PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected]
Website;
November 12, 2004
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DIVINE LITURGY CELEBRATION AND ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN OTTAWA
On Sunday November 7th, Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of Canada, celebrated Holy Divine Liturgy in Ottawa. The
Komitas Men’s Choir conducted by Choirmaster Varoujan Margaryan sang the
Liturgy. Rt. Reverend Fr Ararat Kaltakjian and Deacons Hampartsoum Aghazarian,
Kami
Sarimanougian, Hagop Arslanian served at the Altar. The Diocesan Council
representative, Mr. Arto Basmadjian (Secretary) and Ms. Talar Chichmanian
(Chairperson of the Komitas Choir) joined the Ottawa parishioners in attending
the
Divine Liturgy.
In his message, Bishop Bagrat Galstanian greeted the present faithful and
prayed that the Almighty God would “grant them health and courage to better
serve
the Church of God”. During his address, the Primate spoke about the nature
and the structure of the Church. His Eminence said “In order to follow Christ
we
are called to belong not just believe. We are created for community,
fashioned for fellowshipâ~@¦and non of us can fulfill God’s purpose by
ourselves” Upon
delivering his thoughts on a Church-Community building process His Eminence
added, “We are members of Christ’s Body-Church. The word membership is of
Christian origin; the world has emptied it of its original meaning. In our
Church,
membership is often reduced to simply adding someone’s name to a roll, with no
requirements and expectations. We need to recover and practice the true meaning
of membership. The Church is a body, not a building; an organism not and
organization. I invite you all to participate responsibly in the life of our
Church
and to share its mission on many levels” concluded Bishop Galstanian.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the Annual General Assembly of St Mesrob
Armenian Church of Ottawa was held immediately, under the presidency of His
Grace
Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate of the Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Holy
Apostolic Church. During the meeting, a new Parish Council and Diocesan
delegates were elected. The seven members of the new St Mesrob Armenian Parish
Council are Sonia Balabanian, Nina Ashekian, Nairy Bostanian, Hagop
Deukmedjian,
Shahé Avedissian, George Iskenderian, Jean-Philippe Tachdjian
After the elections, a general discussion was held about the future of the
Parish. Community members voiced their hope to have a resident permanent pastor
appointed to serve the needs of Ottawa Armenian community.
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ORDINATION OF ACOLYTES IN ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR CATHEDRAL IN MONTREAL
It is with deep spiritual joy and prayers to Almighty God that we announce to
the faithful of the Armenian Church Diocese of Canada, from testimony of the
St Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral’s Parish and as an appreciation for their
devotion to the Mother Church, Ararat Torossian, Hagop Redjebian, Ardak
Khatchadourian, Avedis Salezian, Jano Salezian, Alex Palabikian, Phillip
Palabikian, Emma Gasparyan, Sandra Afeyan, Hilda Tursucuyan, Talar Chichmanian
will be
elevated to the rank of Acolyte on Sunday November 14, 2004 at 615 Stuart
Avenue.
This elevation in rank is by the order of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat
Galstanian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada. The Rev.
Fr
Vazgen Boyajyan, Pastor will celebrate the Divine Liturgy, with His Eminence
presiding over the Holy Badarak and officiating at the Ordination of Acolyte
ceremony.
An acolyte is a cleric promoted to the fourth and highest minor order in the
Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, ranking next to a sub-deacon. The duties
of an acolyte are to light the candles on the altar, to carry them in
procession, and during the solemn singing of the Gospel; to prepare wine for
the
sacrifice of the Mass, and to assist the sacred ministers during the Mass.
Altar
boys are often designated as acolytes and perform such duties and these duties
of
the acolyte in the Armenian Church, are fully described in the “Mashdots
Dzernatroutyan”.
We invite all our faithful to attend the ordination ceremony and pray that
the Almighty will strengthen these young servants of our Church and enlighten
their life with his blessed presence.
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PRIMATE APPOINTS MEMBERS TO THE MISSION IN CANADIAN DIOCESE PARISHES
It gives us great pleasure to announce to the faithful, that during the
October 23 General Meeting of Parish representatives held in Kingston, Ontario,
the
following appointments were made in the Diocesan structure by the directive
of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate.
Rev. Fr. Komitas Mirzakhanian, Pastor of Mississauga’s St. Vartan Church, has
been appointed Pastor of Laval’s Holy Cross Church and Director of the Summer
Camps Committee in the Province of Quebec.
