PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Taleen Babayan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: publicrelations@armeniandiocese.org
Website: <;

July 9, 2009

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AGBU SUMMER INTERNS MEET WITH THE PRIMATE AT THE DIOCESE

Thirty-five AGBU interns, hailing from all over the world, visited the New
York headquarters of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
and enjoyed dinner with Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian on
Wednesday evening, July 7.

The evening continued a welcome annual tradition for AGBU interns to
acquaint themselves with the Primate and the Diocesan complex.

Following a tour of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, led by Deacon Levon
Altiparmakian, the AGBU group gathered in the "tahlij" (or formal reception
room) of the Diocesan Center, to acquaint themselves with Archbishop
Barsamian and have dinner together in a relaxed atmosphere.

Addressing the group, Archbishop Barsamian quoted Vahan Tekeyan’s poem "The
Armenian Church" to affirm that the mother church is "the birthplace of the
Armenian soul."

"The Armenian Church is home for all of us, because it is the birthplace of
our soul and spirituality," said the Primate. "You are at your home here at
the Diocese."

Archbishop Barsamian spoke about the founders of St. Vartan Cathedral,
themselves survivors of the Armenian Genocide, who turned their vision of
building an Armenian cathedral in New York into a reality. "The St. Vartan
Cathedral in New York is a wonderful ‘face’ of the Armenian presence in the
United States," he said.

He noted that prominent leaders of other churches have visited the
cathedral, along with notable senators and congressmen, and most recently
New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was at the cathedral for the
consecration of the recently-installed bronze doors.

Summarizing the history of the Armenian Church and citing important turning
points in the history of the Armenian people, Archbishop Barsamian
highlighted the pivotal role the Armenian Church has played throughout the
centuries.

The Primate asked each intern to introduce him or herself, and to tell where
they are interning for the summer. He invited the group to ask him questions
and engaged them in a warm and candid dialogue about the Armenian Church,
its history and people.

The interns, who are in their fourth week of the eight-week AGBU program,
come from communities around the world, including Russia, Lebanon, Syria,
Argentina, Holland, and Brazil, as well as from locales across the United
States. They have been placed in internships in diverse fields including
finance, public relations, marketing, medicine, and fashion. Directing the
program for the third year is Michael Hovsepian, and Ciara Libaridian is
serving as the activities coordinator.

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Photo 1: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian (center) Rev. Fr. Tateos Abdalian
(left) and Very Rev. Fr. Haigazoun Najarian (right) with the participants of
the AGBU New York Summer Intern Program at St. Vartan Cathedral

Photo 2: Archbishop Khajag Barsamian addresses the AGBU interns during
dinner at the Diocesan Center