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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/
January 8, 2015
HOME BLESSING AND CHRISTMAS RECEPTION
The Prelate's annual Christmas reception took place on the evening
of January 6 filling the Prelacy's Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian
reception hall with many well-wishers from the metropolitan New York
area who were greeted by the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, and the
Vicar, Bishop Anoushavan. The traditional Home Blessing service was
offered by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator's
Cathedral, with the participation of area clergy, Rev. Fr. Nareg
Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church (Douglaston, NY) and
Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church (Ridgefield,
NJ).
The Armenian tradition of Home Blessing can be done throughout the
year, but is especially popular with the faithful during the holy days
of Christmas and Easter. During this ceremony, the officiating
clergyman blesses bread, water, and salt, all considered to be
essential to life. It is customary to burn incense, echoing the words
of the psalmist, `Let my prayer be counted as incense before you.'
(Psalm 41)
O Christ our God, guardian and hope of all our faithful, protect and
keep in peace your people under the protection of your holy and
venerable cross; and especially this family, their home, the bread,
the salt, and the water. Save them O Lord from visible and invisible
enemies and make them worthy to glorify you with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, now and always, forever and ever. Amen. (Benediction from
the Armenian Blessing of Homes service).
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian conducts the traditional Home Blessing
service at the Prelacy during the Prelate's Christmas reception at the
Prelacy. From left, Dn. Vahan Kouyoumdjian, Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian,
Archbishop Oshagan, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Bishop Anoushavan
Tanielian, Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, and Dn. Bedros Kalaydjian.
FIVE ACOLYTES ORDAINED IN NEW JERSEY
Last Sunday, January 4, parishioners of Sts. Vartanantz Church in
Ridgefield, New Jersey, witnessed the uplifting ordination service of
five young members of the parish to the rank of acolyte (tbir), with
Archbishop Oshagan officiating. The minor orders of Doorkeeping
(Trnaban), Reader (Untertsogh), and Candle Bearer (Mohmagrogh) were
granted to Armand Charkhutian, Shaunt K. Doghramadjian, Antranig
Essendir, Arthur Kesenci, and Aram Kouyoumdjian, who were deemed
prepared to enter into service to God to perform the responsibilities
entrusted to them.
The ordination service took place during the Divine Liturgy, before
the Lord's Prayer. At the conclusion of the Liturgy a reception,
hosted by Sarkis and Mary Ohanessian, took place in honor of the newly
ordained acolytes.
The five candidates kneel at the altar as Archbishop Oshagan begins
the ordination service.
Archbishop Oshagan and Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian with the newly ordained
acolytes (top row) with deacons, and choir members.
MURONORHNEK PILGRIMAGE
A Pilgrimage to experience the Blessing of the Holy Oil (Muronorhnek)
in Antelias, Lebanon, is being organized with two options: Option A,
to Lebanon only (July 12-21); Option B, to Lebanon, Armenia and
Artsakh (July 12-28). Space is limited; reservations must be made by
February 12. Check details below:
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF REMEMBRANCE
During the coming new year of 2015 Armenians worldwide will
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that many
believed to be the death-knell of the Armenian people. The narrative
of the resilience of the Armenian people, the strength of the
survivors through their faithfulness to their Lord is truly a
miraculous story.
Special events are scheduled in Washington, D.C., May 7 to 9, 2015,
that include an ecumenical prayer service, a Pontifical Divine
Liturgy, memorial concert, and a banquet that will honor organizations
and individuals who came to the aid of Armenian survivors. The
Catholicoi, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, will be
present to preside over the events. Armenians from all over the United
States are expected to participate in solidarity and unity.
In New York, commemorative events will take place on April 24, 25, and
26, including the annual Times Square program that is sponsored each
year by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan.
Below are details of the events in Washington, D.C.
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS
Armenian Churches throughout the world celebrated Christmas on
Tuesday, January 6, remaining faithful to the original date marking
the birth and baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Antelias, Lebanon,
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, celebrated
the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Gregory the
Illuminator. His Holiness began his sermon by reminding the people
that God had expressed his desire to show humanity the way to faith,
love, and hope by sending His only begotten son (John 3:16). Jesus
assured the sick, the sinners, and the oppressed of God's love through
his teaching, and repeatedly said, `Do not be afraid, just believe'
(Mark 5:36). The Evangelists and apostles also stated, `If God is for
us, who can be against us?' (Romans 8:31). Read the message (in
Armenian) here (https://t.e2ma.net/click/kss0f/4f4cee/867wqb).
The parishes of the Eastern Prelacy celebrated the birth and baptism
with record attendance of the faithful at Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day services. Everywhere children played a major role in the
celebrations.
St. Illuminator's Cathedral, New York City
Archbishop Oshagan conducts the Blessing of the Water service
following the Christmas Divine Liturgy at St. Illuminator's Cathedral
in New York City. The Godfather of the Cross was Ara Indzhigulyan.
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Christmas
at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. The Blessing of the
Water service followed the Liturgy with the Godfather of the Cross,
Armen Alashaian.
St. Gregory Church, North Andover, Massachusetts
Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, pastor of St. Gregory Church of Merrimack
Valley, in North Andover, Massachusetts during the Blessing of Water
ceremony, with Deacons John Saryan (left) and Avedis
Garabanian. Godfather of the Cross was Jeffrey Sarkisian.
