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PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web: http://www.armenianprelacy.org/
INDEPENDENCE DAY-JULY 4, 1776
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.
On July 4-Independence Day-we celebrate the birth of a nation, the
United States of America, created by the union of thirteen
colonies. Thomas Jefferson, the young Virginian who would later become
the nation's third president, wrote the first draft of the Declaration
of Independence that in its final form would absolve the colonies from
`all Allegiance to the British Crown,' and declare that `all political
connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought
to be totally dissolved,' and that as Free and Independent States,
they have full `Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances,
establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which
Independent States may of right do."
It was a daring document. A fledgling group of colonies challenging
the mighty British Empire, supported by `a firm reliance on the
protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our
Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.' The signers became
traitors, with the threat of death, to create a new nation, governed
by laws, not kings.
Miraculously, the war that followed between the greatest power of the
day and the new nation with its rag-tag army led by George Washington
was won by the colonies.
The principles embodied in the declaration were, of course, lofty and
noble ideals. The quest continues. Nevertheless, throughout the world,
then and now, activists and reformers have reminded the world that
`all men are created equal,' and wherever the people have challenged
totalitarian regimes, they have invoked Jefferson's words that
`governments derive their just powers from the consent of the
governed."
On the occasion of the 236th anniversary of the birth of the `thirteen
United States of America,' let us remember those who throughout the
years and into current times made the ultimate sacrifice with their
lives to protect the `Great Experiment' and the principles of the
`American Dream' for themselves and others. Let us resolve to continue
the struggle to reach the ideals of the Declaration=80'the ideals that
gave shelter and opportunity to thousands and thousands of immigrants
and refugees, including our Armenian ancestors.
John Adams, who with Benjamin Franklin was on the committee with
Jefferson that drafted the Declaration, and would later become the
second president of the United States, left directives for celebrating
Independence Day. In a letter to his wife Abigail, he wrote, `...It
ought to be commemorated as a day of deliverance by solemn acts of
devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and
parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and
illuminations from one end of this continent to the other...'
However you choose to celebrate, reserve a few minutes on this day to
read the Declaration of Independence. You can do it now here
(http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/00xy1).
DATEV INSTITUTE IN FULL SWING; PRELATE WILL VISIT JULY 4TH
Sixty-eight students (ages 13-18) and twenty clergymen and lay leaders
are at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania for
a week of fellowship, prayer, and instruction in the elements of our
Christian faith and traditions.
Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Pennsylvania on July 4th to spend
the Independence Day holiday with the students, instructors, and
supervisors at their traditional Fourth of July Picnic. Sponsored by
the Prelacy's Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the Summer
Program offers a unique opportunity for our teenagers to learn some of
the basic elements of the Christian faith in general and how that
faith is expressed in the Armenian Apostolic Church in
particular. Each day, the program begins with a Morning Service at
7:15 am; classes are held from 8:30am to 12:30pm. In the afternoons,
the students enjoy recreational activities, such as volleyball,
soccer, basketball, and swimming. In the evenings, the students engage
in a panel discussion, followed by three concurrent Bible studies for
different age groups. The day comes to a close with the Compline
Service (Husgoom) at 9:45 pm.
The Instructors and the leaders of the Institute this year are: His
Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian (Vicar General), Rev. Fr. Khoren
Habeshian, Rev. Fr. Antranig Baljian, Rev. Fr. Nerses Manoogian,
Rev. Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian, Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian,
Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian (Institute Director), Rev. Hovnan Bozoian,
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Dn. Harout Takvorian,
Dn. Bedros Kalajian, Dn. James Haddad, Yn. Joanna Baghsarian,
Mrs. Maral Doghramadjian, Mrs. Maggie Kouyoumdjian, Ms. Tamar
Lakissian, and Ms. Jeanette Nazarian. The Institute will have three
guest lecturers: Fr. Paul Tarazi, Professor of Biblical Studies at
St. Valdimir's Theological Seminary, S. Peter Cowe, Professor of
Armenian Studies at UCLA, and Siobhan Nash-Marshall, Professor of
Philosophy at Manhattanville College
The 2013 St. Gregory of Datev Summer Institute will conclude this
Sunday, July 7, with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at
St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Philadelphia.
Datevatsi participants during a educational lecture.
Datevatsis during a prayer service.
Yeretsgin Joanna Baghsarian instucts Datevatsi participants.
Datevatsis enjoy outdoor recreational facilities.
For more photos of the 2013 Datev Institute Summer Program click here
(http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/gtyy1). To read impressions by the
young participants of the program, click here
(http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/wlzy1).
PRELATE WILL ATTEND HOMENETMEN GAMES
Archbishop Oshagan will attend the Homenetmen Eastern Region's Annual
Athletic Games this weekend that will take place in Philadelphia. His
Eminence will deliver the invocation at the banquet Saturday evening
and at the closing ceremonies on Sunday.
CONGRATULATIONS TO DER HRANT AND YERETZGIN TAMAR
We received the joyful news of the birth of a son, Nareg, to
Rev. Fr. Hrant and Yeretzgin Tamar Kevorkian last Sunday. We extend
our heartfelt congratulations to Der Hayr and Yeretzgin and welcome
Nareg to our greater Prelacy family. Der Hrant is pastor of St. Sarkis
Church in Dearborn, Michigan.
TRADITION CONTINUES IN RACINE
St. Hagop Church in Racine, Wisconsin, continued a long established
tradition, as more than 1,200 people gathered for the traditional
Madagh blessing and picnic that followed. Parishioners, friends, and
neighbors from near and from as far as California, Arizona, Florida,
Boston, and Canada, gathered to participate in this popular event.
Rev. Fr. Daron Stepanian, pastor of St. Hagop Church, officiated the
Antasdan service (blessing of the four corners of the world), followed
by a Requiem Service for the deceased members of the Racine community
and the blessing of the Madagh. The Madagh, traditionally prepared in
twelve large pots, was distributed to everyone following the blessing.
Der Daron explained the symbolism of the Madagh, noting that it
originated with St. Gregory the Illuminator. Madagh, he explained, is
an offering to God for the hope of salvation and redemption; a
manifestation of love and charity to the poor; remembrance of the
dead; and an expression of gratitude to God for deliverance from
diseases and temptations.
After the distribution of the Madagh, the picnic started with Armenian
music and shish kebab, grilled chicken, and other Armenian
delicacies. Der Hayr thanked the picnic committee, the donors and the
preparers of the food and Madagh.
Scenes from the Blessing of Madagh and picnic at St. Hagop Church,
Racine.
BRUNCH AND TALENT SHOW AT CATHEDRAL
The Ladies Guild of St. Illuminator's Cathedral, New York, hosted a
Brunch and Talent Show last Sunday highlighting the musical potential
of local Armenian youth. The program, under the auspices of
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor, featured the newly-formed `Hayer'
Band. The group of eight musicians is directed by Samvel Nersisyan and
features brass, woodwind, percussion, and string instruments. The
group presented a mixture of Armenian folk and contemporary pieces.
The event concluded with a Brunch offered by the Ladies Guild. Several
audience members were so appreciative of the performance that they
made donations to the band to help them grow and continue their
inspiring performances.
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian with Armine Vardanyan, pianist; Samvel
Nersisyan, musical director, and members of the `Hayer' Band.
HISTORY OF ARMENIA SEMINARS CONCLUDE
The History of Armenia: Past, Present, Future, a series of eight
seminars concluded last week at St. Illuminator's Cathedral, New
York. The series was attended by 60 faithful participants with 33 of
them attending all eight seminars. The individuals with perfect
attendance were presented with a copy of the recently published
Historical Atlas of Armenia, a gift from the Prelate, Archbishop
Oshagan. They also received a Certificate of Perfect Attendance signed
by the Ambassador of Armenia to the United Nations, Garen Nazarian,
Dr. Artur Martirosyan, facilitator of the seminar, and Rev. Fr. Mesrob
Lakissian, pastor of the Cathedral.
