PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web:
Email: [email protected]
July 9, 2009
ST. GREGORY OF DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM
CONCLUDES
Another successful St. Gregory of Datev Summer Program for teens came
to a conclusion last
Sunday. Sponsored by the Prelacys Armenian Religious Education Council
(AREC), the Institutes director is Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian.
It takes place in the serene atmosphere of St. Mary of Providence
Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania. More details will be forthcoming
next
week.
Photos: Archbishop Oshagan speaks with the students during his visit;
Early morning to
lunch time is a time of intensive study; After lunch students enjoy a
variety of outdoor activities; 2009 Datev students with the Prelate
and clergy
and lay staff members.
PASSING OF DIRAMAYR ISGOUHI LAKISSIAN
We
note with sorrow the passing of Diramayr Isgouhi Lakissian, mother of
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminators Cathedral. She
died in Anjar, Lebanon, on June 27 at the age of 76. Funeral services
took place on June 28 at Sourp Boghos Church in
Anjar.
Diramayr came to the United States in November 2005 to attend the
ordination of her son Der Mesrob.
Several months later she suffered a stroke and after four months of
care in New York she was taken back to Lebanon. She is survived by her
children,
Harout and Rita Lakissian, Sima and Seto Papisian, Maral and Raffi
Keosheyan, Rev. Fr. Mesrob and Yn. Ojen Lakissian, Tamar Lakissian,
and ten
grandchildren.
The 40th day memorial service will take place on Sunday, August 9 in
Anjar and in New York at
the temporary home of St. Illuminators Cathedral at the Armenian
Center, Woodside, New York. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Der
Mesrob
and his entire family.
A TREE GROWS IN GRANITE
CITY
The St. Gregory the Illuminator Church community of Granite City,
Illinois, erected a living
memorial to its beloved former pastor, Rev. Fr. Vartan Kassabian, who
died suddenly this past March. A red leaf maple tree was planted in
the yard
adjacent to the church edifice that was built thirteen years ago under
Der Vartans guidance and leadership. Donated by the Kassabian family,
the tree will stand as a living memorial to this outstanding
clergyman, whose untimely death has left this community, and indeed
the entire Prelacy
family, in shock.
The dedication and blessing of the tree was presided over by
Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian,
pastor of the church. During the ceremony, Der Hayr said a few words
acknowledging the sadness of the event, yet recognizing the poignancy
of planting
a tree in the very shadow of the church that Der Vartan served so
lovingly and dutifully.
The St. Gregory the
Illuminator parish community is thankful to the Kassabian family for
Der Hayrs and Yeretsgins years of devotion and service, as well
as for graciously donating the tree to the community. Special thanks
are also extended to the Asadorian and Keeney families, who following
the
dedication ceremony sponsored a traditional hokejash (memorial meal),
of which the entire community partook. May his memory be ever
blessed.
Photos: A red-leaf maple tree is planted and blessed in memory of Der
Vartan; Rev. Fr. Stephan and Yn. Alice Baljian with Yn.
Pauline Kassabian and son Scott.
2009 PRELACY LINKED IN WEEKEND
The 2009
Prelacy LINKED IN weekend for young adults will take place September
25-27, at the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual Vineyard, Charlton,
Massachusetts.
For more information click here (
4882/goto: 9.htm
).
YEAR OF THE YOUTH
His Holiness Aram I,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has designated the year 2009
as the Year of The Youth.
To read His Holiness message in Armenian click here (
4882/goto: 4/doc/Pontifical%20Messages/messages68.htm
).
To
read His Holiness message in English click
here (
4882/goto: lical.pdf
).
DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for
today, Thursday, July 9, are: 2 Kings 13:14-21; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10;
Luke 4:25-30
Now when Elisha
had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, King Joash of
Israel went down to him, and wept before him, crying, My father, my
father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen! Elisha said to him,
Take a bow and arrows; so he took a bow and arrows. Then
he said to the king of Israel, Draw the bow; and he drew it. Elisha
laid his hands on the kings hands. Then he said,
Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Elisha said, Shoot; and he
shot. Then he said, The Lords
arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! For you shall fight
the Arameans in Aphek until you have made an end of them. He
continued,
Take the arrows; and he took them. He said to the king of Israel,
Strike the ground with them; he struck three times,
and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him, and said, You
should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down
Aram
until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Aram
only three
times.
So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to
invade the land in the spring of the year. As a man was being buried,
a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of
Elisha; as
soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life and stood
on his feet. (2 Kings 13:14-21)
For listing of the coming
weeks Bible readings click here
( ).
TWELVE APOSTLES OF CHRIST AND SAINT PAUL, THE THIRTEENTH
APOSTLE
This Saturday, July 11, the Armenian Church remembers the twelve
apostles of Christ and Saint
Paul, who is considered to be the thirteenth apostle.
Christ selected twelve apostles to carry on His work and
instructed them to preach and to baptize converts all over the world
(Mt. 28:19-20). Christ himself gave the title apostle to the
twelve (Luke 6:13; Mark 3:14). The word apostle derives from the Greek
word apostellein, meaning to send, (Arakyal
in Armenian). The apostles dedicated their lives to spread the Word
and fulfill the sacred mission entrusted to them. Their mission was
not just
to transmit the message, but to put it into practice.
