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eNewsletter of the Eastern Diocese - 07/14/2011

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  • eNewsletter of the Eastern Diocese - 07/14/2011

    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]

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