Der Mesrob expressed thanks to Archbishop Oshagan, Ambassador
Nazarian, Andreas Marderosian, Dr. Artur Martirosyan, and Onnik
Kasparian for making the series possible and successful.
The participants in the series of eight seminars that took place at
the Cathedral.
BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for Sunday, July 7, Feast of the Transfiguration of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, (Aylakerputiunm / Vartavar) are Wisdom 7:25-8:4;
Zechariah 14:16-21; 1 John 1:1-7; Matthew 16:13-17:13.
Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them
up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before
them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling
white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with
him. Then Peter said to Jesus, `Lord, it is good for us to be here; if
you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was still speaking, suddenly a
bright cloud over-shadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said,
`This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to
him!' When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were
overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, `Get up and
do not be afraid.' And when they looked up, they saw no one except
Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, `Tell no
one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from
the dead.' And the disciples asked him, `Why then, do the scribes say
that Elijah must come first?' He replied, `Elijah is indeed coming and
will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they do not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they
pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.'
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John
the Baptist. (Matthew 17:1-13)
For a listing of the coming week's Bible readings click here
(http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/ce0y1).
THE OLD ARK OF THE COVENANT AND FEAST OF THE NEW HOLY CHURCH
This Saturday, July 6, the Armenian Church commemorates the Old Ark of
the Covenant and the Feast of the New Holy Church. This combined
commemoration takes place on the Saturday prior to the Feast of the
Transfiguration. Celebrating the old and the new shows the perpetuity
of the church. God revealed Himself to humankind gradually through
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and the prophets. The church existed from
the beginning, and that is why the Old Testament is accepted as part
of the Holy Scriptures and recognized as a preamble to the New
Testament. The hymn designated for this day proclaims: =80=9CWho from
the beginning established your church with wisdom, O, Father of
Wisdom, who revealed to Moses upon Sinai.'
FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION
This Sunday, July 7, the Armenian Church observes one of its five
major feasts, the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus
Christ (Aylakerputiunm / Vartavar). This Feast is observed fourteen
weeks after Easter, and therefore can fall between June 28 and August
1. It commemorates an episode in the New Testament recorded by
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Peter. (See today's Bible reading for the
text from the Gospel according to St. Matthew).
The Transfiguration took place on the `holy mountain' (believed to be
Mt. Tabor) where Jesus went with John, James and Peter to pray. As He
was praying, `His face shone like the sun and His garments became
white as light.' The Patriarch Moses and Prophet Elijah appeared at
His side. It was at this moment that His appearance was `transfigured'
revealing himself as God to His disciples as a voice from above said,
`This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.'
The pre-Christian festival, Vartavar (Festival of Roses), was joined
with this new Christian holiday. Armenians would decorate the temple
of the goddess of Asdghig (goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and
water) with roses, release doves, and engage in water games on this
pre-Christian holiday. St. Gregory the Illuminator combined Vartavar
with Transfiguration. The fifth century historian Yeghishe wrote the
prayer that is read in the church on this feast: `O Lord, bless the
harvest of this year and defend from all the perils, and may Your
right hand, O Lord, protect us for the whole year."
Vartavar became a traditional day of pilgrimage to churches named in
honor of St. John the Baptist. The most popular destination was the
Monastery of Sourp Garabed of Moush, founded by Gregory the
Illuminator in the province of Taron near Moush. (Garabed means
Forerunner, referring to John the Baptist). The monastery was large
and expansive and built like a fortress in the mountains. More than
one thousand pilgrims could be accommodated. After 1915 the complex
ceased to exist. The monastery was destroyed by the Turkish army, and
the ravages of time, weather and scavengers completed its
destruction. The once large and thriving Armenian monastery is now a
mass of stone and rubble.
This Sunday is the name day for those named Vartkes, Vartavar, Vart,
Vartouhi, Alvart, Sirvart, Nevart, Lousvart, Baidzar, Vartanoush,
Vartiter, Varvar.
Armenians all over the world celebrate Vartavar with water
fights. Here is a scene of one of those fights from the streets of
Yerevan.
MONDAY IS MEMORIAL DAY
The Monday after each of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church
is a Memorial Day, Remembrance of the Dead.
THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
Death of Aghasi Khanjian (July 9, 1936)
The death of Aghasi Khanjian, First Secretary of the Communist Party
of Armenia from May 1930 to 1936, unleashed the beginning in Armenia
of the Great Purge, the Soviet campaign of political repression
orchestrated by dictator Joseph Stalin from 1936-1939.
Khanjian was born in Van on January 30, 1901. He studied in the
Central School of Van. His family emigrated from the city after the
heroic defense of 1915 and settled in the Caucasus. Between 1917 and
1919, he was one of the organizers of Spartak, the Marxist student's
union of Armenia. At the time of the first Republic of Armenia, he
served as the secretary of the Armenian Bolshevik underground
committee, and in 1920, became secretary of the Yerevan city
committee.
>From 1922-1928, Khanjian worked for the Communist Party in Leningrad
(nowadays St. Petersburg). He was transferred to Yerevan in 1928 and
rose rapidly in the party ranks because of Stalin's patronage. In 1930
he became first secretary of the party and was able to remove the old
Bolshevik leaders who had been in charge since the early 1920s.
He was a friend and supporter of many intellectuals, such as Yeghishe
Charents (1897-1937), Axel Bakunts (1899-1937), and fellow Vanetzi,
Gurgen Mahari (1903-1969). The three would be victims of Stalin after
Khanjian's death: Bakunts was shot, Charents died in prison, and
Mahari was exiled to Siberia for ten years and then six more years.
However, Khanjian had one formidable opponent, Lavrenti Beria, the
chief of the party in Georgia and very close to Stalin, who was on his
way to turn Transcaucasia (he was regional secretary of the party)
into his personal domain. The traditional Georgian-Armenian rivalry
and Khanjian's level of popularity in Armenia were enough to turn him
into a potential rival.
In his memoirs, Vahram Alazan (1903-1966), another Vanetzi writer who
was victim of the Great Purge, wrote that, when Khanjian had gone to
Moscow for a plenary conference of the Communist Party, one of Beria's
henchmen, Khachik Mughdusi, who was in charge of the NKVD (the future
KGB), had arrested several prominent party intellectuals, among them
Nersik Stepanyan. Stepanyan was brutally beaten and forced to
`confess' that he had a counterrevolutionary, Trotskyite, and
nationalistic group, which was supposedly led by Aghasi
Khanjian. Beria's agents sent Stepanyan's `confession' to
Tbilisi. Khanjian returned from Moscow to Yerevan in early July 1936.
"Two days after our conversation, on July 9," Alazan wrote, "Beria
invited Khanjian to the session of the presidium of the Transcaucasian
Regional Committee in Tiflis. In that session, Beria made public the
testimony extorted from Nersik Stepanyan and demanded Khanjian's
confession that he was a nationalist and had sponsored N. Stepanyan's
nationalist group."
After that session, Beria killed Aghasi Khanjian in his office and
declared officially that Khanjian had ostensibly committed suicide to
trigger enmity between the Armenian and the Georgian people."
Khanjian's body was brought to Yerevan and buried on July 12 in an
insignificant cemetery of Yerevan. Political attacks had already been
orchestrated in the press and his death marked the beginning of a wave
of terror that would end with thousands of Armenian political leaders,
intellectuals, officials, and even ordinary people shot, imprisoned,
exiled, or labeled `enemy of the people.' This wave of terror, that
would last until early 1939, has been sometimes labeled a second April
24.
