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: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER September 2, 2004
PASHALIAN FUND ANNOUNCES
2004 EDUCATIONAL GRANTS
The Pashalian Family Education Fund, which is part of the Prelacy
Endowment Fund, recently announced grants for 2004 totaling $12,750.00. The
awards were as follows:
St. Illuminator Armenian Day School, $2,500.00.
St. Stephen Armenian Elementary School (Massachusetts), $3,750.00.
St. Sarkis Suzanne & Hovsep Hagopian Saturday School, $1,500.00.
Armenian Sisters Academy (Pennsylvania), $1,000.00.
Siamanto Academy, $1,000.00.
St. Gregory of Datev Institute, $2,000.00.
The Pashalian Fund was created in 1992 in memory of John Pashalian by
his family and friends. Trustees of the Fund meet regularly to make the
disbursements from the Fund, which supports Armenian education in the United
States.
V. REV. FR. ANOUSHAVAN TANIELIAN
ATTENDS PRESIDENT BUSH PRAYER SERVICE
ON BEHALF OF THE PRELATE
Today, September 2, V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian, the Vicar General,
attended a Prayer Service at the Church of Our Savior, Park Avenue and 38th
Street in New York City. Archbishop Oshagan was invited to attend the
ecumenical gathering of religious leaders as an honored guest of President
and Mrs. Bush. His Eminence, who is returning from overseas tonight, asked
the Vicar General to attend on his behalf. Invited to the gathering were
representatives of various religious denominations and ethnic groups.
The Church of Our Savior is just a hop away from the Prelacy office,
which explains why the entire area was like an armed camp this morning,
including a bevy of helicopters overhead.
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL OPEN
OLYMPIC GAMES IN CHICAGO
This weekend, His Eminence will be in the Midwest where on Monday, Labor
Day, he will officially open the Olympic games of the Armenian Youth
Federation. Beginning in the early 1930s, the AYF Olympics is now an
established tradition in Armenian American life. This year the weekend event
is being sponsored by the Chicago Ararat Chapter.
For those who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms after more than two
weeks of the International Olympics, we suggest heading to Chicago.
MID-WEST SEMINAR WILL TAKE PLACE
SEPTEMBER 18 IN DEARBORN, MICHIGAN
St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Dearborn, Michigan, is sponsoring a one-day
seminar on Critical Issues of Life & Faith: An Armenian Orthodox
Perspective, on Saturday, September 18, at the Church, 19300 Ford Road,
Dearborn, Michigan. The main speaker will be Dr. Vigen Guroian, Professor of
Theology and Ethics at Loyola College, Baltimore, Maryland. The program will
include the lecture, small group discussions, followed by group reports and
discussions. Topics to be discussed include Marriage, Reproductive
Technologies, Abortion, Suicide and Cremation.
This program is very similar to one that took place during the summer
at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the
Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) that was enthusiastically
received by the participants, who in their anonymous evaluation sheets
offered comments like: I really enjoyed the adult Christian education
program. The lectures were very insightful, thought provoking and even
controversial. Dr. Guroian is an exceptional lecturer and I learned a lot
from him.. It was a blessing to have such a prominent theologian lead the
seminar on contemporary moral and ethical issues. and [It] was fulfilling,
nourishing, and enlightening.
For information about the Midwest Seminar contact the Church office,
(313) 336-6200.
PILLARS OF THE PRELACY RECEPTIONS
IN RHODE ISLAND AND MASSACHUSETTS
The first two of several regional gatherings of the Pillars of the
Prelacy will take place next week.
On Friday, September 10, the Pastor and Board of Trustees of St.
Stephen Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, will host a reception and on
Sunday, September 12, the Pastor and Board of Trustees of Sts. Vartanantz
Church in Providence, Rhode Island, will host a reception.
The Pillars of the Prelacy is an annual giving program; all funds
raised support religious and educational programs.
For information about the Massachusetts gathering contact St. Stephen
Church, (617) 924-7562.
For information about the Rhode Island gathering contact Sts.
Vartanantz Church, (401) 831-6399.
V. REV. FR. SHAHE PANOSSIAN ARRIVES
TO SERVE NEW JERSEY PARISH
V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian arrived in the United States early this week
to assume the pastorship of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey,
where he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy this Sunday, September 8.
