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
May 24, 2007
NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES
The National Representative Assembly (NRA) of the Eastern Prelacy, which
meets annually, concluded last Saturday, May 19, in Dearborn, Michigan. His
Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan expressed his thanks to the parish of
St. Sarkis who hosted the Assembly with diligent and gracious hospitality.
Special panels focused on, Youth and Young Adult Programs; Clergy
Recruitment, Development and Training; Financial Development Programs; Audit
and Budget.
Keynote addresses were delivered by the Prelate, His Eminence Archbishop
Oshagan Choloyan, and Jack C. Mardoian, chairman of the Executive Council.
To read the Prelate’s address in Armenian click
.
To read the Prelate’s address in English click
To read Mr. Mardoian’s address click
ENTH USIASTIC GATHERING CELEBRATES THE THIRD OF THREE ANNIVERSARY GALAS FOR
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN
The third of the three regional celebrations marking the 40th
anniversary of Archbishop Oshagan’s ordination to the priesthood, took place
last Friday, May 18, in Dearborn, Michigan, during the National
Representative Assembly.
Photographs from all three celebrations will be posted on the Prelacy’s
web page next week.
PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO BOSTON
Archbishop Oshagan will travel to the Boston area where on Sunday, May
27, Pentecost, he will preside over the Divine Liturgy and deliver the
sermon at St. Stephen Church in Watertown. His Eminence will also preside
over a special ceremony offering prayers for the Republic of Armenia and
blessing of the tricolor flag.
VICAR WILL TRAVEL TO OHIO
Bishop Anoushavan will travel to Ohio where on Sunday he will officiate
over the Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at Holy Cross Church in
Royalton, Ohio.
VICAR WILL ATTEND RECEPTION FOR PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
On Tuesday, May 29, Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar and Ecumenical Officer in
the United States for the Cilician See, will attend a reception for
Archbishop Antonios Naguib, the Patriarch of Alexandria of the Coptic
Catholic Church, at the offices of the Catholic Near East Welfare
Association in New York City. The Coptic Catholic Church, with headquarters
in Cairo, Egypt, is an Eastern rite Church that has been in communion with
Rome since the early 19th century.
VICAR WILL ATTEND CONFERENCE
On Wednesday, May 30, Bishop Anoushavan will attend a conference on
"Cultivating Hope: Planting Hope of Environmental Justice in New York City."
Organized by the Interfaith Center, the conference will take place at the
Stony Point Center in Stony Point, New York.
CATHOLICOS ARAM I PRESIDES OVER GROUNDBREAKING
FOR NEW HAIGAZIAN SCHOOL IN ALEPPO
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, who is
currently on a pontifical visit to Syria, presided over groundbreaking
ceremonies for a new building for the famed Haigazian School in Aleppo, on
May 20. The old building which for decades served as an important center for
the formation of new Armenian generations, is being replaced by a new
building thanks to the commitment and will of the Armenians of Aleppo. A
large gathering of community members was joined by the mayor of Aleppo,
government officials and guests. Highlighting the unique role of the
Armenian school, His Holiness called on the people to support and preserve
it for the achievement of Armenians’ national vision, goals and dreams. "The
Armenian school has a special place on the agenda of the Catholicosate’s
activities. In all our dioceses, our prelacies are active initiators and
supporters of the Armenian school’s progress and development," the Pontiff
said.
ST. ILLUMINATOR’S PARISHIONERS VISIT PHILADELPHIA
More than 20 parishioners of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, accompanied by
their pastor, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, visited the St. Gregory the
Illuminator Church in Philadelphia on Tuesday, May 22, before going on a
tour of historic Philadelphia. They were greeted at the church by Rev. Fr.
Nerses Manoogian, pastor of St. Gregory (see photo).
MOTHERS DAY AT THE CATHEDRAL
Last Sunday, May 20, St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York City honored
the mothers of the congregation with a special Mother’s Day luncheon.
Honored as the mothers of the year were Yn. Vartouni Der Kaloustian, Mrs.
Azadouhi Vartanian, and Mrs. Lusig Khatchadour.
The Cathedral is in the midst of a major renovation and one of the most
memorable events of the day was a gift from a ten-year-old Sunday school
student, Anais Gharibian, who brought her piggy bank to church and donated
its contents for the renovation campaign. The gesture came as a complete
surprise and all those present were deeply moved by Anais’s thoughtfulness.
On the same day the Sunday school students organized a bake sale and donated
all of the proceeds toward the renovation fund.
".And the children shall lead them."
2007 DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM
The 21st annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Christian summer studies
program will take place July 1 to 8 in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For details
click
SUNDAY IS PENTECOST
This Sunday, May 27, is Pentecost (Hogegaloust), which is celebrated
fifty days after Easter. Jesus had commanded the apostles to, "Go therefore
to all nations and make them my disciples," (Matthew 28:19). Christ
recognized the difficulty of this great responsibility and had advised them
not to begin their teaching mission until after the "Descent of the Holy
Spirit." In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that on the day of Pentecost
the apostles gathered in one place, and that suddenly a strong wind seemed
to fill the house in which they were assembled. "And there appeared to them
flames like tongues of fire distributed among them and coming to rest on
each one. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them power of utterance," (Acts 2:2-4).
