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PRESS RELEASE
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Fresno
2226 Ventura Street
Fresno, CA 93721
Contact: Barbara Mortanian
Tele: 559-486-1141
Fax: 559-486-1939
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.holytrinityfresno.org
Some 2000 people attended the 100th Anniversary Celebration of
Grape Blessing, Picnic and Festivities in Fresno
On Sunday, August 11, 2013, the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church
and the Fresno Armenian Community celebrated the Centennial
Anniversary of Grape Blessing Picnic and Festival in Fresno County,
preserving centuries of tradition that has been carried out by the
Armenians since ancient times. On this 100th anniversary picnic, His
Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America celebrated the
Divine Liturgy followed by the Blessing of the Grapes. The event was
held at the beautiful grounds of the California Armenian Home located
at 6720 E. Kings Canyon Road in Fresno. It was widely covered by the
local print media, TV stations and National Public Radio. From the
community some 2,000 people attended the picnic.
The Prelate, His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian celebrated
the Holy Badarak (Divine Liturgy), followed by the traditional
blessing of the grapes. His Eminence provided a spiritually moving
sermon to the Fresno Armenian Community by saying: ?The importance of
tradition cannot be overstated. Traditions such as this distinguish us
as a people; they bridge us to our rich and ancient heritage they
impart a sense of belonging. Along with our language, our age-old
customs are our identifying marks. It is not an easy feat for this
community to continue this tradition for the past one hundred years.
The fact that we are celebrating the centennial of the grape blessing
and festival speaks volumes about this community's love and reverence
for our religious and national heritage and your commitment to
carrying on the unique traditions that contribute to who we are.? The
text of the Prelate?s sermon in its entirety is attached.
Archbishop Mardirossian emphasized that ?The reason we are here today
celebrating this centennial is because the first settlers, recognizing
the great value of such customs, passed on the tradition to their
children, who in turn passed it down to their children, and so on.?
The Prelate took this opportunity to thank the American people for
providing a safe haven to those earliest Armenians who fled
persecution and Genocide in our ancestral homeland and found refuge in
this great land we are proud to call home. ?We pray for God to bless
the United States of America, this nation of liberty, equality, and
opportunity; to bless this land, the laborers, and the harvest we
offer today in thanksgiving,? said His Eminence.
The day progressed with festivities where families and friends enjoyed
listening and dancing to lively Armenian music provided by Richard
Hagopian and his band, and to play their favorite pastime board and
card games. This annual event has become an opportunity for friends
and relatives to visit each other and enjoy a great fellowship in a
park like environment. The Holy Trinity Church Men?s Society arranged
the BBQ, and the Ladies? Guild members prepared a variety of freshly
cooked Armenian foods and pastries. The Church, which reportedly is
famous for having the best pilaf served in California, also offered
the visitors an abundance of newly harvested fruits and vegetables at
its Farmer?s Market that were packaged for sale and supplied by
devoted church members. ?Our goal is to keep the Armenian Apostolic
Church tradition alive,? said Richard Bedoian, Chairman of the Holy
Trinity Church Men?s Society. ?We thank everyone, including our
growers who helped us put this event together.?
In the Armenian culture, the grape is considered to be the ?Queen of
all fruits.? In ancient Armenia, mid-August was the beginning of the
harvest and a time of rebirth and regeneration, where a solemn
ceremony took place in the vineyards. The priest would ask God to
bless the vines on which the grapes ripened and beseech God to save
the vineyards from evil in the form of natural disasters, such as
hail, frost, drought, high winds, and harmful insects. Now in the US,
through the ceremony the Armenian priest extends this blessing beyond
the grapes to all the fruits and vegetables that the farmers in the
San Joaquin Valley produce and supply to the world.
?We are thrilled to witness that our faith and culture are bringing
together the 4th and 5th generation American -Armenians to celebrate
this century?s old tradition,? said Varoujan Der Simonian, Chairman of
the Board of Trustees of the Holy Trinity Church. Der Simonian added
that the agricultural base of Fresno County has contributed greatly in
keeping this tradition alive.
