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PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.armenianprelacy.org
Contact: Iris Papazian
May 3, 2007
FIRST OF THREE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
FOR PRELATE WILL TAKE PLACE SATURDAY
The first of the three celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of
Archbishop Oshagan's ordination to the priesthood, will take place this
Saturday, May 5, at the Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island. The New
England committee under the chairmanship of Yn. Joanna Baghsarian (Sts.
Vartanantz Church, Providence) and Avedis Garavanian (St. Gregory Church,
North Andover) has spared no effort to make this a memorable occasion.
The second event will take place next Saturday, May 12, at The Marriott
at Glenpointe, in Teaneck, New Jersey, with the participation of all of the
parishes in the Mid Atlantic, which includes New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.
The final celebration will take place during the National Representative
Assembly (NRA) which is being hosted by St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn,
Michigan. This will take place on Friday, May 18, at Double Tree Hotel in
Dearborn, with the participation of the parishes in the Mid-West, as well as
the NRA delegates and guests.
For more information on all three events click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/3Banquets/trireg00 .html.
ECUMENICAL RECEPTION AT PRELACY TOMORROW
IN HONOR OF ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the ordination of His Eminence
Archbishop Oshagan, an Ecumenical Reception will take place in the Vahakn
and Hasmig Hovnanian Hall at the Prelacy headquarters in New York tomorrow,
Friday, May 4, beginning at 3 pm. Ecumenical leaders and friends will come
to congratulate His Eminence on the occasion of his milestone anniversary.
PRELATE WILL ATTEND 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA
This Sunday, May 6, Archbishop Oshagan will be in Philadelphia with the
parish of St. Gregory the Illuminator on the occasion of the 40th
anniversary of the consecration of the church on Ridge Ave. His Eminence
will preside over the Divine Liturgy and ordination granting the right to
wear the stole (ourar) to Garabed Sarkissian. Following the services, His
Eminence will preside over the anniversary banquet in the church hall.
2007 DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM
The 21st annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Christian summer studies
program will take place July 1 to 8 in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For details
click http://www.armenianprelacy.org/datev.
2007 NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY IN DEARBORN
The 2007 National Representative Assembly (NRA) will be hosted by St.
Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan. For details click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/nra0700.html.
Clergymen should note that the religious conference will begin Tuesday
afternoon, May 15, not Wednesday as previously announced.
PRELACY OBSERVER WILL ATTEND DIOCESAN ASSEMBLY
Astor Guzelian of St. Stephen's Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, is
attending the Diocesan Assembly of the Eastern Diocese, as an observer on
behalf of the Eastern Prelacy. The Assembly is being hosted by Sts.
Vartanantz Church in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, beginning today May 3
through to Sunday, May 6. The Assembly is taking place at Sheraton Tara in
Nashua, New Hampshire.
PLG MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON MAY 7
The popular Mothers Day luncheon presented by the Prelacy Ladies Guild
will take place this Monday, May 7, at the St. Regis in New York City.
This year's Mother of the Year is Mrs. Lalig Bayrakdarian, mother of six
children, including the famed Metropolitan Opera star, Isabel Bayrakdarian.
A special presentation of "Musical Sounds of Armenia" will be provided
by a quartet made up of graduates and current students of Juilliard and solo
dance presentation accompanied by kanon and piano. For more information
click http://www.armenianprelacy.org/041307a.htm.
30th ANNIVERSARY OF ST. ILLUMINATOR SCHOOL
The 30th anniversary of St. Illuminator Armenian Day School, Woodside,
New York, will be celebrated on Saturday evening, May 6, at Terrace on the
Park, Corona, New York. Reception begins at 5 pm followed by dinner. Bishop
Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General, will attend and present a letter of
blessing from His Holiness Catholicos Aram I to Mrs. Zmroukhd Markarian, in
appreciation for her many decades of service as an educator at the school.