ARMENIAN LANGUAGE CORNER
Odd `Armenian' Words
There are many words in our everyday usage that we assume to be
Armenian, and they come down from generation to generation. This is
how we find those same words used by people who have never set foot in
an Armenian school and those who have finished an Armenian elementary
or high school, both by people who barely speak Armenian and those who
speak it as their primary language.
In the end, when people hear the actual Armenian equivalent of those
same words, they are prone to complain: `You speak very pure
Armenian,' `That's a hard word,' `Nobody can understand you,' `Where
do you find those words?' One may even wonder whether they show the
same self-respect for the level of their English vocabulary.
Children may even become defensive and say, `I have learned this word
at home,' or, if confronted with a repetitive series of common words
they believe are `Armenian,' come to the bitter and self-defeating
conclusion: `Have we really learned Armenian?"
Here is a randomly compiled list of frequent words that people `think'
they are Armenian, only because they do not care to look for their
actual origin or to make a real effort to enrich their vocabulary. The
list is indeed extremely short, and does not claim to be a
representative sample. But it may give an idea of where we stand.
`Armenian'
Armenian
English
Õ¦Õ§Õ¾Õ¦Õ§Õ¯ (zevzeg)
Õ·Õ¡Õ¿Õ¡Õ-Ö=85Õ½ (shadakhos)
charlatan
Õ©Õ¸Õ´Õ¡Õ©Õ§Õ½ (tomates)
Õ¬Õ¸Õ¬Õ«Õ¯ (lolig)
tomato
Õ«Õ·Õ¿Õ§ (ishde) (1)
Õ¡Õ°Õ¡ (aha)
there
Õ°Õ§Õ¹/Õ°Õ«Õ¹ (hech/hich) (2)
Õ¢Õ¶Õ¡Ö=82 (pnav) / Õ¸Õ¹Õ«Õ¶Õ¹ (vochinch)
at all, ever, anything
Õ´Õ¡Õ°Õ¡Õ¶Õ¡Õµ (mahana)
ÕºÕ¡Õ¿Ö=80Õ¸Ö=82Õ¡Õ¯ (badrvag)
pretext
Õ´Õ¡Õ²Õ¿Õ¡Õ¶Õ¸Õ½ (maghdanos)
Õ¡Õ¦Õ¡Õ¿Ö=84Õ¥Õ² (azadkegh)
parsley
Õ¹Ö=85Õ³Õ¸Ö=82Õ- (chojukh)
ÕºÕ¦Õ¿Õ«Õ¯ (bzdig) / Õ¥Ö=80Õ¥Õ-Õ¡Õµ (yerekha)
child
ÕºÕ¡Õ³Õ¡Õ¶Õ¡Õ² (bajanagh)
Ö=84Õ¥Õ¶Õ¥Õ¯Õ¡Õ¬ (kenegal)
brother-in-law (*)
ÕºÕ¡ÕµÕ¡Õ© (bayat)
Ö=85Õ©Õ¥Õ¯ (oteg)
stale
ÕºÕ§Õ¬Ö=84Õ« (belki)
Õ©Õ¥Ö=80Õ¥Ö=82Õ½ (terevs)
perhaps
ÕºÕ«Õ¬Õ§ (bile) (3)
Õ¶Õ¸ÕµÕ¶Õ«Õ½Õ¯ (nooynisg)
even
Õ½Õ¡Õ¬Õ¡Õ© (salat), Õ½Õ¡Õ¬Õ¡Õ©Õ¡ (salata)
Õ¡Õ²Ö=81Õ¡Õ¶ (aghtsan)
salad
Õ¿Õ¡Õ°Õ¡ (daha) (4)
Õ¤Õ¥Õ¼ (ter), Õ¿Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Ö=82Õ«Õ¶ (dagaveen)
still
Ö=80Õ§Õ¦Õ«Õ¬ (rezil), Ö=84Õ§Ö=83Õ§Õ¦Õ§ (kepezeh) (5)
Õ-Õ¡ÕµÕ¿Õ¡Õ¼Õ¡Õ¯ (khaydarag)
shame
Ö=83Õ¡Õ©Õ¡Õ©Õ§Õ½ (patates)
Õ£Õ¥Õ¿Õ¶Õ¡Õ-Õ¶Õ±Õ¸Ö=80 (kednakhntzor)
potato
Ö=83Õ«Õ½ (pis)
Õ£Õ§Õ· (kesh), Õ¡Õ²Õ¿Õ¸Õ¿ (aghdod)
bad / dirty
Ö=84Õ« (ki) (6)
Õ©Õ§ (te)/ Õ¸Ö=80 (vor)
what / that
Ö=85Ö=80Õ©Õ¡Õ¬Õ¨Õ- (ortalekh) (7)
Õ´Õ§Õ»Õ¿Õ¥Õ² (mechdegh)
middle
(1) For example: Ô»Õ·Õ¿Õ§ Ö=84Õ¥Õ¦Õ« Õ-Õ¥Õ¬Ö=84 (Ishde kezi khelk,
`There you have an idea'), instead of Ô±Õ°Õ¡ Ö=84Õ¥Õ¦Õ« Õ-Õ¥Õ¬Ö=84
(Aha kezi khelk).
(2) For example: Õ=80Õ§Õ¹ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Hech chem kider, `I
don't know at all'), instead of Ô²Õ¶Õ¡Ö=82 Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Pnav
chem kider); Õ=80Õ§Õ¹ Õ´Õ¿Õ¡Õ®Õ¥Õ=9EÖ=80 Õ¥Õ½ Õ¡ÕµÕ¤ Õ´Õ¡Õ½Õ«Õ¶ (Hech
mdadzer es ayt masin?, `Have you ever thought about that?'), instead
of Ô²Õ¶Õ¡Ö=82 Õ´Õ¿Õ¡Õ®Õ¥Ö=80 Õ¥Õ½ Õ¡ÕµÕ¤ Õ´Õ¡Õ½Õ«Õ¶ (Pnav mdadzer es
ayt masin); Õ=80Õ§Õ¹ Õ¢Õ¡Õ¶
Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Õ=9EÕ½ (Hech pan kides?, `Do you know anything?').
(3) For example: Õ=89Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 ÕºÕ«Õ¬Õ§Õ´ (Chem kider bilem,
`I don't even know'), instead of Õ=89Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 Õ¶Õ¸ÕµÕ¶Õ«Õ½Õ¯
(Chem kider nooynisg).
(4) For example: Õ=8CÕ¥Õ¦Õ«Õ¬ Õ¥Õ²Õ¡Õ¶Ö=84 (Rezil yeghank, `We were
ashamed') or Õ'Õ§Ö=83Õ§Õ¦Õ§ Õ¥Õ²Õ¡Õ¶Ö=84 (Kepezeh yeghank), instead of
Ô½Õ¡ÕµÕ¿Õ¡Õ¼Õ¡Õ¯ Õ¥Õ²Õ¡Õ¶Ö=84 (Menk khaydarag yeghank).
(5) For example: Õ=8FÕ¡Õ°Õ¡ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Daha chem kider, `I
still don't know'), instead of Ô´Õ¥Õ¼ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Ter chem
kider) or Õ=8FÕ¡Õ¯Õ¡Ö=82Õ«Õ¶ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Dagaveen chem
kider):
(6) For example: ÔµÕ½ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 Ö=84Õ« Õ«Õ=9EÕ¶Õ¹ Õ¨Õ½Õ¥Õ´
(Yes
chem kider ki inch esem?, `I don't even know what to say'), instead of
ÔµÕ½ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 Õ©Õ§ Õ«Õ=9EÕ¶Õ¹ Õ¨Õ½Õ¥Õ´ (Yes chem kider te
inch esem?); Ô¿Õ¨ Õ-Õ¸Ö=80Õ°Õ«Õ´ Ö=84Õ«... (Ge khorhim ki..., `I think
that'),
instead of Ô¿Õ¨ Õ-Õ¸Ö=80Õ°Õ«Õ´ Õ¸Ö=80 (Ge khorhim vor...).
