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:
Contact: Iris Papazian
CROSSROADS E- NEWSLETTER: APRIL 8, 2004
THE GREAT WEEK CULMINATES WITH EASTER
We are now coming to the end of the Great Week and approaching Easter
(Zatig)-the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ-the grandest and oldest
feast in the Christian calendar. The Great Week not only commemorates the
death and resurrection of the Lord, but it renews the efficacy of the
redemptive work of Christ. The resurrection is the victory of Christ over
death, and the hope of life eternal.
Maundy Thursday: The word Maundy comes from the Latin, mandatum, meaning
mandate or command, signifying the command by Christ that His disciples
should love one another (John 13:34). One great feature of Maundy Thursday
is the washing of the feet in memory of the deed by Christ (John 13:1-11).
Tenebrae, which comes from the Latin meaning darkness, or the Armenian
Khavaroom is the vigil, which begins Thursday evening. It is the night of
Gethsemane, marking the prayers of Jesus, the kiss of Judas, the arrest of
Jesus, the trial, and the denial by Peter. Traditionally it is an all-night
vigil in the Church and one of the most moving and heartrending services of
the Church.
Great Friday, or Good Friday, commemorates the passion and crucifixion
of Christ. It is the most solemn and sacred day in the Christian year,
commemorating the death and burial of Jesus. Traditionally it is one of the
longest in terms of church services throughout the day. Here in the United
States we have lost that tradition and services are generally limited to
evening services marking the crucifixion and burial.
Holy Saturday in the Armenian tradition is called Jragalouytz. In the
evening passages from the Bible are read and the Holy Mass is performed.
Great Lent (Metz Pahk) comes to an end.
As in past years, His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan, will mark the holy
days with various parishes. Today he will be celebrating Washing of the Feet
and Maundy Thursday with the parish of St. Gregory the Illuminator of
Philadelphia. Good Friday he will officiate at Sts. Vartanantz Church in
Ridgefield, New Jersey. Holy Saturday he will be with the St. Sarkis parish
of Douglaston, New York, and Easter Sunday he will officiate at St.
Illuminators Cathedral in New York City.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PARTICIPATES IN
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Vazken Ghougassian, Executive Director of the Eastern Prelacy,
participated last week in the International Conference at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The overall theme of the conference was
Where the Only-Begotten Descended: The Church of Armenia through the Ages.
Dr. Ghougassian presented a paper on the Diocese of New Julfa and its
Relationship with Etchmiadzin in the 17th and early 18th Centuries. The
proceedings, comprising 45 papers covering the entire history of the
Armenian Church, will be published in a volume dedicated to noted scholar
and Armenologist, Professor Robert Thomson on the occasion of his 70th
birthday. The International Conference, which brought together top scholars
in the field, was sponsored by Mike and Shirley Kojaian and the Alex and
Marie Manoogian Foundation.
ARMENIAN SISTERS ACADEMY WINS TOURNAMEN
The Armenian Sisters Academy, Radnor, Pennsylvania, was the winning team
of the Mid-Atlantic region Jeopardy Tournament that took place at Sts.
Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. The tournaments are sponsored by
the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC), which is jointly sponsored
by the Eastern Prelacy and the Armenian Relief Society.
Participants formed teams from the Hamasdegh School, Washington, D.C.;
Nareg School, Ridgefield, New Jersey; Siamanto Academy, New York, New York;
Armenian Sisters Academy, Radnor, Pennsylvania; Holy Martyrs Day School,
Bayside, New York; and Holy Martyrs community, New York.
The next Armenian Jeopardy Tournaments will take place on Saturday, May
8 in Watertown, Massachusetts, for the New England area, and on Sunday, May
15 in Chicago, Illinois, for the Midwest area. The championship game is
scheduled for May 22 in Philadelphia.
PRELACY LADIES GUILD MOTHERS DAY LUNCHEON
The annual Mothers Day luncheon and Fashion Show sponsored by the
Prelacy Ladies Guild will take place Monday, May 3, at The St. Regis, 2 East
55th Street, New York City. This year the PLG is celebrating its 30th
anniversary. Neiman Marcus of Paramus, New Jersey will present the Spring
2004 Collections. Reception starts at 11:30 a.m. with luncheon at 12:30 p.m.
Seating is limited so make your plans now to attend. For reservations
contact the Prelacy office, 212-689-7810.
CILICIAN CATHOLICATE PARTICIPATES IN
ECUMENICAL SEMINAR
Rev. Fr. Magar Ashkarian, the assistant to the Dean of the Cilician
Theological Seminary, participated in a seminar on the nature and the
purpose of the church in the Orthodox and Evangelical tradition. This
seminar is a follow-up of two earlier seminars, which brought together
Orthodox and Evangelicals in Bossey, Switzerland, to strengthen the World
Council of Churches initiatives to build meaningful relationships between
the two traditions.
The seminar included an enlarged number of participants and focused on
the nature and the mission of the church. The theme of the seminar was
treated in relation to the understanding of salvation and of the role and
place of the Bible in the two traditions. The participants sought ways of
reconciliation, better common understanding of one another and mutual
support that leads towards a common witness to the Gospel in response to the
challenges of modern times. The findings of the seminar will contribute
towards the 2005 Conference on the World Mission and Evangelism.
CHRISTOS HARYAV EE MERELOTZ
OHRTNYAL EH HAROUTIUNEN CHRISTOSI
CHRIST IS RISEN. BLESSED IS THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
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