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Crossroads E-Newsletter - May 14, 2009

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  • Crossroads E-Newsletter - May 14, 2009

    May 14, 2009

    NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES
    The Eastern Prelacys National Representative Assembly (NRA) convened
    last week at All Saints Armenian Apostolic Church in Glenview,
    Illinois. The clergy conference began on Wednesday May 6, and the full
    Assembly started their proceedings on
    Thursday, May 7 and continued to Saturday, May 9.
    In his keynote address to the Assembly, the Prelate spoke about
    several themes including last years anniversary celebrations, the
    Diaspora situation of the Armenians beginning in the 11th century and
    continuing to this day, the need to strengthen the Armenian identity
    with national and Christian spirit, and the 2009 Year of the Youth
    proclaimed by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
    Cilicia.
    To read Archbishop Oshagans address in Armenian click here
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686544 78/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/2009NRAKeyn oteArm.pdf).

    To read Archbishop Oshagans address in English click here
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686544 79/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/2009NRAKeyn oteEng.pdf).
    As an introduction to the Year of the Youth and the panel discussions
    that took place later, presentations were made by Nayiri Baljian Bell
    and Levon Barsoumian, both of whom organized and participated in the
    successful Linked In conference for young adults that took place last
    September. [Note: Another Linked In is scheduled for this September.]
    Nayiri Baljian Bell, drawing on her four years of experience as a
    college chaplain and on her masters studies in religious education,
    presented three challenges and three opportunities with youth in the
    current United States social and cultural context. She emphasized the
    importance of understanding the nuanced needs and experiences of
    people under the age of 40, highlighting in her presentation that
    young people have a gamut of socio-developmental needs and have been
    shaped differently by varying social/generational influences.
    Levon Barsoumians presentation drew from his experiences at his church
    as a parishioner, a trustee, and having experienced and evaluated
    different Armenian churches within the Prelacy as well as non-prelacy
    churches. His presentations focus was on the theme that improving the
    spiritual health and developing community for the church has to be the
    first and mandatory step to attracting youth to the church. The second
    theme of the presentation was the need for the church to invest in
    creating and nurturing youth groups.
    To view Nayiri Baljian Bells presentation click here
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686544 80/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/2009NRABalj ian.pdf).
    To read Levon Barsoumian presentation click here
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686544 82/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/2009NRABars oumian.pdf).
    Detailed information and photographs from the NRA are being put on the
    Prelacys web page. Please check the site
    (www.armenianprelacy.org
    (http://e2ma.net/go/ 2010728978/1840126/68651949/goto:http://www.armeni anprelacy.org/))
    early next week for a comprehensive report.
    Photos:
    A group photo of the 2009 National Representative Assembly;
    Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan with
    speakers Nayiri Baljian Bell and Levon Barsoumian.

    CONDOLENCES EXTENDED TO STEPANIAN FAMILY

    Archbishop Oshagan expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the extended
    family of Paul Stepanian who died this week at the age of 39 after a
    long illness.
    Paul was the husband of Julie Stepanian, son of Steve and Esther
    Stepanian, and nephew of Rev. Fr. Aram Stepanian, chairman of the
    Prelacys Religious Council, and pastor of St. Asdvadzadzin Church in
    Whitinsville, Massachusetts..
    Archbishop Oshagan, a cousin of the deceased, expressed his personal
    sorrow in a message and assured the bereaved survivors that the
    comfort and guidance of our Lord in our hour of need sustains us.

    LAUDATORY COMMENTS ABOUT FORUM NO. 2 CONTINUE
    As reported earlier, the second of the Prelacys Quarterly Forum Series
    took place on April 16. We continue to receive laudatory comments
    about the presentation made by the students of the Youth Bible Studies
    of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island.
    Remembering the Forgotten: The Untold Story of Clergymen Lost to the
    Genocide, was presented by Yn.
    Joanna Baghsarian and her students. Thirteen of the more than 5,000
    clergymen, who were martyred during the Genocide and the Stalinist
    purges, were focused in a moving memorial.
    To read a press release about the event click here
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686544 83/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/051409b.htm l).
    To view a 7-minute clip from the presentation click here
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686544 84/goto:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-heF90zp4U ).

    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
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686519 47/goto:http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/ doc/Pontifical%20Messages/messages68.htm).
    To read His Holiness message in English click here
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686544 86/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/2009Encycli cal.pdf).

    BIBLE STUDY PROGRAM CONTINUES
    The final session of the current Bible studies program will take place
    this evening, Thursday, May 14, at the Prelacy. The series, which
    focused on Great Prayers of the Bible, studied a number of biblical
    prayers that have been incorporated into the liturgical prayers and
    services of the Armenian Church. Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of the
    Prelacys Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), conducted the
    Bible studies.

    DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM
    The 23rd annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program, for
    youth ages 13-18, is rapidly approaching. As in previous years it will
    take place at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson,
    Pennsylvania, from June 28 to July 5, 2009, preceded by a weekend
    retreat (optional) from June 26-28, 2009. The Program is sponsored by
    the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC).
    For more information click here
    (http://e2ma.net/go/2010728978/1840126/686544 88/goto:http://www.armenianprelacy.org/datev.htm).

