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
MARCH 9, 2006
PASSING OF ARCHBISHOP GHEVONT CHEBEYAN
His Holiness Aram I and the Brotherhood of the Cilician See announce
with sadness the passing of Archbishop Ghevont Chebeyan, who died today,
March 9, in Lebanon. He was 95 years old.
Extreme Unction and Funeral Services will take place tomorrow, March 10,
at the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in Antelias, Lebanon, under
the presidency of Catholicos Aram I. The late Archbishop will be buried in
the Catholicosate’s Zareh I Mausoleum in Antelias.
Archbishop Ghevont served the Holy See of Cilicia with loyal dedication.
He was one of the first students to enter the Seminary when it was
established in Antelias, after the forced exile of the Catholicosate from
its ancient home in Sis. The late Archbishop served the Armenian Church in
various areas including Cyprus, Syria and Iran. He continued his service to
the Holy See after his retirement as a respected teacher and role model for
the younger generation of seminarians.
May the Lord accept His faithful servant into His Heavenly Kingdom.
PASSING OF DIRAMAYR ROSE BALJIAN
The Eastern Prelacy mourns the passing of Diramayr Rose Rustigian
Baljian, mother of Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian, pastor of St. Stephen
Church in Watertown, Massachusetts.
The service of Homecoming (Dangark) will take place 7 pm Monday March
13, at Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts. Visiting hours are
from 4 pm to 8 pm. Funeral services will take place at 11 am, on Tuesday
March 14, at the Church.
We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Der Antranig and the entire extended
Baljian and Rustigian families.
CATHOLICOS ARAM ISSUES #4 IN DIALOGUE WITH YOUTH SERIES
This week His Holiness Aram issued the fourth in a series of dialogues
with the youth. Having recently returned from the 9th Assembly of the World
Council of Churches (WCC) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, His Holiness’s focus is
on youth participation. The Catholicos writes, “With this fourth dialogue
with the youth of the Armenian Church, I want to share some information and
my perspectives pertaining to the presence of youth delegates and their
participation in the Assembly and discuss with you my expectations from our
youth.” His Holiness describes how in his report to the Assembly he
“challenged the youth to make the Assembly a “Youth Assembly,” not only by
their strong presence but also by seeking the most efficient ways of making
an impact.” He praised the young delegates representing the Armenian Church
for their serious involvement “in all spheres of the life and work of the
Assembly. The intervention particularly of our two young women delegates
from Los Angeles and Boston in the plenary sessions made me proud. They
reminded me of my first intervention as a young delegate at the 5th Assembly
in Nairobi in 1975.”
LENTEN SERIES CONTINUES
The Prelacy’s Lenten series, sponsored by the Armenian Religious
Education Council (AREC), and the Prelacy Ladies Guild, continued last night
with V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Garabedian presenting a thoughtful mediation on
verses 6 to 9 of St. Nerses Shnorhali’s prayer, “In Faith I Confess.” The
Lenten programs take place Wednesdays during Lent at St. Illuminator’s
Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City. Husgoom Service starts at
7:30 pm, followed by a short meditation at 8:00 pm.
Next week’s meditation on Wednesday, March 15, will be based on verses
10 to 15 presented by V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian, chairman of the Religious
Council and pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, NJ.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR CHRISTIAN EDUCATORS
“Sexual Ethics: An Armenian Orthodox Perspective,” will be the topic of
the upcoming National Conference for Christian Educators, March 17 to 19.
The conference will take place at the Wonderland Conference Center in
Sharon, Massachusetts.
Noted theologian Professor Vigen Guroian will lead the Conference.
Topics to be discussed include: Moral living, human sexuality, creation and
gender theology, and the institution and sacrament of marriage.
Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the
conference will equip Christian educators as well as young parents with the
tools to teach these important issues.
ANEC SCHOOL FESTIVAL ON MARCH 26
More than one hundred students will participate in an Armenian School
Festival on Sunday, March 26. Sponsored by the Armenian National Education
Committee (ANEC) under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan
Choloyan, the Festival will take place at the Dwight-Englewood School in
Englewood, New Jersey, beginning at 3 pm.
DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM FOR YOUTH AGES 13-18;
20TH ANNIVERSARY TO BE MARKED THIS YEAR
Plans are underway for the 20th annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute
Summer Christian Studies Program. Sponsored by the Armenian Religious
Education Council (AREC), the weeklong program will take place at the St.
Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania.
HADASSAH MAGAZINE FEATURE ON ARMENIA
The February 2006 issue of Hadassah Magazine features a travel article
on Armenia by Esther Hecht. The article includes many photographs including
one of Ararat taken from Khor Virab, which we here at Crossroads can
personally attest to being the most spectacular view of Ararat. Ms. Hecht
writes of Ararat, “The mountain’s twin peaks were once the heart of Armenia,
but now the Turkish border cuts between that heart and Yerevan, so that
Ararat remains ever visible but just out of reach, the object of endless
yearning.” She ends the article with this thought, “Long after you return
home, the sweet and haunting sounds of the duduk will conjure up memories of
Armenia’s struggle for survival, its vast snow-capped mountain ranges, and
its proud but welcoming people.”
