PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: info@armenianprelacy.org
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
CROSSROAD E-NEWSLETTER: May 20, 2004
NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY
CONVENES IN PHILADELPHIA
OPENING ADDRESS BY PRELATE FOCUSES
ON THE ARMENIAN FAMILY
Delegates from the parishes under the jurisdiction of the Eastern
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, arrived in Philadelphia
yesterday to begin the deliberations of the National Representative Assembly
(NRA). The host parish, St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, welcomed the
delegates as they arrived to participate in the formal opening of the annual
meeting at 2 p.m. Welcoming words were offered by Jack Papazian, chairman of
St. Gregory Board of Trustees, and Rev. Fr. Nerses Manoogian, the Pastor. A
message from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia,
offering congratulations and encouragement was read.
Reports were presented by the Religious and Executive Councils, the
Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) and the Armenian National
Education Committee (ANEC).
The keynote address was delivered by Professor Vigen Guroian who
captivated the delegates and guests with his timely and provocative analysis
on the institution of marriage. Professor Guroian said:
For reasons that on this occasion I can review in only the smallest
detail, it may no longer be possible or permissible for the Armenian Church
in the state of Massachusetts and no doubt soon in many other states to
cooperate or collaborate with government in marrying persons, as has been
carried on in one form or another within Christendom since the fifth and
sixth centuries. It may be time for our bishop to instruct priests that in
states that adopt gay marriage laws the Armenian Church must withdraw from
the standard process and not deliver marriage consecration on behalf of the
state, in simple terms not to sign marriage certificates. It may be, that in
fact, Armenian Church faithful must for a time live defacto under a two-tier
arrangement in which they obtain a civil marriage to meet legal requirements
and qualify for married status in the eyes of the state and come to the
church to receive true, sacramental marriage. …Today in our land this
profound Christian truth about the divine and salving nature of marriage is
being contradicted in the most destructive and hateway way. We have seen the
celebration of this rejection of Christian truth spilling over into the
streets of San Francisco and Boston. There is little doubt what is coming.
We must fight to prevent this explosion of the meaning of marriage, not for
the sake of, at best, a Pyrrhic victory, but as testimony of our faith in
the love of God and his holiness.
An extended and lively question and answer period followed.
Later that morning Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, the Prelate, delivered
his message, which focused on the Armenian Family. He spoke about the
Armenian Family as a Church and the Armenian Family as a Nation. The Prelate
said:
We are all aware that His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House
of Cilicia, proclaimed 2004 the Year of the Armenian Family. The family with
its narrow and wide meaning comprises all of us individually and
collectively with a national and universal understanding.
. The Armenian Church turned the Gospe’s message and salvific mission
into the sustenance that strengthened and spread the faith transmitted by
the apostles, giving Armenian nuances to our peoples distinct character. Our
language and literature were born and advanced within Christianity; stones
were given form and quality and became God’s Churches-Hripsime and
Zvartnotz. Sound was given the modulation of songs and became angelic
prayers, hymns, and melodies. For the simplicity and purity of the Armenian
soul, our church fathers defined our theology, ecclesiology and liturgy. All
of this formed the identity of the Armenian Church. She had her special
place in God’s family, praying in her style and tongue, singing with her own
mode and spirit, and a theology with her own philosophy and understanding.
These qualities imprinted such a deep and defining stamp on our nation’s
spiritual and intellectual bedrock, which became our image, our uniqueness.
In the words of our historian Yeghishe, it became the color of our skin.
Because of this, during our peaceful and prosperous times, but especially
during the times of destructions, massacres, and invasions by our enemies
and during the time we were deprived of our government, the Armenian Church
spread her protection over her faithful with total dedication, keeping them
members of the Christian and Armenian Church family. And it is a fact that
those who distanced themselves from the Mother Church lost a part of their
identity, to say the least. For centuries we lived safely with our own
identity thanks to the Armenian Church and her spiritual, cultural,
philanthropic, and Christ- and nation-loving mission. Today our confident
expectation is that the Armenian Church will continue her centuries old
mission to her children with the same understanding and dedication.
The theme of the family continued with the keynote address delivered by
Dr. Vigen Guroian, Professor of Religion and Ethics at Loyola College in
Baltimore. Professor Guroian spoke about the Armenian Christian Family Under
Fire.
ASCENSION DAY WILL BE CELEBRATED TONIGHT
Today is Ascension Day (Hampartzoum) and it will be celebrated tonight
in Philadelphia by the Prelate, the Prelacy clergy, NRA delegates, and the
faithful of the Philadelphia community. The Divine Liturgy will start at
7:30 pm, officiated by V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar of the
Prelacy.
MIDWEST JEOPARDY TOURNAMENT WINNER
IS ARS ZAVARIAN SCHOOL
The Armenian Jeopardy Tournaments, organized by the Armenian National
Education Committee (ANEC), have become even more popular than expected.
Last Sunday, May 15, the Midwest Tournament took place in Chicago and the
first place winner was the Armenian Relief Society Zavarian School of
Detroit. Second place winner was the Taniel Varoujan School.
The championship game will take place this Sunday, May 23, at St.
Gregory Church, Philadelphia. The regional champions will compete for the
grand championship. Competing will be: ARS Zavarian School (Detroit);
Armenian Sisters Academy (Philadelphia); and St. Stephen Saturday School
(Watertown).
Good luck to all!
AKHTAMAR CHURCH ENDANGERED
The Assembly of Armenians of Europe issued an appeal following an
article that appeared in the Turkish Zaman newspaper about the Church of the
Holy Cross on the island of Akhtamar. The church is not protected by UNESCO
and the Assembly of Armenians of Europe is asking that letters be sent to
Mr. Laurent Levi-Strauss (Deputy Director for the Division of Cultural
Heritage, Chief of Section for Tangible Heritage, UNESCO, e mail:
l.levi-strauss@unesco.org and to Mr. Francis Childe (Senior Programme
Specialist, Europe, Asia, Pacific, UNESCO, e-mail: f.childe@unesco.org and
to the AAE Brussels Head Office, e-mail: aae@euroarmenian.com
The Church of the Holy Cross is situated on an island in Lake Van. The
church was built during the reign of King Gagik I and is one of the finest
examples of Armenian architecture.
U.S. CHURCH LEADERS PRESS PRESIDENT BUSH
ON PROBLEMS FACING HOLY LAND CHRISTIANS
Fifty leaders of evangelical and mainline Protestant, Catholic, and
Orthodox churches and church-related organizations in the United States
delivered a letter to President Bush on May 7, asking for a full
understanding of the crisis in the Holy Land confronting Christian
Palestinians, Christian institutions, and those who wish to visit the
birthplace of Christianity.
Stating that the churches have directed their concerns to the Israeli
government but to little avail, the church leaders appealed for the
President’s intervention to help restore the normal function of Christian
institutions in Israel and the occupied territories.
The letter addressed the concerns specifically regarding the effects of
the separation being constructed by Israel, taxation issues that may force
many church institutions to close due to the rescinding of their
longstanding tax-exempt status, and the denial and delay of visas by Israel
for clergy and church personnel resulting in understaffed seminaries,
churches, hospitals, education and other institutions.
The signers stated clearly that they do not mean to minimize the
suffering of Muslims and Jews, and asked the President to assist all
Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the Holy Land for peacemaking that builds
bridges to a new and hopeful future.
Source: National Council of Churches
THE VOICE OF GOD
I sought to hear the voice of God,
And climbed the topmost steeple.;
But God declared: Go down again,
I dwell among the people.
(Louis I. Newman)
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress