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:

March 18, 2010

PRELATE WILL BE IN METRO AREA THIS WEEKEND
Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the Liturgy and Arevakal service
at St. Illuminators Cathedral in New York City this Sunday.
At 2 pm he will attend the Prelacys Musical Armenia concert at
Carnegie Halls Weill Recital Hall. In the evening he will attend the
reception for Senator Robert Menendez at the home of Mr. Andreas
Roubian in Saddle River, New Jersey, postponed from last week because
of the severe storm that hit the metro area. The event is hosted by
Mr. Roubian and the Armenian National Committee PAC.

PRELATE AND VICAR VISIT SENIORS
Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan visited the residents at the
New York Armenian Home in Flushing, New York, yesterday, Wednesday,
March 17.
PRELACY LENTEN LECTURE SERIES CONTINUES
The fifth weekly Lenten program, in a series of six, took place last
night at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in NYC, a program that
included a Husgoom service, an educational component, and a meal
fellowship (from 7:30-9:30pm), presided over by His Eminence
Archbishop Oshagan, the Prelate.
Last night, the topic was Women as Charity Workers, presented
by Mrs. Valentine Berberian. She first emphasized that when we say
women as charity workers, we are talking about volunteers, who gave
their time and talents for the greater good, which is the well-being
of the Armenian people and nation. A pharmacist by profession,
Mrs. Berberian has been an active member of the Armenian Relief
Society (ARS) for well over three decades, ARS a praiseworthy
organization for its charitable work throughout the world. She has
served in the ARS in various leadership capacities, including as a
Central Executive Board Advisor, as well as a United Nations
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) representative, where ARS is a
member of the NGO community. Mrs. Berberian spoke about the genesis
and the development of Armenian charitable organizations and services,
highlighting particularly those women who played a pivotal role,
starting from the latter decades of the 19th century to the present
times. A 100 year old organization, the Armenian Relief Society (ARS)
today has about 18,000 members and operates in 26 countries, she
noted, born of the people and serving the people. She said that since
its inception, the ARS has been involved in vast fields of
activities. The ARS brings aid to the poor, the sick and the homeless,
by founding and operating centers creates food distribution and social
services supports Armenian people in need financially Taking care of
the orphans and the poor and the needy these are indeed noble
endeavors, mandated by the Bible. After this informative presentation
a Q & A ensued.
Next Wednesday, March 24, will be the final lecture in the
Lenten series, it will focus on Women as Christian Educators Today and
will be presented by Yeretsgin Joanna Baghsarian.
The Lenten Program is sponsored by the Prelacys Armenian
Religious Education Council (AREC), the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG),
and St. Illuminators Cathedral Ladies Guild. For more information
please contact the Prelacy office at 212.689.7810 or
arec@armenianprelacy.org (mailto:arec@armenianprelacy.org) or the
church at 212.689.5880.
MUSICAL ARMENIA CONCERT THIS SUNDAY
The 26th Musical Armenia concert will take place this Sunday, March
21, at 2 pm at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 57th Street and
Seventh Avenue, New York City, featuring Tanya Gabrielian, piano; and
Natalie Aroyan, soprano.
Natalie Aroyan, soprano, participated in the 2009 American
Institute of Musical Studies vocal program in Graz, Austria. Her
achievements at Graz included winning First Place and the Audience
Vote at the prestigious Meistersinger Vocal Competition, in which she
performed under the direction of Edoardo Muller. In 2008 at the Sydney
Conservatorium of Music, she performed the role of Rosalinde in
Matthew Barclays production of Strauss Die Fledermaus, conducted by
Imre Pallo. She is currently a professional studies student at Mannes
College The New School for Music.
Tanya Gabrielian, was described as a pianist of powerful
physical and imaginative muscle, by The Times of London. She was
awarded first prize at the 2004 Scottish International Piano
Competition and the 2003 Aram Khachaturian International Piano
Competition. Ms. Gabrielian has performed with several major
orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New London
Sinfonia, and the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. She toured Scotland
with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. She is currently an
artists diploma student at The Juilliard School.
For tickets ($30) contact the Carnegie box office at
212-247-7800 or the Prelacy at 212-689-7810.

DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM: MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The 24th annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program, for
youth ages 13-18, is scheduled to take place at the St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, from June 25-JUuly 4,
2010. The program is sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC). For information contact the AREC office at
212-689-7810, arec@armenianprelacy.org
(mailto:arec@armenianprel acy.org).

PILGRIMAGE TO LEBANON AND SYRIA
On the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the
Eastern Prelacys St. Gregory of Datev Institute is organizing a
pilgrimage to Syria and Lebanon, from August 2 to August 16. Watch for
details in a special edition of Crossroads tomorrow. For more
information click here (
4882/goto: /component/content/article/95-pilgrimage
).

95th ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENOCIDE
Commemoration of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
organized by the
Eastern Prelacy with the participation of community organizations
will take place on Saturday,
April 24, 7 pm, at St. Illuminators Cathedral, 221 E. 27th Street,
New York City. Keynote speaker Professor Peter Balakian. Details will
follow.

BIBLE READING
Bible reading for today, Thursday, March 18, are Isaiah 53:1-54:5; 1
Corinthians 15:1-28.
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news
that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also
you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly
to the message that I proclaimed to youunless you have come to believe
in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn
had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the
third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to
Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred
brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though
some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the
apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to
me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am
what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the
contrary, I worked harder than any of themthough it was not I, but the
grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we
proclaim and so you have come to believe.
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can
some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no
resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if
Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and
your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting
God, because we testified of God that he raised Christwhom he did not
raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are
not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then
those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life
only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first
fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human
being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human
being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in
Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at
his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he
hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every
ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has
put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is
death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. But
when it says, All things are put in subjection, it is plain that this
does not include the one who put all things in subjection under
him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will
also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under
him, so that God may be all in a!
ll. (1 Corinthians 15:1-28)
For a listing of the coming weeks Bible readings click here (
4882/goto: elacy/PDF/2010dbr-3.pdf
).
ST. GREGORYS COMMITMENT TO THE PIT
This Saturday, March 20, the Armenian Church commemorates one of the
three days in the Armenian liturgical calendar in honor of St. Gregory
the Illuminator, the founder of the Armenian Church. The three days of
remembrance are: Entrance into the Pit; Emergence from the Pit; and
Discovery of his remains. This Saturday we commemorate his commitment
to the deep pit (Khor Virab).
Gregory maintained his faith and refused to renounce
Christ. As a result he endured many tortures and his final punishment
was banishment into a deep pit where he remained
for a period of thirteen or more years. Miraculously he survived the
ordeal, thanks to his faith and a woman (identity unknown) who
secretly lowered food and water into the pit.
The Monastery of Khor Virab is a major destination for
tourists and pilgrims who visit Armenia. The monastery complex was
built on the exact location where St. Gregory was imprisoned. The pit
is intact and it is possible for visitors to climb down the ladder (27
steep steps) into the pit. The church, named Sourp Asdvadsatzin dates
to the 17th century. The area is one of the most beautiful in Armenia
and provides the best view of Araratit is breathtaking.
During Great Lent, saints days are commemorated only on
Saturdays. During the remainder of the year, saints are honored on
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays. Never on Wednesdays and
Fridays, these being fasting days.

Lord Gregory, you are the delightful new paradise planted in the land
of Armenia, which cost sweat and many toils. Watered by the streams of
the word of truth, you gave from yourself wondrously beautiful
offshoots, covered with a multitude of flowers. You were on earth a
heavenly light which received its brightness from the sun of life, you
dispelled thick darkness from the Armenian people and it saw the light
of the Holy Spirits grace.