St. Stephen's Church, Watertown, Massachusetts
Very Rev. Fr. Zareh Sarkissian conducts the Blessing of the Water
service at St. Stephen's Church in Watertown,
Massachusetts. Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian was the celebrant of
the Liturgy. The Godfather of the Cross was Avedis Antranig Bell,
grandson of Der Antranig.
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island
Rev. Fr. Kapriel Nazarian conducts the Blessing of the Water service
at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island. Godfather of the
Cross was Garo Tarpinian.
St. Stephen's Church, New Britain, Connecticut
Students of St. Stephen Church in New Britain, Connecticut, present
the story of Christmas and the visit of the three kings. Throughout
the month of December, Archpriest Fr. Aram Stepanian, pastor, focused
on presenting the true meaning of Christmas to the parishioners.
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey
Young students of Nareg Armenian School, Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, New Jersey, in a Christmas presentation.
Sunday School students at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey present the beautiful Christmas story.
BIBLE READINGS:
Bible readings for Sunday, January 11: 1 Thessalonians 4:12-17; John
11:1-46.
`...so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent
on no one. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and
sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as
others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who
have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we
who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no
means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of
command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's
trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the
clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will
be with the Lord forever.' (1 Thessalonians 4:12-17)
For a listing of the coming week's Bible readings click here
(https://t.e2ma.net/click/kss0f/4f4cee/oz8wqb).
FEAST OF THE NAMING OF OUR LORD
This Tuesday, January 13, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of
the Naming of our Lord Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Hebrew
tradition. The commemoration of this event (Matthew 1:20-23; Luke
1:30-32; Luke 2:21) comes seven days after the Feast of the Nativity
(the eighth day of the octave of Nativity). This event of the naming
and circumcision of our Lord is the basis for the tradition of
baptizing children eight days after birth=80'a tradition that is
rarely followed now. `After eight days had passed, it was time to
circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the
angel before he was conceived in the womb.' (Luke 2:21)
BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE FORERUNNER
This Thursday, January 15, the Armenian Church commemorates the Feast
of the Birth of St. John the Forerunner (also known as St. John the
Baptist). John is an important figure in the New Testament and is
mentioned prominentl6y in all four Gospels, which indicates that he
had an effective ministry baptizing those who repented their sins. He
announced the coming of `on greater' than himself who is `to come
baptizing not with water but with the Spirit.' (See Matthew 3:11-12;
Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:16-17; John 1:26-27). According to the Gospel of
Luke, John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a
cousin of Mary. John is considered to be the last of the Old Testament
prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. John is one of the two
prime intercessors to Jesus Christ, the other being Mary, the mother
of our Lord.
`Hasten to our help from on high, Saint John, apostle and prophet and
forerunner and baptizer of the Son of God and intercede for us before
Christ. You are the priest who offered himself on the cross; beseech
him to grant purification from sins to me who composed this hymn and
to those who celebrate your memory; Saint John, intercede for us
before Christ.'
(Canon for the Nativity of John the Baptist according to the
Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church)
THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee(ANEC)
Baku Pogrom (January 13, 1990)
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which had a large Armenian community
since the late nineteenth century, was the theater of anti-Armenian
massacres in 1905 and 1918. In January 1990, the local community was
persecuted, massacred, and forced to leave the city forever.
The beginning of the Karabagh conflict, followed by the pogrom of
Sumgait in February 1988, was marked with a violent Azerbaijani
response to the peaceful Armenian demonstrations and claims. Exchange
of population started. However, while Armenians were expelled by force
from Kirovabad (currently Ganja, the second city of Azerbaijan) in the
fall of 1988, as well as from other locations, Azerbaijanis were able
to sell their properties and leave Armenia without being disturbed.
Azerbaijani mass media, and particularly television, were flooded with
anti-Armenian propaganda, which paved the way for violence. The
Popular Front of Azerbaijan, a nationalist and anti-communist
movement, called to expel Armenians from Baku and take up their
homes. Killings and robbery became frequent throughout 1989.
On December 1 of that year, the Supreme Councils of the Armenian SS
Republic and the Mountainous Karabagh Autonomous Region passed a joint
resolution on the formal unification of Armenia and Karabagh. This
resolution triggered the anti-Armenian massacre of Baku from January
13-19, 1990 as a direct response.
The violence was preceded by demonstrations of the Popular Front,
which called for the defense of Azerbaijan's sovereignty from Armenian
demands. Groups of young Azerbaijanis roamed the streets, terrorizing
Armenians and warning them to leave Baku. Azaddin Gyulmamedov, a young
Azerbaijani who attended the rally in Baku on January 13 and witnessed
the outbreak of anti-Armenian violence, gave the following testimony:
`We went to see what was happening. We saw these guys in the
streets. I don't know who they were - drug addicts, maybe. They had
sticks and clubs, and lists of Armenians and where they lived. They
wanted to break down the doors of Armenian apartments and chase them
out. The police didn't do anything. They just stood and watched. Same
with the soldiers, who had weapons. We asked them to help. There were
about a dozen soldiers and ten of us, and there were about twenty in
the gang, but the soldiers wouldn't help. They said: 'You can do it
yourself, Blackie. We're not getting involved.''
At nightfall of January 12-13, attacks started; Armenian homes were
set on fire and looted, while Armenians were killed or injured. The
homes of Armenians had been previously identified and mapped, while
law enforcement bodies stood idle, and ambulance people made fake
medical certificates, according to which the deaths of Armenians were
caused by circulatory injury and not by the violence.
An elderly Armenian woman is one of many evacuees that escaped Baku
after the massacres of Armenians by Azeris began in mid-January of
1990.
