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 – October 14, 2004
VEHAMAYR OVSANNA SARKISSIAN
IS LAID TO REST IN CANADA
Last week we received the news of the passing of Vehamayr Ovsanna
Sarkissian, the mother of Catholicos Karekin I, of blessed memory. The
viewing (Dangark) and funeral services took place October 4 and 5 at Holy
Trinity Armenian Church in Toronto. Vehamayr celebrated her 100th birthday
less than two months ago.
Archbishop Oshagan conveyed his condolences to her family on behalf of the
Eastern Prelacy.
RECEPTION FOR PILLARS OF THE PRELACY
THIS SATURDAY IN NEW YORK
A reception for the Pillars of the Prelacy will take place this Saturday
evening, October 16, at the Prelacy, 138 E. 39th Street, New York City. A
large number of Pillars from the Northeast are expected to attend the event,
which is meant to express thanks and appreciation to the Pillars.
PRELATE WILL VISIT NEW BRITAIN
PARISH THIS SUNDAY
Archbishop Oshagan, Prelate, will visit the St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic
Church in New Britain, Connecticut, this Sunday, October 17. His Eminence
will officiate at the Divine Liturgy and attend the church’s 79th
anniversary celebration. The parish will honor the memory of its founding
fathers. His Eminence will present a Certificate of Merit to parishioner
Shirley Kevorkian and a Junior Achievement Award to Richie Meyer.
LIFE AND WORK OF ARCHBISHOP MESROB ASHJIAN
WILL BE REMEMBERED TOMORROW EVENING
In less than two months the first anniversary of the passing of His Eminence
Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian will be marked with appropriate requiem services
in all Prelacy churches. Here in New York, where he served as the leader of
the Eastern Prelacy for twenty years, his life and work will be remembered
in a Memorial Tribute tomorrow evening, October 15. The program will take
place at St. Peter Church, 619 Lexington Avenue (at 54th Street), at 7:30
pm.
Organized by the Hamazkayin of New York, the tribute is under the auspices
of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan. The commemoration will feature
addresses by Dr. Ashot Melkonian, Director of the Institute of History of
the Academy of Sciences in Armenia, and the Honorable Judge Sarkis Teshoian,
who served as chairman of the Prelacy’s Executive Council during the
Archbishop’s tenure.
The cultural portion of the evening will feature the well-known singer
Hasmik Mekhanedjian and Janet Marcarian on the organ. Mrs. Arevig Caprielian
will deliver the opening words of welcome and Dr. Herand Markarian will
serve as the master of ceremonies.
Perhaps the most poignant portion of the program will be a video
presentation of the “Life and Work of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian.” The video
presentation was prepared with the use of archival still photographs and
videos. It is narrated in the words of the Archbishop, in his own voice.
Archbishop Oshagan will deliver the concluding message and the benediction.
For information: 718-459-2757.
NEW ENGLAND AREA RETREAT: WE ARE FAMILY
WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT WEEKEND
We remind our readers in New England that the regional retreat, We Are
Family, will take place on Saturday, October 23, at the E. Kent Swift Estate
in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, sponsored by the Armenian Religious
Education Council (AREC). For information contact your local parish.
NEW ENGLAND EDUCATORS SEMINAR
NEXT SATURDAY
The New England Educators Seminar sponsored by the Armenian National
Education Committee (ANEC) will take place next Saturday, October 23, 2 pm.
The seminar is hosted by the Mourad School of Providence, Rhode Island. The
theme is Teaching Armenian and History and Teaching Methods for the
Non-Armenian Speaker. For information contact the ANEC office, 212-689-7810.
FIVE SESSION COURSE ON THE LITURGY
BEGINS MONDAY
The first of the five-session course on the Divine Liturgy will take place
this Monday, October 18, and continue on the first and third Mondays of the
month, for a total of five sessions. The course is presented by Dn. Shant
Kazanjian, Executive Director of the Armenian Religious Education Council.
For details go to:
ORDINATIONS IN ANTELIAS
The ordinations of Dn. Serop Terterian and Dn. Vatche Bozoyan will take
place this Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17, in the Cathedral of St.