"NEVER AGAIN" FOR ARMENIANS TOO
An op-ed article by Daniel Sokatch and David N. Myers, entitled "Never
Again for Armenians too" appeared in the May 1, 2007 issue of the Los
Angeles Times. The authors chide "several American Jewish groups who abandon
their anti-genocide zeal when it comes to Turkey's massacre of Armenians,"
and find it troubling that some major Jewish organizations have lined up in
support of Turkey's effort to keep the U.S. Congress from recognizing the
Armenian massacres as an act of genocide. Sokatch is executive director of
the Progressive Jewish Alliance and Myers teaches Jewish history at UCLA. To
read the entire op-ed article click
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le -thursday3.1may03,1,1961760.story?ctrack=1&cse t=true.
RWANDAN EXHIBIT OPENS AT UNITED NATIONS
The exhibit on the 10th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda which was
scheduled to open at the United Nations two weeks ago, and postponed because
of protests from the Turkish Mission because of a one line reference to the
Armenian genocide, opened this past Monday. The Turkish diplomats had
originally asked that the entire reference to the Armenian genocide be
removed, which the organizers refused to do. The exhibit remained the same
except that "the Ottoman Empire" was substituted for "Turkey." In the
meantime the entire episode provided widespread press coverage, including an
editorial in the New York Times.
AND.ANOTHER HEADLINE MAKING ENCOUNTER
Margaret Ajemian Ahnert has just published a memoir of her mother, "The
Knock at the Door," which describes her mother's experiences during the
Armenian genocide. The first-time author had a book-signing and book-reading
appearance at a Barnes & Noble on the East Side of Manhattan on Tuesday
evening. During the session several persons disrupted her reading, shouting
and passing out leaflets denying that the genocide occurred. One man was
arrested, and the incident resulted in a lengthy article in today's New York
Times (page 3 of the Metro section). In the audience were former New York
Governor Hugh L. Carey and the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M.
Morgenthau, whose grandfather, Henry Morgenthau, was the ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1916.
A spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble said it was unusual for a reading to be
disrupted. Passing out pamphlets violated the company's no-solicitations
policy, she said. "They were asked to stop passing out leaflets. They
refused. They were jeering the author. They were asked to sit down and they
refused." The police were called.
Last night Ms. Ajemian Ahnert was a guest on the Joey Reynolds show on
WOR radio (710 AM) which is heard Monday to Friday from Midnight to five o'clock
in the morning. A portion of the show was devoted to the new book and the
incident related above.
Crossroads suggests you order the book from Barnes & Noble via the
internet or in person.
IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has
designated 2007 as the Year of the Armenian Language. In celebration of this
year-long tribute, each week we will offer an interesting tidbit about the
Armenian language.
"Nerses Shnorhali [the Graceful] was one of the most remarkable figures
of medieval Armenian literature. Nerses was born in approximately 1100 in
the castle of Tzovk, the seat of the catholicos, in the Tluk province of
Armenian Cilicia. He received his education in Karmir Vank (the Red
Monastery) in the Black [Amanus] Mountains of southeastern Cilicia, where
his teacher was Stepanos Manuk.. Shnorhali was a prolific poet, theologian,
composer, pedagogue, and publicist. The poetic grace and clarity of his
style and the articulateness of his language are indications of the lucidity
and precision of his mind. He is the leading literary and religious figure
of the Silver Age.. Shnorhali's literary output is rich and varied; he wrote
poems, sermons, canticles, riddles, and commentaries on Scripture. He also
enriched the liturgy of the Armenian Church with many hymns, anthems,
prayers, and sacred poems."
>From The Heritage of Armenian Literature, Volume II
To read the message of His Holiness in Armenian click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/2007Encyclical.pdf .
To read the message of His Holiness in English click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/021407a.htm.
DAIL Y BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, May 3, are: Luke 10:25-42; Acts 15:1-29; 2
Peter 2:9-22; John 6:22-38; Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 6:1-6.
He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed
him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard
him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is
this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done
by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of
James and Joses and Juda and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?
And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not
without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in
their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he
laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at
their unbelief.
