Daily News (New York)
July 29, 2007 Sunday
SPORTS FINAL EDITION
FAITH IN THE CITY. Visiting our Communities of Belief. Armenian
Church of the Holy Martyrs
COMPILED BY MAXINE SIMPSON
Spiritual leader: Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian, member of the Congregation
of Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia, Ph.D. in biblical studies from
Fordham University; has been the pastor at the church for seven
years. Address and neighborhood: 209-15 Horace Harding Expressway,
Bayside
Web site: holy-martyrs.org/
Years in present location: 50 (2007-08 will be the year-long
celebration of the 50th anniversary).
Size and character of congregation: "Six hundred families are
dues-paying members of the parish. Our parish caters to over 10,000
Armenians in the Queens/Long Island areas," said Hovhanessian.
"Our parish belongs to the Armenian Orthodox Church worldwide. Our
membership includes mainly descendants of Armenian families who have
moved to the U.S. during the past 200 years."
Scheduled service: Sunday morning Services, 9 to 10. Divine Liturgy
(Eucharist and Mass), 10 to 11:30.
Friday Matins (morning prayer): 8:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Largest service (and turnout): "Easter [The feast of the Resurrection
of Jesus Christ] – 1,000 people, including people standing outside
the church not being able to access the sanctuary because of the
crowd," said Hovhanessian.
Proudest moment: "Many proud moments can be listed here," said
Hovhanessian. "One of them is the consecration of the Martyr’s Shrine
at the entrance of the church in memory of the 1.5 million Armenians
massacred in historic Armenia [today’s eastern Turkey]."
Most memorable wedding or other service: "Many memorable services can
be listed here. One of them is last year’s ordination of four young
men to the order of Subdeaconate," said Hovhanessian.
Funniest/strangest moment during a service: "A bride fainting during
the ceremony," said Hovhanessian. "The wireless microphone picking up
a radio signal from the outside. Two families disagreeing with each
other in public regarding the list of names of the survivors of a
deceased member, while the service was being conducted."
Other services and programs offered: Outreach: Senior home, prison,
hospitals, shut-ins. Cultural: Armenian dance group (youth and
adult). Armenian choral groups: youth and adult. Armenian language
courses. Continuing Christian education program for adults. Six Bible
study groups. Friday night family nights. Basketball teams. Vacation
Bible school.
What makes it special "Its beautiful, 1,700-year-old traditions,
spirituality and liturgy, and its Orthodox doctrine."
Biggest issue "Anti-Christian, anti-church, and anti-God tendencies
in the media and everyday culture," said Hovhanessian. "Let’s give
God a chance!"
Biggest wish-list item "Expansion of facilities," said Hovhanessian.