Nishan in Beirut, Lebanon. Bishop Kegham Khacherian, Prelate of Lebanon,
will officiate over the ordination services. The newly ordained clergymen
will subsequently serve within the Eastern Prelacy.
CATHOLICOS ARAM I RECEIVES HIGHEST
HONOR FROM CHURCH OF SWEDEN
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, received the
highest award given by the Church of Sweden, during a dinner given in his
honor in Uppsala, Sweden on October 2. The award was presented by the head
of the Church of Sweden, Archbishop K. G. Hammar.
In presenting the award, Archbishop Hammar said, Only three individuals have
received this award, and you are the fourth. We decided to present this
award to you in recognition and appreciation of your important contribution
to the worldwide Ecumenical Movement.
DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION AMONG RELIGIONS
ESSENTIAL FOR THE WORLD TODAY, SAYS ARAM I
Hundreds of students, professors, and Swedish citizens attended a lecture
delivered by His Holiness Aram I, at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. His
Holiness lectured on inter-religious dialogue and its effect on the
Ecumenical Movement. He noted that dialogue and cooperation among religions
is essential for the world today. His lecture centered on three main points:
Living Together, Conferring Together, and Working Together.
His Holiness was invited to visit Sweden by the Church of Sweden. During his
visit he attended high-level meetings with the head of the Lutheran Church
of Sweden, Archbishop K. G. Hammar.
FORMER MAYOR OF STEPANAGERT
WILL VISIT THE PRELACY
Maxim Merzoyan, the former mayor of Stepanagert, will visit Archbishop
Oshagan this Saturday afternoon, October 16, at the Prelacy offices in New
York City. Antranig Kasbarian, Nagorno-Karabagh Program Director for the
Tufenkian Foundation, Inc, will accompany the mayor.
CHRISTMAS IN THE BIG APPLE:
THE PRELACY WILL SPONSOR FAMILY CONCERT
Is it too early to talk about Christmas? Probably, because here at
Crossroads we are generally more concerned with immediate happenings. But it
is not too early for you to mark December 4 on your calendar, the date of a
Family Christmas Concert featuring Nvair and Taline, sponsored by the
Prelacy at the Alliance Francaise in New York City. For details go to:
HOLY EVANGELISTS: MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN
This Saturday, October 16, the Armenian Church commemorates the Holy
Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors of the four gospels.
The word comes from the Greek euangelos, meaning a messenger (or angel)
bringing good news.
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the
tax office; and he said to him, Follow me. And he rose and followed him.”
(Matthew 9:9).
St. Matthew is considered to be the patron of the mission of the Church. The
Gospel attributed to him closes with this command by Jesus to his disciples
and followers: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, and the
eternal words, And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
St. Mark through his gospel narrative is considered to have had significant
influence on the advancement of Christianity. Although the Gospel according
to Mark is a narrative of the life of Jesus, theologians consider it to be a
virtual handbook of discipleship. The overriding message is that being a
Christian is not only believing in Jesus Christ. More importantly, it is
living according to the example set by Jesus.
St. Luke is the author of the third gospel and the Book of Acts. He is
considered to be the patron of physicians and artists. The Gospel according
to Luke is greatly concerned with Jesus as the healer of a broken world.
Luke is also noted for his concern for the poor, the marginalized, women,
and social outcasts. His Gospel does not end with the Resurrection, but
rather continues with Pentecost and the eternal presence of Christ in the
world.
St. John, often called the Beloved Disciple, is the author of the Fourth
Gospel and the Book of Revelation. Jesus entrusted his mother to John on the
day of the Crucifixion.
Perhaps the most famous verse in his Gospel is, For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life, (John 3:16). According to tradition John outlived
the other twelve disciples. He escaped martyrdom and was sent into exile on
the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation.
AND FINALLY.
Since we are discussing biblical authors, we leave you this week with the
following about biblical authors and venues:
The Bible was written,
In the Wilderness by Moses.
In the Palace by David.
In the Field by Amos.
In Babylon by Daniel.
In Jerusalem by James.
On the Road by Paul.
In Prison by Paul.
In Patmos by John.
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