According to Radio Liberty, on the night of January 14 alone, 25
people were killed in the Armenian district. The Russian daily
Izvestia reported on January 18 and 19 that 64 cases of pogrom had
been identified, with Armenians as victims, on January 16, and 45
pogroms and arsons of residential houses on January 17. The New York
Times wrote on January 19: `Nationalists in Lithuania are struggling
to wrest independence from Moscow by nonviolent, political
means. Nationalists in Azerbaijan also talk of independence, but their
protest includes bloody pogroms against their Armenian neighbors.'
One of the leaders of the National Front of Azerbaijan, Etibar
Mamedov, testified about the cruelties and the lack of official
intervention: `I myself witnessed the murder of two Armenians near the
railway station. A crowd gathered, threw petrol on them and burned
them, whereas the regional militia division was only 200 meters away
with some 400-500 soldiers of the internal forces. The soldiers passed
by the burning bodies at a distance of some 20 meters, and nobody
attempted to circle the area and dissolve the crowd.'
Central authorities in Moscow did little to stop the violence until
January 20, when Soviet troops entered Baku and declared the state of
emergency. As Moscow News wrote on February 4, `the troops entered the
town seized with pogroms not to stop them, but to prevent the final
seizure of power by the People's Front of Azerbaijan, which was
planned for January 20.' Most Armenians fled Baku. Former world chess
champion Garry Kasparov and his family was among the
evacuees. Kasparov later testified: `No one would halt the Armenian
pogroms in Baku, although there were eleven thousand soldiers of
internal troops in the city. No one would intervene until the ethnic
cleansing was carried out. The pogroms were happening not in a random
place but in the huge capital city with blocks of flats. In such a
megapolis as Baku the crowd simply cannot carry out targeted
operations like that. When the pogrom-makers go purposefully from one
district to another, from one apartment to another this means that
they had been given the addresses and that they had a coordinator.'
The number of victims of the Armenian massacres in Baku is not clear
yet, with estimates going up to 400. The events were never assessed
from a legal point of view and the damages were not repaid.
Previous entries in `This Week in Armenian History' can be
read on the Prelacy's web site (www.armenianprelacy.org).
SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER
The crisis in Syria requires our financial assistance.
Please keep this community in your prayers, your hearts, and your
pocketbooks.
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
(https://t.e2ma.net/click/kss0f/4f4cee/4r9wqb) AND SELECT SYRIAN
ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU. OR IF YOU PREFER YOU MAY MAIL YOUR
DONATION TO:
Armenian Prelacy
138 E. 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Checks payable to: Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief
Thank you for your help
LITURGICAL CALENDAR POSTER
The 2015 color poster of the Liturgical Calendar of the Armenian
Apostolic Church is now available at the Prelacy. This 27x36 inch
poster belongs in every classroom, church hall and home.
The Armenian Apostolic Church uses a liturgical calendar to mark its
feasts and fasts and seasons, like all traditional churches but with
its own unique features. As one can readily see, the Armenian Church
year has eight seasons, depicted on the poster in different colors
with the names of the seasons indicated in the outermost ring: 1)
Nativity and Epiphany, 2) Lent, 3) Easter, 4) Pentecost, 5)
Transfiguration, 6) Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, 7)
Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 8) Advent. The innermost ring shows the
months.
The weeks of the year are represented by the sectors of the circle,
starting with Sunday and moving towards the center, with slots for
each day of the week. Sunday is the first day of the week,
mi-ya-shapat (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1), the day Jesus rose
from the dead. Christians from the earliest times designated Sunday as
`the day of the Lord' (deroonee / deroonagan). The word geeragee
(Sunday) comes from the Greek Kyriaki, meaning dominical, lordly,
royal. Thus, all Sundays are dominical days, commemorating and
celebrating the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ (along with
other dominical celebrations, such as the ascension, transfiguration,
and so forth). Some dominical feasts could also be celebrated during
the week, for instance, the Nativity and Epiphany of our Lord Jesus
Christ on January 6.
In addition to dominical (deroonee) feasts, we also have feasts
dedicated to saints. On saints' days the church remembers and
celebrates those Christians who have bore an exemplary witness to
Jesus Christ and to his gospel-these include the apostles, the
martyrs, the confessors, teachers, ascetics, bishops, priests,
deacons, kings, queens, princes, and people from all walks of life,
male and female, young and old. In our tradition, saints are
commemorated and celebrated on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and
Saturdays, except during the weekdays of Great Lent and the 50 days of
Easter. This coming year, the Armenian Church will canonize the
martyrs of 1915 genocide as saints.
The church does not always celebrate. There are also days of fasting,
set aside for self-restrain and self-examination; hence festivities
are not compatible with the ethos of the days of fasting. In the
Armenian tradition, Wednesdays and Fridays are designated as days of
fasting, except during the eight days of the Christmas festivities and
during the forty days after Easter festivities. We also have ten
weeklong fasts preceding major feasts and commemorations, observed
from Monday through Friday, except for the fast of the Nativity which
is six days. And there is the great fast (medz bahk) of Great Lent,
preceding the feast of feasts: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ (Easter).
The liturgical calendar poster indicates all these with names and
dates=80'showing all Sundays and other dominical days, saints' days,
and days of fasting.
As part of the celebration and commemoration of feasts and saints'
days, as well as observing days of fasting, the Armenian Church has
assigned Bible readings for all these days. To see the daily Bible
readings prescribed in our lectionary, please visit the Prelacy's
website at armenianprelacy.org. And for more info about Feast and
Fast, please click here.
