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 14, 2005
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN ATTENDS FUNERAL FOR
FORMER GREEK PRIMATE, ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan attended funeral services today for
Archbishop Iakovos, who was the primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in
North and South America for 37 years. His death on Sunday, April 10, was
announced by Archbishop Demetrios, the current primate of the Greek church
in the United States.
Archbishop Iakovos was an imposing religious leader who moved the Greek
Orthodox Church into the mainstream of religious and political life, and a
fierce defender of social causes. He was 93 and lived in Rye, New York.
Archbishop Oshagan expressed his sympathy to the Greek Orthodox
community describing Archbishop Iakovos as a special friend of the
Armenians. “He was a dynamic leader who advanced the visibility and work of
the Greek Orthodox Church and in many ways became a model for younger
clergymen.”
JOINT 90TH COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS IN NEW YORK CITY
EXPECTED TO ATTRACT THOUSANDS FROM EAST COAST
Thousands of Armenian Americans are expected to converge on New York
City on Sunday, April 24, to attend the various commemorative events on the
occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Communities all along the east coast, and even the Midwest, are filling
buses for the trip to New York in order to attend the various memorial
events.
The day will begin at 9 am with Divine Liturgies celebrated at St.
Vartan Cathedral and St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City. Mass will
also take place at St. Ann’s Armenian Catholic Church in Brooklyn, and
services will take place at the Armenian Evangelical Church in New York
City, and the Armenian Presbyterian Church in Paramus, New Jersey.
Memorial Gathering at Times Square will begin at 12 noon until 1:30 pm.
The day will conclude with a solemn ecumenical requiem service at St.
Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue at 50th Street, beginning at 2:30 pm to
4:30 pm.
Visit for full details.
BEAST ON THE MOON BEGINS PREVIEWS
The much anticipated New York debut of the Beast on the Moon, a play
about two Genocide survivors, began its preview performances this week.
Beast on the Moon has received 40 international awards, has been performed
in 17 countries, and translated into 12 languages. The play, which has been
described as “heartwarming” and “uplifting,” tells the story of an Armenian
immigrant and his mail-order bride, as they come to terms with their tragic
common past.
Tickets can be ordered through telecharge at 212-947-8844. A number of
Armenian organizations have purchased blocks of tickets. We published a list
several weeks ago and add the following as well:
Armenian National Committee of NJ, April 17.
Armenian National Committee of NY, April 22
Armenian Presbyterian Church (NJ), April 30 (matinee)
EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION IN ANTELIAS
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, ordained
and anointed V. Rev. Khoren Doghramdjian, Prelate of the Diocese of Greece,
and V. Rev. Fr. Shahan Sarkisian, Prelate of the Diocese of Aleppo, as
bishops on April 9 and 10.
On the evening of Saturday, April 9, the bishops made their vows in St.
Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral. The two prelates declared their
faithfulness to the creed of the Armenian Orthodox Church. Then they read
their vows and expressed their loyalty to the Catholicate of Cilicia, His
Holiness Aram I, and their readiness to serve the Armenian church and
people.
The anointing service took place on Sunday, April 10. The service was
conducted by the Catholicos, who was assisted by Bishops Kegham and Nareg.
Members of the Cilician brotherhood, clergy guests and a large number of
faithful from Aleppo, Greece and Lebanon congratulated the bishops following
the service.
AREC SPONSORS SEMINAR FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS
Sixteen Sunday School teachers and directors from four New England
parishes gathered at St. Stephen Armenian Church on Saturday, April 9, 2005,
for a daylong seminar on the Bible and the Sacraments of Christian
Initiation-Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist.
Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the
four-hour seminar focused on the service of the Word in these sacraments.
Deacon Shant Kazanjian, director of AREC, led the seminar.
Dn. Shant walked the participants through the services, highlighting the
ritual movements, prayers and the readings of the scriptures. While the
service of the sacrament of Baptism-Chrismation contains several fixed
biblical readings, the scriptural readings for the Soorp Badarak (as for
every day) are prescribed by the lectionary of the Armenian Apostolic
Church. “The way the Church uses the scriptures in her services provides an
important lens through which we can learn about the mind of the church, how
the church understands a particular passage,” said Deacon Shant.
“For instance, reading John, chapter 3, where Jesus teaches about new
birth or being born ‘of water and spirit,’ a passage which is read during
the service of baptism indicates that the Armenian Church understands the
new birth as something brought about in and through baptism. But this same
passage is read on the third Sunday of Easter {last Sunday’s reading), known
as the Sunday of World Church (Ashkharhamadran Giragi), which commemorates
the establishment of the first church. By doing so, the Church wants to
remind us also of our baptism, in and through which we became members of the
Church of God, we were born into the family of God. Hence, on the third
Sunday of Easter, we commemorate and celebrate our own baptism as well.” He
continued, “We should not view this as simply a souvenir from the past. This
invites us and challenges us to live the new life that we have received in
Christ as a gift in Baptism, to actualize the grace of baptism in our daily
lives. This means then we have to live as aliens to sins, to confess the one
true and holy faith, to submit ourselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ,
and to live according to the teachings of scriptures,” said Deacon Shant.