(7) For example: Ô¿Õ¥Ö=81Õ¥Ö=80 Õ§ Ö=83Õ¸Õ²Õ¸Ö=81Õ«Õ¶
Ö=85Ö=80Õ©Õ¡Õ¬Õ¨Õ-Õ¨ (Getser eh poghotsin ortalekhe), instead of
Ô¿Õ¥Ö=81Õ¥Ö=80
Õ§ Ö=83Õ¸Õ²Õ¸Ö=81Õ«Õ¶ Õ´Õ§Õ»Õ¿Õ¥Õ²Õ¨ (Getser eh poghotsin mechdeghe)
(*) The Armenian term - which has no exact equivalent in English
- refers to the relationship between the husbands of two sisters. The
sister of a man's wife is his Ö=84Õ¥Õ¶Õ« (keni), which makes the
latter's husband a kenegal.
NINETEEN FIREFIGHTERS DIE IN ARIZONA FIRE
We mourn the loss of nineteen of the twenty members of the elite
Granite Mountain Hotshots who died fighting a vast fire near Prescott,
Arizona, on Sunday. All were young, most were in their 20s. It was the
greatest loss of firefighters in a single disaster since the attacks
of September 11, 2001. May they rest in peace. We pray that the
comfort of the Almighty will embrace the grieving families.
150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
This week marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in
Pennsylvania that began July 1, 1863, and ended on July 3. It was the
bloodiest battle of the American Civil War with more than 23,000
casualties for the Union forces and more than 28,000 casualties for
the Confederate forces.
The victory of Union troops at Gettysburg was the turning point in the
Civil War. General Robert E. Lee had invaded Pennsylvania with the
goal of dividing and demoralizing the Union troops. Although the war
continued, the tide had turned toward a Union victory. Four months
later, Lincoln visited the battlefield to dedicate a cemetery for the
victims of the great battle. Less than 300 words, Lincoln's Gettysburg
address is considered to be a masterpiece in American literature.
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN
COMMUNITY
IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT
THE NEED IS REAL.
THE NEED IS GREAT.
DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON LINE.
TO DONATE NOW CLICK HERE (http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/s60y1) AND
SELECT SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU.
The Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief is a joint effort of: Armenian
Apostolic Church of America (Eastern Prelacy); Armenian Catholic
Eparchy; Armenian
Evangelical Union of North America; Armenian Relief Society (Eastern
USA, Inc.); Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
July 7-St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, Outdoor Family Event,
following church services on the Feast of Transfiguration,
Vartivar. Everyone, especially the youth, is invited to join in water
games on the lawn next to the church.
July 8-19-8th Annual Summer Camp program at St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York.
July 13-`A Hye Summer Night VII' Dinner Dance sponsored by Ladies
Guild of Sts. Vartanantz Church and Armenian Relief Society
`Ani' Chapter of Providence, Rhode Island, at the Providence Marriott
Hotel, One Orms Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02904, 6 pm to
1 am. Featuring: Joe Kouyoumjian (oud), Brian Ansbigian (oud), David
Ansbigian (oud), Leon Janikian (clarinet), Ken Kalajian (guitar),
Jason Naroian (dumbeg), Armen Janigian (Daf). For tickets ($50 per
person) and information: Joyce Bagdasarian (401-434-4467); Joyce
Yeremian (401-354-8770).
July 21-St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, will present FOUND, a
play by Ms. Anoush Baghdassarian, about a woman's experience through
the Genocide. Presented following the Divine Liturgy. Open discussion
will take place after the presentation with the director and the
cast. Contact the church office for information: 718-224-2275.
August 4-Annual picnic of St. Stephen's Church, Watertown,
Massachusetts, at Camp Haiastan, 722 Summer Street, Franklin,
Massachusetts 02038. Delicious food, music and more from 12 noon to 5
pm. For information, 617-924-7562, visit online at
www.soorpstepanos.org or on Facebook.
August 11-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, Annual
Picnic at Camp Haiastan from noon to 6 pm. Blessing of Madagh and
Grapes will take place at 3:30 pm with His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan
presiding and with the participation of the pastors of the New England
area churches. Enjoy delicious shish, losh, and chicken kebab dinners,
Armenian pastry, and
our famous choreg. Music by the Michael Gregian Ensemble. Our patrons
may use the Lower Camp Pool, Basketball Courts, and Canoes from 1 to 4
pm. Activities for children. Come and enjoy a day with friends and
family.
August 18-Annual Picnic of Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, 12 noon on the church grounds, 315 Church Street,
Whitinsville, immediately following the Divine Liturgy celebrated by
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian who will also officiate the Blessing of
the Grapes ceremony with the participation of New England
clergy. Delicious Armenian food, homemade baked goods. Listen and
dance to traditional live Armenian music by the
Mugrditchian Band. For information: 508-234-3677.
August 18-St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, Blessing of the
Grapes and Family Fun Picnic, at Lakeshore Park, 601 South Lake Drive,
Novi,
Michigan. Food, music, dancing, magic show, volleyball, soccer, tavlou
tournament, mountain biking, swimming.
August 18-Sts. Vartanantz Church, New Jersey, Annual Picnic and
Blessing of the Grapes, 1-5 pm at Saddle River County Parki, Wild Duck
Pond area. Music, delicious Armenian food and desserts, arts and
crafts and playground for children, cards, and tavloo, and more.
September 5 to October 3-`A Brief Introduction to Modern Armenian
Literature,' a series of five seminars presented on Thursdays, 7 pm to
8:30 pm, at St. Illuminator's Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New
York City. Sponsored by the Armenian National Education Committee
(ANEC) and the Cathedral. Presented by Vartan Matiossian, Ph.D.
September 7-Teachers' Seminar sponsored by the Armenian National
Education Committee (ANEC) at the Prelacy offices, 138 E. 39th Street,
New York City, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Details will follow.
September 8-Picnic Festival, St. Gregory Church, 158 Main Street,
North Andover, Massachusetts, 12:30 to 5:30 pm, featuring Armenian
music by
Leon Janikian, Jason Naroian, Joe Kouyoumjian, John Arzigian, along
with Siroun Dance Group. Armenian food and pastries. For details
www.saintgregory.org
September 15-Book Presentation at Pashalian Hall, St. Illuminator's
Cathedral, New York, of `One Church One Nation'
by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian.
October 5-Symposium `Armenian Women as Artists and Mothers,' 2-6 pm,
sponsored by the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC) at
St. Illuminator Cathedral Pashalian Hall, 221 East 27th Street, New
York City, in celebration of the Year of the Mother of the Armenian
Family. Lecturers: Melissa Bilal (Columbia University), Jennifer
Manoukian (Columbia University), and Vartan Matiossian (ANEC).
October 19-Armenian Friends of America presents `Hye Kef 5' featuring
musicians Leon Janikian, Joe Kouyoumjian, Greg Takvorian, Ken
Kalajian, Ron Raphaelian, and Jay Baronian, 7:30-12:30, Michael's
Function Hall, 12 Alpha Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts. Proceeds
to benefit all Armenian churches in Merrimack Valley and New
Hampshire. Tickets: $40 adults; $30 students; includes
individually-served mezza platters. For information/reservations: John
Arzigian 603-560-3826; Sandy Boroyan 978-251-8687; Scott Sahagian
617-699-3581; Peter Gulezian 978-375-1616.
November 15-16-17-Annual Bazaar, Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen
Boulevard, Ridgefield, New Jersey.
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] 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]
From: A. Papazian
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web: http://www.armenianprelacy.org/
INDEPENDENCE DAY-JULY 4, 1776
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.
