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: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
January 18, 2007
PRELATE WILL BE AT ST. ILLUMINATOR’S CATHEDRAL
This Sunday, January 21, the Prelate will preside over the Divine
Liturgy at the St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City.
THREE NORTH AMERICAN PRELACIES WILL MEET
FOR JOINT GHEVONTIANTZ COMMEMORATION
The annual Sts. Ghevontiantz commemoration that precedes the Feast of
Vartanantz, is a time for reflection and renewal for the Armenian clergy.
Each year they gather at a host parish to learn and to pray in an atmosphere
of brotherhood and fellowship.
This year the clergy of the Eastern, Western, and Canadian Prelacies
will gather in California on February 12, 13 and 14. On Monday evening, the
clergy will participate in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at Forty
Martyrs Church in Orange County. Tuesday evening, which is the eve of
Diarantaratch, they will celebrate the holiday with traditions handed down
through the centuries at St. Mary Church in Glendale.
During the three-day gathering lectures will be presented on this year’s
theme, "The zeal of clergymen toward their mission." Joint projects in the
preparation and publication of Christian education texts and Sunday school
curricula are also prime considerations.
WAUKEGAN PARISH PRESENTS NATIVITY
Students of St. Paul Armenian Church in Waukegan, Illinois, presented
the story of the Nativity during Christmas to the delight of the
parishioners. In the photo, left to right, front row, Dziadzan Mekaelian,
Matthew Mekaelian; second row, Margaret Jemian, Katherine Jemian; back row,
Martha Mekaelian, Arda Haroian-Bowles, Zadeeg Haroian, Virginia Antonian,
Mikhail Mekaelian, V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Garabedian, Khoogas Mekaelian, Michael
Bell, Sammy Haroian.
CATHOLICOS ARAM I MEETS WITH LEADERS
During the past week His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House
of Cilicia, had several meetings with international leaders.
A delegation representing the Conference of European Churches (CEC)
which included, among others, the President of the CEC, Rev. Jean Arnold de
Clermont, and the General Secretary, the Venerable Colin Williams. The
delegation met with His Holiness with the aim of developing cooperation
between the CEC and the Middle East Council of Churches, whose General
Secretary Gerges Saleh also attended. His Holiness presented his views on
recent regional and international political developments, based on the
situation in the Middle East and Lebanon. He emphasized the need to broaden
the Christian-Muslim dialogue.
On January 11, His Holiness received the United States Ambassador to
Lebanon, Jeffrey Feldman. They discussed recent political developments in
Lebanon and the Middle East.
Also last week, His Holiness received a high-ranking delegation from the
Presbyterian Church USA. Speaking about the need for the transformation of
ecumenism, Catholicos Aram said: "The transformation of the ecumenical
movement must start with people, firmly dedicated to the ecumenical cause.
We need young people, men and women, who, with their new perspectives and
fresh thoughts, can bring freshness to aging ecumenism. Transformation of
ecumenism also entails new priorities, new approaches and new ecumenical
culture."
JERUSALEM CHURCH LEADERS ISSUE MESSAGE FOR PEACE
Last week the leaders of the Christian churches in Jerusalem issued a
message appealing for calm and unity among all Palestinians and encouraging
Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table. The message
was signed by thirteen Christian leaders including His Beatitude Torkom
Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem and Fr. Raphael Minassian, on
behalf of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate.
"SCREAMERS" TO BE SCREENED IN CONGRESS TODAY
According to a press release issued today, Screamers, the gripping
documentary about the efforts of the Grammy-award winning band, "System of a
Down" to end the cycle of genocide, will be screened before a Congressional
audience on Capitol Hill. "Screamers is about exposing the denial of all
genocide, Armenia, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Iraqi
Kurds and the current horror in Darfur," said the director of the
documentary, Carla Garapedian. "It is about making sure the same critical
message George Clooney and Don Cheadle are ‘screaming’ about is heard, that
these atrocities never happen again."
The title has a double meaning. It refers to the band’s musical style
and as used by Samantha Power in describing people who force the world to
acknowledge atrocities that it would rather ignore. Power, a Harvard
professor, is the author of the extraordinary book, A Problem from Hell:
America and the Age of Genocide.
Screamers won the prestigious Audience Award at the AFI Film Festival.
The film will have its nationwide release beginning January 26.
IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
"For almost a decade after the invention of the alphabet, Armenian
literature consisted primarily of translations of Greek, Syriac, and Roman
sources. The translators also played an undeniable role in preparing the
Golden Age, for, through their translations of the Bible, the liturgy of the
Church, and the classics of antiquity, they molded a basic Armenian literary
taste. Then, as if from a puff of smoke, the masters of original Armenian
literature appeared, all within a few years of each other: Koriun,
Agathangelos, Yeghishe, Movses Khorenatsi, Ghazar Parpetsi, Pavstos Buzand,
Yeznik Koghpatsi, Hovhan Mantakuni, David the Invincible, and others. Their
historical, theological, philosophical, and literary output, written in
grabar (Classical Armenian), formed the nucleus of an original and important
national literature which is now gradually finding its way into the
international community through the media of translation and scholarship."
The Heritage of Armenian Literature, Volume 1
DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Readings for today, Thursday, January 18, are Proverbs 21:16-24;
Jeremiah 19:19-21; Hebrews 11:32-40; Matthew 10:37-42.
"He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he
who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does
not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his
life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. He
who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent
me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a
prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives to
one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple,
truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." Matthew 10:37-42.
For listing of the entire week’s Bible readings click
.
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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 12, 13, 14-Joint clergy gathering on the occasion of the
Ghevontiantz commemoration. Clergy of the Eastern, Western and Canadian
Prelacies will meet in California. Monday evening, Divine Liturgy and Sermon
at Forty Martyrs Church in Orange County; Tuesday evening, celebration of
the eve of Diarantaratch at St. Mary Church in Glendale. Major themes of
clergy gathering are the zeal of clergymen toward their mission, and joint
projects for Christian education texts and Sunday school curricula.
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.
February 25-Annual membership meeting, St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts.
March 18-Annual Membership Meeting, St. Stephen Church, New Britain,
Connecticut.
March 25-Musical Armenia 2007, Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, 2 pm.
Featured artists: Aleksandr Nazaryan (viola) and Serge Barseghian (basso).
May 12-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, 50th anniversary concert
featuring Onnik Dinkjian and John Berberian.
July 1-8-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, 21st annual summer Christian
studies program for junior and senior high school students, at St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania.
August 7-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual golf
tournament at Blackstone Country Club.
August 19-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church picnic.
September 29-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 50th
anniversary banquet at Pleasant Valley.
December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar.
December 1-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
celebration. For information, (617) 924-7562.
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