibit Documents on Armenian Genocide _
The Vatican announced last week that its archives contain
never-before-released documents pertaining to the persecution of Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire during the Genocide of 1915. In addition to grim
eyewitness accounts of atrocities endured by Armenians at the hands of
Turkish forces, the documents seem to refer to reports on the Hamidian
massacres of the 1890s.
The documents are slated for publication in a book being prepared by the
Vatican Secret Archives. They will also be on view starting this winter at
an exhibit titled "Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed."
The Vatican archives have never been unveiled to the public in their more
than 1,000-year history. Other items in the upcoming exhibition include
papers from the 17th-century trial of Galileo Galilei and a letter asking
the Pope to annul Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
[5]
Click here to read more.
Links:
5. http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/the-vatican/detail/articolo/genocidio-armeno-archivio-segreto-archivo-secreto-secret-archive-armenian-genocide-4385
_Holy Etchmiadzin Launches Redesigned Website _
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin launched a redesigned website earlier
this week: [6]www.armenianchurch.org.
Links:
6. http://www.armenianchurch.org
The site features content in English and Armenian-including an overview of
Armenian Church history and information about programs at the Mother See.
Other highlights include a video library, photo galleries, a new section on
youth, and links to Holy Etchmiadzin's social media sites.
Additional updates will be made to the website in the coming months.
DIOCESAN NEWS
A GTech graduate presents her thesis project.
_FAR's GTech Celebrates Projects by Graduates_
On Friday, July 8, 13 graduates of the Fund for Armenian Relief's Gyumri
Information Technology Center (GTech) defended their theses, highlighting
the knowledge they've gained in the areas of application development,
project management, and teamwork.
Their projects led to the creation of GTech's Information and Library
Portal, the IT Community Blog, and the development of websites for other
organizations in Gyumri.
GTech was established in 2005 by FAR, in partnership with several technology
companies. The goal of the center is to strengthen the information
technology skills of young Armenians and to expand opportunities in the
region. GTech also helps to bolster development by providing an incubator
space for new start-up IT businesses. [7]
Click here
to visit FAR's blog and learn more.
Links:
7. http://blog.farusa.org/2011/07/12/gtech-gtech-grads-present-final-projects
_Growing Readership for Diocesan Website _
We are excited to announce that traffic on the Diocese's
website-[8]www.armenianchurch-ed.net - has increased by 50 percent in the
last month.
Links:
8. http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net
Visitors worldwide are using the website's multitude of features-including
its news section, blog, and video and photo galleries-to keep up to date
with the latest happenings in the Eastern Diocese and to learn more about
the history and traditions of the Armenian Church.
The website, which was redesigned last summer, is complemented by Vemkar-a
free mobile phone application for the [9]Android and [10]iPhone platforms.
The Vemkar app allows users to view daily scripture readings, listen to
Armenian spiritual and folk music, request prayers, post comments, and much
more.
Links:
9. https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mobileroadie.app_1348
10. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vemkar/id421691043?mt=8
If you've already downloaded the application, please consider reviewing it
in the App Store or on the Android Market.
_Ararat Center Festival Scheduled for July 23_
The Ararat Center will host its 8th annual festival on Saturday, July 23,
from noon to 5 p.m. on the center's grounds in Greenville, NY. Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Diocesan Primate, will preside over the day's program.
The day will feature worship, remarks by Ambassador Garen Nazarian,
Armenia's Ambassador the United Nations, and a book-signing by Michael
Bobelian, author of _Children of Armenia_. The Shushi Armenian Dance
Ensemble of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral will perform.
Guests are invited to enjoy Armenian delicacies, vendor booths, and
activities for children. [11]Click here for more information.
Links:
11. http://www.araratcenter.org/calendar/event.php?eid=34&ref=homepage
PARISH NEWS
Fr. Shnork Souin distributes Holy Communion during his first Divine Liturgy
in Providence, RI.
_Providence Parish Welcomes New Pastor_
On Sunday, July 10, parishioners at Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of
Providence, RI, welcomed their new pastor, the Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin. Fr.
Souin celebrated the Divine Liturgy and offered the day's message.
Most recently, Fr. Souin served as the pastor of St. Mary Church of
Livingston, NJ, where he began his ministry in 2001. He was assigned to
serve the Providence parish this spring by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian,
Diocesan Primate.
A native of Canada, Fr. Souin was ordained a priest in 1994 by Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian, then-Primate of the Canadian Diocese.
YOUTH NEWS
His Holiness Karekin II blesses the participants of the Pan-ACYO assembly.
_Pan-ACYO Assembly Concludes in Armenia_
Some 150 young delegates gathered for the international Pan-Armenian Church
Youth Organization (Pan-ACYO) assembly in Tsakhadzor, Armenia, from July 7
to 10. Gevork Vartanian, secretary of the ACYOA Central Council, represented
the Eastern Diocese at the four-day meeting.
The assembly opened on July 7 with a visit to St. Gregory the Illuminator
Cathedral in Yerevan, followed by a drive to Tsakhadzor for the start of the
sessions. Participants began working on a long-term goal to establish a set
of bylaws for the Pan-ACYO. They also elected 15 people to a Pan-ACYO
Council-an important step for the young organization.
The young people had opportunities to worship together, share experiences
from their dioceses, and plan activities and programs that will be carried
out at the local level. They also took part in social and cultural
activities.
[12]Click here to read more.
Links:
12. http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net/wpblog/2011/07/eastern-diocese-takes-part-in-pan-acyo-assembly
Campers at St. Vartan Camp.
_St. Vartan Camp Welcomes Session B Participants _
The Diocesan summer camp program welcomed campers taking part in Session B
of St. Vartan Camp at the Ararat Center in upstate New York this week.
Session B will conclude with the celebration of the Ararat Festival on
Saturday, July 23, and Session C will begin on the following day. [13]Click
here to read the daily camp blog, and to view photos and videos.
Links:
13. http://armenianchurch.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=727aaae8ea56658ecf4a092d5&id=ecd5b489c8&e= 3aa2e2c3e9
Meanwhile, staff are preparing for Hye Camp in the Midwest region. Hye Camp
staff training will begin on Wednesday, July 27; campers will arrive on
Saturday, July 30. The camp is housed at Camp Hickory in Ingleside, IL.
To learn more about St. Vartan Camp or Hye Camp, e-mail the Diocese's Youth
Outreach coordinator, Jennifer Morris, at [14][email protected].
Links:
14. mailto:[email protected]