On July 4-Independence Day-we celebrate the birth of a nation, the
United States of America, created by the union of thirteen
colonies. Thomas Jefferson, the young Virginian who would later become
the nation's third president, wrote the first draft of the Declaration
of Independence that in its final form would absolve the colonies from
`all Allegiance to the British Crown,' and declare that `all political
connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought
to be totally dissolved,' and that as Free and Independent States,
they have full `Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances,
establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which
Independent States may of right do."
It was a daring document. A fledgling group of colonies challenging
the mighty British Empire, supported by `a firm reliance on the
protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our
Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.' The signers became
traitors, with the threat of death, to create a new nation, governed
by laws, not kings.
Miraculously, the war that followed between the greatest power of the
day and the new nation with its rag-tag army led by George Washington
was won by the colonies.
The principles embodied in the declaration were, of course, lofty and
noble ideals. The quest continues. Nevertheless, throughout the world,
then and now, activists and reformers have reminded the world that
`all men are created equal,' and wherever the people have challenged
totalitarian regimes, they have invoked Jefferson's words that
`governments derive their just powers from the consent of the
governed."
On the occasion of the 236th anniversary of the birth of the `thirteen
United States of America,' let us remember those who throughout the
years and into current times made the ultimate sacrifice with their
lives to protect the `Great Experiment' and the principles of the
`American Dream' for themselves and others. Let us resolve to continue
the struggle to reach the ideals of the Declaration=80'the ideals that
gave shelter and opportunity to thousands and thousands of immigrants
and refugees, including our Armenian ancestors.
John Adams, who with Benjamin Franklin was on the committee with
Jefferson that drafted the Declaration, and would later become the
second president of the United States, left directives for celebrating
Independence Day. In a letter to his wife Abigail, he wrote, `...It
ought to be commemorated as a day of deliverance by solemn acts of
devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and
parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and
illuminations from one end of this continent to the other...'
However you choose to celebrate, reserve a few minutes on this day to
read the Declaration of Independence. You can do it now here
(http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/00xy1).
DATEV INSTITUTE IN FULL SWING; PRELATE WILL VISIT JULY 4TH
Sixty-eight students (ages 13-18) and twenty clergymen and lay leaders
are at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania for
a week of fellowship, prayer, and instruction in the elements of our
Christian faith and traditions.
Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Pennsylvania on July 4th to spend
the Independence Day holiday with the students, instructors, and
supervisors at their traditional Fourth of July Picnic. Sponsored by
the Prelacy's Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the Summer
Program offers a unique opportunity for our teenagers to learn some of
the basic elements of the Christian faith in general and how that
faith is expressed in the Armenian Apostolic Church in
particular. Each day, the program begins with a Morning Service at
7:15 am; classes are held from 8:30am to 12:30pm. In the afternoons,
the students enjoy recreational activities, such as volleyball,
soccer, basketball, and swimming. In the evenings, the students engage
in a panel discussion, followed by three concurrent Bible studies for
different age groups. The day comes to a close with the Compline
Service (Husgoom) at 9:45 pm.
The Instructors and the leaders of the Institute this year are: His
Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian (Vicar General), Rev. Fr. Khoren
Habeshian, Rev. Fr. Antranig Baljian, Rev. Fr. Nerses Manoogian,
Rev. Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian, Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian,
Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian (Institute Director), Rev. Hovnan Bozoian,
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Dn. Harout Takvorian,
Dn. Bedros Kalajian, Dn. James Haddad, Yn. Joanna Baghsarian,
Mrs. Maral Doghramadjian, Mrs. Maggie Kouyoumdjian, Ms. Tamar
Lakissian, and Ms. Jeanette Nazarian. The Institute will have three
guest lecturers: Fr. Paul Tarazi, Professor of Biblical Studies at
St. Valdimir's Theological Seminary, S. Peter Cowe, Professor of
Armenian Studies at UCLA, and Siobhan Nash-Marshall, Professor of
Philosophy at Manhattanville College
The 2013 St. Gregory of Datev Summer Institute will conclude this
Sunday, July 7, with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at
St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Philadelphia.
Datevatsi participants during a educational lecture.
Datevatsis during a prayer service.
Yeretsgin Joanna Baghsarian instucts Datevatsi participants.
Datevatsis enjoy outdoor recreational facilities.
For more photos of the 2013 Datev Institute Summer Program click here
(http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/gtyy1). To read impressions by the
young participants of the program, click here
(http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/wlzy1).
PRELATE WILL ATTEND HOMENETMEN GAMES
Archbishop Oshagan will attend the Homenetmen Eastern Region's Annual
Athletic Games this weekend that will take place in Philadelphia. His
Eminence will deliver the invocation at the banquet Saturday evening
and at the closing ceremonies on Sunday.
CONGRATULATIONS TO DER HRANT AND YERETZGIN TAMAR
We received the joyful news of the birth of a son, Nareg, to
Rev. Fr. Hrant and Yeretzgin Tamar Kevorkian last Sunday. We extend
our heartfelt congratulations to Der Hayr and Yeretzgin and welcome
Nareg to our greater Prelacy family. Der Hrant is pastor of St. Sarkis
Church in Dearborn, Michigan.
TRADITION CONTINUES IN RACINE
St. Hagop Church in Racine, Wisconsin, continued a long established
tradition, as more than 1,200 people gathered for the traditional
Madagh blessing and picnic that followed. Parishioners, friends, and
neighbors from near and from as far as California, Arizona, Florida,
Boston, and Canada, gathered to participate in this popular event.
Rev. Fr. Daron Stepanian, pastor of St. Hagop Church, officiated the
Antasdan service (blessing of the four corners of the world), followed
by a Requiem Service for the deceased members of the Racine community
and the blessing of the Madagh. The Madagh, traditionally prepared in
twelve large pots, was distributed to everyone following the blessing.
Der Daron explained the symbolism of the Madagh, noting that it
originated with St. Gregory the Illuminator. Madagh, he explained, is
an offering to God for the hope of salvation and redemption; a
manifestation of love and charity to the poor; remembrance of the
dead; and an expression of gratitude to God for deliverance from
diseases and temptations.
After the distribution of the Madagh, the picnic started with Armenian
music and shish kebab, grilled chicken, and other Armenian
delicacies. Der Hayr thanked the picnic committee, the donors and the
preparers of the food and Madagh.
Scenes from the Blessing of Madagh and picnic at St. Hagop Church,
Racine.
BRUNCH AND TALENT SHOW AT CATHEDRAL
The Ladies Guild of St. Illuminator's Cathedral, New York, hosted a
Brunch and Talent Show last Sunday highlighting the musical potential
of local Armenian youth. The program, under the auspices of
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor, featured the newly-formed `Hayer'
Band. The group of eight musicians is directed by Samvel Nersisyan and
features brass, woodwind, percussion, and string instruments. The
group presented a mixture of Armenian folk and contemporary pieces.
The event concluded with a Brunch offered by the Ladies Guild. Several
audience members were so appreciative of the performance that they
made donations to the band to help them grow and continue their
inspiring performances.
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian with Armine Vardanyan, pianist; Samvel
Nersisyan, musical director, and members of the `Hayer' Band.
HISTORY OF ARMENIA SEMINARS CONCLUDE
The History of Armenia: Past, Present, Future, a series of eight
seminars concluded last week at St. Illuminator's Cathedral, New
York. The series was attended by 60 faithful participants with 33 of
them attending all eight seminars. The individuals with perfect
attendance were presented with a copy of the recently published
Historical Atlas of Armenia, a gift from the Prelate, Archbishop
Oshagan. They also received a Certificate of Perfect Attendance signed
by the Ambassador of Armenia to the United Nations, Garen Nazarian,
Dr. Artur Martirosyan, facilitator of the seminar, and Rev. Fr. Mesrob
Lakissian, pastor of the Cathedral.
