January 18, 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: prelacy@aol.com <mailto:prelacy@aol.com>
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DURING HOLY MASS ON THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

AND THE NAME DAY OF ST. GARABED CHURCH

LET US TEND TO OUR SPIRITUAL VALUES RATHER THAN
OUR PHYSICAL NEEDS

DECLARED THE PRELATE

According to our church calendar, Monday, January 15, was the
Feast of St. John the Baptist. This Feast was celebrated with Episcopal
Holy Mass on Sunday, January 14, at St. Garabed Church in Hollywood, along
with the name day of the church.
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, conducted Holy
Mass, assisted at the altar by Very Rev. Fathers Muron Aznikian and Barthev
Gulumian, and parish priest Archpriest Fr. Vicken Vassilian.
With the singing of `Hrashapar’ by the church choir, directed by
Prof. Ara Manash and accompanied by Prof. Levon Aprahamian on the organ, the
Prelate entered the church. Prior to delivering his sermon, the Prelate
conducted the blessing of close to 40 saints’ icons, including that of the
Holy Mother-of-God and St. Gregory the Illuminator.
The Prelate began his sermon by thanking God for the blessed
occasion. He then reflected on the circumstances and reasons for the birth
of St. John the Baptist, stating that he was born for a greater purpose than
himself. In the words of the hymns, he was born to be the forerunner of
Christ’s path to incarnation, the star who announced the rise of the Sun of
Righteousness, the bearer of the news of the coming of Christ, and the
Baptist of our Lord. St. John became the champion of true faith and
convictions, inviting us to humble ourselves before our Lord, Jesus Christ.
`Like St. John, let us tend to our spiritual values rather than our physical
needs,’ said the Prelate adding, `the spiritual is more important than the
physical.’ The Prelate concluded his sermon with a prayer beseeching St.
John, the forerunner and Baptist, to be our intercessor with Christ.
At the conclusion of Mass, the blessing of `madagh’ took place
followed by a reception.
The reception was held at `Karapetian’ hall presided over by the
Prelate, and with the participation of Clergy members, Executive Council
representatives, parish Board of Trustees and Ladies Auxiliary members,
Deacons, Choir members, sponsors, friends, and parishioners. On behalf of
the Board of Trustees, Archpriest Fr. Vicken Vassilian thanked the Prelate
and expressed his appreciation to the church larger family. He specially
thanked Mr. Vahe Karapetian and his family who continuously offer their
financial and moral support to the church and to `Karapetian’ Hall, which is
named in their honor. Following the artistic program, certificates of
appreciation were presented to those members who have been part of the choir
for over twenty years. Also, Mr. Mesrob Aprahamian, who has served the
church for over twenty-five years, was commended for his noble service. In
keeping with the tradition of honoring a devoted servant of the church, this
year Mr. Garo Avakian, Executive Council member, delegate, and former chair
of the Board of Trustees, was honored for his decades-long devotion to the
church. Mr. Avakian was presented with a memento and the Prelate’s letter of
appreciation was read.
In his closing remarks, the Prelate thanked the organizers of
the reception, the parish priest, Board of Trustees, Ladies Auxiliary,
Choir, Deacons, and sponsors, urging them all to continue to selflessly
serve God, our church, and our people.
The reception came to a close with the `Bahbanich’ prayer and
the singing of `Giligia’.