For listing of the entire week's Bible readings click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/dbr2007.htm#050307 .
70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE HINDENBURG CRASH
This Sunday, May 6th, is the 70th anniversary of the crash of the
dirigible (zeppelin), Hindenburg, at the Navy base in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
It was the 20th century's first transportation disaster captured by
newsreel, audio recordings, and still photos. The German zeppelin, with a
length of three Boeing 747s, was on its 63rd flight when it went up in
flames as it was preparing to land on May 6, 1937. Controversy still
continues about the exact cause of the accident.
APPARITION OF THE CROSS
This Sunday, May 6, is the Feast of the Apparition of the Cross
(Yerevoumun Sourp Khatchi). The Apparition of the Holy Cross is the third
feast of the Holy Cross. It is celebrated on the fifth Sunday of Easter, in
remembrance of the apparition of the sign of the cross that appeared over
the city of Jerusalem in 331 A.D. The apparition was brighter than sunlight
and seen by clergy and laity.
MEDITATION BY REV. FR. VARTAN KASSABIAN
We end this week with a meditation by Rev. Fr. Vartan Kassabian about
the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Der Vartan is pastor of St. Gregory Armenian
Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley in North Andover, Massachusetts.
"In the wake of the recent school massacres at Virginia Tech, I have
thought time and again about how much we have progressed as a society. But,
I also have thought about just how apathetic and uncaring we have become. We
seem to be so wrapped up in this vicious cycle of life that we seem to have
become immune to the evils around us. The question still remains what could
have caused one human being to inflict such pain and suffering on so many
others for no apparent reason? Perhaps the answer comes to us and the
society and world we live.
"The worse sickness that we suffer today more than ever is the disease
of indifference, apathy, and not speaking out against what we know to be
wrong and unacceptable, especially since we claim to be a society endowed
with civility and respect for human life. Alas, reality tells a different
story. We have become a society which is now known as the culture of death.
There is no longer a sacred respect for human life and dignity. There is no
longer a sense of God, Faith, and the value of human life. Family life, the
concept of a community which loves and nurtures is for all intents and
purposes virtually nonexistent. What comes from such a tragedy is a wake up
call to each of us that we have to change and start caring more. We, too,
may someday receive the very news those grieving parents did on that day.
The decision to do what is right in the face of such evil is a choice only
we can make."
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
May 5-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in the
New England area will take place in Providence, Rhode Island.
May 6-30th anniversary of St. Illuminator's Armenian Day School, Terrace on
the Park, Corona, New York, at 5 pm.
May 7-Prelacy Ladies Guild Mothers' Day Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., St. Regis
Hotel, Two East 55th Street (at Fifth Avenue), New York City. Special
entertainment, "Musical Sounds of Armenia."
May 12-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in Mid
Atlantic area will take place at the Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, New
Jersey.
May 12-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, 50th anniversary concert
featuring Onnik Dinkjian and John Berberian.
May 12-Armenian Dance party, St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard,
Massachusetts.
May 18-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in
Midwest will take place at the National Representative Assembly.
May 20-"Hello Ellis Island" and Reception, St. Stephen's Church Hall,
Watertown, Massachusetts. $20 per person. Information, 617-924-7562.
July 1-8-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, 21st annual summer Christian
studies program for junior and senior high school students, at St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For information click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/datev.
July 21-Sts. Vartanantz Church Ladies Guild, Providence, Rhode Island, and
ARS Ani Chapter present "A Hye Summer Night 2." For information
401-286-8107.
August 7-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual golf
tournament at Blackstone Country Club.
August 19-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church picnic.
September 27-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 5th Annual Golf
Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey. Registration
begins at 11 a.m. and tee time at 1 p.m. For information, 201-943-2950.
September 29-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 50th
anniversary banquet at Pleasant Valley.
December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar.
December 9-St. Stephen's Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
celebration. For information, (617) 924-7562.
