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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 8; March 1, 2008
Features:
1. Blaise of Sepastia
Article and Photos By Knarik Meneshian
2. The Athletic Connection: Gavoor and Bogosian
By Tom Vartabedian
***
1. Blaise of Sepastia
Article and Photos By Knarik Meneshian
Against the backdrop of Mount Sergio and along the Dalmatian coast lies the
picturesque city of Dubrovnik in the southern part of Croatia. Because of
the "well wooded" mountainside the city was given its name. Bosnia,
Herzegovina and Montenegro are Croatia’s neighbors. The area is lush,
charming and tranquil. The blue waters of the Adriatic shimmer in the
brilliant sunlight. Boats and ships rock gently in the harbor. Fragrant wild
flowers bow in the wind along the winding roads, and red rooftops dot the
landscape. As I stroll along the streets, I notice that statues of a
particular saint are seen around the city. It is Sveti Vlaho or Saint
Blaise, Dubrovnik’s patron saint since the year 972. The city’s most beloved
church, Saint Blasius-named in honor of Saint Blaise-stands in the square.
The baroque-style church, which houses some of the Saint’s relics, was
rebuilt in the 18th century after an earthquake destroyed the city in 1667.
Saint Blaise’s importance to Dubrovnik is similar to that of Saint Mark’s to
Venice. On Feb. 3, Dubrovnik celebrates Saint Blaise’s feast day with Mass,
parades and festivities lasting several days.
Prayer in Honor of Saint Blaise
"O God, deliver us through the intercession of Thy holy bishop and martyr
Blaise, from all evil of soul and body, especially from all ills of the
throat. Amen."
Invocation of Saint Blaise
"Saint Blaise, gracious benefactor of mankind and faithful servant of God,
who for the love of our Savior did suffer so many tortures with patience and
resignation. Amen."
Prayer
"Saint Blaise, pray for us that we may not suffer from illness of the throat
and pray that all who are suffering be healed by God’s love. Amen."
"Who is he," I asked a nun standing near one of Saint Blaise’s smaller
statues.
".An Armenian bishop who performed miracles.," she replied with reverence in
her voice as she spoke of him, all the while emphasizing that he was
Armenian.
Nearby, a tour guide, pointing up at a larger statue, enthusiastically
explained to a group of tourists standing in front of St. Blasius Church,
".He is the martyred Armenian bishop and physician who performed great
healing miracles.and patron saint of our city."
It is written that Saint Blaise is the patron of "physicians, sick cattle,
wax-chandlers, wool-combers and of wild animals because of his care for them
and of those with throat maladies. As one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (‘a
group of saints invoked as early as the 12th century in Germany.’), he was
venerated throughout Central Europe."
As early as the 8th century, Saint Blaise became one of the most popular
saints of the Middle Ages, and many churches and altars were dedicated to
him. ("The Abbey of Saint Blaise in southern Germany claimed to have some of
his relics.") Venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox
Church, Saint Blaise was tortured and beheaded (along with seven Christian
women) by the Romans in 316 A.D. for his Christian beliefs. He was born in
Sepastia, Armenia, to a rich and noble family. In his youth, Saint Blaise
studied philosophy, later becoming a physician and then a clergyman. Because
of his "outstanding holiness and leadership qualities," the young
physician-clergyman was appointed Bishop of Sepastia. One of the reasons for
his renown was due to his great healing skills and "wonderful cures," which
were perceived as miracles, especially upon saving the life of a child
choking on a fish-bone. He also cured sick animals, some of them wild. "In
the holy wars, his relics were dispersed over Europe and his veneration was
increased by many miraculous cures, especially of sore or diseased throats.
He is represented holding two candles in his hand (used for the blessing of
throats) or in a cave surrounded by wild animals."
Saint Blaise’s feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on Feb.
3, while in the Eastern Orthodox Church it is celebrated on Feb. ll. Saint
Blaise is also known as Saint Vlas, Vlasij, Vlaso, Biagio, Blas, Blase,
Blasien, Blasius, Blass, Blaze and Bras. On his feast day, in many Roman
Catholic parishes, the priest prays: "Through the intercession of Saint
Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the
throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Although I could not find Saint Blaise’s feast day on Armenian calendars,
according to Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate, "We do celebrate Saint
Blaise or Soorp Vlas in the Armenian Church. We commemorate his feast with
that of Bishop Petros (Bedros) of Alexandria and his deacon Absolom
(Apisoghom). There is no fixed date for Soorp Vlas’s commemoration because
our feasts are sharjagan or changeable. Usually, he is celebrated in
January, though sometimes when Easter falls early his celebration is
observed after Vartavar or Transfiguration. For example, this year Easter is
on March 23, so his celebration day is on July 19, whereas last year, it was
on Jan. 16 because Easter was on April 8. Until the genocide, his tomb was
in Sepastia in the yard of a Turkish family. Christians used to go there for
pilgrimages."