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrig Apegha Hovhannissian has been appointed Pastor of
Hamilton’s St. Mary’s and Mississauga’s St. Vartan Parishes, as well as the
Primate’s representative in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe parishes, that includes
St.
Catharine’s, Hamilton and Mississauga. Fr. Hayrig Apegha will also head the
Diocesan Summer Camp Committee.
Following the recommendations of the 21st Diocesan Assembly held in
Vancouver, and in consultation with the Diocesan Council, the Primate appointed
two
additional members to the Diocesan Council: Mrs. Lillian Sevadjian, from
Mississauga’s St. Vartan Parish, and Mrs. Shoghig Keoshgerian from Laval’s Holy
Cross
Parish
We pray that Almighty God grant new strength and vigor to our Holy Church
through this renewed organization.
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BISHOP GALSTANIAN VISITED ROMAN CATHOLIC CARDINAL JEAN CLAUDE TORCOTTE OF
MONTREAL
On Wednesday, November 10, 2004 His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian visited
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal and met with the Primate Jean
Claude Cardinal Turcotte.
Bishop Galstanian thanked Cardinal Turcotte for enabling the Armenian
Community of Montreal to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide at
the Basilica, St Joseph Oratory and accepting to be the keynote speaker on
that evening. The two leaders discussed the possibilities of further
cooperation
and the views of their respective churches on various social issues.
His Eminence then invited Cardinal Turcotte to participate in an Ecumenical
Pilgrimage to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Spiritual Centre of
Armenian Christianity. Accompanying the Primate were Very Rev Father George
Zabarian, Vicar of the Armenian Catholic Community in Canada, along with the
Rev
Fr
Vazgen Boyajyan, Pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Montreal
and Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate.
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REMEMBERING THOSE WHO SERVED AND DIED FOR CANADA
Upon the directive and instruction of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian,
Primate, requiem services were held on Sunday in each parish under the
jurisdiction of Canadian Armenian Diocese.
In his letter, Primate Galstanian advised the parishes that “a requiem
service will be conducted in our parish following the Divine Liturgy, for the
souls
of all Canadians who laid down their life during the First and Second World
Wars and the Korean conflict, to defend and maintain our great country in it’s
present free state”.
Speaking about Canada’s role and mission in the community of nations the
spiritual leader of Armenians added “Canada has always been in the forefront of
humanitarian concern, not only for her citizens but also worldwide and has paid
a great price for this belief in democratic principals. “May their souls rest
in the everlasting light of our Lord.” His Eminence also suggested that any
veterans in individual parishes be recognized, either during service or the
fellowship period following service.
* * *
REPRESENTATIVES FROM SAINT GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR CHURCH PARTICIPATE IN
REMEMBERANCE DAY SERVICE
St. Gregory The Illuminator Armenian Church of St. Catharines Sunday School,
participated in the Remembrance Day service on Sunday, Nov.7/04, with the
laying of a wreath at the cenotaph in Port Dalhousie.
Representing our church and Sunday school were Natalie Istamboulian and
Cameron Stewart, pictured accepting and placing the memorial wreath. During the
Second World War, many young Armenian men served in the military, and many gave
their lives for our continued freedom.
In keeping with our theme of commemoration, the students and parents
participated in the ceremonies of prayer and remembrance, becoming ever mindful
of the
sacrifices made by members of their particular parish.
* * *
CAAPA VANCOUVER COMMITTEE PRESENTED A PROGRAM DEDICATED TO THE HOLY
TRANSLATORS AT SAINT VARTAN ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF VANCOUVER
Accompanied by appropriate live music, the translation of the Bible into
Armenian was the theme of a tightly presented program. Beginning with a prayer
by
the V. Rev. Keghart Garabedian, Takouhi Sedefji’s piano solo of J.S. Bach’s
Prelude in C, set the atmosphere for the rest of the evening.
In his opening remarks, Armand Ayaltin of CAAPA, stressed the importance of
celebrating historic Armenian events particularly for the benefit of our young
people. Indeed the majority of the program was performed by the talented youth
of our Vancouver community.
Babajanian’s Elegie for piano, performed by Takouhi Sedefji, once again
inspired us all, for the reading rendered by Jirayr Arslanyan of Yeghishe Arch.
