PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
February 17, 2005
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LENTEN RETREATS GIVE CLERGY CHANCE TO FOCUS ON FAITH
Clergy throughout the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern) are in the middle of their annual Lenten retreats, this year
focused on helping clergy find a balance between their pastoral duties
and their personal and family obligations.
“Clergy must be a leader for the community, a father for the young, and
a comforter for the ill and troubled, but at the same time they must be
sure to be all those to their own family as well,” said Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese. “Today’s clergy find
themselves pulled in all directions, but we must never forget the
importance of one’s family.”
The first regional retreat was held from February 14 to 16, 2005, for
the 12 clergy in the Mid-West region and Southern parishes. It brought
clergy from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, and Texas to the
Chicago suburb of Mudelein, IL.
The guest leader of the Midwest retreat was Rev. Anthony Yazge, pastor
of the St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Terre Haute, IN, who has
been a leader in youth ministry in the Antiochian Archdiocese.
The 16 clergy from the New England region — Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, and Watervliet, NY — will meet in Shrewsbury, MA,
for a session lead by Rev. Joseph Purpura, who has served as the youth
director for the Antiochian Church for more than 10 years.
The 25 clergy from the Mid-Atlantic region — New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia, and Connecticut — will meet from
February 28 to March 2 for a retreat lead by Fr. Alexis Vinogradov, a
pastor with the Orthodox Church of America who has worked on church
architecture and in youth ministry.
The annual Lenten retreats for clergy are organized by Fr. Karekin
Kasparian, coordinator of the Diocese’s Pastoral Support Ministry, which
is charged with assisting pastors in doing their jobs well.
— 2/17/05
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