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Eastern Prelacy: Crossroads E-Newsletter - 05/4/2006

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  • Eastern Prelacy: Crossroads E-Newsletter - 05/4/2006

    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 4, 2006

    ARMENIAN AIRLINE PLANE CRASHES IN BLACK SEA
    We mourn the loss of the 113 passengers on an Armavia Airbus A-320 that
    crashed yesterday near the southern Russian resort city of Sochi on the
    Black Sea. Officials believe the crash was caused by poor visibility due to
    pouring rain. Many of the passengers were vacationers.
    Upon hearing the sad news Archbishop Oshagan telephoned His Holiness
    Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, to express
    condolences. In a message issued to the Faithful circulated yesterday in a
    special edition of Crossroads, the Prelate said: "We extend our heartfelt
    sympathy to the families who lost loved ones. May the love of our Lord and
    Savior Jesus Christ comfort them in this time of deep sorrow. We urge our
    Faithful to join our brothers and sisters in Armenia in offering special
    prayers on Friday, May 5. May the souls of the victims find everlasting
    peace in our Lord's Heavenly Kingdom."

    PRELATE WILL ATTEND ST. ILLUMINATOR SCHOOL GALA
    Archbishop Oshagan will attend the dinner dance gala sponsored by the St.
    Illuminator School, tomorrow, Friday, May 5, at the Terrace on the Park in
    Corona, New York. In an innovative change of pace the event is also a
    reunion of Armenian School students going back to the 1930s to the present.
    Many remember with great fondness the first-rate Aharonian Mayr Varjaran
    where the first generation of Armenian Americans was taught the Armenian
    language, history and culture. Back then (yes, some of us here at Crossroads
    are old enough to remember those days) students went to Armenian School
    three afternoons a week (after regular school was dismissed). Dressed in
    "Sunday-best" attire, most of the students were from the Armenian enclave in
    the neighborhood near the Cathedral on the lower east side, but many others
    traveled by subway or trolley from distant parts of the city-including the
    outer boroughs.

    PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO PHILADELPHIA ON SUNDAY
    TO ATTEND ST. GREGORY ANNIVERSARY GALA
    On Sunday, May 7, Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Philadelphia where he
    will preside over the Divine Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church
    and the church's 39th anniversary celebration that will follow the church
    service.
    The Philadelphia community is one of the oldest Armenian communities in
    the United States. Its history goes much further than 39 years. However, the
    current church complex was built and consecrated in May 1967. Since then it
    has been serving the growing needs of the large Armenian American community
    in the sprawling Philadelphia area, which includes southern New Jersey and
    nearby Delaware. Last year the church embarked on a new phase of growth and
    is now in the midst of a fundraising campaign for a much-needed renovation
    and expansion of facilities in order to provide spiritual, educational and
    cultural services to the community.

    DEACON SHANT WILL LEAD RETREAT IN PHILLY
    Deacon Shant Kazanjian, director of the Prelacy's Armenian Religious
    Education Council, will lead a retreat for the Sunday School teachers and
    staff of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia, beginning
    tomorrow evening, Friday, May 5, through Saturday, May 6. The theme of the
    retreat is "Nurturing Faith."

    SCHOOL VISIT PLANNED BY ANEC
    In her continuing schedule of visits to Armenian schools, Nayiri
    Balanian, chair of the Armenian National Education Committee, will visit the
    Taniel Varoujan School in Chicago on May 12 and 13. She will meet with the
    teachers and the principal on May 12 and the next day will attend a Mothers
    Day luncheon where she will honor the teachers for their dedicated service.
    ANEC is jointly sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy and the Armenian Relief
    Society (Eastern).

    TURKISH NOVELIST SELECTED AS TIME MAGAZINES
    100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE
    Orhan Pamuk, the acclaimed and prize-winning Turkish writer, was named
    this week as one of the one hundred most influential people in the world by
    Time Magazine.
    Describing Pamuk as the "Teller of the Awful Truth," Time writes: "Pamuk,
    already the most famous author in contemporary Turkey, became a global cause
    celebre early last year after he pointedly criticized his country's
    all-too-willful historical blind spots: the genocide of Armenians in 1915 by
    the Turkish military and a similar suppression of the country's Kurdish
    minority." All this led to fierce criticism from nationalist groups and the
    government prepared to put him on trial. Human rights organizations and
    writers' unions around the world came to his defense attracting intense
    worldwide publicity. In the end, as Time Magazine notes, "Pamuk's name has
    become even more recognized and his words even more influential. In the
    confrontation of rock-hard reality and paper-thin artistry, sometimes, as in
    the children's game, paper overcomes stone."