Many of the people in Jerusalem were from foreign lands. They marveled at
the fact that each one of them could understand the Apostles’ words in his
own language. The first gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles was
the ability to speak and be understood by people who came from many
different nations.
89th ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
This Monday, May 28, is the 89th anniversary of the independent republic
of Armenia of 1918. After defeating Turkish forces at Sardarabad,
Bashabaran, and Karakilise, the Armenians proclaimed an independent
democratic Armenian Republic on what was left of their homeland on May 28,
1918. On this occasion Archbishop Oshagan has asked all Prelacy parishes to
conduct a service of thanksgiving and blessing of the flag on Sunday, May
27, in honor of the 89th anniversary of the first republic and the 16th
anniversary of the Armenian Republic of today.
IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has
designated 2007 as the Year of the Armenian Language. In celebration of this
year-long tribute, each week we will offer an interesting tidbit about the
Armenian language.
St. Gregory has been called the "illuminator of the spirit" since he
brought the light of the Christian faith to the Armenian people. St. Nerses
has been called "the illuminator of the heart" because he attempted to teach
Christian love to his people. But human beings also have a mind, and Jesus
said "Love the Lord your God with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). It is
with the mind that we think, and human thought is conducted in language. So
to love God with our minds means to be able to speak with God in our
language. To further the work of Gregory and Nerses, Armenia needed
"illuminators of the mind." And that is what Armenia received in the fifth
century, perhaps the most decisive and important century in the history of
Armenian Christianity. Armenian was not a written language until the fifth
century. It was spoken by the people but most of them were illiterate. The
educated classes, both clergy and lay, studied Greek and Syriac. And the
only bibles and liturgical books available were written in these languages,
so Christianity remained foreign to the people.
>From chapter five, "The Written Word," in Light from Light: An Introduction
to the History and Theology of the Armenian Church, by Michael B. Papazian.
To read the message of His Holiness in Armenian click
.
To read the message of His Holiness in English click
DAI LY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, May 24, are: Luke 20:27-21:4; Acts
25:23-26:32; Jude 1:8-15; John 13:1-15; Matthew 22:15-46; Mark 12:35-44.
While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, "How can the scribes
say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, by the Holy Spirit,
declared, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your
enemies under your feet." David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his
son? And the large crowd was listening to him with delight. As he taught, he
said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to
be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in
the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses
and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the
greater condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the
crowd putting money into the treasury. A poor widow came and put in two
small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples
and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than
all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have
contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in
everything she had, all she had to live on." Mark 12:35-44.
For listing of the entire week’s Bible readings click
.
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE IS 70
The famed Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Francisco and Marin
County, will be seventy years old on May 27. The bridge officially opened at
6 a.m. on May 27, 1937, with 100,000 pedestrians crossing what at the time
was the world’s longest suspension bridge. Vehicular traffic began the next
day. In 1964 the Golden Gate became out-distanced by New York’s
Verazzano-Narrows Bridge.
THE BEGINNING OF GREEN
The 100th birthday of Rachel Carson will be marked on May 27. A marine
biologist, her book Silent Spring, published in 1962, is credited with the
start of the American environmental movement. Silent Spring was a
condemnation of the indiscriminate use of DDT and other pesticides. Carson
died of cancer in 1964, at age 56. In 1972 the use of DDT was banned in the
U.S. in large part because of Silent Spring.
"Over increasingly large areas of the United States, spring now comes
unheralded by the return of the birds, and the early mornings are strangely
silent where once they were filled with the beauty of bird song. . As crude
a weapon as the cave man’s club, the chemical barrage has been hurled
against the fabric of life."
>From Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962).
MONDAY IS MEMORIAL DAY
This Monday, May 28, is Memorial Day-a day of remembrance for those who
died in service to our nation. It was originally for the Union and
Confederate soldiers who died during the U.S. Civil War. After World War I
it was expanded to honor all American men and women who died in service.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling
place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. . Those who
love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they
call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will
rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show
them my salvation.
Verses 9, 10, 14, 15, and 16 of Psalm 91, sometimes called the "Soldier’s
Psalm."
(Note: Psalm 90 in the Armenian edition).
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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. For information click
July 7-St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, gathering at the
home of the parish priest, Rev. Father Bedros Shetilian.
July 21-Sts. Vartanantz Church Ladies Guild, Providence, Rhode Island, and
ARS Ani Chapter present "A Hye Summer Night 2." For information
401-286-8107.
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 27-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 5th Annual Golf
Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey. Registration
begins at 11 a.m. and tee time at 1 p.m. For information, 201-943-2950.
September 29-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 50th
anniversary banquet at Pleasant Valley.
December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar.
December 9-St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
celebration. For information, (617) 924-7562.
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