Der Mesrob expressed thanks to Archbishop Oshagan, Ambassador
Nazarian, Andreas Marderosian, Dr. Artur Martirosyan, and Onnik
Kasparian for making the series possible and successful.
The participants in the series of eight seminars that took place at
the Cathedral.
BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for Sunday, July 7, Feast of the Transfiguration of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, (Aylakerputiunm / Vartavar) are Wisdom 7:25-8:4;
Zechariah 14:16-21; 1 John 1:1-7; Matthew 16:13-17:13.
Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them
up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before
them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling
white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with
him. Then Peter said to Jesus, `Lord, it is good for us to be here; if
you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was still speaking, suddenly a
bright cloud over-shadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said,
`This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to
him!' When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were
overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, `Get up and
do not be afraid.' And when they looked up, they saw no one except
Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, `Tell no
one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from
the dead.' And the disciples asked him, `Why then, do the scribes say
that Elijah must come first?' He replied, `Elijah is indeed coming and
will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they do not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they
pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.'
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John
the Baptist. (Matthew 17:1-13)
For a listing of the coming week's Bible readings click here
(http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/ce0y1).
THE OLD ARK OF THE COVENANT AND FEAST OF THE NEW HOLY CHURCH
This Saturday, July 6, the Armenian Church commemorates the Old Ark of
the Covenant and the Feast of the New Holy Church. This combined
commemoration takes place on the Saturday prior to the Feast of the
Transfiguration. Celebrating the old and the new shows the perpetuity
of the church. God revealed Himself to humankind gradually through
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and the prophets. The church existed from
the beginning, and that is why the Old Testament is accepted as part
of the Holy Scriptures and recognized as a preamble to the New
Testament. The hymn designated for this day proclaims: =80=9CWho from
the beginning established your church with wisdom, O, Father of
Wisdom, who revealed to Moses upon Sinai.'
FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION
This Sunday, July 7, the Armenian Church observes one of its five
major feasts, the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus
Christ (Aylakerputiunm / Vartavar). This Feast is observed fourteen
weeks after Easter, and therefore can fall between June 28 and August
1. It commemorates an episode in the New Testament recorded by
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Peter. (See today's Bible reading for the
text from the Gospel according to St. Matthew).
The Transfiguration took place on the `holy mountain' (believed to be
Mt. Tabor) where Jesus went with John, James and Peter to pray. As He
was praying, `His face shone like the sun and His garments became
white as light.' The Patriarch Moses and Prophet Elijah appeared at
His side. It was at this moment that His appearance was `transfigured'
revealing himself as God to His disciples as a voice from above said,
`This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.'
The pre-Christian festival, Vartavar (Festival of Roses), was joined
with this new Christian holiday. Armenians would decorate the temple
of the goddess of Asdghig (goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and
water) with roses, release doves, and engage in water games on this
pre-Christian holiday. St. Gregory the Illuminator combined Vartavar
with Transfiguration. The fifth century historian Yeghishe wrote the
prayer that is read in the church on this feast: `O Lord, bless the
harvest of this year and defend from all the perils, and may Your
right hand, O Lord, protect us for the whole year."
Vartavar became a traditional day of pilgrimage to churches named in
honor of St. John the Baptist. The most popular destination was the
Monastery of Sourp Garabed of Moush, founded by Gregory the
Illuminator in the province of Taron near Moush. (Garabed means
Forerunner, referring to John the Baptist). The monastery was large
and expansive and built like a fortress in the mountains. More than
one thousand pilgrims could be accommodated. After 1915 the complex
ceased to exist. The monastery was destroyed by the Turkish army, and
the ravages of time, weather and scavengers completed its
destruction. The once large and thriving Armenian monastery is now a
mass of stone and rubble.
This Sunday is the name day for those named Vartkes, Vartavar, Vart,
Vartouhi, Alvart, Sirvart, Nevart, Lousvart, Baidzar, Vartanoush,
Vartiter, Varvar.
Armenians all over the world celebrate Vartavar with water
fights. Here is a scene of one of those fights from the streets of
Yerevan.
MONDAY IS MEMORIAL DAY
The Monday after each of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church
is a Memorial Day, Remembrance of the Dead.
THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
Death of Aghasi Khanjian (July 9, 1936)
The death of Aghasi Khanjian, First Secretary of the Communist Party
of Armenia from May 1930 to 1936, unleashed the beginning in Armenia
of the Great Purge, the Soviet campaign of political repression
orchestrated by dictator Joseph Stalin from 1936-1939.
Khanjian was born in Van on January 30, 1901. He studied in the
Central School of Van. His family emigrated from the city after the
heroic defense of 1915 and settled in the Caucasus. Between 1917 and
1919, he was one of the organizers of Spartak, the Marxist student's
union of Armenia. At the time of the first Republic of Armenia, he
served as the secretary of the Armenian Bolshevik underground
committee, and in 1920, became secretary of the Yerevan city
committee.
>From 1922-1928, Khanjian worked for the Communist Party in Leningrad
(nowadays St. Petersburg). He was transferred to Yerevan in 1928 and
rose rapidly in the party ranks because of Stalin's patronage. In 1930
he became first secretary of the party and was able to remove the old
Bolshevik leaders who had been in charge since the early 1920s.
He was a friend and supporter of many intellectuals, such as Yeghishe
Charents (1897-1937), Axel Bakunts (1899-1937), and fellow Vanetzi,
Gurgen Mahari (1903-1969). The three would be victims of Stalin after
Khanjian's death: Bakunts was shot, Charents died in prison, and
Mahari was exiled to Siberia for ten years and then six more years.
However, Khanjian had one formidable opponent, Lavrenti Beria, the
chief of the party in Georgia and very close to Stalin, who was on his
way to turn Transcaucasia (he was regional secretary of the party)
into his personal domain. The traditional Georgian-Armenian rivalry
and Khanjian's level of popularity in Armenia were enough to turn him
into a potential rival.
In his memoirs, Vahram Alazan (1903-1966), another Vanetzi writer who
was victim of the Great Purge, wrote that, when Khanjian had gone to
Moscow for a plenary conference of the Communist Party, one of Beria's
henchmen, Khachik Mughdusi, who was in charge of the NKVD (the future
KGB), had arrested several prominent party intellectuals, among them
Nersik Stepanyan. Stepanyan was brutally beaten and forced to
`confess' that he had a counterrevolutionary, Trotskyite, and
nationalistic group, which was supposedly led by Aghasi
Khanjian. Beria's agents sent Stepanyan's `confession' to
Tbilisi. Khanjian returned from Moscow to Yerevan in early July 1936.
"Two days after our conversation, on July 9," Alazan wrote, "Beria
invited Khanjian to the session of the presidium of the Transcaucasian
Regional Committee in Tiflis. In that session, Beria made public the
testimony extorted from Nersik Stepanyan and demanded Khanjian's
confession that he was a nationalist and had sponsored N. Stepanyan's
nationalist group."
After that session, Beria killed Aghasi Khanjian in his office and
declared officially that Khanjian had ostensibly committed suicide to
trigger enmity between the Armenian and the Georgian people."
Khanjian's body was brought to Yerevan and buried on July 12 in an
insignificant cemetery of Yerevan. Political attacks had already been
orchestrated in the press and his death marked the beginning of a wave
of terror that would end with thousands of Armenian political leaders,
intellectuals, officials, and even ordinary people shot, imprisoned,
exiled, or labeled `enemy of the people.' This wave of terror, that
would last until early 1939, has been sometimes labeled a second April
24.