?Once again the Fresno community came forward and attended our annual
picnic,? commented Levon Baladjanian, Holy Trinity board member and
treasurer of the Men?s Society. ?It keeps our church staying strong
while serving our parishioners and the community.?
Serving the spiritual needs of the Fresno Armenian Community since
1895, the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church located in the heart
of old Armenian Town in downtown Fresno is listed in the National
Registry of Historic Places. Three major Armenian-American newspapers,
including the Asbarez, the California Courier, and Nor Or were founded
in old Armenia Town. Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church continues
to be a thriving force and a major attraction for spiritual and
cultural activities of the Armenian community in Central California.
THE SERMON
On the 100th anniversary of the Blessing of the Grapes and Picnic, His
Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America provided the
following sermon that is providing below in its entirety.
"Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of
all your increase" (Proverbs 3:9)
Dear faithful members of Holy Trinity Church and parish community,
?On this sixth Sunday of the Transfiguration and the Eve of the Feast
of the Assumption, we are gathered here in these beautiful
surroundings to honor our Lord and give thanks to Almighty God as we
offer the first fruits of the harvest on this 100th anniversary of the
grape blessing and festival in Fresno.
Next Sunday the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption
of the Holy Mother of God, one of the greatest exemplars of our
Christian faith. The virtues of purity, humility, loyalty, and
devotion the Virgin Mary was imbued with, have been an inspiration and
an example for Christian women to emulate for centuries. Indeed the
Holy Mother of God remains the ideal model of staunch faith, selfless
service to God, maternal love, and graciousness, virtues which have
earned her the eternal and supreme love and reverence of all Christian
women, including our Armenian faithful.
The Feast of Assumption is doubly significant this year in light of
the "Year of the Armenian Mother" proclamation of His Holiness
Catholicos Aram I. In his Pontifical message, His Holiness states that
"Throughout our history, mothers have become not only a role model for
the Armenian people, reflecting the sacred spiritual, moral, and
national values and virtues in her life; not only the steady pillar of
the family and the dedicated educator of her children, but also a
person deserving the utmost respect for her committed participation in
the sacred mission of protecting and defending the Christian faith,
and strengthening the nation and homeland, by her exemplary behavior,
solid attitude, and infinite sacrifice in the most crucial moments of
our history."
Inspired by the life of the Virgin Mary, throughout the centuries our
mothers have indeed proven to be great examples of self-sacrifice,
loyalty, love and service. We thank all the mothers for their
irreplaceable role in maintaining the sanctity of our families, and we
pray for the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary to guide them in
fulfillment of their sacred mission. May God bless you and your
families.
Today we honor the Holy Mother of God and conduct the traditional
Blessing of Grapes, a ceremony rich in symbolism and tradition. This
ancient custom has been held since the Old Testament times, to render
to God the first and best fruits of the harvest as sacrificial
thanksgiving. With the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the dedication
of the first fruit took on new meaning. The Virgin Mary gave birth to
Jesus Christ, the first fruit, Who was offered to God in the temple.
Christ gave His blood so that we may have eternal life. Every time we
receive Holy Communion, we receive His sacrificial blood as
represented by the sacramental wine. Thus, we bless and offer the
queen of the fruits of the earth, the grapes from which the wine is
made, in thanksgiving for His gifts, especially the gift of eternal
life.
The core of the service is our belief that God is the source and
author of everything. Whatever we receive, achieve or become in this
life can only be through the grace of God. Jesus said, ?I am the vine,
you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Thus, through
the Blessing of Grapes, we recall the greatness of God's providence,
the enormity of his love, the privilege of our calling to be children
of God, and the joy of committing ourselves and all that we have to
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our ancestors embodied this spirit by bringing the first fruits of the
harvest to church in faith and gratitude for His abundant harvest.
That we have gathered here in a land thousands of miles from our
ancestral homeland, conducting the same ceremony as our forefathers
did thousands of years ago, is truly an occasion to rejoice in.