    PLG MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON
    The Prelacy Ladies Guilds annual Mothers Day luncheon is going to take
    place on Thursday, May 21, beginning at 12:30 pm. The luncheon is
    being hosted by Rene and Linda Chirinian at their home in New Canaan,
    Connecticut. A donation of seventy-five dollars per person will
    benefit the charitable work of the PLG.
    To make reservations and obtain directions to the Chirinian residence
    please contact the Prelacy at
    212-689-7810.

    DAILY BIBLE READINGS
    Bible readings for
    today, Thursday, May 14 are: Luke 13:10-21; Acts 19:1-20; 1 John
    2:24-25; John 8:21-30; Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:31-37.
    Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, Why
    do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not
    wash their hands before they eat. He answered them, And why do you
    break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God
    said, Honor your father and your mother, and, whoever speaks evil of
    father or mother must surely die. But you say that whoever tells
    father or mother, Whatever support you might have had from me is given
    to god, then that person need not honor the father. So, for the sake
    of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites!
    Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: This people honors
    me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they
    worship me teaching human precepts as doctrines.
    Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, Listen and
    understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person,
    but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles. Then the disciples
    approached and said to him, Do you know that the Pharisees took
    offense when they heard what you said? He answered, Every plant that
    my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone;
    they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides
    another, both will fall into a pit. But Peter said to him, Explain
    this parable to us. Then he said, Are you also still without
    understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth
    enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of
    the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out
    of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication,
    theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to
    eat with unwashed hands does not defile. Matthew 15:1-20

    For listing of the coming weeks Bible readings click
    here (http://www.armenianprelacy.org/DBR2009-5.pdf).


    FROM THE BOOKSTORE

    The Great Loss of the Armenian Clergy during the Armenian
    Genocide
    By Bishop Papken Tcharian
    Translated by Tamar Topjian
    Der-Ohanessian
    This soft cover book is based on the research of Bishop Papken
    Tcharian for his
    doctoral (vartabed) thesis. It was recently translated into English by
    Tamar Topjian Der-Ohanessian. This volume provides extensive
    biographical
    information about 10 priests who were martyred during the
    Genocide. Brief biographical information is provided for more than 950
    Armenian martyred
    clergymen. Bishop Papken is currently the Prelate of the Diocese of
    New Julfa-Isfahan in Iran.
    238 pages, soft cover, $10.00, plus shipping and
    handling.


    TO ORDER THIS OR OTHER BOOKS, OR FOR INFORMATION CONTACT THE BOOKSTORE
    BY EMAIL AT [email protected]
    (mailto:BOOKS@ARMENIANPR ELACY.ORG) OR BY TELEPHONE AT 212-689-7810.


    CALENDAR OF EVENTS

    May 17The Ladies Guild of St. Stephens Armenian
    Church of Hartford-New Britain, Connecticut, is sponsoring an Armenian
    Tea Party. There will be a Tea Talk from Bigelow Tea Company, a tea
    tasting,
    and a tea luncheon. Immediately after church services in the church
    hall.

    May 21Hampartsoum Celebration, hosted by Young Adults
    Bible Study Group, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York. Vespers
    Service at 6:30 pm; Vijagakhagh and light dinner, 7 pm. $15
    donation. All
    welcome.

    May 21Mothers Day Luncheon, sponsored by the Prelacy
    Ladies Guild, 12:30 pm. The luncheon is being hosted by Rene and Linda
    Chirinian at their home in New Canaan, Connecticut. A donation of $75
    per
    person will benefit the charitable work of the PLG. For reservations
    call the Prelacy office, 212-689-7810.

    May 23St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville,
    Massachusetts, 52nd annual banquet, presided by Archbishop Oshagan
    Choloyan. On Sunday, May 24, the Prelate will celebrate the Divine
    Liturgy and
    deliver the sermon.

    May 31St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville,
    Massachusetts, Special meeting for Parish building project.

    June 20Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian and the Young Adults
    Bible Study Group of St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, invite
    you to attend a Seminar on Marriage and Family from 10 am to 4
    pm. Presentations
    by Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian and Professor Joann C. Heaney-Hunter from
    St. Johns University. Group discussions on topics of interest for
    young
    Armenian couples and families. Lunch and refreshments will be
    served. Registration fee: $25 per couple. Contact church office,
    718-224-2275.

    June 28Annual Madagh Picnic, St. Hagop Church (Racine),
    at Johnson Park Picnic Grounds, 6200 Northwestern Ave., Racine,
    Wisconsin, 10:30 to 7 pm.

    June 29 July 5St. Gregory of Datev Summer
    Institute, St. Mary of Providence Center, Elverson, Pennsylvania.

    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 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 25-26-27Prelacy Linked-In. Gathering of the
    youth. 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)
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