ARMENIAN LANGUAGE CORNER
Odd `Armenian' Words
There are many words in our everyday usage that we assume to be
Armenian, and they come down from generation to generation. This is
how we find those same words used by people who have never set foot in
an Armenian school and those who have finished an Armenian elementary
or high school, both by people who barely speak Armenian and those who
speak it as their primary language.
In the end, when people hear the actual Armenian equivalent of those
same words, they are prone to complain: `You speak very pure
Armenian,' `That's a hard word,' `Nobody can understand you,' `Where
do you find those words?' One may even wonder whether they show the
same self-respect for the level of their English vocabulary.
Children may even become defensive and say, `I have learned this word
at home,' or, if confronted with a repetitive series of common words
they believe are `Armenian,' come to the bitter and self-defeating
conclusion: `Have we really learned Armenian?"
Here is a randomly compiled list of frequent words that people `think'
they are Armenian, only because they do not care to look for their
actual origin or to make a real effort to enrich their vocabulary. The
list is indeed extremely short, and does not claim to be a
representative sample. But it may give an idea of where we stand.
`Armenian'
Armenian
English
Õ¦Õ§Õ¾Õ¦Õ§Õ¯ (zevzeg)
Õ·Õ¡Õ¿Õ¡Õ-Ö=85Õ½ (shadakhos)
charlatan
Õ©Õ¸Õ´Õ¡Õ©Õ§Õ½ (tomates)
Õ¬Õ¸Õ¬Õ«Õ¯ (lolig)
tomato
Õ«Õ·Õ¿Õ§ (ishde) (1)
Õ¡Õ°Õ¡ (aha)
there
Õ°Õ§Õ¹/Õ°Õ«Õ¹ (hech/hich) (2)
Õ¢Õ¶Õ¡Ö=82 (pnav) / Õ¸Õ¹Õ«Õ¶Õ¹ (vochinch)
at all, ever, anything
Õ´Õ¡Õ°Õ¡Õ¶Õ¡Õµ (mahana)
ÕºÕ¡Õ¿Ö=80Õ¸Ö=82Õ¡Õ¯ (badrvag)
pretext
Õ´Õ¡Õ²Õ¿Õ¡Õ¶Õ¸Õ½ (maghdanos)
Õ¡Õ¦Õ¡Õ¿Ö=84Õ¥Õ² (azadkegh)
parsley
Õ¹Ö=85Õ³Õ¸Ö=82Õ- (chojukh)
ÕºÕ¦Õ¿Õ«Õ¯ (bzdig) / Õ¥Ö=80Õ¥Õ-Õ¡Õµ (yerekha)
child
ÕºÕ¡Õ³Õ¡Õ¶Õ¡Õ² (bajanagh)
Ö=84Õ¥Õ¶Õ¥Õ¯Õ¡Õ¬ (kenegal)
brother-in-law (*)
ÕºÕ¡ÕµÕ¡Õ© (bayat)
Ö=85Õ©Õ¥Õ¯ (oteg)
stale
ÕºÕ§Õ¬Ö=84Õ« (belki)
Õ©Õ¥Ö=80Õ¥Ö=82Õ½ (terevs)
perhaps
ÕºÕ«Õ¬Õ§ (bile) (3)
Õ¶Õ¸ÕµÕ¶Õ«Õ½Õ¯ (nooynisg)
even
Õ½Õ¡Õ¬Õ¡Õ© (salat), Õ½Õ¡Õ¬Õ¡Õ©Õ¡ (salata)
Õ¡Õ²Ö=81Õ¡Õ¶ (aghtsan)
salad
Õ¿Õ¡Õ°Õ¡ (daha) (4)
Õ¤Õ¥Õ¼ (ter), Õ¿Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Ö=82Õ«Õ¶ (dagaveen)
still
Ö=80Õ§Õ¦Õ«Õ¬ (rezil), Ö=84Õ§Ö=83Õ§Õ¦Õ§ (kepezeh) (5)
Õ-Õ¡ÕµÕ¿Õ¡Õ¼Õ¡Õ¯ (khaydarag)
shame
Ö=83Õ¡Õ©Õ¡Õ©Õ§Õ½ (patates)
Õ£Õ¥Õ¿Õ¶Õ¡Õ-Õ¶Õ±Õ¸Ö=80 (kednakhntzor)
potato
Ö=83Õ«Õ½ (pis)
Õ£Õ§Õ· (kesh), Õ¡Õ²Õ¿Õ¸Õ¿ (aghdod)
bad / dirty
Ö=84Õ« (ki) (6)
Õ©Õ§ (te)/ Õ¸Ö=80 (vor)
what / that
Ö=85Ö=80Õ©Õ¡Õ¬Õ¨Õ- (ortalekh) (7)
Õ´Õ§Õ»Õ¿Õ¥Õ² (mechdegh)
middle
(1) For example: Ô»Õ·Õ¿Õ§ Ö=84Õ¥Õ¦Õ« Õ-Õ¥Õ¬Ö=84 (Ishde kezi khelk,
`There you have an idea'), instead of Ô±Õ°Õ¡ Ö=84Õ¥Õ¦Õ« Õ-Õ¥Õ¬Ö=84
(Aha kezi khelk).
(2) For example: Õ=80Õ§Õ¹ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Hech chem kider, `I
don't know at all'), instead of Ô²Õ¶Õ¡Ö=82 Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Pnav
chem kider); Õ=80Õ§Õ¹ Õ´Õ¿Õ¡Õ®Õ¥Õ=9EÖ=80 Õ¥Õ½ Õ¡ÕµÕ¤ Õ´Õ¡Õ½Õ«Õ¶ (Hech
mdadzer es ayt masin?, `Have you ever thought about that?'), instead
of Ô²Õ¶Õ¡Ö=82 Õ´Õ¿Õ¡Õ®Õ¥Ö=80 Õ¥Õ½ Õ¡ÕµÕ¤ Õ´Õ¡Õ½Õ«Õ¶ (Pnav mdadzer es
ayt masin); Õ=80Õ§Õ¹ Õ¢Õ¡Õ¶
Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Õ=9EÕ½ (Hech pan kides?, `Do you know anything?').
(3) For example: Õ=89Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 ÕºÕ«Õ¬Õ§Õ´ (Chem kider bilem,
`I don't even know'), instead of Õ=89Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 Õ¶Õ¸ÕµÕ¶Õ«Õ½Õ¯
(Chem kider nooynisg).
(4) For example: Õ=8CÕ¥Õ¦Õ«Õ¬ Õ¥Õ²Õ¡Õ¶Ö=84 (Rezil yeghank, `We were
ashamed') or Õ'Õ§Ö=83Õ§Õ¦Õ§ Õ¥Õ²Õ¡Õ¶Ö=84 (Kepezeh yeghank), instead of
Ô½Õ¡ÕµÕ¿Õ¡Õ¼Õ¡Õ¯ Õ¥Õ²Õ¡Õ¶Ö=84 (Menk khaydarag yeghank).
(5) For example: Õ=8FÕ¡Õ°Õ¡ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Daha chem kider, `I
still don't know'), instead of Ô´Õ¥Õ¼ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Ter chem
kider) or Õ=8FÕ¡Õ¯Õ¡Ö=82Õ«Õ¶ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 (Dagaveen chem
kider):
(6) For example: ÔµÕ½ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 Ö=84Õ« Õ«Õ=9EÕ¶Õ¹ Õ¨Õ½Õ¥Õ´
(Yes
chem kider ki inch esem?, `I don't even know what to say'), instead of
ÔµÕ½ Õ¹Õ¥Õ´ Õ£Õ«Õ¿Õ¥Ö=80 Õ©Õ§ Õ«Õ=9EÕ¶Õ¹ Õ¨Õ½Õ¥Õ´ (Yes chem kider te
inch esem?); Ô¿Õ¨ Õ-Õ¸Ö=80Õ°Õ«Õ´ Ö=84Õ«... (Ge khorhim ki..., `I think
that'),
instead of Ô¿Õ¨ Õ-Õ¸Ö=80Õ°Õ«Õ´ Õ¸Ö=80 (Ge khorhim vor...).