To order copies of the liturgical calendar poster, please contact the
Prelacy at 212-689-7810 or at [email protected]. The cost of
the poster is $5.00 plus shipping and handling.
FOR THE RECORD. . .
An article in the December 18 issue of Crossroads about the 60th
anniversary of St. Gregory Church in Granite City, Illinois, omitted
the name of one of the parishioners who were honored during the
anniversary banquet. Henry Ohanian was also honored along with six
others. We regret the omission and express congratulations to all
seven honorees.
A CENTURY OF SILENCE
The January 5, 2015 issue of The New Yorker features an article
written by Raffi Khatchadourian titled `A Century of Silence.' It is
the story of his grandfather who survived the genocide and lived in
Diarbakir until the early 1950s. It provides a very compelling
contemporary story while providing the history of Diarbakir and its
Saint Giragos Armenian Church that was recently restored, and the
genocide of 1915.
The timing of the article is reminiscent of 1975, on the eve of the
60th anniversary of the genocide, when The New Yorker published in
three consecutive issues the full text of Michael J. Arlen's Passage
to Ararat.
Although we urge you purchase the issue, `A Century of Silence' can be
read here (https://t.e2ma.net/click/kss0f/4f4cee/kkaxqb).
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January 18-`The Near East Relief Historical Society=80'Remembering the
Past, Investing in the Future,' a presentation by Molly Sullivan,
Esq., Director & Curator, Near East Relief Historical Society-Near
East Foundation, 1 pm at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York. For
more information: [email protected].
February 7-Armenian Relief Society, NJ Shakeh Chapter presents
=80=9CThe Sound of Music' (in Armenian), performed by the Bedros
Atamian Theatrical Group of Hamazkayin Sanahin Chapter, Montreal,
Canada. Director and playwright, Lena Khacherian, at Fort Lee High
School, 3000 Lemoine Avenue, Fort Lee, New Jersey. Tickets: $50, $35,
$25. Contact: Ani Keshishian 201-417-0204; Anik Kechichian
201-394-4408; Lena Tarakjian 201-592-7991.
February 9-11-Ghevontiantz gathering of clergy serving the Eastern
Prelacy.
March 1-One Nation, One Culture: A Cultural Evening of Song & Dance
dedicated to the Armenian Genocide 100th Anniversary, Felician
College, 262 South Main Street, Lodi, New Jersey at 4 pm. Organized by
the New Jersey chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural
Society, with co-sponsorship of AGBU Ararat NY, Homenetmen Regional
Executive, Armenian Relief Society of Eastern USA, and Tekeyan
Cultural Association of Greater New York.
March 5-Official opening of Exhibit on Armenian textiles, `Stitching
to Survive: Handwork of Armenian Women,' 6-8 pm, at the United
Nations, New York. Reception to follow. Organized by the Armenian
Relief Society, Inc., and the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN.
March 6-Conference, `Rebuilding a Nation: The Armenian Woman's Century
of Resistance and Empowerment,' 10 am-4 pm, at Salvation Army
Auditorium, 221 East 52nd Street, New York City. Organized by the
Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of the Armenian Relief Society,
Inc.
March 13-15-`Responsibility 2015,' International conference for
Armenian Genocide's centennial at Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York,
featuring prominent historians, policymakers, authors, and
artists. Organized by the ARF Eastern US Centennial Committee, under
the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America,
Eastern Region. www.responsibility2015.com for information.
March 20-Musical Armenia, presented by Eastern Prelacy and Prelacy
Ladies Guild, Weill Recital Hall, 8 pm, Carnegie Hall, New York
City. Featured artists Patil Harboyan, piano and Heather Tuach, cello,
will present a program dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide that will include works of Armenian composers
Atamian, Babajanian, Gomidas, Khatchaturian, Saradjian, Stepanian, and
Talalyan. Tickets are $25 and will be on sale after December 20th at
the box office and the Prelacy, 212-689-7810.
March 13-15-International conference, `Responsibility 2015' marking
the Armenian Genocide's centennial, at Marriott Marquis Hotel, New
York City. Organized by the ARF Eastern United States Centennial
Committee, under the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Centennial
Committee of America, Eastern Region. For information visit the web
site (www.responsibility2015.com).
April 25-Connecticut Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day at the
Connecticut State Capitol. Keynote speaker: Noted author Chris
Bohjalian.
April 26-Centennial commemoration of Genocide. Joint united Divine
Liturgy in New York City (site to be announced), presided by
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan. To be
followed by Times Square gathering `100 Years to Remember.'
May 7, 8, 9-National Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration in
Washington, DC, organized under the patronage of the Diocese and the
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Presided by His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of the Great House of
Cilicia. May 7, Ecumenical Service at the National Cathedral, 7 pm;
May 8, A Journey Through Armenian Music at the Music Center at
Strathmore, 7:30 pm; May 8 & 9, Exhibits, Films, and Events at various
venues; May 9, Divine Liturgy at the Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception, 10 am; May 9, A Time to Give Thanks,
banquet, 6 pm (location to be announced).
May 10 to June 4-Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Aram I to the
Eastern Prelacy.
July 18-Blessing of the Holy Muron (Oil) by His Holiness Aram I, at
the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias,
Lebanon. For details click here.
October 5-9-Clergy gathering of Eastern, Western, and Canadian
Prelacies.
