PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: primate@armenian.com.au

27 May 2008

COMMEMORATING THE FEAST OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN AND THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
BATTLE OF SARDARABAD

Sydney/Melbourne, Australia – Sunday, 25 May, 2008 marked The Feast of the
Universal Church of Holy Etchmiadzin and also coincided with commemorations
of the 90th anniversary of the battle of Sardarabad.

The Feast of the Church of Holy Etchmiadzin is commemorated two weeks after
Pentecost and celebrates the establishment of the Holy Armenian Church. By
tradition, St Gregory the Illuminator saw a vision of the Only Begotten Son
of God descending from heaven and striking the ground with a golden hammer
at the place where the holy church would be built. The site on which stood a
pagan temple was demolished and so too was pagan worship in Armenia as a
nation bloomed into Christian faith. On it was built the Mother Cathedral
of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Church of the Armenian nation and the spiritual
centre of faith.

The battle of Sardarabad was fought in 1918 when Ottoman forces began
attacking in an attempt to conquer Armenia. The Armenians defeated the
Ottoman troops in a three day battle at Sardarabad and the victories here
were instrumental in establishing the independence of the Democratic
Republic of Armenia on 28 May, 1918.

Commemorations for these dual occasions took place on Sunday in the three
parishes of Australia.

In the main church of the Diocese, the Church of Holy Resurrection in
Sydney, Holy Mass was offered by Reverend Father Bartev Karakashian under
the primateship of His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian who delivered the
day’s sermon. Very Reverend Father Vardan Navasardyan read the directive of
His Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
for Diocesan Churches worldwide to unite in commemoration of the 90th
anniversary of the battle of Sardarabad on Sunday 25 May during the Divine
Liturgy.

Concurrently in the parish of Melbourne at St Mary’s Armenian Church,
Reverend Father Hagop Cherkezian offered Holy Mass presided by His Eminence
Archbishop Voskan Kalpakian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of Greece who is presently visiting Australia. Archbishop Kalpakian
presented the day’s sermon which commemorated the dual occasions.
Meanwhile, Reverend Father Norayr Patanian celebrated Holy Mass with the
parishioners of western Sydney at St Benedict’s Catholic Church where
monthly services are held for the faithful of the district. All three
services observed the two occasions which included the "Hayrabedagan
Maghtank" (Patriarchal Prayer) for Holy Etchmiadzin.

WESTERN SYDNEY PARISH OPEN DAY ON SUNDAY

Sydney, Australia – In the afternoon of Sunday, 25 May, 2008 an open day was
held by the Sydney West Church Council to members of the Armenian Community
residing in the region to view the newly acquired property by the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of Australia which will be developed into the second
Armenian Church in Sydney.

The afternoon commenced with an opening prayer by His Eminence Archbishop
Aghan Baliozian after which a small program was presented by the Sydney West
Church Councillors outlining plans for the future development.

The property located in Wentworthville comprises of a large two-storey
building which had previously been utilised as a Masonic hall. The plans
for the building include the conversion to a church along with
congregational facilities and offices.

The open day welcomed members from the local community and was supported by
Armenian community organisations of the area. All who attended were pleased
with the opportunity that was presented them to inspect the property and
everyone showed much enthusiasm about the development proposals. So much so
that community members pledged generous donations in support of the project
development.

The Armenian community of western Sydney has experienced real growth since
the 1990’s. A Church Council was established in 1993 and monthly church
services have been held in local host churches ever since. The community
was blessed to have been visited by both Armenian Catholicoi on their
Pontifical visits to Sydney, His Holiness Karekin I of blessed memory in
1997 and His Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians in 2002.

Plans to formerly establish a new parish in the region with its own church
and parish priest have been developing for the past two years. In 2007, the
prospective property was acquired for this very purpose and development
plans are now in the early stages of preparation to make the church a
reality for the community of Sydney west.

For information on the Sydney West Church Project contact the Diocesan
office on primate@armenian.com.au