    PRELATE WILL ATTEND SYRIAN ORTHODOX LEADER'S ANNIVERSARY
    On Saturday, May 6, Archbishop Oshagan will attend a celebration of the
    10th anniversary of the Episcopal Consecration of Archbishop Mor Cyril
    Aphrem Karim, Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church (Eastern U.S.)
    The Syrian Orthodox Church is within the family of Oriental Orthodox
    Churches which includes the Armenian Apostolic Church.

    PRELACY LADIES GUILD MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON
    WILL TAKE PLACE MONDAY, MAY 8
    The Prelacy Ladies' Guild's Mothers' Day Luncheon will take place on
    Monday, May 8, at The St. Regis, 2 East 55th Street, New York City. The
    event, which has become an anticipated event for women in the metropolitan
    area and beyond, will take place in the beautiful St. Regis Roof with
    reception beginning at 11:30 am, followed by luncheon at 12:30 pm. A special
    Musical Interlude, "Voices of Spring," will provide entertainment and the
    "Mother of the Year" will be announced and honored.

    NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY
    WILL CONVENE IN NEW JERSEY
    The Eastern Prelacy's National Representative Assembly will convene May
    17 to 19, at the host church, Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
    Jersey.
    The concluding reception and banquet will take place Friday evening, May
    19, at the Fort Lee Hilton, Route 4 East, Fort Lee, New Jersey. During the
    banquet program a number of individuals will be honored including "Persons
    of the Year," "Spirit of Armenia," and "Youth Leadership" awards.
    "Certificates of Merit" will be presented to deserving members of the local
    host community. To make reservations for the banquet ($75. per person)
    contact any of the following: Sts. Vartanantz Church, 201-943-2950; Bea
    Movsesian, 201-445-6867; Sonia Setrakian, 201-313-7157; Lynn Mahlebjian,
    201-440-3018.

    CONFERENCE FOR YERETZGEENS WILL TAKE PLACE
    DURING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW JERSEY
    Archbishop Oshagan and the Religious and Executive Council are pleased to
    announce that a conference for Yeretzgeens of the Eastern Prelacy will be
    held in New Jersey on May 16-17, in conjunction with the National
    Representative Assembly. All Yeretzgeens are invited to attend the
    conference. Archbishop Oshagan will open the session with a prayer and
    deliver the opening message. The remainder of the conference will feature
    two sessions on various aspects of the life of a priest's wife (family,
    parish life, work) by Presvytera Athanasia Papademetriou of the Greek
    Orthodox faith and one session titled "Women of Noble Character," by
    Yeretzgeen Joanna Baghsarian.

    PRELATE AND VICAR WILL ATTEND JOINT MEETING
    Archbishop Oshagan and V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan will attend the third
    meeting of Christian, Arab and Middle Eastern Churches Together next
    Thursday, May 11, which will take place at the Eparchy of St. Maron of
    Brooklyn, hosted by Archbishop Gregory Marsour.

    REGISTER NOW FOR DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM
    Urge your teenagers to enroll in the St. Gregory of Datev Summer
    Institute. The weeklong program will take place July 2 to 9 at the St. Mary
    of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania. This year the Institute is
    marking its 20th anniversary and all kinds of commemorative events are being
    planned. We will provide full details in the coming weeks.

    THE ART OF EMMA GREGORYAN
    TO BE EXHIBITED AT THE PRELACY
    The works of noted artist, Emma Gregoryan, will be shown beginning on
    Friday evening, May 12, at the Prelacy's Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian Hall,
    138 E. 39th Street, New York City. The opening reception will take place
    Friday, May 12, at 7 p.m. The artist will be present to welcome guests.
    Refreshments will be served.
    Ms. Gregoryan's works are currently being shown at the Susquehanna Art
    Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as part of an exhibition of the Armenian
    art collection of the late John Vartan.
    Born in Gumri, Armenia, Emma Grigoryan graduated from the Fine Arts and
    Theatrical Institute of Yerevan. Her paintings have been exhibited in
    Yerevan, Paris, Beirut, New York, Washington and throughout Canada.

