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;
A Canadian Armenian Appointed Citizenship Judge
OTTAWA, July 5, 2005 – The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration, today announced the appointment of a citizenship judge.
Sarkis Assadourian is a well-known and well-respected community leader in the
Greater Toronto Area. A former member of Parliament, he is also the former
Executive Director of the Armenian Community Centre in North York. As a member
of Parliament, Mr. Assadourian was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister
of Citizenship and Immigration and the Chairman of the Standing Committee on
Citizenship and Immigration. He was appointed a citizenship judge in Toronto.
Citizenship judges are appointed by order-in-council and are responsible for
making decisions with regard to applications, presiding over citizenship
ceremonies and administering the oath of citizenship to new citizens.
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ACYOC Delegates Meeting and Sports Weekend 2005 (by Angineh Gharapetian)
The 2005 ACYOC Sports Weekend took place in Vancouver British Columbia this
Canada Day weekend. The local chapter was host to 20 participants that arrived
for the activities from the Laval and Toronto ACYOC chapters. Similar numbers
joined the guests from the local ACYOC chapter.
The Sports Weekend began officially with the annual General Assembly on
Friday, 1 July. The pastor of St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church, Archpriest
Father Keghart Garabedian started the ACYOC Delegates meeting with opening prayer.
Executive delegates from present participating chapters attended. At the end
of the meeting Serpazan Hayr gave the youth his blessings and missions for
accomplishments in the coming year. These are 1- Annual Youth Pilgrimage toSaint
Catharines St. Gregory the Illuminator Church. 2- Pan American You Gathering
in Albany Ararat Conference Centre in September. 3- Youth Convention Retreat
in October. Furthermore, the city of Mississauga, Ontario was chosen to be the
location to host the 2006 Sports Weekend.
The general assembly was followed by a welcome dinner at English Bay where
all participants had a chance to meet and greet one another.
On Saturday, the official sports day tournaments took place at the West End
Community Centre. Fierce but friendly competition yielded the following
victories: Hockey – Laval, Indoor soccer – Laval, Basketball – Toronto, Table Tennis
– Laval, Chess – Laval, Volleyball – Vancouver. Since the Laval chapter won
the majority of tournaments, they proudly take home the Babayan Cup this year.
Saturday night was spent celebrating the accomplishment of the teams with
dinner and dancing at the Setrak Kalpakian Hall. Trophies and other awards were
handed out at this time. This year, the Archbishop Vasgen Keshishian award was
presented to Diana Grigoryan for her endless efforts and contributions to the
Armenian Community.
Sunday, the final day of this year’s Sports Weekend, was began by the
delegates attending Divine Liturgy at St.Vartan Apostolic Church. Sourp Badarak was
followed by lunch and closing remarks. The participants were individually
thanked, and handed the promotional items.
It was an honor and pleasure for Vancouver to host this year’s Sports
Weekend. Special gratitude goes out to all participants who traveled acrossthe
country to make this weekend possible and successful.
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Bishop Galstanian and the CYMA 2005 participants leave to Armenia
On July 9, 2005 by the will and guidance of Almighty God, our Primate His
Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian and 26 participants of CYMA 2005 will depart
for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and will be renovating a ruined church
in the village of Atarbekian, in the vicinity of Etchmiadzin. CYMA 2005
chairperson is Talar Chichmanian.
In Motherland Armenian they will also have the joy to meet and pray with the
pilgrims of the Holy Trinity Church in Toronto and the pupils of St. Sahag &
St. Mesrob Saturday School, led by Rev. Archpriest Zareh Zargarian.
The high point of their spiritual journey will be on July 17, when six
acolytes from Holy Trinity Church of Toronto will be raised to the rank of deacon on
the Main Altar of Holy Etchmiadzin and receive the blessings of His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians.
We ask you to remember them in your prayers while they are on spiritual
journey until their safe return. Please offer special prayers for the six young
men, who will be called upon by the grace of the Holy Spirit on the Main Altar of
the Holy Etchmiadzin to serve our church on a higher scale.
May God fill our hearts with the unending grace of spiritual joy.
* * *
Camp Ararat 2005 – What a response!
The Camp Ararat organizing committee is delighted to report that this year’s
camp will truly be representative of our Canadian Diocese! Almost 100 campers
and CITS (counsellors-in-training) have registered from the Toronto,
Montreal, Laval, Ottawa, St. Catharines, Mississauga and Hamilton parishes. We are
also excited to welcome some campers who will be travelling from Vancouver to
have an “experience to remember”!
In addition to the wonderful camper response, the committee has also worked
to recruit over 20 staff members who have graciously agreed to join the Camp
Ararat team: program directors, counsellors, canoe instructors, religious
education instructors, and lifeguards – not to mention our in-house chef and our
caring nurse!
This year Camp Ararat will be held August 8-13 at Echo Lake, just northwest
of Kingston, Ontario. The organizing committee wishes to thank campers and
parents for their trust in and commitment to Camp Ararat. We are fully booked
for the summer of 2005 – see you all on Monday, August 8th!
* * *
CYMA 2005 Lottery (by Talar Chichmanian – CYMA 2005 Chairperson)
On Sunday, July 3rd, the CYMA 2005 lottery draw took place in the Vatché
Hovsepian Hall of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Cathedral in Montreal.
Many parishioners who have long supported the project stayed to see the
results of the lottery draw and cheered everyone on as names were picked out of the
‘hat’!!
The CYMA 2005 Executive committee would like to thank everyone who made a
contribution towards the success of this year’s project, both financially and
with their hard work and time. We’d also like to thank and congratulate all
friends and supporters who went out of their way to help raise funds! You did a
phenomenal job and we’d like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts fora
job well done!
We’d also like to express our most sincere gratitude to our generous sponsors
for having helped make this lottery a possibility through the great prizes
they donated as well as for their financial support. Thank you to GIANT Bikes,
Vite Vitres Jacques, Dataworld, HEAD Tennis Rackets, The North Face, Tria
Inc., Mr. & Mrs. Chahan and Elizabeth Pacradouni & Me Kevork Kevorkian.
We’re proud to announce the lucky winners of the lottery draw:
1st prize Arno Kunterian – GIANT mountain bike
2nd prize Rehan Hudaverdi – Weekend at Mont-Tremblant
(from Vite Vitres Jacques)
3rd prize Georgina Sarkissian – NORTH FACE Tent & Backpack
4th prize Dr. John Manoukian – Palm Pilot
(from DATAWORLD)
5th prize Dorine Dervishian – HEAD Tennis Racket
All funds raised will go towards the renovation project of a Church in
Atarbekyan as well as towards a camp project for approximately 100 seven year olds
in the region of Aradashen.
On behalf of Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Hayr Ararat Kaltakjian and myself,
Talar Chichmanian, we’d like to take this opportunity to wish all participants a
wonderful and safe trip. May God be with you on your journey back Home.
* * *
The Diocese sponsors a student to go to Armenia
Upon the initiative of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian the Diocese of
the Armenian Apostolic Church in Canada has established a fund to award the
best student in Armenian language course with a trip to Motherland Armenia.
During the year end graduation ceremony at AGBU Armen Quebec Alex Manougian
school Serpazan Galstanian announced the decision. Eevery year, the studentwho
gets the highest grade in Armenian language course at the school will
accompany the participants of the Diocesan mission to Armenia.
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