Visit our website at www.armenianprelacy.org
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.armenianprelacy.org
Contact: Iris Papazian
May 3, 2007
FIRST OF THREE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
FOR PRELATE WILL TAKE PLACE SATURDAY
The first of the three celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of
Archbishop Oshagan's ordination to the priesthood, will take place this
Saturday, May 5, at the Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island. The New
England committee under the chairmanship of Yn. Joanna Baghsarian (Sts.
Vartanantz Church, Providence) and Avedis Garavanian (St. Gregory Church,
North Andover) has spared no effort to make this a memorable occasion.
The second event will take place next Saturday, May 12, at The Marriott
at Glenpointe, in Teaneck, New Jersey, with the participation of all of the
parishes in the Mid Atlantic, which includes New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.
The final celebration will take place during the National Representative
Assembly (NRA) which is being hosted by St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn,
Michigan. This will take place on Friday, May 18, at Double Tree Hotel in
Dearborn, with the participation of the parishes in the Mid-West, as well as
the NRA delegates and guests.
For more information on all three events click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/3Banquets/trireg00 .html.
ECUMENICAL RECEPTION AT PRELACY TOMORROW
IN HONOR OF ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the ordination of His Eminence
Archbishop Oshagan, an Ecumenical Reception will take place in the Vahakn
and Hasmig Hovnanian Hall at the Prelacy headquarters in New York tomorrow,
Friday, May 4, beginning at 3 pm. Ecumenical leaders and friends will come
to congratulate His Eminence on the occasion of his milestone anniversary.
PRELATE WILL ATTEND 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA
This Sunday, May 6, Archbishop Oshagan will be in Philadelphia with the
parish of St. Gregory the Illuminator on the occasion of the 40th
anniversary of the consecration of the church on Ridge Ave. His Eminence
will preside over the Divine Liturgy and ordination granting the right to
wear the stole (ourar) to Garabed Sarkissian. Following the services, His
Eminence will preside over the anniversary banquet in the church hall.
2007 DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM
The 21st annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Christian summer studies
program will take place July 1 to 8 in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For details
click http://www.armenianprelacy.org/datev.
2007 NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY IN DEARBORN
The 2007 National Representative Assembly (NRA) will be hosted by St.
Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan. For details click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/nra0700.html.
Clergymen should note that the religious conference will begin Tuesday
afternoon, May 15, not Wednesday as previously announced.
PRELACY OBSERVER WILL ATTEND DIOCESAN ASSEMBLY
Astor Guzelian of St. Stephen's Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, is
attending the Diocesan Assembly of the Eastern Diocese, as an observer on
behalf of the Eastern Prelacy. The Assembly is being hosted by Sts.
Vartanantz Church in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, beginning today May 3
through to Sunday, May 6. The Assembly is taking place at Sheraton Tara in
Nashua, New Hampshire.
PLG MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON MAY 7
The popular Mothers Day luncheon presented by the Prelacy Ladies Guild
will take place this Monday, May 7, at the St. Regis in New York City.
This year's Mother of the Year is Mrs. Lalig Bayrakdarian, mother of six
children, including the famed Metropolitan Opera star, Isabel Bayrakdarian.
A special presentation of "Musical Sounds of Armenia" will be provided
by a quartet made up of graduates and current students of Juilliard and solo
dance presentation accompanied by kanon and piano. For more information
click http://www.armenianprelacy.org/041307a.htm.
30th ANNIVERSARY OF ST. ILLUMINATOR SCHOOL
The 30th anniversary of St. Illuminator Armenian Day School, Woodside,
New York, will be celebrated on Saturday evening, May 6, at Terrace on the
Park, Corona, New York. Reception begins at 5 pm followed by dinner. Bishop
Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General, will attend and present a letter of
blessing from His Holiness Catholicos Aram I to Mrs. Zmroukhd Markarian, in
appreciation for her many decades of service as an educator at the school.
