OVER 600 COMMUNITY MEMBERS ATTEND PRELATE’S NEW YEAR AND CHRISTMAS DINNER
asbarez
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
The clergy pray during the Christmas dinner
LA CRESCENTA-More than 600 Prelacy sponsors, supporters and friends
gathered at “Bagramian” Hall of Holy Cross Cathedral in Montebello
on Friday, January 6 for the Prelate’s traditional New Year and
Christmas Dinner. The dinner is held annually under the auspices of
Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, by the initiative
of the Religious and Executive Councils, and organized by the Prelacy
Ladies Auxiliary.
Among the guests in attendance were Consul General of Armenia the
Grigor Hovhannissian and his wife, Armenian National Assembly member
and Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian, Central Executive members
Khajag Dikijian and Vahe Yacoubian with their wives, Executive Council,
Members of the ARF Central Committee, ARS, Homenetmen, and Hamazkayin,
Parishes’ delegates and Boards of Trustees, Board of Regents and
Prelacy Schools’ principals and directors, media representatives,
sponsors, and friends.
This year’s dinner was hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Cheryl
Nadjarian. The evening’s Master of Ceremonies was Rev. Fr. Vazken
Atmajian.
The evening began with the entrance of the Prelate and clergy into
the hall in a procession, candles in hand and singing Christmas hymns.
H.E. Archbishop Yeprem Tabakian read the passage from the Bible on
the Birth of Christ, after which the Prelate blessed the tables.
Master of Ceremonies Rev. Fr. Vazken Atmajian welcomed the guests and
reflected on the spirit of Christmas, the good tidings of the Birth of
our Lord Jesus Christ and the message of peace, love, and harmony. Fr.
Vazken also commended the service of the Ladies Auxiliary members,
noting that they greatly contributed to the Pontifical Visit and also
once again organized the evening’s dinner. He then invited Ladies
Auxiliary Chair Salpi Srourian and Executive Council Chair Rima
Boghossian to deliver their remarks. Srourian welcomed the guests
and wished them an enjoyable evening together. Boghossian thanked the
guests for the support and encouragement they demonstrated with their
attendance. She spoke in high regard of the efforts and leadership
of the Prelate, reflected on the role of our Churches and Schools
in our community life and our work towards the Armenian Cause, and
concluded by conveying her well wishes on the New Year and Christmas.
Guests then watched the taped message of His Holiness Aram I,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, which began with His
Holiness conveying his New Year and Christmas well wishes to the
Prelate, Councils, and guests. His Holiness reflected on the three
main themes of his recent Pontifical Visit, which were spiritual
renewal, continued progress of our Schools, and furthering of our
Cause, stating that these are ongoing missions which must form the
basis of all our endeavors and collective lives.
The evening also included a cultural program. Throughout the night,
guests enjoyed traditional Armenian music presented by pianist
Professor Levon Aprahamian and singers Anahit Nercisyan and Kevork
Chakmanian.
Fr. Vazken then thanked all those who contributed to the success of
the dinner, among them the Jabarian, Kurkjian, and Alexanian Families
for donating the evening’s souvenirs, centerpieces, and drinks, as well
as the participants of the cultural program, organizers, and sponsors.
The Prelate was then invited to deliver his message.
The Prelate commended Fr. Vazken for successfully carrying out
his duties as Master of Ceremonies, the Ladies Auxiliary for
organizing the evening, and all the sponsors and volunteers who
made the evening as well as the Pontifical Visit of His Holiness a
great success. The message reflected on the spirit and messages of
Christmas, the Prelacy’s endeavors and achievements in the past year,
and the Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Aram I. In his message,
the Prelate also thanked the Prelacy’s sponsors and donors, and
especially Mr. and Mrs. Harry & Cheryl Nadjarian who were the main
sponsors of the Pontifical Visit and also the hosts of the Prelate’s
New Year and Christmas Dinner.
The evening came to a close with the Prelate’s benediction, and the
singing of the Cilician and Pontifical anthems.
Prelate’s Christmas Dinner Message
Distinguished guests, dear sponsors and friends,
With Christian love and with the warmest spirit of Christmas, I
congratulate you all on the New Year and the Nativity of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
A few days ago we welcomed the year 2012, and tonight, with great joy
we are gathered here to collectively celebrate the Glorious Nativity
and Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ. We offer our gratitude to
Almighty God for His boundless blessings, for this new year, and
especially for granting us the greatest of gifts, the gift of His
Son Jesus Christ and eternal life. Indeed each day of our lives is a
gift from God and we must therefore give thanks and praise God each
and every day for His undying love and care.
First and foremost, we express our thanks and appreciation to our
beloved Pontiff, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, who was with us
tonight in spirit through his video message. Recently, last October,
we were honored with the Pontifical Visit of His Holiness to our
Prelacy. We were grateful to personally receive his blessings,
and were inspired by his powerful messages on spiritual renewal,
the continued progress of our schools, and the furthering of the
Armenian Cause. His messages are timeless and will remain our guiding
force for years to come. In the three weeks His Holiness was with us,
he was a daily and motivating presence in the lives of our parishes
and parishioners, students, and youth. It was truly an inspirational
and unforgettable visit.
The year 2011 was proclaimed to be the Year of the Armenian Child
by His Holiness. This proclamation is not limited to the previous
year; it did not end with the ending of the year. Children form
the foundation of our future, and our mission for their spiritual
care and upbringing is an ongoing and unending one. The survival
of our people depends on rooting our faith, language, traditions,
and heritage in subsequent generations.
The perpetuation of the Armenian people depends also on the
preservation of our cultural treasures. Though Armenian culture
arose in pre-Christian times, our written heritage was formed in
the 5th century with the invention of the Armenian alphabet and the
translation of the Bible and other sacred books into our own language.
Armenian books are priceless as they have been and remain a
fountainhead of our history and literary legacy. The year 2012 has
been proclaimed the Year of the Armenian Book by His Holiness, and
for this reason, we dedicated this year’s Prelacy calendar to the
Armenian Book. Books are not just decoration in our homes and offices;
they must be read and the knowledge they contain shared to enlighten
the minds and spirits of our people and especially our youth.
Dear faithful supporters and friends,
On this joyous occasion, I would like to once again thank all of
our sponsors and donors for their unwavering support throughout the
years and especially during the Pontifical Visit of His Holiness. It
is you, our sponsors and volunteers, who made the Pontifical Visit a
successful one, and for that we commend you. You selflessly donated
your time, efforts, resources, and input, and embodied the Scripture
passage. “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.
Our collective life, our national life cannot progress without our
united efforts. Through collaboration and cooperation, we have
reached new heights in our service and will continue forward to
even greater achievements. With the support of our community, we
can achieve great things, and one example of that is the Pontifical
Visit of His Holiness. With the contributions of our sponsors and
donors on the occasion of the Pontifical Visit, we recently made a
record allocation of $800,000 to our Prelacy Schools to alleviate
the financial difficulties they face. I would like to once again
express our gratitude to our old and new sponsors who made this
possible. Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Harry and Cheryl Nadjarian,
who were the main sponsors of the Pontifical Visit and have so
generously hosted this evening’s dinner; to Prof. and Mrs. Harut and
Tamara Barsamian, Mr.
and Mrs. Mark and Margaret Shirin, Mrs. Silva Tchakmakjian, Mrs. Tina
Carolan and the Carolan Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Osko and Yeran
Karaghossian, Mr. and Mrs. Harout and Christina Jabarian, Mr. and Mrs.
Vahe and Nora Yacoubian, Mr. Hank Khachaturian and his Torian Holdings
company, Mrs. Ashkhen Pilavjian, Mr. and Mrs. Vahan and Nora Bezdikian,
Forest Lawn, Glendale Memorial Hospital, as well as our parishes and
sister organizations. A thank you also to all of you here today. Even
in these difficult economic times, you once again pledged your support
and encouragement of our Prelacy with your presence here tonight. The
names of all our sponsors and donors can be found in the evening’s
program book.
Throughout the past years we also had various other achievements,
among them a number of events to celebrate the Year of the Armenian
Child, and the ordination of a new priest. In late July, the former
choir leader of the Crescenta Valley Parish was ordained into the
priesthood and renamed Rev. Fr. Ghevont Kirazian. Tonight, he is
with us for the first time as a clergy member. In the coming year,
we will ordain new priests, among them Deacon Khatchig Shannakian who
recently relocated from Canada and is with us tonight. He recently
completed his studies, earning a Master’s Degree in Theology. We look
forward to having him join our clergy order in the near future.
Dear loved ones,
The inspiring messages of the Glorious Nativity and Theophany of our
Lord Jesus Christ are timeless treasures and the eternal lighthouse
that lights up our hearts and lives just like the bright star above
Bethlehem that lit the night sky and guided the wise men to the manger
to worship the Baby Jesus. The spirit of peace, love, and harmony
of our Lord’s Nativity reverberates just as powerfully today, 2012
years after His birth, and continues to guide us in fulfillment of
our God-pleasing endeavors and mission. With harmonious collaboration
and unity, we can fulfill our greatest goals and dreams. We have
already seen progress in our Cause through our united efforts here,
in Europe, and elsewhere, and must therefore continue on this same
path until we reach our ultimate goals.
Let us begin this new year inspired by the renewing and invigorating
messages of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord, and may our
hearts remain a manger where our Lord Jesus Christ dwells each and
every day of this new year and every year.
A blessed new year to you all. Christ is Born and Revealed.