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: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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/
January 8, 2015
HOME BLESSING AND CHRISTMAS RECEPTION
The Prelate's annual Christmas reception took place on the evening
of January 6 filling the Prelacy's Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian
reception hall with many well-wishers from the metropolitan New York
area who were greeted by the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, and the
Vicar, Bishop Anoushavan. The traditional Home Blessing service was
offered by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator's
Cathedral, with the participation of area clergy, Rev. Fr. Nareg
Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church (Douglaston, NY) and
Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church (Ridgefield,
NJ).
The Armenian tradition of Home Blessing can be done throughout the
year, but is especially popular with the faithful during the holy days
of Christmas and Easter. During this ceremony, the officiating
clergyman blesses bread, water, and salt, all considered to be
essential to life. It is customary to burn incense, echoing the words
of the psalmist, `Let my prayer be counted as incense before you.'
(Psalm 41)
O Christ our God, guardian and hope of all our faithful, protect and
keep in peace your people under the protection of your holy and
venerable cross; and especially this family, their home, the bread,
the salt, and the water. Save them O Lord from visible and invisible
enemies and make them worthy to glorify you with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, now and always, forever and ever. Amen. (Benediction from
the Armenian Blessing of Homes service).
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian conducts the traditional Home Blessing
service at the Prelacy during the Prelate's Christmas reception at the
Prelacy. From left, Dn. Vahan Kouyoumdjian, Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian,
Archbishop Oshagan, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Bishop Anoushavan
Tanielian, Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, and Dn. Bedros Kalaydjian.
FIVE ACOLYTES ORDAINED IN NEW JERSEY
Last Sunday, January 4, parishioners of Sts. Vartanantz Church in
Ridgefield, New Jersey, witnessed the uplifting ordination service of
five young members of the parish to the rank of acolyte (tbir), with
Archbishop Oshagan officiating. The minor orders of Doorkeeping
(Trnaban), Reader (Untertsogh), and Candle Bearer (Mohmagrogh) were
granted to Armand Charkhutian, Shaunt K. Doghramadjian, Antranig
Essendir, Arthur Kesenci, and Aram Kouyoumdjian, who were deemed
prepared to enter into service to God to perform the responsibilities
entrusted to them.
The ordination service took place during the Divine Liturgy, before
the Lord's Prayer. At the conclusion of the Liturgy a reception,
hosted by Sarkis and Mary Ohanessian, took place in honor of the newly
ordained acolytes.
The five candidates kneel at the altar as Archbishop Oshagan begins
the ordination service.
Archbishop Oshagan and Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian with the newly ordained
acolytes (top row) with deacons, and choir members.
MURONORHNEK PILGRIMAGE
A Pilgrimage to experience the Blessing of the Holy Oil (Muronorhnek)
in Antelias, Lebanon, is being organized with two options: Option A,
to Lebanon only (July 12-21); Option B, to Lebanon, Armenia and
Artsakh (July 12-28). Space is limited; reservations must be made by
February 12. Check details below:
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF REMEMBRANCE
During the coming new year of 2015 Armenians worldwide will
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide that many
believed to be the death-knell of the Armenian people. The narrative
of the resilience of the Armenian people, the strength of the
survivors through their faithfulness to their Lord is truly a
miraculous story.
Special events are scheduled in Washington, D.C., May 7 to 9, 2015,
that include an ecumenical prayer service, a Pontifical Divine
Liturgy, memorial concert, and a banquet that will honor organizations
and individuals who came to the aid of Armenian survivors. The
Catholicoi, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, will be
present to preside over the events. Armenians from all over the United
States are expected to participate in solidarity and unity.
In New York, commemorative events will take place on April 24, 25, and
26, including the annual Times Square program that is sponsored each
year by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan.
Below are details of the events in Washington, D.C.
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS
Armenian Churches throughout the world celebrated Christmas on
Tuesday, January 6, remaining faithful to the original date marking
the birth and baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Antelias, Lebanon,
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, celebrated
the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Gregory the
Illuminator. His Holiness began his sermon by reminding the people
that God had expressed his desire to show humanity the way to faith,
love, and hope by sending His only begotten son (John 3:16). Jesus
assured the sick, the sinners, and the oppressed of God's love through
his teaching, and repeatedly said, `Do not be afraid, just believe'
(Mark 5:36). The Evangelists and apostles also stated, `If God is for
us, who can be against us?' (Romans 8:31). Read the message (in
Armenian) here (https://t.e2ma.net/click/kss0f/4f4cee/867wqb).
The parishes of the Eastern Prelacy celebrated the birth and baptism
with record attendance of the faithful at Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day services. Everywhere children played a major role in the
celebrations.
St. Illuminator's Cathedral, New York City
Archbishop Oshagan conducts the Blessing of the Water service
following the Christmas Divine Liturgy at St. Illuminator's Cathedral
in New York City. The Godfather of the Cross was Ara Indzhigulyan.
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Christmas
at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. The Blessing of the
Water service followed the Liturgy with the Godfather of the Cross,
Armen Alashaian.
St. Gregory Church, North Andover, Massachusetts
Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, pastor of St. Gregory Church of Merrimack
Valley, in North Andover, Massachusetts during the Blessing of Water
ceremony, with Deacons John Saryan (left) and Avedis
Garabanian. Godfather of the Cross was Jeffrey Sarkisian.