Saint Blaise, a contemporary of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, is not only
the patron saint of Dubrovnik, Croatia, but the patron saint in cities in
Italy, Paraguay, Russia, and is celebrated in England and Germany.
The Armenian Church, however, does not seem to consider one of its own as a
significant saint, and does not have a specific feast day just for him.
Instead, Soorp Vlas, Bishop of Septasia, Armenia, and "gracious benefactor
of mankind and faithful servant of God," instead is assigned a day with two
other saints of non-Armenian origin.
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2. The Athletic Connection: Gavoor and Bogosian
By Tom Vartabedian
When it’s come to the AYF Olympics, few have contributed as much to the
arena as Aram "Sonny" Gavoor.
He’s competed as a formidable athlete, patron, coach, Governing Body member,
promoter, recruiter, parent of a top athlete (Nancy) and maybe even taken
tickets.
It’s only rewarding in a sense that the 75th anniversary this year be
conducted in his own Detroit back yard.
What’s more, he’s done similar work for the Homenetmen. It’s like lighting a
candle at both ends and drowning yourself in your own incandescence. That’s
Sonny-a true sport if there ever was one and both organizations are blessed
with his boundless loyalty.
The AYF made him a king. And the Homenetmen followed suit recently by
presenting him with a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award for his
dedication in the development of their athletic programs.
>From what I’ve learned, Sonny has been the force over the past several
years. He was very instrumental in last year’s Regional Games as advisor to
the Detroit Organizing Committee.
He secured the athletic facilities, hotels and banquet halls, security,
referees and the competitive games themselves. What’s more, he also arranged
with the mayor of Livonia-the host city-to raise the Armenian flag at City
Hall.
In his spare time, Sonny has served as a woman’s cross country coach at
nearby Schoolcraft College and enhanced the program to championship caliber.
He has also assisted in the athletic program at Stevenson High School in
Livonia.
On Friday nights, you’ll usually find him in the Schoolcraft College gym for
Armenian youth basketball. The fact that he’s right around the octogenarian
age remains inconsequential. He can still keep up with jocks young enough to
be his grandchildren, a testament to his fine physical regiment.
For decades, he coached Armenians in the Greater Detroit AYF and produced
numerous champions for both the seniors and juniors. He helped many
individual Armenian athletes excel in track and field, among them his
sister-in-law Sue Merian Arzoian and oldest daughter Nancy, a chip off her
dad’s block.
Nancy is currently girls’ assistant track coach and head cross country coach
at Livonia Stevenson High School.
Both are experts in what they do for the youth of the community in
instilling the spirit of athleticism and friendly competition.
Sonny is looking to this fall for the 75th anniversary and beyond that to
2009, when he’ll take a team to Armenia and bring back another host of
medals with a superb cast of athletes, including several AYFers.
Which brings us to Zach Bogosian, a hockey player with dynamic skills. When
the National Hockey League conducts its draft in June, look for this
Armenian to be drafted in the first round. Scouts are as high as Everest on
his ability.
If so, he’ll become the first Armenian in memory to go that extreme in a
professional hockey draft. At the moment, he’s ranked third among Ontario
(Canada) Hockey League prospects.
Bogosian plays for the Peterborough Petes, the same team that produced such
greats as Pronger, Yzerman, Stillman and Ricci.
The Massena, N.Y., native is a 17-year-old defenseman who tallied eight
goals and 34 assists in 37 games, ranking him fourth in the league among
defensemen.
The 6’2", 200-pound sophomore blueliner surpassed his rookie total of 33
points and was listed among the top of two prestigious charts. He hasn’t
spent much time reading his own headlines, despite his many accolades.
His agent is none other than Boston Bruins Hall-of-Famer Bobby Orr, who has
a son Ryan that played with Zach.
"He contains the best players in the league," said his coach Vince Malette.
"Zach takes hockey as a challenge. He doesn’t lose any speed when he’s
handling the puck. His game is complete and he wants to be the best."
Bogosian comes from great athletic roots, mostly football, where his dad was
a football captain at Syracuse University. His uncle was also a very
distinguished player at West Point University.
Zach wanted to follow that path but his dad talked him into another sport
because of the potential injuries in football.
A sister Ashley is also a prominent swimmer. She was part of a relay team at
St. Lawrence University that recorded an outstanding time of 1:53.84. Ashley
collected seven gold medals in the 2005 Homenetmen Games in Greece.
Two other Bogosians have also displayed their mettle in soccer.
Bringing it closer to AYF perspective, their grandfather Ikey and Sonny
Gavoor ran against each other in the 1948 Olympics.