The importance of tradition cannot be overstated. Traditions such as
this distinguish us as a people; they bridge us to our rich and
ancient heritage they impart a sense of belonging. Along with our
language, our age-old customs are our identifying marks. It is not an
easy feat for this community to continue this tradition for the past
one hundred years. The fact that we are celebrating the centennial of
the grape blessing and festival speaks volumes about this community's
love and reverence for our religious and national heritage and your
commitment to carrying on the unique traditions that contribute to who
we are.
The reason we are here today celebrating this centennial is because
the first settlers, recognizing the great value of such customs,
passed on the tradition to their children, who in turn passed it down
to their children, and so on. We take this opportunity to thank the
American people for providing a safe haven to those earliest Armenians
who fled persecution and Genocide in our ancestral homeland and found
refuge in this great land we are proud to call home. We pray for God
to bless the United States of America, this nation of liberty,
equality, and opportunity; to bless this land, the laborers, and the
harvest we offer today in thanksgiving.
To ensure that those who come after us will continue this tradition
for generations more to come, we must today pledge that we will commit
ourselves to the instruction of the younger generations and make every
effort to impart to them that which makes us Armenian; our faith, our
language, our history, our literature, our age-old customs. This
ceremony today is a wonderful opportunity to teach our youth the
importance of maintaining traditions and cultivating love and respect
in their hearts and souls for our time-honored feasts and ceremonies
so that they feel a stronger sense of belonging and the joy and pride
of being Armenian Christians.
We commend and convey our appreciation to the Holy Trinity Church
greater family for their commitment to carrying on this truly
beautiful and meaningful tradition. We praise the Lord for all His
gifts, above all for the gift of salvation granted by our Savior Jesus
Christ.?
Lord, as we make this offering to Thine Altar we ask for Your blessing
of these first fruits, for the remission of sins and for the spiritual
and physical well-being of all who partake of this blessed offering
with faith. Bless also the vineyards and vine stocks and make them
fruitful like fertile fields. Through Thy bountiful mercy may we be
deserving of sharing the product of Thy vine stock at Thy Father's
heavenly table, and to glorify the Holy Trinity, the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever unto the ages of ages. Amen.
May God bless you and your loved ones.
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Fresno
2226 Ventura Street
Fresno, CA 93721
Contact: Barbara Mortanian
Tele: 559-486-1141
Fax: 559-486-1939
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.holytrinityfresno.org
Some 2000 people attended the 100th Anniversary Celebration of
Grape Blessing, Picnic and Festivities in Fresno
On Sunday, August 11, 2013, the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church
and the Fresno Armenian Community celebrated the Centennial
Anniversary of Grape Blessing Picnic and Festival in Fresno County,
preserving centuries of tradition that has been carried out by the
Armenians since ancient times. On this 100th anniversary picnic, His
Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America celebrated the
Divine Liturgy followed by the Blessing of the Grapes. The event was
held at the beautiful grounds of the California Armenian Home located
at 6720 E. Kings Canyon Road in Fresno. It was widely covered by the
local print media, TV stations and National Public Radio. From the
community some 2,000 people attended the picnic.
The Prelate, His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian celebrated
the Holy Badarak (Divine Liturgy), followed by the traditional
blessing of the grapes. His Eminence provided a spiritually moving
sermon to the Fresno Armenian Community by saying: ?The importance of
tradition cannot be overstated. Traditions such as this distinguish us
as a people; they bridge us to our rich and ancient heritage they
impart a sense of belonging. Along with our language, our age-old
customs are our identifying marks. It is not an easy feat for this
community to continue this tradition for the past one hundred years.
The fact that we are celebrating the centennial of the grape blessing
and festival speaks volumes about this community's love and reverence
for our religious and national heritage and your commitment to
carrying on the unique traditions that contribute to who we are.? The
text of the Prelate?s sermon in its entirety is attached.
Archbishop Mardirossian emphasized that ?The reason we are here today
celebrating this centennial is because the first settlers, recognizing
the great value of such customs, passed on the tradition to their
children, who in turn passed it down to their children, and so on.?