(Canon to St. Gregory the Illuminator Entering the Pit, from the
Liturgical Canons of the
Armenian Church)

PILGRIMAGE DAY IN ANTELIAS
This Saturday, March 20, is a day of pilgrimage at the Holy See of
Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon in honor of the Armenias patron saint,
St. Gregory. Thousands of pilgrims come to the Cathedral of
St. Gregory the Illuminator for the service and procession of the
relics of St. Gregory kept in a golden arm. Consecrated relics of
St. Gregory are preserved in Holy Etchmiadzin in Armenia and the Holy
See of Cilicia. The relics are displayed each year on this
occasion. They are also an integral part of the consecration of the
Holy Chrism (Muron) every seven years.

SUNDAY OF ADVENT
This Sunday, March 21, is the sixth and final Sunday of Great Lent,
known as Sunday of Advent (Galstyan Kiraki). On Advent Sunday we are
asked to ponder the mystery of the first coming of Christ and
especially his second coming, which is mentioned in the prayers read
this Sunday. Christ came to the world for the salvation of
humankind. He will come again for the judgment of sinners, and when
the righteous will become worthy of entering the Kingdom of
God. Advent Sunday has its own special hymn, which proclaims that the
apostles knew the mystery of the advcnt of Christ. The story of the
expulsion from paradise is repeated and an appeal is made to Christ to
ask the Heavenly Father to establish peace on earth. Sunday of Advent
is in preparation of next Sunday, Palm Sunday, which is the
celebration of the glorious entry of our Lord into Jerusalem and the
beginning of Holy Week.

Of old you announced before hand the mystery of your coming through
the prophets of Israel chosen by you after Moses who spoke by the Holy
Spirit in many and various ways, grant us, O Savior, mercy and
remission of sins. With the approach of the last days the seers
announced your coming, O our Savior, at the end of time you appeared
among men adorned in the image of a servant, grant us, O Savior, mercy
and remission of sins.

(From the hymn sung on Sunday of Advent according to the Liturgical
Canons of the Armenian Church).

FROM THE BOOKSTORE.
We continue to feature books about women, books written, edited or
translated by women, in celebration of the Year of the Armenian Woman.
Great Need Over the Water
The Letters of Theresa Huntington Ziegler, Missionary to Turkey,
1898-1905
Edited and with an Introduction and Commentary by Stina Katchadourian
The collected letters of Theresa Huntington Ziegler during the time
she served as a missionary in Harpoot provide a vivid picture of life
in Harpoot and the Armenian community. The period covered is between
the massacres of 1894-96 and the beginning of
World War and the Genocide of 1915.
376 pages, soft cover, $20.00, plus shipping and handling.

Diaries of a Danish Missionary
Harpoot, 1907-1919
By Maria Jacobsen
Translated by Kristen Vind and edited by Ara Sarafian
The diaries of Maria Jacobsen, a Danish missionary in the Ottoman
Empire, are one of the most important eyewitness accounts of the
Armenian Genocide. In May 1915 she began recording specific stages of
the genocide of Armenians, starting with the vilification and arrest
of Armenians in Harpoot and Mezreh. Maria Jacobsen was the founder of
the Birds Nest orphanage in Lebanon.
266 pages, soft cover, $30, plus shipping and handling.
TO ORDER THESE BOOKS OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THE BOOKSTORE BY
EMAIL AT BOOKS@ARMENIANPRELACY.ORG (mailto:BOOKS@ARMENIANPRELACY.ORG)
OR BY TELEPHON E AT 212-689-7810.