Paul, the thirteenth apostle, was initially an enemy of
Christians, but he had a vision on the road to Damascus and became a
fervent Christian convert and was subsequently responsible in large
measure for
the rapid spread of the new religion. Most of the New Testament (aside
from the four Gospels) is from the writings of
Paul.
The Armenian Church has its roots in the apostolic ministry and
succession (Thaddeus and Bartholomew)
and is therefore known as apostolic. The Apostles and their immediate
successors (including the Armenian Church) defended the
Orthodox faith and kept it pure.
BAREKENTAN OF THE FAST OF TRANSFIGURATION
This Sunday, July 12, the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, is the
barekentan of the Fast of the Transfigurationthe five-day period of
fasting prior to the Feast of the Transfiguration (Vartavar) which is
next Sunday, July 19.
ECUMENICAL CELEBRATION IN LEBANON CONCLUDES PAULINE
YEAR
An ecumenical celebration last week concluded the Pauline Year
inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI. The ceremony took place at the
Melkite Greek Catholic Basilica of St. Paul in Harissa, where His
Eminence Archbishop
Komitas Ohanian represented His Holiness Catholicos Aram I.
His Eminence Cardinal Andre Vingt-Troit, the Papal
representative, presided at the celebration. Lebanon is considered to
be one of the seven places associated with St. Paul. All of the
speakers focused
on the ministry of Paul through his message and writings. He is
considered to be a role model for the church and for
priests.
The Pauline Year encouraged many ecumenical activities in Lebanon
throughout the year
in which the Armenian Church participated. The choir of the Armenian
diocese of Lebanon sang Armenian Church hymns during the closing
ceremony.
OLDEST BIBLE TOGETHER AGAIN
The wonders of
the digital age and the internet have united the worlds oldest Bible
on line. The Codex Sanaiticus was hand-written by four scribes in
Greek
on vellum (made of animal skin), in the fourth century about the time
of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, who became a
Christian. Not all of
the parts of this Bible have withstood the ravages of time. However,
the parts that have survived include the entire New Testament, and
about
half of the Old Testament. The surviving pages total about 800 (the
original is believed to have been 1,400 pages.) The surviving pages
are held by
the British Library in London, the Monastery of St. Catherine in
Sinai, Egypt, the National Library of Russia, and Leipzig University
Library in
Germany. The British Library began digitizing all of the surviving
parts in 2005 in a joint project with the other
institutions.
The 1,600-year-old manuscript is important for scholars who say that
it is a view of the
development of early Christianity and first-hand evidence of how the
text of the Bible was transmitted from generation to generation.
The Bible can be viewed online free at (
4882/goto:
). The site
offers modern Greek translations and some English translations.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
July 18Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode
Island, Ladies Guild/ARS Chapter present a Hye Summer Night 4 Dance at
The Annunciation Greek Church, Cranston, Rhode Island. For information
401-434-4467.
July 22Gathering of North American youth in Los
Angeles, organized by the Western Prelacy with the participation of
the Eastern and Canadian Prelacies.
August 2Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode
Island, Annual Picnic and Blessing of Madagh and Grapes at Camp
Haiastan, Franklin, Massachusetts, 12 noon to 6 pm, rain or
shine. Music by John
Berberian and Ensemble.
August 8National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG)
religious seminary hosted by the Ladies Guild of St. Gregory Churchy
of Merrimack Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts. For information:
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or 781-762-4253.
August 9St. Stephens Church, Watertown,
Massachusetts, annual picnic and blessing of madagh and grapes at Camp
Haiastan, Franklin, Massachusetts. Starts at 12 noon, rain or
shine. Live
music.
August 9Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts,
annual picnic and blessing of the grapes.
August 9Annual Blessing of the Grapes picnic by Holy
Cross Armenian Church, 101 Spring Avenue, Troy, New York, noon to 4
pm, on the church grounds. Full course kebab dinner, Armenian pastries
and
lehmajune will be available.
August 16Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey, annual picnic and Blessing of the Grapes.
August 16St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, picnic and Blessing of the Grapes.
September 13Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church,
Worcester, Massachusetts, 75th anniversary Holy Mass and banquet,
under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan.
September 13Annual picnic of St. Stephens
Armenian Church of New Britain and Hartford at the Quartette Club, 225
Wooster Street, New Britain, Connecticut, beginning at noon, rain or
shine.
Live music. Armenian food. Free admission.
September 19-20Re-consecration of the altar and the
newly renovated St. Illuminators Cathedral in New York City on
Saturday. Episcopal Divine Liturgy and Madagh on Sunday..
September 21St. Stephens (Watertown, MA)
Armenian School/ACEC 14th annual Golf Outing at Framingham Country
Club. $165 includes golf, lunch, dinner, and contests. For information
contact
Astor at 781-326-5764.
September 25-26-27Prelacy Linked In, gathering of the
youth. For details click here.
October 1Sts. Vartanantz Church (New Jersey), presents
7th annual Golf Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New
Jersey. $175 includes lunch, dinner, golf and contests. Come out and
enjoy a great
day and support the church. For information contact Mark,
201-483-3200.
October 17National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG)
annual conference at the Prelacy offices in New York City. Details
will follow.
Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacys web
site.
To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) to
your address book.
Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
credit Crossroads as the
source.
Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
their major events to be
included in the calendar. Send to: [email protected]
(mailto:info@armenianprel acy.org)