(7) For example: Ô¿Õ¥Ö=81Õ¥Ö=80 Õ§ Ö=83Õ¸Õ²Õ¸Ö=81Õ«Õ¶
Ö=85Ö=80Õ©Õ¡Õ¬Õ¨Õ-Õ¨ (Getser eh poghotsin ortalekhe), instead of
Ô¿Õ¥Ö=81Õ¥Ö=80
Õ§ Ö=83Õ¸Õ²Õ¸Ö=81Õ«Õ¶ Õ´Õ§Õ»Õ¿Õ¥Õ²Õ¨ (Getser eh poghotsin mechdeghe)
(*) The Armenian term - which has no exact equivalent in English
- refers to the relationship between the husbands of two sisters. The
sister of a man's wife is his Ö=84Õ¥Õ¶Õ« (keni), which makes the
latter's husband a kenegal.
NINETEEN FIREFIGHTERS DIE IN ARIZONA FIRE
We mourn the loss of nineteen of the twenty members of the elite
Granite Mountain Hotshots who died fighting a vast fire near Prescott,
Arizona, on Sunday. All were young, most were in their 20s. It was the
greatest loss of firefighters in a single disaster since the attacks
of September 11, 2001. May they rest in peace. We pray that the
comfort of the Almighty will embrace the grieving families.
150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
This week marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in
Pennsylvania that began July 1, 1863, and ended on July 3. It was the
bloodiest battle of the American Civil War with more than 23,000
casualties for the Union forces and more than 28,000 casualties for
the Confederate forces.
The victory of Union troops at Gettysburg was the turning point in the
Civil War. General Robert E. Lee had invaded Pennsylvania with the
goal of dividing and demoralizing the Union troops. Although the war
continued, the tide had turned toward a Union victory. Four months
later, Lincoln visited the battlefield to dedicate a cemetery for the
victims of the great battle. Less than 300 words, Lincoln's Gettysburg
address is considered to be a masterpiece in American literature.
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN
COMMUNITY
IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT
THE NEED IS REAL.
THE NEED IS GREAT.
DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON LINE.
TO DONATE NOW CLICK HERE (http://e2.ma/click/4bxgd/4f4cee/s60y1) AND
SELECT SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU.
The Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief is a joint effort of: Armenian
Apostolic Church of America (Eastern Prelacy); Armenian Catholic
Eparchy; Armenian
Evangelical Union of North America; Armenian Relief Society (Eastern
USA, Inc.); Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
July 7-St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, Outdoor Family Event,
following church services on the Feast of Transfiguration,
Vartivar. Everyone, especially the youth, is invited to join in water
games on the lawn next to the church.
July 8-19-8th Annual Summer Camp program at St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York.
July 13-`A Hye Summer Night VII' Dinner Dance sponsored by Ladies
Guild of Sts. Vartanantz Church and Armenian Relief Society
`Ani' Chapter of Providence, Rhode Island, at the Providence Marriott
Hotel, One Orms Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02904, 6 pm to
1 am. Featuring: Joe Kouyoumjian (oud), Brian Ansbigian (oud), David
Ansbigian (oud), Leon Janikian (clarinet), Ken Kalajian (guitar),
Jason Naroian (dumbeg), Armen Janigian (Daf). For tickets ($50 per
person) and information: Joyce Bagdasarian (401-434-4467); Joyce
Yeremian (401-354-8770).
July 21-St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, will present FOUND, a
play by Ms. Anoush Baghdassarian, about a woman's experience through
the Genocide. Presented following the Divine Liturgy. Open discussion
will take place after the presentation with the director and the
cast. Contact the church office for information: 718-224-2275.
August 4-Annual picnic of St. Stephen's Church, Watertown,
Massachusetts, at Camp Haiastan, 722 Summer Street, Franklin,
Massachusetts 02038. Delicious food, music and more from 12 noon to 5
pm. For information, 617-924-7562, visit online at
www.soorpstepanos.org or on Facebook.
August 11-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, Annual
Picnic at Camp Haiastan from noon to 6 pm. Blessing of Madagh and
Grapes will take place at 3:30 pm with His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan
presiding and with the participation of the pastors of the New England
area churches. Enjoy delicious shish, losh, and chicken kebab dinners,
Armenian pastry, and
our famous choreg. Music by the Michael Gregian Ensemble. Our patrons
may use the Lower Camp Pool, Basketball Courts, and Canoes from 1 to 4
pm. Activities for children. Come and enjoy a day with friends and
family.
August 18-Annual Picnic of Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, 12 noon on the church grounds, 315 Church Street,
Whitinsville, immediately following the Divine Liturgy celebrated by
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian who will also officiate the Blessing of
the Grapes ceremony with the participation of New England
clergy. Delicious Armenian food, homemade baked goods. Listen and
dance to traditional live Armenian music by the
Mugrditchian Band. For information: 508-234-3677.
August 18-St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, Blessing of the
Grapes and Family Fun Picnic, at Lakeshore Park, 601 South Lake Drive,
Novi,
Michigan. Food, music, dancing, magic show, volleyball, soccer, tavlou
tournament, mountain biking, swimming.
August 18-Sts. Vartanantz Church, New Jersey, Annual Picnic and
Blessing of the Grapes, 1-5 pm at Saddle River County Parki, Wild Duck
Pond area. Music, delicious Armenian food and desserts, arts and
crafts and playground for children, cards, and tavloo, and more.
September 5 to October 3-`A Brief Introduction to Modern Armenian
Literature,' a series of five seminars presented on Thursdays, 7 pm to
8:30 pm, at St. Illuminator's Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New
York City. Sponsored by the Armenian National Education Committee
(ANEC) and the Cathedral. Presented by Vartan Matiossian, Ph.D.
September 7-Teachers' Seminar sponsored by the Armenian National
Education Committee (ANEC) at the Prelacy offices, 138 E. 39th Street,
New York City, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Details will follow.
September 8-Picnic Festival, St. Gregory Church, 158 Main Street,
North Andover, Massachusetts, 12:30 to 5:30 pm, featuring Armenian
music by
Leon Janikian, Jason Naroian, Joe Kouyoumjian, John Arzigian, along
with Siroun Dance Group. Armenian food and pastries. For details
www.saintgregory.org
September 15-Book Presentation at Pashalian Hall, St. Illuminator's
Cathedral, New York, of `One Church One Nation'
by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian.
October 5-Symposium `Armenian Women as Artists and Mothers,' 2-6 pm,
sponsored by the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC) at
St. Illuminator Cathedral Pashalian Hall, 221 East 27th Street, New
York City, in celebration of the Year of the Mother of the Armenian
Family. Lecturers: Melissa Bilal (Columbia University), Jennifer
Manoukian (Columbia University), and Vartan Matiossian (ANEC).
October 19-Armenian Friends of America presents `Hye Kef 5' featuring
musicians Leon Janikian, Joe Kouyoumjian, Greg Takvorian, Ken
Kalajian, Ron Raphaelian, and Jay Baronian, 7:30-12:30, Michael's
Function Hall, 12 Alpha Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts. Proceeds
to benefit all Armenian churches in Merrimack Valley and New
Hampshire. Tickets: $40 adults; $30 students; includes
individually-served mezza platters. For information/reservations: John
Arzigian 603-560-3826; Sandy Boroyan 978-251-8687; Scott Sahagian
617-699-3581; Peter Gulezian 978-375-1616.
November 15-16-17-Annual Bazaar, Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen
Boulevard, Ridgefield, New Jersey.
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] 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]
From: A. Papazian