The Prelate took this opportunity to thank the American people for
providing a safe haven to those earliest Armenians who fled
persecution and Genocide in our ancestral homeland and found refuge in
this great land we are proud to call home. ?We pray for God to bless
the United States of America, this nation of liberty, equality, and
opportunity; to bless this land, the laborers, and the harvest we
offer today in thanksgiving,? said His Eminence.
The day progressed with festivities where families and friends enjoyed
listening and dancing to lively Armenian music provided by Richard
Hagopian and his band, and to play their favorite pastime board and
card games. This annual event has become an opportunity for friends
and relatives to visit each other and enjoy a great fellowship in a
park like environment. The Holy Trinity Church Men?s Society arranged
the BBQ, and the Ladies? Guild members prepared a variety of freshly
cooked Armenian foods and pastries. The Church, which reportedly is
famous for having the best pilaf served in California, also offered
the visitors an abundance of newly harvested fruits and vegetables at
its Farmer?s Market that were packaged for sale and supplied by
devoted church members. ?Our goal is to keep the Armenian Apostolic
Church tradition alive,? said Richard Bedoian, Chairman of the Holy
Trinity Church Men?s Society. ?We thank everyone, including our
growers who helped us put this event together.?
In the Armenian culture, the grape is considered to be the ?Queen of
all fruits.? In ancient Armenia, mid-August was the beginning of the
harvest and a time of rebirth and regeneration, where a solemn
ceremony took place in the vineyards. The priest would ask God to
bless the vines on which the grapes ripened and beseech God to save
the vineyards from evil in the form of natural disasters, such as
hail, frost, drought, high winds, and harmful insects. Now in the US,
through the ceremony the Armenian priest extends this blessing beyond
the grapes to all the fruits and vegetables that the farmers in the
San Joaquin Valley produce and supply to the world.
?We are thrilled to witness that our faith and culture are bringing
together the 4th and 5th generation American -Armenians to celebrate
this century?s old tradition,? said Varoujan Der Simonian, Chairman of
the Board of Trustees of the Holy Trinity Church. Der Simonian added
that the agricultural base of Fresno County has contributed greatly in
keeping this tradition alive.
?Once again the Fresno community came forward and attended our annual
picnic,? commented Levon Baladjanian, Holy Trinity board member and
treasurer of the Men?s Society. ?It keeps our church staying strong
while serving our parishioners and the community.?
Serving the spiritual needs of the Fresno Armenian Community since
1895, the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church located in the heart
of old Armenian Town in downtown Fresno is listed in the National
Registry of Historic Places. Three major Armenian-American newspapers,
including the Asbarez, the California Courier, and Nor Or were founded
in old Armenia Town. Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church continues
to be a thriving force and a major attraction for spiritual and
cultural activities of the Armenian community in Central California.
THE SERMON
On the 100th anniversary of the Blessing of the Grapes and Picnic, His
Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America provided the
following sermon that is providing below in its entirety.
"Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of
all your increase" (Proverbs 3:9)
Dear faithful members of Holy Trinity Church and parish community,
?On this sixth Sunday of the Transfiguration and the Eve of the Feast
of the Assumption, we are gathered here in these beautiful
surroundings to honor our Lord and give thanks to Almighty God as we
offer the first fruits of the harvest on this 100th anniversary of the
grape blessing and festival in Fresno.
Next Sunday the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption
of the Holy Mother of God, one of the greatest exemplars of our
Christian faith. The virtues of purity, humility, loyalty, and
devotion the Virgin Mary was imbued with, have been an inspiration and
an example for Christian women to emulate for centuries. Indeed the
Holy Mother of God remains the ideal model of staunch faith, selfless
service to God, maternal love, and graciousness, virtues which have
earned her the eternal and supreme love and reverence of all Christian
women, including our Armenian faithful.
The Feast of Assumption is doubly significant this year in light of
the "Year of the Armenian Mother" proclamation of His Holiness
Catholicos Aram I. In his Pontifical message, His Holiness states that
"Throughout our history, mothers have become not only a role model for
the Armenian people, reflecting the sacred spiritual, moral, and
national values and virtues in her life; not only the steady pillar of
the family and the dedicated educator of her children, but also a
person deserving the utmost respect for her committed participation in
the sacred mission of protecting and defending the Christian faith,
and strengthening the nation and homeland, by her exemplary behavior,
solid attitude, and infinite sacrifice in the most crucial moments of
our history."
