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Eastern Prelacy: Crossroads E-Newsletter - 05/24/2007

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  • Eastern Prelacy: Crossroads E-Newsletter - 05/24/2007

    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 24, 2007

    NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES
    The National Representative Assembly (NRA) of the Eastern Prelacy, which
    meets annually, concluded last Saturday, May 19, in Dearborn, Michigan. His
    Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan expressed his thanks to the parish of
    St. Sarkis who hosted the Assembly with diligent and gracious hospitality.
    Special panels focused on, Youth and Young Adult Programs; Clergy
    Recruitment, Development and Training; Financial Development Programs; Audit
    and Budget.
    Keynote addresses were delivered by the Prelate, His Eminence Archbishop
    Oshagan Choloyan, and Jack C. Mardoian, chairman of the Executive Council.
    To read the Prelate's address in Armenian click
    http://www.armenianprelacy.org/2007NRAMessage.pdf .
    To read the Prelate's address in English click
    http://www.armenianprelacy.org/052407a.htm.
    To read Mr. Mardoian's address click
    http://www.armenianprelacy.org/052407b.htm.

    ENTH USIASTIC GATHERING CELEBRATES THE THIRD OF THREE ANNIVERSARY GALAS FOR
    ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN
    The third of the three regional celebrations marking the 40th
    anniversary of Archbishop Oshagan's ordination to the priesthood, took place
    last Friday, May 18, in Dearborn, Michigan, during the National
    Representative Assembly.
    Photographs from all three celebrations will be posted on the Prelacy's
    web page next week.

    PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO BOSTON
    Archbishop Oshagan will travel to the Boston area where on Sunday, May
    27, Pentecost, he will preside over the Divine Liturgy and deliver the
    sermon at St. Stephen Church in Watertown. His Eminence will also preside
    over a special ceremony offering prayers for the Republic of Armenia and
    blessing of the tricolor flag.

    VICAR WILL TRAVEL TO OHIO
    Bishop Anoushavan will travel to Ohio where on Sunday he will officiate
    over the Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at Holy Cross Church in
    Royalton, Ohio.

    VICAR WILL ATTEND RECEPTION FOR PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
    On Tuesday, May 29, Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar and Ecumenical Officer in
    the United States for the Cilician See, will attend a reception for
    Archbishop Antonios Naguib, the Patriarch of Alexandria of the Coptic
    Catholic Church, at the offices of the Catholic Near East Welfare
    Association in New York City. The Coptic Catholic Church, with headquarters
    in Cairo, Egypt, is an Eastern rite Church that has been in communion with
    Rome since the early 19th century.

    VICAR WILL ATTEND CONFERENCE
    On Wednesday, May 30, Bishop Anoushavan will attend a conference on
    "Cultivating Hope: Planting Hope of Environmental Justice in New York City."
    Organized by the Interfaith Center, the conference will take place at the
    Stony Point Center in Stony Point, New York.

    CATHOLICOS ARAM I PRESIDES OVER GROUNDBREAKING
    FOR NEW HAIGAZIAN SCHOOL IN ALEPPO
    His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, who is
    currently on a pontifical visit to Syria, presided over groundbreaking
    ceremonies for a new building for the famed Haigazian School in Aleppo, on
    May 20. The old building which for decades served as an important center for
    the formation of new Armenian generations, is being replaced by a new
    building thanks to the commitment and will of the Armenians of Aleppo. A
    large gathering of community members was joined by the mayor of Aleppo,
    government officials and guests. Highlighting the unique role of the
    Armenian school, His Holiness called on the people to support and preserve
    it for the achievement of Armenians' national vision, goals and dreams. "The
    Armenian school has a special place on the agenda of the Catholicosate's
    activities. In all our dioceses, our prelacies are active initiators and
    supporters of the Armenian school's progress and development," the Pontiff
    said.

    ST. ILLUMINATOR'S PARISHIONERS VISIT PHILADELPHIA
    More than 20 parishioners of St. Illuminator's Cathedral, accompanied by
    their pastor, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, visited the St. Gregory the
    Illuminator Church in Philadelphia on Tuesday, May 22, before going on a
    tour of historic Philadelphia. They were greeted at the church by Rev. Fr.
    Nerses Manoogian, pastor of St. Gregory (see photo).

    MOTHERS DAY AT THE CATHEDRAL
    Last Sunday, May 20, St. Illuminator's Cathedral, New York City honored
    the mothers of the congregation with a special Mother's Day luncheon.
    Honored as the mothers of the year were Yn. Vartouni Der Kaloustian, Mrs.
    Azadouhi Vartanian, and Mrs. Lusig Khatchadour.
    The Cathedral is in the midst of a major renovation and one of the most
    memorable events of the day was a gift from a ten-year-old Sunday school
    student, Anais Gharibian, who brought her piggy bank to church and donated
    its contents for the renovation campaign. The gesture came as a complete
    surprise and all those present were deeply moved by Anais's thoughtfulness.
    On the same day the Sunday school students organized a bake sale and donated
    all of the proceeds toward the renovation fund.
    ".And the children shall lead them."

