PRELATE GETS JOYOUS WELCOME
By K.O. Jackson
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN
Dec 5 2006
Talk explores health link to faith
Clint Keller/The Journal Gazette
His Holiness Aram Ivisits with Dorothy Koomjohn Escosa, left, and
Adrienne Schwartz, 9, at the home of Zohrab Tazian.
Seeing, they say, is believing.
So is kissing the right hand of His Holiness Aram I, the spiritual
leader of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
His Holiness made his first visit to Indiana on Monday and was greeted
by more than 300 people at the home of businessman Zohrab Tazian.
"This is like the pope coming to America for Armenians," says John
Escosa, of Stedman Studios who was there to shoot photos of His
Holiness’ visit. "My mother’s name is Dorothy Koomjohn. Her parents
are from Armenia. This is big. This is hard to believe."
When His Holiness – carrying a gold-tipped staff and wearing a gold
double eagle necklace that reached down toward his stomach – entered
Tazian’s foyer, there was slight applause from people lined up to
bow and kiss his right hand.
When the greetings were finished, Aram I, blessed bread and water
that were placed in the lobby. He then led people in a prayer and song.
Following that, he sat with local and out-of-town religious leaders
and laymen discussing issues facing the church.
Aram I was the first orthodox and youngest person to be elected
moderator of the central and executive committees of the World Council
of Churches – the organization’s highest-ranking position.
Dr. Raffy Hovanessian traveled from Munster to meet Aram I.
Hovanessian said there are about 10 Armenian families in Fort Wayne,
but this event brought people from all over the state to Fort Wayne.
"He is blessing the house. This is a first for Armenian Catholics.
This is very special."
His Holiness spent about five hours in the city before heading to South
Bend to address a "Faith and Healing: Interdisciplinary Conference on
the Dynamics of Religious Coping," at the University of Notre Dame. The
university co-sponsored his visit with the Indiana University School
of Medicine. The conference ends today.
During the weekend, he also addressed U.S.-Armenian students in
Detroit, encouraging them to take the renewal of the Armenian Church
seriously. "We must remind ourselves that we are the first Christian
nation which accepted Christianity as a state religion, but at the
same time, we must realize that our church direly needs renewal,"
he told students, according to a written statement at
"By renewal I don’t mean changing the language of the liturgy or
introducing some changes in the administration or the structure of the
church. This would be a very superficial and one-sided perception of
renewal. By renewal I understand making our church a people’s church
impacting the life of our people. By renewal I mean making our church
responsive to the needs and expectations of our people. By renewal I
mean reaffirming the missionary, evangelistic and educational outreach
of the church. Therefore the renewal must be perceived as a process
permeating the entire life of the church."
During his Fort Wayne visit, Aram I spoke about the connection between
faith and health. "Healing is a spiritual process and the greatest
healer was Jesus Christ. You can’t draw a line between medicine and
faith. The mind, soul and body are one. There has to be a holistic
approach. You cannot separate them."
Bishop John M. D’Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Catholic Diocese,
says His Holiness’ words of faith and healing are starting to be
heard in the medical community.
"More doctors are starting to realize the connection," he says. "It
is a great code of Christian education."
In addition, His Holiness, who leads more than 1 million followers
worldwide, says the church "needs to have courage to face challenges.
This is the Christian way. It is our responsibility to show the right
way; the Christian way," Aram I said, while joking that leading Notre
Dame’s football team is one of his secrets.
"My people, 1.5 million, were massacred during World War I. The church
has a bridge to build. It’s not an easy task but we have to do it.
"Reconciliation is the role of the church. These are the challenges
of the church today."
Father Paul Bebis, of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, says
His Holiness’ visit was "huge. He is a spiritual leader for us all.
He is the head of the church. That is why we are all here."
Photo: 16167411.htm