Inspired by the life of the Virgin Mary, throughout the centuries our
mothers have indeed proven to be great examples of self-sacrifice,
loyalty, love and service. We thank all the mothers for their
irreplaceable role in maintaining the sanctity of our families, and we
pray for the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary to guide them in
fulfillment of their sacred mission. May God bless you and your
families.
Today we honor the Holy Mother of God and conduct the traditional
Blessing of Grapes, a ceremony rich in symbolism and tradition. This
ancient custom has been held since the Old Testament times, to render
to God the first and best fruits of the harvest as sacrificial
thanksgiving. With the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the dedication
of the first fruit took on new meaning. The Virgin Mary gave birth to
Jesus Christ, the first fruit, Who was offered to God in the temple.
Christ gave His blood so that we may have eternal life. Every time we
receive Holy Communion, we receive His sacrificial blood as
represented by the sacramental wine. Thus, we bless and offer the
queen of the fruits of the earth, the grapes from which the wine is
made, in thanksgiving for His gifts, especially the gift of eternal
life.
The core of the service is our belief that God is the source and
author of everything. Whatever we receive, achieve or become in this
life can only be through the grace of God. Jesus said, ?I am the vine,
you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Thus, through
the Blessing of Grapes, we recall the greatness of God's providence,
the enormity of his love, the privilege of our calling to be children
of God, and the joy of committing ourselves and all that we have to
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our ancestors embodied this spirit by bringing the first fruits of the
harvest to church in faith and gratitude for His abundant harvest.
That we have gathered here in a land thousands of miles from our
ancestral homeland, conducting the same ceremony as our forefathers
did thousands of years ago, is truly an occasion to rejoice in.
The importance of tradition cannot be overstated. Traditions such as
this distinguish us as a people; they bridge us to our rich and
ancient heritage they impart a sense of belonging. Along with our
language, our age-old customs are our identifying marks. It is not an
easy feat for this community to continue this tradition for the past
one hundred years. The fact that we are celebrating the centennial of
the grape blessing and festival speaks volumes about this community's
love and reverence for our religious and national heritage and your
commitment to carrying on the unique traditions that contribute to who
we are.
The reason we are here today celebrating this centennial is because
the first settlers, recognizing the great value of such customs,
passed on the tradition to their children, who in turn passed it down
to their children, and so on. We take this opportunity to thank the
American people for providing a safe haven to those earliest Armenians
who fled persecution and Genocide in our ancestral homeland and found
refuge in this great land we are proud to call home. We pray for God
to bless the United States of America, this nation of liberty,
equality, and opportunity; to bless this land, the laborers, and the
harvest we offer today in thanksgiving.
To ensure that those who come after us will continue this tradition
for generations more to come, we must today pledge that we will commit
ourselves to the instruction of the younger generations and make every
effort to impart to them that which makes us Armenian; our faith, our
language, our history, our literature, our age-old customs. This
ceremony today is a wonderful opportunity to teach our youth the
importance of maintaining traditions and cultivating love and respect
in their hearts and souls for our time-honored feasts and ceremonies
so that they feel a stronger sense of belonging and the joy and pride
of being Armenian Christians.
We commend and convey our appreciation to the Holy Trinity Church
greater family for their commitment to carrying on this truly
beautiful and meaningful tradition. We praise the Lord for all His
gifts, above all for the gift of salvation granted by our Savior Jesus
Christ.?
Lord, as we make this offering to Thine Altar we ask for Your blessing
of these first fruits, for the remission of sins and for the spiritual
and physical well-being of all who partake of this blessed offering
with faith. Bless also the vineyards and vine stocks and make them
fruitful like fertile fields. Through Thy bountiful mercy may we be
deserving of sharing the product of Thy vine stock at Thy Father's
heavenly table, and to glorify the Holy Trinity, the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever unto the ages of ages. Amen.
May God bless you and your loved ones.