Touryan’s “Ayp, Pen Kim’i Tase” and L. Surmelian’s poem “Lousavorchi Asdghin
Dag.” Krikor Yaghjian, a veteran member of our cultural scene, delivered his
lecture on Tarkmanchats. He not only outlined the particulars of what we call
“Kirerou Kuede”, bringing to our attention the historic and cultural background
toward the translation of the Bible into Armenian using our own alphabet,
making
us a “self-contained-independent” nation.
To reflect the views and thoughts of our younger generation, Diana Krikorian
expounded in English, the importance of Tarkmanchats and “Kirerou Kuede,” for
her peers. The issue of the Diasporan young Armenians not reading and writing
Armenian fluently stirred much emotion in the audience.
Anoush Ekmekjian a recently arrived young Armenian to our community, recited
V.Tekeyan’s “Dagh Heyeren Lezvi” with clear diction and deep understanding.
Very young musicians provided the musical part of the program from our
community, accompanied on the piano by our talented Takouhi Sedefji. Cassandra
Tavoukjian (12) on the flute performed Ganachian’s “Oror” and Spentiarian’s “Ay
Vart”, drawing much applause for her fluent and flawless interpretation of the
above pieces.
Sevan Kochkarian (11, soprano) sang for us a most profound Armenian song,
Shahan Bereberian’s “Lousavorchi Ganteghe” with youthful simplicity and purity
of
voice, bringing us all closer to Lousavorchi Gantegh. Last on the program,
but certainly not the least, Sevan brought everyone to a standing ovation.
Very Rev. K. Garabedian, in closing, remarked that after this, there was
nothing left for him to say except pray and thus, aptly brought the event to a
close.
Visitors from San Francisco attending this event were highly appreciative of
the program and commented that they had been inspired and felt privileged to
be present at an outstanding Armenian program of this caliber. The importance
and the success of this event was, that many youngsters and their parents in
the audience approached CAAPA for inclusion in future program of this nature.
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CELEBRATING AN OLD TRADITIONâ~@¦THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TRADITIONâ~@¦
The Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church Sunday School hosted a very unique
Thanksgiving Luncheon on Sunday, October 10, 2004. It was the ideal feast to
continue an old North American tradition of giving Thanks, and introducing it
as an old tradition with a new perspective.
Principal Deacon Vrej Berberian, together with the Board of Trustees,
Teachers, Parent Teacher Organization and the Volunteer Youth Group envisioned
bringing families together to celebrate the feast in an Armenian Church family
atmosphere.
The vision became a novel success. The Artinian Hall, where the luncheon was
held, was filled with the faithful… fathers, mothers, children,
grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors and old acquaintances. Each
family sat
together according to their Kértastans. There were various sizes of families
present, families who had one member representing their Kértastan to families
who
had 48 members representing their Kértastan. Later, the names of each
Kértastan were announced from the podium with a special welcome, and so the
“Kértastan
Tradition” was launched.
The 73 Kértastans in attendance enjoyed a very informative lecture by guest
speaker of the day Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton General Secretary – Canadian Council
of Churches. They also enjoyed a classical piano recital by Mrs. Marina Aksu.
The HTAAC Sunday School has become an exciting place to learn the teachings
of the Holy Bible through old and new traditions under the auspices of Rev.
Fr. Zareh Zargarian.
The Sunday School Thanksgiving Luncheon in Toronto, reflected the Mission of
Armenian Apostolic Sunday Schools in Canada. With the patronage of His Grace
Bagrat Galstanian, the Sunday Schools in Canada have adopted a standardized
curriculum based on the Orthodox teachings of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
This adaptation has unified the schools and has instilled a sense of community,
family, and most notably, a sense of purpose for everyone associated with
Sunday school.
To nurture and maintain this sense of belonging, Diocesan Sunday Schools have
planned many co-operative school activities. There are plans to have
school-to-school visits within the Diocese. There are plans for the Annual
Children’s
Armenian Christmas in 2005. An upcoming competition will be introduced for the
Sunday schools, searching for the ideal representational artwork illustrating
the Holy Etchmiadzin as seen through the eyes of children living in Canada.
The celebration of old and new traditions and special religious and cultural
education will inspire an enduring sense of belonging for our children and our
community â~@¦the greater Kértastan.
We urge you to encourage and support your local Armenian Apostolic Sunday
School by emphasizing its importance for future survival to your children,
grandchildren, nieces or nephews, cousins or friends’ children to attend Sunday
school.
“Then, see if they will not laugh again, see if they will not sing and pray
again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not
create a New Armenia” William Saroyan.
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–Boundary_(ID_Aus1x0SBkfemYPjI6fmddg)–