St. Stephen's Church, Watertown, Massachusetts
Very Rev. Fr. Zareh Sarkissian conducts the Blessing of the Water
service at St. Stephen's Church in Watertown,
Massachusetts. Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian was the celebrant of
the Liturgy. The Godfather of the Cross was Avedis Antranig Bell,
grandson of Der Antranig.
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island
Rev. Fr. Kapriel Nazarian conducts the Blessing of the Water service
at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island. Godfather of the
Cross was Garo Tarpinian.
St. Stephen's Church, New Britain, Connecticut
Students of St. Stephen Church in New Britain, Connecticut, present
the story of Christmas and the visit of the three kings. Throughout
the month of December, Archpriest Fr. Aram Stepanian, pastor, focused
on presenting the true meaning of Christmas to the parishioners.
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey
Young students of Nareg Armenian School, Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, New Jersey, in a Christmas presentation.
Sunday School students at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey present the beautiful Christmas story.
BIBLE READINGS:
Bible readings for Sunday, January 11: 1 Thessalonians 4:12-17; John
11:1-46.
`...so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent
on no one. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and
sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as
others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who
have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we
who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no
means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of
command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's
trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the
clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will
be with the Lord forever.' (1 Thessalonians 4:12-17)
For a listing of the coming week's Bible readings click here
(https://t.e2ma.net/click/kss0f/4f4cee/oz8wqb).
FEAST OF THE NAMING OF OUR LORD
This Tuesday, January 13, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of
the Naming of our Lord Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Hebrew
tradition. The commemoration of this event (Matthew 1:20-23; Luke
1:30-32; Luke 2:21) comes seven days after the Feast of the Nativity
(the eighth day of the octave of Nativity). This event of the naming
and circumcision of our Lord is the basis for the tradition of
baptizing children eight days after birth=80'a tradition that is
rarely followed now. `After eight days had passed, it was time to
circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the
angel before he was conceived in the womb.' (Luke 2:21)
BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE FORERUNNER
This Thursday, January 15, the Armenian Church commemorates the Feast
of the Birth of St. John the Forerunner (also known as St. John the
Baptist). John is an important figure in the New Testament and is
mentioned prominentl6y in all four Gospels, which indicates that he
had an effective ministry baptizing those who repented their sins. He
announced the coming of `on greater' than himself who is `to come
baptizing not with water but with the Spirit.' (See Matthew 3:11-12;
Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:16-17; John 1:26-27). According to the Gospel of
Luke, John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a
cousin of Mary. John is considered to be the last of the Old Testament
prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. John is one of the two
prime intercessors to Jesus Christ, the other being Mary, the mother
of our Lord.
`Hasten to our help from on high, Saint John, apostle and prophet and
forerunner and baptizer of the Son of God and intercede for us before
Christ. You are the priest who offered himself on the cross; beseech
him to grant purification from sins to me who composed this hymn and
to those who celebrate your memory; Saint John, intercede for us
before Christ.'
(Canon for the Nativity of John the Baptist according to the
Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church)
THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee(ANEC)
Baku Pogrom (January 13, 1990)
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which had a large Armenian community
since the late nineteenth century, was the theater of anti-Armenian
massacres in 1905 and 1918. In January 1990, the local community was
persecuted, massacred, and forced to leave the city forever.
The beginning of the Karabagh conflict, followed by the pogrom of
Sumgait in February 1988, was marked with a violent Azerbaijani
response to the peaceful Armenian demonstrations and claims. Exchange
of population started. However, while Armenians were expelled by force
from Kirovabad (currently Ganja, the second city of Azerbaijan) in the
fall of 1988, as well as from other locations, Azerbaijanis were able
to sell their properties and leave Armenia without being disturbed.
Azerbaijani mass media, and particularly television, were flooded with
anti-Armenian propaganda, which paved the way for violence. The
Popular Front of Azerbaijan, a nationalist and anti-communist
movement, called to expel Armenians from Baku and take up their
homes. Killings and robbery became frequent throughout 1989.
On December 1 of that year, the Supreme Councils of the Armenian SS
Republic and the Mountainous Karabagh Autonomous Region passed a joint
resolution on the formal unification of Armenia and Karabagh. This
resolution triggered the anti-Armenian massacre of Baku from January
13-19, 1990 as a direct response.
The violence was preceded by demonstrations of the Popular Front,
which called for the defense of Azerbaijan's sovereignty from Armenian
demands. Groups of young Azerbaijanis roamed the streets, terrorizing
Armenians and warning them to leave Baku. Azaddin Gyulmamedov, a young
Azerbaijani who attended the rally in Baku on January 13 and witnessed
the outbreak of anti-Armenian violence, gave the following testimony:
`We went to see what was happening. We saw these guys in the
streets. I don't know who they were - drug addicts, maybe. They had
sticks and clubs, and lists of Armenians and where they lived. They
wanted to break down the doors of Armenian apartments and chase them
out. The police didn't do anything. They just stood and watched. Same
with the soldiers, who had weapons. We asked them to help. There were
about a dozen soldiers and ten of us, and there were about twenty in
the gang, but the soldiers wouldn't help. They said: 'You can do it
yourself, Blackie. We're not getting involved.''
At nightfall of January 12-13, attacks started; Armenian homes were
set on fire and looted, while Armenians were killed or injured. The
homes of Armenians had been previously identified and mapped, while
law enforcement bodies stood idle, and ambulance people made fake
medical certificates, according to which the deaths of Armenians were
caused by circulatory injury and not by the violence.
An elderly Armenian woman is one of many evacuees that escaped Baku
after the massacres of Armenians by Azeris began in mid-January of
1990.