"NEVER AGAIN" FOR ARMENIANS TOO
An op-ed article by Daniel Sokatch and David N. Myers, entitled "Never
Again for Armenians too" appeared in the May 1, 2007 issue of the Los
Angeles Times. The authors chide "several American Jewish groups who abandon
their anti-genocide zeal when it comes to Turkey's massacre of Armenians,"
and find it troubling that some major Jewish organizations have lined up in
support of Turkey's effort to keep the U.S. Congress from recognizing the
Armenian massacres as an act of genocide. Sokatch is executive director of
the Progressive Jewish Alliance and Myers teaches Jewish history at UCLA. To
read the entire op-ed article click
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le -thursday3.1may03,1,1961760.story?ctrack=1&cse t=true.
RWANDAN EXHIBIT OPENS AT UNITED NATIONS
The exhibit on the 10th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda which was
scheduled to open at the United Nations two weeks ago, and postponed because
of protests from the Turkish Mission because of a one line reference to the
Armenian genocide, opened this past Monday. The Turkish diplomats had
originally asked that the entire reference to the Armenian genocide be
removed, which the organizers refused to do. The exhibit remained the same
except that "the Ottoman Empire" was substituted for "Turkey." In the
meantime the entire episode provided widespread press coverage, including an
editorial in the New York Times.
AND.ANOTHER HEADLINE MAKING ENCOUNTER
Margaret Ajemian Ahnert has just published a memoir of her mother, "The
Knock at the Door," which describes her mother's experiences during the
Armenian genocide. The first-time author had a book-signing and book-reading
appearance at a Barnes & Noble on the East Side of Manhattan on Tuesday
evening. During the session several persons disrupted her reading, shouting
and passing out leaflets denying that the genocide occurred. One man was
arrested, and the incident resulted in a lengthy article in today's New York
Times (page 3 of the Metro section). In the audience were former New York
Governor Hugh L. Carey and the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M.
Morgenthau, whose grandfather, Henry Morgenthau, was the ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1916.
A spokeswoman for Barnes & Noble said it was unusual for a reading to be
disrupted. Passing out pamphlets violated the company's no-solicitations
policy, she said. "They were asked to stop passing out leaflets. They
refused. They were jeering the author. They were asked to sit down and they
refused." The police were called.
Last night Ms. Ajemian Ahnert was a guest on the Joey Reynolds show on
WOR radio (710 AM) which is heard Monday to Friday from Midnight to five o'clock
in the morning. A portion of the show was devoted to the new book and the
incident related above.
Crossroads suggests you order the book from Barnes & Noble via the
internet or in person.
IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has
designated 2007 as the Year of the Armenian Language. In celebration of this
year-long tribute, each week we will offer an interesting tidbit about the
Armenian language.
"Nerses Shnorhali [the Graceful] was one of the most remarkable figures
of medieval Armenian literature. Nerses was born in approximately 1100 in
the castle of Tzovk, the seat of the catholicos, in the Tluk province of
Armenian Cilicia. He received his education in Karmir Vank (the Red
Monastery) in the Black [Amanus] Mountains of southeastern Cilicia, where
his teacher was Stepanos Manuk.. Shnorhali was a prolific poet, theologian,
composer, pedagogue, and publicist. The poetic grace and clarity of his
style and the articulateness of his language are indications of the lucidity
and precision of his mind. He is the leading literary and religious figure
of the Silver Age.. Shnorhali's literary output is rich and varied; he wrote
poems, sermons, canticles, riddles, and commentaries on Scripture. He also
enriched the liturgy of the Armenian Church with many hymns, anthems,
prayers, and sacred poems."
>From The Heritage of Armenian Literature, Volume II
To read the message of His Holiness in Armenian click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/2007Encyclical.pdf .
To read the message of His Holiness in English click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/021407a.htm.
DAIL Y BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, May 3, are: Luke 10:25-42; Acts 15:1-29; 2
Peter 2:9-22; John 6:22-38; Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 6:1-6.
He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed
him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard
him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is
this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done
by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of
James and Joses and Juda and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?
And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not
without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in
their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he
laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at
their unbelief.
For listing of the entire week's Bible readings click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/dbr2007.htm#050307 .