    CATHOLICOS ARAM I ISSUES FIFTH DIALOGUE WITH YOUTH
    His Holiness Catholicos Aram I recently issued the 5th in a series of
    dialogues with the youth, entitled "The Imperative of a Faith-Sustained
    Life."
    His Holiness describes the general understanding of faith and then say,
    ".being Christian does not mean merely knowing about our faith or even
    witnessing about it. It means keeping firm our faith. This is the message of
    our Lord Jesus Christ. The church, the mystical body of Christ, constantly
    reminds her faithful to remain faithful to the Christian faith by responding
    to its challenges, demands and implications."
    His Holiness says faith means to "remain faithful to the Christian faith
    by responding to its challenges, demands and implications." The Pontiff
    expands on other important aspects including, placing faith at the center of
    life, preserving the integrity of faith, participating fully and actively in
    the life and mission of the church, and translating faith into work.

    GEORGE MGRDICHIAN: FRIEND AND EXTRAORDINARY MUSICIAN
    This week we mourn the loss of a personal friend and an extraordinary
    musician, George Mgrdichian. His funeral took place today in Philadelphia at
    St. Gregory the Illuminator Church. He grew up in Philly, but later moved to
    New York.
    George was an accomplished musician and also a talented artist, who loved
    to draw cartoons, including a parody of himself and his world he called
    "Kokorig." He had undergraduate and graduate degrees from Juilliard and was
    a gifted classical clarinetist.
    Most probably he could have had a distinguished career in symphony
    orchestras, but his true love was the oud, an instrument that he
    single-handedly elevated to concert status. He performed in almost every
    major concert hall in the U.S., wrote and performed musical scores for
    movies, television and Broadway. His obituary was published today in the New
    York Times and the New York Sun, and we are sure dozens of other newspapers
    around the country.

    EMPIRE STATE BUILDING TURNS 75
    On Monday, May 1, New York's Empire State Building (ESB) marked its 75th
    birthday, beginning a year-long celebration. Built at the height of the
    Great Depression, the building has gone through many hardships including a
    1945 plane crash. When built, the ESB was the tallest building in the world
    and remained the tallest in New York until the completion of the World Trade
    Twin Towers in 1972. After September 11, 2001, the ESB again became New
    York's tallest building and remains so today. It now ranks 9th in the world,
    and second in the United States behind Chicago's Sears Tower.
    Construction of the 102 floors was considered to be one of the most
    remarkable feats of the 20th century. More than 3,400 workers-most of them
    immigrants, desperate and grateful for employment-worked on the
    construction, which took a mere 410 days to complete. Which leads us to
    wonder: Why is it taking so long to repair the FDR drive?

    CALENDAR OF EVENTS

    May 5-Reunion of all students beginning from the 1930s who attended St.
    Illuminator Armenian School in New York. Dinner Dance at Terrace on the
    Park, Corona, NY. For reservations or information contact the St.
    Illuminator's Day School, 718-478-4073.

    May 7-Mothers' Day celebration at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.

    May 8-Mothers' Day Luncheon by Prelacy Ladies Guild, St. Regis, New York
    City.

    May 12-Exhibition of the works of artist Emma Gregoryan at the Prelacy, 138
    E. 39th Street, New York City.

    May 13-Dinner-Dance organized by the St. Sarkis Church Ping-Pong Club. For
    details 718-224-2275.

    May 17-19-National Representative Assembly (NRA), hosted by Sts. Vartanantz
    Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. Concluding reception and banquet will take
    place Friday, May 19, at the Fort Lee Hilton, Fort Lee, New Jersey.
    Reception at 7 pm, followed by dinner. For information/reservations: Sts.
    Vartanantz Church office, 201-943-2950.

    May 16 and 17-Conference of Yeretzgeens in conjunction with the National
    Representative Assembly, hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New
    Jersey.

    May 20-Year-end Hantes for Sunday School and Saturday School, St. Sarkis
    Church, Douglaston, New York. For information, 718-224-2275.

    June 4-16th Anniversary Celebration of the new St. Sarkis Church,
    Douglaston, New York. For information, 718-224-2275.

    July 22-Ladies Guild of Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island,
    and Ani Chapter of Armenian Relief Society co-host gala dance at Greek
    Orthodox Annunciation Church. For information, 401-286-8107.

    September 28-4th Annual Golf Outing hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church,
    Ridgefield, New Jersey. Bergen Hills Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey.
    For reservations and/or information: 201-943-2950.

    Visit our website at www.armenianprelacy.org

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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