According to Radio Liberty, on the night of January 14 alone, 25
people were killed in the Armenian district. The Russian daily
Izvestia reported on January 18 and 19 that 64 cases of pogrom had
been identified, with Armenians as victims, on January 16, and 45
pogroms and arsons of residential houses on January 17. The New York
Times wrote on January 19: `Nationalists in Lithuania are struggling
to wrest independence from Moscow by nonviolent, political
means. Nationalists in Azerbaijan also talk of independence, but their
protest includes bloody pogroms against their Armenian neighbors.'
One of the leaders of the National Front of Azerbaijan, Etibar
Mamedov, testified about the cruelties and the lack of official
intervention: `I myself witnessed the murder of two Armenians near the
railway station. A crowd gathered, threw petrol on them and burned
them, whereas the regional militia division was only 200 meters away
with some 400-500 soldiers of the internal forces. The soldiers passed
by the burning bodies at a distance of some 20 meters, and nobody
attempted to circle the area and dissolve the crowd.'
Central authorities in Moscow did little to stop the violence until
January 20, when Soviet troops entered Baku and declared the state of
emergency. As Moscow News wrote on February 4, `the troops entered the
town seized with pogroms not to stop them, but to prevent the final
seizure of power by the People's Front of Azerbaijan, which was
planned for January 20.' Most Armenians fled Baku. Former world chess
champion Garry Kasparov and his family was among the
evacuees. Kasparov later testified: `No one would halt the Armenian
pogroms in Baku, although there were eleven thousand soldiers of
internal troops in the city. No one would intervene until the ethnic
cleansing was carried out. The pogroms were happening not in a random
place but in the huge capital city with blocks of flats. In such a
megapolis as Baku the crowd simply cannot carry out targeted
operations like that. When the pogrom-makers go purposefully from one
district to another, from one apartment to another this means that
they had been given the addresses and that they had a coordinator.'
The number of victims of the Armenian massacres in Baku is not clear
yet, with estimates going up to 400. The events were never assessed
from a legal point of view and the damages were not repaid.
Previous entries in `This Week in Armenian History' can be
read on the Prelacy's web site (www.armenianprelacy.org).
SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER
The crisis in Syria requires our financial assistance.
Please keep this community in your prayers, your hearts, and your
pocketbooks.
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
(https://t.e2ma.net/click/kss0f/4f4cee/4r9wqb) AND SELECT SYRIAN
ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU. OR IF YOU PREFER YOU MAY MAIL YOUR
DONATION TO:
Armenian Prelacy
138 E. 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Checks payable to: Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief
Thank you for your help
LITURGICAL CALENDAR POSTER
The 2015 color poster of the Liturgical Calendar of the Armenian
Apostolic Church is now available at the Prelacy. This 27x36 inch
poster belongs in every classroom, church hall and home.
The Armenian Apostolic Church uses a liturgical calendar to mark its
feasts and fasts and seasons, like all traditional churches but with
its own unique features. As one can readily see, the Armenian Church
year has eight seasons, depicted on the poster in different colors
with the names of the seasons indicated in the outermost ring: 1)
Nativity and Epiphany, 2) Lent, 3) Easter, 4) Pentecost, 5)
Transfiguration, 6) Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, 7)
Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 8) Advent. The innermost ring shows the
months.
The weeks of the year are represented by the sectors of the circle,
starting with Sunday and moving towards the center, with slots for
each day of the week. Sunday is the first day of the week,
mi-ya-shapat (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1), the day Jesus rose
from the dead. Christians from the earliest times designated Sunday as
`the day of the Lord' (deroonee / deroonagan). The word geeragee
(Sunday) comes from the Greek Kyriaki, meaning dominical, lordly,
royal. Thus, all Sundays are dominical days, commemorating and
celebrating the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ (along with
other dominical celebrations, such as the ascension, transfiguration,
and so forth). Some dominical feasts could also be celebrated during
the week, for instance, the Nativity and Epiphany of our Lord Jesus
Christ on January 6.
In addition to dominical (deroonee) feasts, we also have feasts
dedicated to saints. On saints' days the church remembers and
celebrates those Christians who have bore an exemplary witness to
Jesus Christ and to his gospel-these include the apostles, the
martyrs, the confessors, teachers, ascetics, bishops, priests,
deacons, kings, queens, princes, and people from all walks of life,
male and female, young and old. In our tradition, saints are
commemorated and celebrated on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and
Saturdays, except during the weekdays of Great Lent and the 50 days of
Easter. This coming year, the Armenian Church will canonize the
martyrs of 1915 genocide as saints.
The church does not always celebrate. There are also days of fasting,
set aside for self-restrain and self-examination; hence festivities
are not compatible with the ethos of the days of fasting. In the
Armenian tradition, Wednesdays and Fridays are designated as days of
fasting, except during the eight days of the Christmas festivities and
during the forty days after Easter festivities. We also have ten
weeklong fasts preceding major feasts and commemorations, observed
from Monday through Friday, except for the fast of the Nativity which
is six days. And there is the great fast (medz bahk) of Great Lent,
preceding the feast of feasts: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ (Easter).
The liturgical calendar poster indicates all these with names and
dates=80'showing all Sundays and other dominical days, saints' days,
and days of fasting.
As part of the celebration and commemoration of feasts and saints'
days, as well as observing days of fasting, the Armenian Church has
assigned Bible readings for all these days. To see the daily Bible
readings prescribed in our lectionary, please visit the Prelacy's
website at armenianprelacy.org. And for more info about Feast and
Fast, please click here.