The article is available on the web, but unfortunately the photographs
are not included. To read the article click
/archive/2006/06_feb/traveler.asp
ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM
This Saturday, March 11, the Armenian Church remembers St. Cyril
(315-386) of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church.
St. Cyril possessed a moderate and conciliatory disposition.
Unfortunately he lived at a time when Bishops were embroiled in bitter
controversies and were quick to condemn any attempts of compromise as
treason. Sixteen years of his thirty-five years as a bishop were spent in
exile. When a famine hit Jerusalem, he sold some of the goods of the church
to raise money for the poor people who were starving to death. He was
condemned for selling church property and was banished.
His best-known work to survive, The Catechetical Lectures, is believed
to be one of the earliest systematic accounts of Christian theology. The
lectures consist of an introductory lecture, followed by eighteen lectures
on the Christian Faith that were used during Lent for those to be baptized
on Easter, and five lectures on the Sacraments to be used after Easter. The
lectures have been translated into many languages including English and
Armenian, and are noted for their presentation of the Christian faith in a
positive light and maintaining a balance between correct belief and holy
action.
“Let us, then, my brethren, endure in hope. Let us devote ourselves,
side by side with our hoping, so that the God of all the universe, as he
beholds our intention, may cleanse us from our sins, fill us with high hopes
from what we have in hand, and grant us the change of heart that saves. God
has called you, and you have your calling.”
(from the Catechetical Lectures)
SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
This Sunday, March 12, is the third Sunday of Great Lent, known as the
Sunday of the Prodigal Son. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is intended to
show God’s fatherly love and eagerness to forgive those who repent. The
well-known story describes an errant son whose absence causes pain to his
father. When the son returns the father welcomes him with open arms and
jubilation much to the distress of an older son who had remained faithful.
But the father says, “It is fitting to make merry and be glad, for your
brother was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” The entire
story of the prodigal son can be read in Luke, chapter 15, verses 11 to 32.
FIRST TELEPHONE CALL
One hundred thirty years ago, on March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell
transmitted the first successful phone conversation when he said to his
assistant, “Mr. Watson, come here.”
By 1878, Bell had set up the first telephone exchange in New Haven,
Connecticut, and in 1884 long distance connections were made between Boston
and New York. The technology that resulted from this invention that Bell
called “electrical speech machine” is nothing short of an amazing revolution
in telecommunications.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
March 12-Membership meeting of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York City.
March 12-Membership meeting of St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain,
Connecticut.
March 17-19-National Conference for Sunday School Teachers, at the
Wonderland Conference and Retreat Center in Sharon, Massachusetts, sponsored
by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC).
March 19-Mid-Lenten Luncheon (Michink), St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York.
March 26-School Festival presented by the Armenian National Education
Committee (ANEC), at Dwight Englewood School, Englewood, New Jersey. Watch
for details.
April 2-Lecture, “The Book of Revelation and Badarak: What’s the
Connection?” presented by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of the Armenian
Religious Education Council (AREC), at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York. For information 718-224-2275.
April 2-Annual Ladies Guild Lenten Luncheon, Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church,
Whitinsville, Massachusetts. Immediately following church services.
April 8-Ladies Guild Annual Bake Sale, 10 a.m., Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church,
Whitinsville, Massachusetts.
April 17-“The Armenian Genocide,” a new documentary will be shown on most
PBS stations. Please check your local listings.
April 23-Commemoration of the 91st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at
Times Square-the crossroads of the world. Watch for details.
April 29-Presentation by comedian Vahe Berberian at St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York. For details 718-224-2275.
May 5-Reunion of all students beginning from the 1930s who attended St.
Illuminator Armenian School in New York. Dinner Dance at Terrace on the
Park, Corona, NY. For reservations or information contact the St.
Illuminator’s Day School, 718-478-4073.
May 7-Mothers’ Day celebration at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.
May 8-Mothers’ Day Luncheon by Prelacy Ladies Guild, St. Regis, New York
City.
May 12-Exhibition of the works of artist Emma Gregoryan at the Prelacy, 138
E. 39th Street, New York City.
May 13-Dinner-Dance organized by the St. Sarkis Church Ping-Pong Club. For
details 718-224-2275.
May 17-19-National Representative Assembly (NRA), hosted by Sts. Vartanantz
Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey.
May 16 and 17-Conference of Yeretzgeens in conjunction with the National
Representative Assembly, hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey.
May 20-Saturday School year end Hantes, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York.
May 21-Sunday School year end Hantes, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York.
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