Hayr Shahe served parishes in the Eastern Prelacy for many years,
specifically in South Florida, Toronto and Glenview, Illinois.
For the past two years, at the behest of Catholicos Aram I, he has been
serving the Catholicate in Antelias, Lebanon. Most recently he was the
director of the Birds Nest Orphanage in Lebanon.
He was ordained a celibate priest in 1980. Besides his extensive
experience as a parish priest, Hayr Shahe has been a teacher and supervisor
at the Cilician Seminary in Antelias, as well as an administrator at the
Catholicate headquarters.
PRELACY BOOK FAIR IN OCTOBER
The Prelacy Bookstore will host its annual Book Fair on October 22, 23,
and 24, at Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen Boulevard, Ridgefield, New
Jersey. Featured will be many new books as well as gift items some of which
are newly arrived from Armenia. We will be telling you more about this later
this month.
MANY PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE OPEN;
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS WILL OPEN SOON
Traditionally school has opened after Labor Day. But because Labor Day
is late this year, many public school districts have started the new term
this week.
There are several very good Armenian Day Schools here on the east coast
including: St. Stephens Elementary School, Watertown, Massachusetts; St.
Illuminators Day School in Woodside, New York; Holy Martyrs Day School in
Bayside, New York; Hovnanian School in New Milford, New Jersey; the Armenian
Sisters Academies in Lexington, Massachusetts and Radnor, Pennsylvania. They
all need and deserve our support.
The Saturday and Sunday schools in our parishes will be opening in the
coming weeks. Check with your local parish to find out the exact date and
time and make sure to enroll your children. It is a sacrifice of time and
effort, we know, but you will be happy and thankful you did.
Incidentally, as a side note, we use the term Saturday school
generically. Some of our parishes have their Armenian language schools on
other days of the week.
COUNCIL OF NICAEA
This Saturday, September 4, the Armenian Church remembers the Ecumenical
Council of Nicaea, the first such council. It was summoned by Emperor
Constantine in 325. Bishop Aristakes (son of Gregory the Illuminator)
attended as a representative of the Armenian Church. It was at this council
that the creed was first developed. The Nicene Creed (Havatamk) that we
recite in the Armenian Church during the Divine Liturgy after the reading of
the Gospel is the result of later development of the doctrine of the Holy
Trinity.
FAST OF THE EXHALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
This Sunday, September 5, ushers in the Fast leading to the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross (Khachveratz), which is on Sunday, September 12. Because
this is a Great or Tabernacle Feast, it is preceded by a week of abstinence.
BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
On Wednesday, September 8, the Armenian Church commemorates the birth of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her life is covered sparsely in the New Testament.
It is believed that she was the daughter of Anna and Joachim, a descendant
of David from the tribe of Judah.
LABOR DAY
And, of course, this Monday, September 6 is Labor Day, celebrated nation
wide in the United States and Canada. Labor Day, always the first Monday in
September, was created by the labor movement more than 120 years ago. It is
dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers and their
contributions to the strength, prosperity, and well being of their country.
Through the years it has evolved into the unofficial end of summer marked
with family gatherings, picnics, and a final long weekend before the start
of school and the normal routine of life.
THE REPUBLICANS
Finally, can we leave you this week without saying a word or two about
the Republican Convention in New York City? Today is the final day and the
convention will come to an end tonight when President Bush delivers his
acceptance address.
From our vantage point, commuting from New Jersey to New York, the four
days were quite smooth. In fact, most of the time we kept wondering where
everyone went. The streets and roads were empty. One morning it was almost
comical to see the heavy police presence on the George Washington Bridge
with just a few cars crossing the span.
We at Crossroads are political junkies and we confess that we watched
both conventions, the Democrats in Boston and Republicans in New York City.
Listening to all of the rhetoric (and there is a lot) we were reminded
of a statement made by Adlai Stevenson in Fresno, California, in June of
1956: I am not an old experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned
enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign
is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.
For all you youngsters out there, Adlai Stevenson was the Democratic
candidate for President in 1952 and 1956. His opponents labeled him an
Egghead, as though being intelligent was some sort of disease. His political
speeches were masterpieces in every way, content, thought, and syntax.
P.S. He lost.
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