    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.

    SUNDAY IS PENTECOST
    This Sunday, May 27, is Pentecost (Hogegaloust), which is celebrated
    fifty days after Easter. Jesus had commanded the apostles to, "Go therefore
    to all nations and make them my disciples," (Matthew 28:19). Christ
    recognized the difficulty of this great responsibility and had advised them
    not to begin their teaching mission until after the "Descent of the Holy
    Spirit." In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that on the day of Pentecost
    the apostles gathered in one place, and that suddenly a strong wind seemed
    to fill the house in which they were assembled. "And there appeared to them
    flames like tongues of fire distributed among them and coming to rest on
    each one. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in
    other tongues, as the Spirit gave them power of utterance," (Acts 2:2-4).
    Many of the people in Jerusalem were from foreign lands. They marveled at
    the fact that each one of them could understand the Apostles' words in his
    own language. The first gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles was
    the ability to speak and be understood by people who came from many
    different nations.

    89th ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
    This Monday, May 28, is the 89th anniversary of the independent republic
    of Armenia of 1918. After defeating Turkish forces at Sardarabad,
    Bashabaran, and Karakilise, the Armenians proclaimed an independent
    democratic Armenian Republic on what was left of their homeland on May 28,
    1918. On this occasion Archbishop Oshagan has asked all Prelacy parishes to
    conduct a service of thanksgiving and blessing of the flag on Sunday, May
    27, in honor of the 89th anniversary of the first republic and the 16th
    anniversary of the Armenian Republic of today.

    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.
    St. Gregory has been called the "illuminator of the spirit" since he
    brought the light of the Christian faith to the Armenian people. St. Nerses
    has been called "the illuminator of the heart" because he attempted to teach
    Christian love to his people. But human beings also have a mind, and Jesus
    said "Love the Lord your God with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). It is
    with the mind that we think, and human thought is conducted in language. So
    to love God with our minds means to be able to speak with God in our
    language. To further the work of Gregory and Nerses, Armenia needed
    "illuminators of the mind." And that is what Armenia received in the fifth
    century, perhaps the most decisive and important century in the history of
    Armenian Christianity. Armenian was not a written language until the fifth
    century. It was spoken by the people but most of them were illiterate. The
    educated classes, both clergy and lay, studied Greek and Syriac. And the
    only bibles and liturgical books available were written in these languages,
    so Christianity remained foreign to the people.
    >From chapter five, "The Written Word," in Light from Light: An Introduction
    to the History and Theology of the Armenian Church, by Michael B. Papazian.

    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.


    DAI LY BIBLE READINGS
    Bible readings for today, May 24, are: Luke 20:27-21:4; Acts
    25:23-26:32; Jude 1:8-15; John 13:1-15; Matthew 22:15-46; Mark 12:35-44.

    While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, "How can the scribes
    say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, by the Holy Spirit,
    declared, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your
    enemies under your feet." David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his
    son? And the large crowd was listening to him with delight. As he taught, he
    said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to
    be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in
    the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows' houses
    and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the
    greater condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the
    crowd putting money into the treasury. A poor widow came and put in two
    small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples
    and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than
    all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have
    contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in
    everything she had, all she had to live on." Mark 12:35-44.

    For listing of the entire week's Bible readings click
    http://www.armenianprelacy.org/dbr2007.htm#052407 .

    GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE IS 70
    The famed Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Francisco and Marin
    County, will be seventy years old on May 27. The bridge officially opened at
    6 a.m. on May 27, 1937, with 100,000 pedestrians crossing what at the time
    was the world's longest suspension bridge. Vehicular traffic began the next
    day. In 1964 the Golden Gate became out-distanced by New York's
    Verazzano-Narrows Bridge.

    THE BEGINNING OF GREEN
    The 100th birthday of Rachel Carson will be marked on May 27. A marine
    biologist, her book Silent Spring, published in 1962, is credited with the
    start of the American environmental movement. Silent Spring was a
    condemnation of the indiscriminate use of DDT and other pesticides. Carson
    died of cancer in 1964, at age 56. In 1972 the use of DDT was banned in the
    U.S. in large part because of Silent Spring.

    "Over increasingly large areas of the United States, spring now comes
    unheralded by the return of the birds, and the early mornings are strangely
    silent where once they were filled with the beauty of bird song. . As crude
    a weapon as the cave man's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled
    against the fabric of life."
    >From Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962).

    MONDAY IS MEMORIAL DAY
    This Monday, May 28, is Memorial Day-a day of remembrance for those who
    died in service to our nation. It was originally for the Union and
    Confederate soldiers who died during the U.S. Civil War. After World War I
    it was expanded to honor all American men and women who died in service.
    Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling
    place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. . Those who
    love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they
    call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will
    rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show
    them my salvation.
    Verses 9, 10, 14, 15, and 16 of Psalm 91, sometimes called the "Soldier's
    Psalm."
    (Note: Psalm 90 in the Armenian edition).

    CALENDAR OF EVENTS

    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 7-St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, gathering at the
    home of the parish priest, Rev. Father Bedros Shetilian.

    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
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