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
January 04, 2007
CHRISTMAS ISSUE
CHRISTMAS 2007
Tomorrow, Friday, January 5, is Christmas Eve and the next day is
Christmas, the day Armenians celebrate the birth and baptism of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Most Prelacy parishes will have services Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day. Check with your local parish for the exact schedule.
The Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, will preside over Christmas Eve
services at St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York. On Saturday His
Eminence will officiate at Christmas services at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral
in New York City.
The Vicar, Bishop Anoushavan, will celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas
Day services at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Philadelphia.
The Armenian Church has remained faithful to the original January 6th
date for the celebration of the Nativity and Baptism. Following the
Christmas Divine Liturgy, a special ceremony of the Blessing of the Water
(Chrorhnek) takes place. The cross is immersed in water, which has been
blessed with Holy Oil (Muron), symbolizing the baptism of our Lord. During
the early centuries the baptism ceremony took place, with great splendor, on
the shores of a river. In modern times, especially here in the United
States, the Blessing of the Water service takes place in the church
immediately following the Divine Liturgy. Prayers are said, passages from
the Gospel are read, and the dove-shaped vessel containing Holy Oil is
ceremoniously brought forward and the officiating clergyman pours the Muron
into the basin of water at the altar. The priest dips the cross (symbolizing
Jesus) into the blessed water while reciting special prayers. A member of
the congregation usually serves as the Godfather-a coveted honor. At the
conclusion of the ceremony the faithful come forth to kiss the cross and
take a small portion of the blessed water home.
SUNDAY JANUARY 7 IS MEMORIAL DAY
In the tradition of the Armenian Church the day following each of the
five major feasts (Nativity, Easter, Transfiguration, Assumption, Holy
Cross) is a memorial day. On memorial days the faithful go to the cemetery
to have the graves of their loved ones blessed and to offer prayers for the
souls of the departed. This year the day after Christmas is a Sunday.
On Sunday, January 7, the Prelate will preside over the Divine Liturgy
at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield, New Jersey.
PRELATE’S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS RECEPTION
On Saturday evening, January 6, Archbishop Oshagan will host his annual
Christmas open house reception at the Prelacy offices in New York City, from
7 to 9 pm. The traditional home blessing will take place.
LIVE TV BROADCAST OF CHRISTMAS MASS FROM ANTELIAS
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI) will
broadcast live via satellite the Christmas Mass presided over by His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, from the
Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in Antelias, Lebanon (3 a.m. EST).
CATHOLICOS ARAM ISSUES CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
His Holiness Aram I issued his annual Christmas message, "Bethlehem-the
beginning of the New World," which concentrates on the message of St. Paul
in his letter to the Colossians to forget their old lives and deeds and
become new (Colossians 3:10).
His Holiness ends his Christmas message in the spirit of Bethlehem with
greetings to the President of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, to His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians, to His
Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Patriarch of Jerusalem, to His
Beatitude Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian, Patriarch of Constantinople, to the
Prelates serving the Catholicosate of Cilicia, the members of the clergy,
the lay leadership of the Armenian Church, and all of the faithful of the
Church. "We pray that the eternal light of Bethlehem will bring warmth to
your lives and illuminate your road," the Catholicos said.
CATHOLICOS ARAM AND MEMBERS OF THE BROTHERHOOD
BEGIN NEW YEAR WITH VISITS TO THOSE IN NEED
His Holiness Aram I and members of the Cilician Brotherhood ushered in
the New Year with visits to orphans, patients in hospitals, senior citizens,
and prisoners. Visits were made to the Birds’ Nest orphanage, the Azounieh
Armenian National Sanitarium, and Armenian prisoners in Lebanon prisons.
2007 IS YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE
His Holiness Aram I declared 2007 as the "Year of the Armenian
Language." In his message His Holiness emphasizes the importance of the
Armenian language as an expression of self-identity, as a keeper of faith
and culture, and as a means of survival. His Holiness goes on to describe
the importance of using the Armenian language accurately, keeping the
language pure, and teaching the language properly.
Starting next week Crossroads will present short anecdotes and
interesting facts about the Armenian language each week in celebration of
the "Year of the Armenian Language."
A MINI CHRISTMAS SERMON BY REV. FR. VARTAN KASSABIAN
Just the other day I heard the words of a Christmas song: "So it is
Christmas and where have you gone?" The person who wrote the words to that
song perhaps said it best. Where has Christmas gone? Christmas is, indeed, a
time of not only joy and miracles, but a time to remember the reasons for
those miracles and the unexplainable joy that is beyond anything the human
mind can fathom.
Where are you Christmas? The answer is simple. You, too, have fallen
victim to those who seek to turn our society into a Godless one. As we
search for the true meaning of this most holy of holies we are again
reminded of just how we have become more concerned with political
correctness rather than truth.
Saint Luke tells us, "The truth shall set you free." Who is that truth
and why do we have such a difficult time searching for it?
The truth is Jesus Christ, and if you stop for a moment to look at the
place where Christ was born you will realize why God chose this site to
bring His only Son into this world of darkness and iniquity, and in that
manger, which although cold and dark, brings light and warmth to the hearts
and souls of those willing to open their hearts.
Where you will not find it, is in a department store, a movie theatre,
or anything that the world has to offer. You will find it in Christ Jesus
who was born for all of us. A Blessed and Merry Christmas.
Rev. Fr. Vartan Kassabian
Pastor, St. Gregory Church, North Andover, Massachusetts
AND FINALLY.
We end with one of our favorite quotes from G. K. Chesterton
(1874-1936): "The object of a new year is not that we should have a new
year. It is that we should have a new soul."
And, our nomination for the best quote of 2006, by a spokesman for the
Amish in response to the schoolhouse shooting of young Amish girls in
Pennsylvania: "Even though there’s been this terrible thing happen, we don’t
need to think about judgment, we need to think about forgiveness and going
on."
DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Reading for today, Thursday, January 4: "Hence we can confidently say,
‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; What can man do to me?"
(Hebrews 13:6)
For this week’s Bible readings click
.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January 6-St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
first Episcopal Badarak in Philadelphia by Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian.
January 6-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, annual Christmas
luncheon hosted by the Ladies’ Guild following church services on Saturday,
January 6. Adults $15; children 12 and under $10. For
reservations/information, 201-943-2950.
January 6-St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, Christmas party and
special program for Saturday and Sunday school students.
January 28-Annual Membership Meeting, Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda,
Maryland, at 1 pm.
February 4-St. Sarkis name day, celebrating the patron saint of the church
and requiem service for Archpriest Rev. Fr. Asoghik Kelejian, St. Sarkis
Church, Douglaston, New York.
February 11-General Membership meeting and elections, St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York.
February 17-St. Gregory Church, North Andover, Massachusetts, Annual
Membership Meeting.
February 18-Poon Paregentan, Eve of Great Lent, International Cuisine Night,
St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.
March 25-Musical Armenia 2007, Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, 2 pm.
Featured artists: Aleksandr Nazaryan (viola) and Serge Barseghian (basso).
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