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
Crossroads E-Newsletter July 22, 2004
PRELATE WILL ATTEND DIVINE LITURGY AND
BANQUET AT STS. VARTANANTZ CHURCH, NEW JERSEY
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan will be in New Jersey this weekend. On
Sunday he will be with the faithful of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield,
New Jersey, where he will preside over the Divine Liturgy and the farewell
luncheon for the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Khachadour Boghossian.
Rev. Fr. Khachadour was recently reassigned to the pastorship of Holy
Trinity Church in Worcester, Massachusetts. Parishioners of Sts. Vartanantz
will have the opportunity to bid a fond farewell to Der Hayr, Yeretzgeen and
their family.
ANEC AWARDS SETIAN COINS
The Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC) recently announced the
winners of the annual awards of ancient Armenian coins to a select number of
students who have excelled in Armenian studies. Mr. Gary Setian of
Massachusetts provides these annual awards. This year, the coins were from
the Cilician period of King Levon I.
ANEC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILL ATTEND CONFERENCES
Gilda B. Kupelian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Education
Committee (ANEC) will attend two major conferences this summer. From August
5 to 7, 2004, Ms Kupelian will attend the International Educational
Conference organized by the Catholicate of the Great House of Cilicia. The
conference will take place in Antelias, Lebanon, under the presidency of His
Holiness Catholicos Aram I.
From August 27 to 29, Ms Kupelian will participate in the “First
Pan-Armenian Educational Conference,” which will take place in Yerevan,
Armenia, under the auspices of the Armenian Ministry of Education and
Science.
ANEC is co-sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy and the Armenian Relief
Society.
DIKRAN AND DIANA HADJETIAN ESTABLISH PUBLICATIONS FUND
AT CATHOLICATE OF CILICIA IN MEMORY OF
ARCHBISHOP MESROB ASHJIAN
The Catholicate of the Great House of Cilicia recently announced that a
Publications Fund in memory of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian was established
through a generous donation of $50,000 by Dikran and Diana Hadjetian of
Canada. The Hadjetians are faithful supporters of the Armenian Church and
were very supportive of the late Archbishop’s charitable projects in
Armenia.
ST. SARKIS CHURCH PARISHIONERS AND FRIENDS
WILL MAKE A PILGRIMAGE TO ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH
More than thirty parishioners and friends of St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York, are preparing for their pilgrimage to Armenia and
Artsakh, which will begin August 16 and continue to August 30. The pilgrims
will be led by Very Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian, pastor of St. Sarkis
Church and Vicar General of the Prelacy.
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN ATTENDS
ARS CONVENTION IN FLORIDA
Archbishop Oshagan offered the opening prayer at the convention of the
Eastern Region of the Armenian Relief Society, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
His Eminence praised the members of this great charitable organization for
their past and present endeavors and urged the membership to continue their
much-needed humanitarian and educational projects.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RETURNS FROM ARMENIA
Vazken Ghougassian, the Executive Director of the Eastern Prelacy,
returned from Armenia, where he spent two weeks meeting with the office
staff of the St. Nerses the Great Charitable Organization, the Prelacy’s
charitable establishment for projects in Armenia and Artsakh. Dr.
Ghougassian was impressed with the explicit and professional work of the
staff.
During his visit Dr. Ghougassian guided the implementation of two new
programs: The renovation of the Noubarashen Orphanage and the Aid to Elderly
program.
The first phase of the renovation of the Noubarashen Orphanage has
started and will be completed by the end of August. The first phase entails
the complete renovation and replacement of the roof of the orphanage. Once
the exterior of the building is secured from the elements, renovation of the
inside will begin. During the next three years each of the three floors of
the orphanage will be completely renovated and refurbished. The Noubarashen
Orphanage project is being made possible through the estate of the late
Edward Malkonian, who established a permanent fund with the stipulation that
70% of the annual income is to be allocated to an orphanage in Armenia. Mr.
Malkonian established the fund in memory of his parents, Mardiros and
Marguerite Malkonian.
The second program, food aid to the elderly, is being made possible
through a grant made by Dr. Bedros Mangikian, who established a fund in
memory of his mother and sister, the Ardemis Mangikian and Yeran Mangikian
Garian Memorial Fund for Needy Senior Citizens of Armenia and Artsakh.
Quarterly distribution of food and provisions will be made to needy senior
citizens. The first distribution to approximately 115 elderly citizens will
begin the first week of August.
FORMER WCC LEADER DIES IN ACCIDENT
Archbishop Edward Scott, the 10th primate of the Anglican Church of
Canada, and former Moderator of the Executive and Central Committees of the
World Council of Churches (WCC), died last week in a car accident near
Toronto. The Archbishop was a well-known and respected leader of the
Ecumenical Movement. He was a close friend of Catholicos Karekin I, of
blessed memory, and Catholicos Aram I who currently is the Moderator of the
Executive and Central Committees of the WCC.
Catholicos Aram sent his condolences and described Archbishop Scott as a
gifted minister and strong leader. He served his church with firm commitment
and profound love. Archbishop Scott also served the Ecumenical Movement in
general and the World Council of Churches in particular with a clear vision
of the unity of the church. As Moderator from 1975 to 1983, through his
reports and reflections, Archbishop Scott emphasized the centrality of the
local church and the critical importance of the pastoral dimension in our
ecumenical engagement. The Ecumenical Movement owes a great deal to the
ecumenical contribution of Archbishop Scott. May God accept his soul in His
eternal kingdom.
CELEBRATING SAINTS THADDEUS AND SANDOUKHT
This Saturday, July 24, the Armenian Church remembers Saints Thaddeus
and Sandoukht.
St. Thaddeus is one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. After the
ascension of Jesus, Thaddeus began his mission preaching in Edessa and then
in Armenia. He was able to evangelize the royal palace where he baptized
Sandoukht, the beautiful daughter of King Sanatrouk. She embraced
Christianity and became a disciple of Thaddeus. Displeased, the king tried
to bring his daughter back into the fold of the old pagan faith. Sandoukht
remained loyal to her Christian faith and she was imprisoned and subjected
to torture and deprivation and finally death, thus becoming the first saint
of the Armenian Church. She is also considered to be the first witness for
Christianity in Armenia and an apostle because of the role she played in
converted others.
Thaddeus was put to death a few days after Sandoukht. Before his
martyrdom Thaddeus had already preached the new faith and established a
monastery, which to this day bears the name of Thaddeus, or Thade. The
monastery of St. Thaddeus today is within the borders of Iran. Large annual
pilgrimages are made to the monastery every July.
SUMMER RELIGION
When the mercury goes up, spirituality often comes down. So say the
experts. Certainly church attendance comes down. What does the Good Book
have to say about this? You can look it up.
Remember the Sabbath Day (Exodus 20:8).
Be persistent whether the time is favorable or not (2 Timothy
4:2).
Bless the Lord at all times (Psalm 34:1).
Let us not grow weary in doing what is right (Galatians 6:9).
Be steadfast (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4).
Keep awake (Matthew 25:13).
THIS WEEK IN THE GARDEN
In spite of the cooler than usual summer thus far (at least in our area
of the country) our garden is beginning to yield its harvest. Watching the
miracle of seed to seedling, to plant, to fruit, reminds us of a poem we
read a while ago. We remember only the first verse and sadly have forgotten
the name of the author:
There is no unbelief;
Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod
And waits to see it push away the clod,
Trusts in God.
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