ONNIC MARASHIAN WILL REPRESENT PRELACY
AT COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS IN ARMENIA
Onnic Marashian, a former chairman of the Prelacy’s Executive Council
and faithful supporter of the Armenian Church, will represent the Eastern
Prelacy at a series of commemorative events for the 90th anniversary of the
Genocide in Armenia. The events are sponsored by the ARF, and include an
international symposium on the Genocide. Delegations from all over the world
are expected to attend the events which will begin on April 20th and
continue through to April 24th with a visit to Dzizernagapert, the martyrs
memorial in Armenia.
PASHALIAN FUND TRUSTEES MEET
The annual meeting of the trustees of the Pashalian Family Scholarship
Fund took place on Monday, April 11, at the Prelacy offices. The trustees
reviewed the financial reports of the Fund and then discussed the
distribution of funds for the current year. Recipients of grants will be
announced shortly.
The trustees of the Fund are: H. E. Archbishop Oshagan (exofficio), Ms.
Gloria Tarsy, Dr. George Dermksian, and Michael Derian.
NALG CONFERENCE THIS SATURDAY
The National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG) and the Ladies Guild of
Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church will host the 2005 regional religious
conference this Saturday, April 16, 10 am to 3 m at the church, 4906 Flint
Drive, Bethesda, Maryland.
The keynote speaker will be Yeretzgin Joanna Baghsarian from Providence,
Rhode Island. Her presentation will focus on women of integrity in the
Bible. Mary Derderian, adjunct instructor at George Washington University
and Stratford University, will conduct a workshop for special event
coordination, implementation and evaluation.
For information contact Mary Derderian, 703-759-3908.
ORDINATION OF ALTAR SERVERS IN PHILLY
Ordination of altar servers will take place Sunday, May 1, at St.
Gregory Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the Divine Liturgy. His
Eminence Archbishop Oshagan will preside. A banquet in honor of the newly
ordained altar servers will take place immediately after the services. For
information contact the church office, 215-482-9200.
PHOTOS OF FATHER TANIEL ON WEB
Last week we reported on V. Rev. Fr. Taniel Garabedian, who celebrated
the Divine Liturgy in the parish he grew up, Sts. Vartanantz, Ridgefield,
New Jersey. To see some photographs of that day go to:
INTERCOMMUNAL COMMITTEE OF PHILADELPHIA
WILL COMMEMORATE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF GENOCIDE
The Armenian Intercommunal Committee of Philadelphia will commemorate
the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on Thursday, April 21, 7 pm at
Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church, 630 Clothier Road, Wynnwood,
Pennsylvania, with a prayer service and program. Guest speaker on this
occasion will be Mgr. James E. King, PhD.
BAYRAKDARIAN WILL PERFORM IN BOSTON
FOR BENEFIT OF ARMENIAN RELIEF SOCIETY
The acclaimed soprano, Isabel Bayrakdarian, will perform on Thursday,
May 5, at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, along with pianist Serouj Kradjian.
All net proceeds will benefit the Armenian Relief Society Eastern USA’s
programs in Armenia and the Diaspora. An afterglow reception will follow for
VIP guests.
For information contact the ARS regional office at 617-926-3801.
ARMENIAN SISTERS ACADEMY WILL UNVEIL
NEW EXPANDED 24,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY
Armenian education in the United States is an important endeavor and we
here at Crossroads are pleased to support the educational institutions which
provide outstanding educational opportunities for our younger generations.
The Armenian Sisters Academy in Radnor, Pennsylvania, will unveil its
newly expanded and renovated 24,000-square foot facility on April 29. The
event will salute three individuals who have supported the school’s goals:
Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York; Wallace
F. Forbes, son of the founder of Forbes Magazine, and currently president of
Forbes Investors Advisory Institute; and Janet Janjigian, Senior Vice
President of Corporate Communications at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Inc. (MGM).
The April 29th celebration will feature inspiring and oral depiction of
the meaningful lives of Gregorian, Forbes, and Janjigian. For information
contact Rita Ohanyan, 610-647-2016.
THIS SUNDAY IS RED SUNDAY
This Sunday, April 17, the third Sunday after Easter, is called Red
Sunday (Karmir Kiraki). The name does not have an ecclesiastical origin, but
rather similar to Green Sunday, it is a celebration of nature, especially
the rebirth of springtime when red flowers grow in the green fields. The
forty days after Easter are also a commemoration of Christ’s various
appearances to His disciples before His ascension. The two Sundays, Green
and Red, are good days to concentrate on our relationship with nature and
our stewardship of this good earth given to us by our Lord.
TOMORROW IS TAX DEADLINE
And, of course, tomorrow, April 15 is the deadline to file your income
tax returns, unless you filed for an extension, which would allow you a
reprieve until August.
In 1913, the 16th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified
empowering Congress to tax “incomes, from whatever source derived, without
apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or
enumeration.” While some states do not have an income tax (i.e., Nevada),
all residents and all citizens of the United States are subject to the
federal income tax.
“The tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but
was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'” Luke
18:13 (NRSV)
We leave you this week with these words of Archbishop Iakovos, who was laid
to rest today.
“I will not remain still or I will die. I will use the time I have left to
further my ecumenical work. I will elucidate the positions of the Orthodox
Church in America. It must be an active church and an activist church,
because the world today needs to be rearranged.”
>From statements made by Archbishop Iakovos, at the time of his retirement as
prelate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.
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