July 31, 2009
PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
PRELATE TO PRESIDE OVER DIVINE LITURGY AND
CONSECRATE ICONS AT ST. SARKIS CHURCH IN PASADENA
On Sunday, August 9th, 2009, the eve of the Fast of Assumption, H.E.
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, will preside over Divine Liturgy
and deliver the sermon at St. Sarkis Church in Pasadena.
During Divine Liturgy, the Prelate will also consecrate church
icons.
Divine Liturgy will be celebrated by parish pastor Rev. Fr. Khoren
Babochian.
APPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE
"HARUT BARSAMIAN DISABLED ARMENIAN STUDENTS SCHOLARSHIP FUND"
His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, and the
Executive Council of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of
America hereby announce that they will begin accepting applications for the
"Harut Barsamian Disabled Armenian Students Scholarship Fund" for the
2009-2010 academic year.
The Fund has been established by Prof. Harut Barsamian to assist
physically disabled students of Armenian decent in obtaining higher
education at any accredited college or university in the United States. The
application for the scholarship should include:
– A short biography of the applicant
– A medical certificate regarding the physical condition of the applicant
– A certificate from the college or university about the status of the
applicant as a student.
The Scholarship Fund may provide up to $3,000 for each academic year.
Applications must be submitted by Monday, August 31, 2009, to the
following address:
Harut Barsamian Disabled Armenian Students Scholarship Fund
C/O Western Prelacy
6252 Honolulu Ave., La Crescenta, CA 91214
PRELATE CELEBRATES DIVINE LITURGY AT THE CRESCENTA VALLEY CHURCH ON THE
FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PARISH
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 26th, 2009, H.E. Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Armenian
Apostolic Church of Crescenta Valley on the fourth anniversary of the
establishment of the parish. The Prelate was assisted at the altar by
parish pastor Rev. Fr. Ardak Demirjian.
The Prelate’s sermon centered on the parable of the Good Shepherd
which shows how our Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ, came into this world to
die for the sins of His lost people in order that they might be saved, and
that He will seek us when we stray from Him.
The Prelate also commended the parish pastor, delegates, Board of
Trustees, Ladies Auxiliary, and deacons and altar servers for their
commitment to the growth of the parish over the past four years and
expressed his wish that the parish have its own church in the near future.
A reception in the adjoining hall followed after services.
PRELACY YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN UPLIFTING ACYA "SPIRITUAL GROWTH" SUMMER
CONFERENCE
The Armenian Church Youth Association, under the auspices of H.E.
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, held its first ever summer
conference at the Western Prelacy during the weekend of July 24th, 2009.
With the guidance of Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian, and dedicated
members of the ACYA executive committee, over sixty young Armenians
assembled at the Prelacy "Dikran and Zarouhie Der Ghazarian" Hall to
participate in the conference which was entitled, "Spiritual Growth".
The event brought young, faithful Armenians from the local churches
of the Western Prelacy together with several delegates from the Eastern
Prelacy for a weekend of prayer services, enlightening lectures, Bible
studies, roundtable discussions, Q&A sessions, fellowship, testimonies, and
a half-day tour of the San Juan Capistrano mission.
The conference began on Friday morning with a prayer service led by
the Prelate, Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian, Very Rev. Fr. Vaghinag Meloian,
Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian, and two deacons. The youth participated in
the service, which was conducted in both Armenian and English. The service
was followed by a brief Bible study by Deacon Shant Kazanjian, one of the
delegates from the East Coast. The seminar officially began with opening
remarks by the Prelate. The Prelate conveyed his blessings and encouraged
the youth and young adults alike to continue to grow spiritually by
increasing their knowledge of the word of God, decreasing sin in their daily
lives, increasing their trust in God, and increasing practice of Christ-like
quality. The conference continued with Fr. Vaghinag’s presentation on God’s
love of the Armenians and the Armenian’s love of God. He thereafter took
questions from the attendees relating to the Armenian Christian’s dedication
and devotion to the church in the 21st century. In the afternoon, Fr. Muron
presented a brief-yet-thorough history of the Armenian Church. His
presentation was followed by a round-table debate which focused on issues
that the youth face in their daily lives. The nighttime portion of the
event included an evening prayer service, which was highlighted with a group
reading of "I Confess in Faith" by St. Nerses the Graceful. The night
concluded with a showing of a Biblical film entitled "The Climb".
Day two of the conference began with a morning prayer service
conducted by Father Muron, Father Barthev and deacons, and was followed by a
Bible study presented by Shant Manjikian, a Hollywood ACYA member. The
conference continued with a lecture by Father Barthev regarding the seven
mortal sins and the seven virtues. Thereafter, members participated with the
reading of scriptures, discussions, and a question-and answer session with
Fr. Barthev. In the latter portion of the day, ten members had the
opportunity to present testimonies discussing miracles that touched their
lives. On Saturday night, the Western Prelacy held a dinner & dance event
for all conference attendees. Additionally, members of the ACYA’s
"Lousavorich" choir were invited as guests to celebrate their recent
concert. More than 80 attendees enjoyed a night of great food and
international music.
On the third and final day of the conference, the youth enjoyed a
trip to the San Juan Capistrano Mission. Prior to departure, all the
attendees received a book entitled "The Armenian Church’s Responses to
Non-Orthodox objections," a gift from the Prelate.
The conference uplifted the spirits of all the participants, with
all looking forward to similar events in the future.