70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE HINDENBURG CRASH
This Sunday, May 6th, is the 70th anniversary of the crash of the
dirigible (zeppelin), Hindenburg, at the Navy base in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
It was the 20th century's first transportation disaster captured by
newsreel, audio recordings, and still photos. The German zeppelin, with a
length of three Boeing 747s, was on its 63rd flight when it went up in
flames as it was preparing to land on May 6, 1937. Controversy still
continues about the exact cause of the accident.
APPARITION OF THE CROSS
This Sunday, May 6, is the Feast of the Apparition of the Cross
(Yerevoumun Sourp Khatchi). The Apparition of the Holy Cross is the third
feast of the Holy Cross. It is celebrated on the fifth Sunday of Easter, in
remembrance of the apparition of the sign of the cross that appeared over
the city of Jerusalem in 331 A.D. The apparition was brighter than sunlight
and seen by clergy and laity.
MEDITATION BY REV. FR. VARTAN KASSABIAN
We end this week with a meditation by Rev. Fr. Vartan Kassabian about
the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Der Vartan is pastor of St. Gregory Armenian
Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley in North Andover, Massachusetts.
"In the wake of the recent school massacres at Virginia Tech, I have
thought time and again about how much we have progressed as a society. But,
I also have thought about just how apathetic and uncaring we have become. We
seem to be so wrapped up in this vicious cycle of life that we seem to have
become immune to the evils around us. The question still remains what could
have caused one human being to inflict such pain and suffering on so many
others for no apparent reason? Perhaps the answer comes to us and the
society and world we live.
"The worse sickness that we suffer today more than ever is the disease
of indifference, apathy, and not speaking out against what we know to be
wrong and unacceptable, especially since we claim to be a society endowed
with civility and respect for human life. Alas, reality tells a different
story. We have become a society which is now known as the culture of death.
There is no longer a sacred respect for human life and dignity. There is no
longer a sense of God, Faith, and the value of human life. Family life, the
concept of a community which loves and nurtures is for all intents and
purposes virtually nonexistent. What comes from such a tragedy is a wake up
call to each of us that we have to change and start caring more. We, too,
may someday receive the very news those grieving parents did on that day.
The decision to do what is right in the face of such evil is a choice only
we can make."
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
May 5-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in the
New England area will take place in Providence, Rhode Island.
May 6-30th anniversary of St. Illuminator's Armenian Day School, Terrace on
the Park, Corona, New York, at 5 pm.
May 7-Prelacy Ladies Guild Mothers' Day Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., St. Regis
Hotel, Two East 55th Street (at Fifth Avenue), New York City. Special
entertainment, "Musical Sounds of Armenia."
May 12-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in Mid
Atlantic area will take place at the Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, New
Jersey.
May 12-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, 50th anniversary concert
featuring Onnik Dinkjian and John Berberian.
May 12-Armenian Dance party, St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard,
Massachusetts.
May 18-40th anniversary of ordination of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan in
Midwest will take place at the National Representative Assembly.
May 20-"Hello Ellis Island" and Reception, St. Stephen's Church Hall,
Watertown, Massachusetts. $20 per person. Information, 617-924-7562.
July 1-8-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, 21st annual summer Christian
studies program for junior and senior high school students, at St. Mary of
Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania. For information click
http://www.armenianprelacy.org/datev.
July 21-Sts. Vartanantz Church Ladies Guild, Providence, Rhode Island, and
ARS Ani Chapter present "A Hye Summer Night 2." For information
401-286-8107.
August 7-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual golf
tournament at Blackstone Country Club.
August 19-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church picnic.
September 27-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 5th Annual Golf
Outing at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey. Registration
begins at 11 a.m. and tee time at 1 p.m. For information, 201-943-2950.
September 29-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 50th
anniversary banquet at Pleasant Valley.
December 1-Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, annual
church bazaar.
December 9-St. Stephen's Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 50th anniversary
celebration. For information, (617) 924-7562.
Visit our website at www.armenianprelacy.org