ARMENIAN FAITHFUL WELCOME PATRIARCH
Gregg Krupa / The Detroit News
DetNews.com, MI
Oct 30 2007
Visit of His Holiness Karekin II expected to attract 30,000 of
Armenian descent
SOUTHFIELD — For Karen Movsesian and her kids, the three-day visit of
His Holiness Karekin II, the Armenian pontiff, beginning this evening,
is a rare moment that will underscore a lifetime of devotion.
Movsesian’s son and daughter are active at St. John Armenian Church.
Jeff, 19, is a subdeacon who serves on the altar. Emily, 17, is in
the choir and showing enough promise that the church recently sent
her to a seminar for future choir directors in New York.
"This will probably be for me a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Karen
Movsesian, of Canton Township. "I am in my 40s. I hope my children
will have a chance to see him again.
"This is the head of our church," Karen Movsesian said of Karekin
II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians. "Catholics so
highly regard the pope, and the pope rarely comes to our area. This
is like that."
There are about 1,800 members of St. John, the landmark, golden-domed
church visible from Northwestern Highway, just south of Nine Mile.
Founded in the first century by two of the apostles of Jesus Christ,
Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew, the Apostolic Orthodox Armenian
Church is one of the five ancient Eastern Orthodox churches. At the
beginning of the fourth century, Armenia became the first nation in
the world to declare Christianity as its state religion.
Some 1,700 years later, many Armenians are still devoted to the faith,
which parallels Roman Catholicism — with some significant differences,
including allegiance to a different pontiff.
While St. John Armenian is the only church of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern) in Metro Detroit, perhaps 30,000
people of Armenian descent in the area, including those who attend
other Armenian churches not under the aegis of Karekin II, will be
interested in the pontifical visit.
"This will draw a lot of interest in the Armenian community, even
beyond St. John," said Martin Shoushanian, who is assisting with
publicity for the tour in Metro Detroit, the 15th stop for Karekin
II on a tour of the United States.
The pontiff will arrive tonight on a privately chartered jet and
attend some closed functions in the evening before an interfaith
lunch with about two dozen other local clergy at noon Wednesday at
St. John Armenian Church. Then he will attend a service of adoration
at St. John, from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday. Members of the Armenian
Church believe that receiving a blessing from the pontiff during an
adoration service, or Hrashapar, is an important spiritual exercise,
and an honor.
A reception and Armenian heritage show will follow.
On Thursday, Karekin II will visit the Alex & Marie Manoogian
School in the morning and meet with other youths at the St. John
Recreation Center in the afternoon. A celebratory banquet will follow,
during which Karekin II is expected to greet many of the faithful
individually.
"There must be more than 100 people at our church working on this,
on the various committees," said Edward Papelian, 91, of Novi. "It’s
a big deal, believe me. I doubt I will ever see him again."
Officials of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America said that
Karekin II hopes to meet with generations of Armenian Christians about
their faith, tradition and heritage, and to experience the life of
the Armenian community in the United States.
"My son and daughter are very excited about this," Movsesian said.
"This is very much a part of who they are. And we know that he is
a very personable man who is interested in the youth. They are the
future of our church."
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