WELCOME SWEET SPRINGTIME
Spring officially begins this Saturday, March 20. How sweet it is!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 21 Musical Armenia, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New
York City. Featured artists: Tanya Gabrielian, pianist; Natalie
Aroyan, soprano. Tickets $30. Carnegie box office 212-247-7800 or
Prelacy office 212-689-7810.
March 21 St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, presentation by
Heather Govern, who will speak on saving money, saving energy, and
saving the planet, at 1 pm following Badarak. Admission is free.
March 21 Membership meeting, Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
Jersey, following church services.
March 24 Sixth and final Prelacy Lenten Service and Lecture at
St. Illuminators Cathedral, New York City, 7:30 pm. Women as Christian
Educators Today, by Yeretzgin Joanna Baghsarian.
March 26 New York Hamazkayin Literary Committee presents, We are not
Ermeni: The Hamshen Armenians, lecturer Avedis Hadjian, 8:05 pm at the
Armenian Center, Woodside, New York.
March 27 New England Regional Conference for pastors, boards of
trustees, and delegates, hosted by Holy Trinity Church, Worcester,
Massachusetts, 10 am to 4 pm.
April 11 ARS Mayr Chapter presents ZULAL, a cappela trio, at the
Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, 209-15 Horace Harding Expressway,
Bayside, New York, 4 pm. Donation: $50, $30; $15 for children under
12. Contact Sonia, 917-679-6992; Hasmik, 516-330-5290.
April 17 St. Stephen s Ladies Guild, Watertown, Massachusetts,
presents jazzy evening featuring Sandi Bedrosian jazz ensemble, 6 pm,
church hall. $35 per person. Contact hyejazzeve@gmail.com
(mailto:hyejazzeve@gmail.com) or Yeretzgin Baljian,
781-209-1915. Reservations only.
April 17 Ladies Guild New England Regional Seminar hosted
Sts. Vartanantz Church (Providence) Ladies Guild and the National
Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG), 9 am. Guest speaker: Shakay
Kizirian. Topic: Survival (A Womans Story). For information: Joyce
Bagdasarian, 401-434-4467 or sweetano6@aol.com.
April 18 ARS Mayr and Erebouni Chapters sponsor Walk-Armenia to
benefit Camp Haiastan. Registration at St. Sarkis Church, 38-65 234th
Street, Douglaston, New York, starts at 12 noon, $25 fee. Walk begins
1 pm. For information 516-330-5290 (Hasmik); 516-739-0805 (Nayda).
April 18 Health Expo 2010, To Your Health, St. Sarkis Church, 38-65
234th St., Douglaston, New York, 1 pm to 6 pm. Free tests, counseling,
information on medical conditions, mini-lectures on current health
issues. For information: Dr. Arthur Kubikian 718-786-3842.
April 24 Commemoration of the 95th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, organized by the Eastern Prelacy with the participation of
community organizations, 7 pm at St. Illuminators Cathedral, New York
City. Keynote speaker: Professor Peter Balakian.
May 1 New York State Theatre Institute presents Silence in a Circular
Rainbow, a staged reading of a play by Herand Markarian at the James
L. Meader Little Theatre, Troy, New York. For information about bus
transportation: Sonia 917-679-6992; Anahid 917-751-4916; Rita
347-991-4759.
May 10 Mothers Day luncheon sponsored by the Prelacy Ladies Guild, New
York Palace, 455 Madison Avenue, New York City. Reception at 12 noon;
lunch at 1 pm.
May 13 to 16 National Representative Assembly hosted by St.
Illuminators Cathedral, New York City, and St. Sarkis Church,
Douglaston, New York.
May 13-14 NALG Annual Conference in conjunction with the NRA, Crowne
Plaza, LaGuardia Airport Hotel. For information Mary Derderian,
781-762-4253, hyeguin@yahoo.com (mailto:hyeguin@yahoo.com).
June 25-July 4 24th annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer
Program for youth ages 13 to 18, at St. Mary of Providence Center,
Elverson, Pennsylvania.
July 17 A Hye Summer Night V, dance hosted by Ladies Guild of
Sts. Vartanantz Church and ARS Ani Chapter, Providence, Rhode
Island. Watch for details.
August 22 Annual picnic of St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville,
Massachusetts.
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@armenianprelacy.org (mailto:email@armenianprelacy.org) 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:
info@armenianprelacy.org (mailto:info@armenianprelacy.org)