To order copies of the liturgical calendar poster, please contact the
Prelacy at 212-689-7810 or at [email protected]. The cost of
the poster is $5.00 plus shipping and handling.
FOR THE RECORD. . .
An article in the December 18 issue of Crossroads about the 60th
anniversary of St. Gregory Church in Granite City, Illinois, omitted
the name of one of the parishioners who were honored during the
anniversary banquet. Henry Ohanian was also honored along with six
others. We regret the omission and express congratulations to all
seven honorees.
A CENTURY OF SILENCE
The January 5, 2015 issue of The New Yorker features an article
written by Raffi Khatchadourian titled `A Century of Silence.' It is
the story of his grandfather who survived the genocide and lived in
Diarbakir until the early 1950s. It provides a very compelling
contemporary story while providing the history of Diarbakir and its
Saint Giragos Armenian Church that was recently restored, and the
genocide of 1915.
The timing of the article is reminiscent of 1975, on the eve of the
60th anniversary of the genocide, when The New Yorker published in
three consecutive issues the full text of Michael J. Arlen's Passage
to Ararat.
Although we urge you purchase the issue, `A Century of Silence' can be
read here (https://t.e2ma.net/click/kss0f/4f4cee/kkaxqb).
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January 18-`The Near East Relief Historical Society=80'Remembering the
Past, Investing in the Future,' a presentation by Molly Sullivan,
Esq., Director & Curator, Near East Relief Historical Society-Near
East Foundation, 1 pm at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York. For
more information: [email protected].
February 7-Armenian Relief Society, NJ Shakeh Chapter presents
=80=9CThe Sound of Music' (in Armenian), performed by the Bedros
Atamian Theatrical Group of Hamazkayin Sanahin Chapter, Montreal,
Canada. Director and playwright, Lena Khacherian, at Fort Lee High
School, 3000 Lemoine Avenue, Fort Lee, New Jersey. Tickets: $50, $35,
$25. Contact: Ani Keshishian 201-417-0204; Anik Kechichian
201-394-4408; Lena Tarakjian 201-592-7991.
February 9-11-Ghevontiantz gathering of clergy serving the Eastern
Prelacy.
March 1-One Nation, One Culture: A Cultural Evening of Song & Dance
dedicated to the Armenian Genocide 100th Anniversary, Felician
College, 262 South Main Street, Lodi, New Jersey at 4 pm. Organized by
the New Jersey chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural
Society, with co-sponsorship of AGBU Ararat NY, Homenetmen Regional
Executive, Armenian Relief Society of Eastern USA, and Tekeyan
Cultural Association of Greater New York.
March 5-Official opening of Exhibit on Armenian textiles, `Stitching
to Survive: Handwork of Armenian Women,' 6-8 pm, at the United
Nations, New York. Reception to follow. Organized by the Armenian
Relief Society, Inc., and the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN.
March 6-Conference, `Rebuilding a Nation: The Armenian Woman's Century
of Resistance and Empowerment,' 10 am-4 pm, at Salvation Army
Auditorium, 221 East 52nd Street, New York City. Organized by the
Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of the Armenian Relief Society,
Inc.
March 13-15-`Responsibility 2015,' International conference for
Armenian Genocide's centennial at Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York,
featuring prominent historians, policymakers, authors, and
artists. Organized by the ARF Eastern US Centennial Committee, under
the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America,
Eastern Region. www.responsibility2015.com for information.
March 20-Musical Armenia, presented by Eastern Prelacy and Prelacy
Ladies Guild, Weill Recital Hall, 8 pm, Carnegie Hall, New York
City. Featured artists Patil Harboyan, piano and Heather Tuach, cello,
will present a program dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide that will include works of Armenian composers
Atamian, Babajanian, Gomidas, Khatchaturian, Saradjian, Stepanian, and
Talalyan. Tickets are $25 and will be on sale after December 20th at
the box office and the Prelacy, 212-689-7810.
March 13-15-International conference, `Responsibility 2015' marking
the Armenian Genocide's centennial, at Marriott Marquis Hotel, New
York City. Organized by the ARF Eastern United States Centennial
Committee, under the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Centennial
Committee of America, Eastern Region. For information visit the web
site (www.responsibility2015.com).
April 25-Connecticut Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day at the
Connecticut State Capitol. Keynote speaker: Noted author Chris
Bohjalian.
April 26-Centennial commemoration of Genocide. Joint united Divine
Liturgy in New York City (site to be announced), presided by
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan. To be
followed by Times Square gathering `100 Years to Remember.'
May 7, 8, 9-National Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration in
Washington, DC, organized under the patronage of the Diocese and the
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Presided by His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of the Great House of
Cilicia. May 7, Ecumenical Service at the National Cathedral, 7 pm;
May 8, A Journey Through Armenian Music at the Music Center at
Strathmore, 7:30 pm; May 8 & 9, Exhibits, Films, and Events at various
venues; May 9, Divine Liturgy at the Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception, 10 am; May 9, A Time to Give Thanks,
banquet, 6 pm (location to be announced).
May 10 to June 4-Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Aram I to the
Eastern Prelacy.
July 18-Blessing of the Holy Muron (Oil) by His Holiness Aram I, at
the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias,
Lebanon. For details click here.
October 5-9-Clergy gathering of Eastern, Western, and Canadian
Prelacies.
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: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress