Author: Andres-Papazian

RUSSIAN FM SAYS ARMENIA TO JOIN EAU WITHIN UN-RECOGNIZED BORDERS

The Messenger, Georgia
June 19 2014

Thursday, June 19
Armenia will join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAU) within the
UN-recognized borders, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
on June 18.

Lavrov made the remarks at a briefing in Baku after a meeting with
his Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov.

“Integration processes are taking place in the territories of the
countries included in the Customs Union. Nagorno-Karabakh is not one
of them, but it is a subject of negotiations, which are conducted on
the basis of agreed principles,” the minister said.

Lavrov also said Armenia has previously stated that it is taking part
in these integration processes within the UN-recognized borders.

“The same thing will happen within the Eurasian process,” Lavrov added.

Asked about the prospects of Azerbaijan’s accession to the Eurasian
Economic Union, Lavrov said there has not been an official invitation
for Azerbaijan to join the EAU, but Moscow is always glad when its
partners show interest in the Eurasian area.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently
holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions. (trend.az)

From: A. Papazian

INTRODUCTORY SPEECH BY THE RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEY LAVROV

States News Service
June 18, 2014 Wednesday

BEFORE THE TALK WITH THE PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN, ILHAM ALIYEV, BAKY,
18 JUNE 2014

MOSCOW, Russia

The following information was released by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Russian Federation:

Mr. Ilham Geydarovich,

The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, extends to
you his greetings. He frequently recalls warmly his visit last year and
the informal communications held, apart from the official negotiations.

We share your assessments with regard to the strategic nature of
our relations, their development in all areas – trade, economic,
investment and humanitarian. Last year, the Programme of cooperation
in the humanitarian area up to 2015 was signed during the visit of
the President of Russia.

Of course, we share a lot of interests at regional and international
level. Today at the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmar
Mammadyarov, we discussed in detail the preparations to the Caspian
summit and the state of affairs in the Nagorny Karabakh settlement,
taking into consideration your meeting with the President of the
Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, last year and the work of the
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. We discussed our common tasks in
the UN, the OSCE and the Council of Europe, where Azerbaijan is a
president in the Ministerial Committee. We actively supported Baku
as a candidate.

I thank you for the possibility of discussing our assessments of
close relations between our two countries.

From: A. Papazian

ELECTRICITY BACK TO KASSAB CITY, MINISTER SAYS

Jun 18, 2014

Damascus, (SANA) Minister of Electricity, Imad Khamis, stressed
that electric power has been restored to Kassab city in Lattakia
countryside.

In a statement to SANA, Minister Khamis clarified that the maintenance
workshops started work once security and stability were restored
to the city, adding that the armed terrorist groups destroyed 19
power-transmission centers.

Minister Khamis noted that the workshops are continuing work to
repair the power-transmission centers to get them back to their full
operational capacity as soon as possible.

F.Allafi

From: A. Papazian

GENOCIDE SURVIVOR, AGED 102, PASSES AWAY

Wednesday, June 18th, 2014

Merrimack Valley genocide survivor Nellie Nazarian, 102, kept a vigil
until the very end.

METHUEN, Mass.–Nazalie “Nellie” Nazarian took her leave with a blaze
of glory.

The last genocide survivor in Merrimack Valley passed away peacefully
on June 12, surrounded by her loving family.

Just weeks prior to her demise, she attended a genocide commemoration
at North Andover High School, tendered by the Armenian Genocide
Commemorative Committee of Merrimack Valley.

Then, on May 10, she withstood the rain to preside over the unveiling
of a genocide memorial at Lowell City Hall in which she served as the
last remaining honorary member, previously joined by Thomas Magarian
and Ojen Fantazian.

In both cases, she was embraced by the crowd to which she played,
casting a smile its every way, and remaining the personified survivor
of her generation. Nellie was 102 but hardly acted her age.

“No doubt, she was a very special woman who kept her guard right to
the very end,” said Rev. Fr. Khachatur Kessablyan, pastor, Sts.

Vartanantz Armenian Church, in his eulogy. “Her gratitude was
manifested in many ways, abounded with the love of God and her family.”

At the Lowell monument dedication, Nellie took her regal place by
The Mother’s Hands memorial, posing for photos with Middlesex County
Sheriff Peter Koutoujian as well as other committee members and the
city’s political elite. A Hollywood starlight would not have received
such notice.

Those hands on the stone could very well have been her own, symbolizing
the miracles of motherhood and dexterity. With four children, 16
grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren, she developed a brood. And
except for a periodical lapse, she remembered all their names.

At a unity dance in Haverhill last September, into the hall she came
in her wheelchair, leading three generations of her family. She came
here for the music. But more importantly, to cultivate her children.

In her younger day, she would have been first to dance.

“Music has been her passion ever since she was a child,” said
a granddaughter, Debbie Nazarian-Kady. “At night, she would sing
herself to sleep with the songs she had learned back in the old
country. She remained thankful for the mobility of her hands and
fingers, crocheting and sewing every day when the mood dictated,
blessing her family with afghans and other precious heirlooms.”

Nellie escaped the massacre in her native village of Chimisgazag by
taking refuge in the mountains with her family before immigrating
to America in the early 1920s. She was the daughter of Elizabeth
(Ajemian) and Michael Parnagian.

At a time when decent jobs were at a premium, she became an
entrepreneur, following a stint in Haverhill shoe shops

Throughout her working life, she operated a jewelry story (Nazarian
Jewelers) in downtown Lawrence with her husband Stephen, also
a survivor.

Together, they built a profitable venture through diligent work and
sacrifice. Stephen died in 1965, leaving Nellie widowed for nearly
50 years.

The business has since grown, multiplied and franchised itself
throughout the region, serving as a mecca for working family members.

Over the years, her handiwork became a staple for the business,
whether it was restringing cultured pearl necklaces or concocting
other jewelry pieces.

“My heritage has always been important to me,” she had said. “We faced
all those dangers. I consider myself very fortunate to have survived
and raised an excellent family.”

She enjoyed taking rides to the beach and dining on fried seafood
platters, quite possibly against diet restrictions, but nevertheless
a centenarian’s occasional privilege. Cooking was another passion.

The fact she lived rather independently with the help of two
granddaughters and not inside an institution was a credit to her
resolute manner and that of her family.

“She immigrated to America and married another genocide survivor
during the Depression years,” said Nazarian-Kady. “That says a lot
about her character.”

Nellie was predeceased by her son, Ara Nazarian, and is survived by
his wife Dorothy of Waterville Valley, N.H.

She is survived by three children, Robert S. Nazarian and his wife
Dianna, Salisbury; Marlene Aznoian, Andover, and Raymond Nazarian,
Haverhill, along with her extended family. She was also predeceased
by her brother, Berge Parnagian, and son-in-law, Harold Aznoian.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Armenian Genocide
Commemorative Committee of Merrimack Valley, c/o Armen Jeknavorian,
15 Summit Ave., Chelmsford, MA 01824.

From: A. Papazian

BEN WHITAKER OBITUARY

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

Former Labour MP for Hampstead who made important contributions to
civil liberties in the UK and abroad

Geoffrey Robertson The Guardian, Sunday 15 June 2014 16.28 BST

Ben Whitaker enthused that his Hampstead electorate was ‘full of
argumentative idealists’ like himself

The former Labour MP for Hampstead, north London, Ben Whitaker, who
has died aged 79, was the embodiment of the liberal values associated
with the area. At the 1966 election he won the Hampstead seat, for
81 years a Tory fiefdom, from the reactionary former home secretary
Henry Brooke, and championed the progressive social reforms of the
Harold Wilson government, in which he held a number of posts.

Subsequently, as a human rights lawyer long before this was a
fashionable career, he made distinguished contributions to civil
liberties in Britain, and especially abroad, through his leadership
of the Minority Rights Group and then of the Calouste Gulbenkian
Foundation and as a UN rapporteur.

Ben was born in Nottinghamshire, the son of Major General Sir John
Whitaker and his wife, Pamela (nee Snowden), who were not modern enough
to avoid sending him to Eton. He subsequently did national service in
the Coldstream Guards, before graduating from New College, Oxford,
to the bar. After what he described as this “Victorian education”,
he lectured in law at London University and became outraged at the
conduct of the police, who at the time were framing Stephen Ward,
planting bricks on political protesters and, in Sheffield, had been
caught beating suspects with rhino whips. His first book, The Police
(1964), was written with the object of restricting their powers.

His concern for human rights took him on Amnesty International
missions, most daringly in 1965 to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), at the
repressive height of Ian Smith’s UDI. His heavily pregnant wife, Janet,
accompanied him, hiding banned anti-UDI literature under her dress:
they reckoned (correctly) that the sexist chivalry of the Rhodesian
police would preclude a body search.

They managed to enter one of Smith’s secret detention camps,
and afterwards Ben arranged to be interviewed live on the heavily
censored Rhodesian Television Service (now the Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation). After 10 minutes during which he condemned “an illegal
police state afraid of the truth”, the police raided the studio,
claiming he had broken laws against bringing Smith into disrepute
and revealing the secret detentions. He had to exit the studio by
the back door, collect Janet, and make a quick escape to the airport.

Back in Hampstead – an electorate, he enthused, that was “full
of argumentative idealists” like himself – his opposition to US
involvement in Vietnam and to a new white paper on immigration,
made him popular with what the Guardian described as “a horde of
militant Labour helpers”. Many keen youthful canvassers made their
way to Hampstead and Ben sensibly put them to work on things that
really mattered to residents: campaigning against parking meters and
a one-way traffic scheme. His victory was assured.

As a Labour MP, he served as parliamentary private secretary to the
minister for overseas development and then to the minister for housing,
finding time to write Crime and Society (1967), Participation and
Poverty (1968) and Parks for People (1971). He helped to organise
support within the Labour party for the progressive objectives of
Roy Jenkins and Gerald Gardiner: abolishing theatre censorship,
ending the death penalty and the “matrimonial crime” of adultery,
and decriminalising homosexuality and abortion.

Although sometimes humorously sardonic about Wilson, he respected
his stand against apartheid and UDI, and refused to join in the plots
against him.

Ben remained a great champion of life’s losers – hence his continuing
support for Nottingham Forest FC. In 1971 he became executive director
of the Minority Rights Group, writing and publishing well-researched
reports on communities – some that had never been mentioned before
by the media – that were being subjected to physical and cultural
destruction by their states or through the actions of multinational
corporations. “Indigenous rights” was a little-known concept at
the time.

In 1975, David Owen appointed him as British representative on a
UN sub-committee on the rights of minorities, and in 1985 it handed
him the hottest of hot potatoes: to investigate whether the Turkish
atrocities against the Armenians amounted to genocide. He concluded
emphatically that they did, and refused to withdraw his report despite
a furious response from Turkey. In recent years he was particularly
critical of “genocide equivocation” by the UK government, which refused
to mention his report and claimed that the evidence for Turkish guilt
was “not sufficiently unequivocal”. He was pleased when this misleading
formula, devised by the Foreign Office to avoid political and economic
reprisals from Turkey, was finally exposed and dropped in 2010.

Ben maintained strong and combative interests both in defending culture
from political philistines and in encouraging new forms of art that
governments were not prepared to subsidise. The anti-censorship group
the Defence of Literature and the Arts Society, of which he was chair,
out-lobbied Mary Whitehouse in her attacks on the BBC and the National
Theatre. Later, as executive director of the Calouste Gulbenkian
Foundation, he took great pleasure in encouraging competition between
museums and in backing art that was too experimental or “political”
for government funders to contemplate.

His work for the foundation, which was established in Portugal,
earned him a Portuguese Order of Merit.

In his last years, this most sociable of socialists took pleasure in
his wife’s performances in the Lords (she was raised to the peerage
in 1999), his daughter Quincy’s courtroom accomplishments and in his
other children and grandchildren. He became a dab hand at painting
and flower arranging, and not even the pain from a broken ankle that
refused to heal could stop him furiously agitating and fundraising
almost single-handedly for a statue of George Orwell to be placed
outside BBC Broadcasting House. He will not now be present for the
unveiling of the Martin Jennings sculpture, but he would have wished it
inscribed with his favourite aphorism, from the censored introduction
to Animal Farm, which states the principle for which his own life stood
and for which he wanted the BBC to stand: “If liberty means anything at
all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear”.

He is survived by Janet, their children, Quincy, Dan and Rasaq,
and six grandchildren.

* Benjamin Charles George Whitaker, author, campaigner
and politician, born 15 September 1934; died 9 June 2014

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN MINISTRY PRESENTS BILL BANNING USE OF STREET DOGS AND CATS IN EXPERIMENTS

June 18, 2014 | 18:17

YEREVAN. – Agriculture Ministry submitted to the parliament a drafty
bill on veterinary medicine banning to use street dogs and cats,
as well as on those kept at home in experiments.

The draft bill was presented during the special session of parliament
on Wednesday.

Due to unusual technical details provided in the documents, the draft
bill provoked ironic remarks from the opposition.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S SPECIAL INVESTIGATION SERVICE, GENERAL PROSECUTOR DON’T WANT TO UNCOVER REAL CAUSE OF SOLDIER’S DEATH: STATEMENT

06.18.2014 15:50 epress.am

Representatives of the RA Special Investigation Service (SIS) and the
RA Prosecutor General’s Office did not appear in the RA Criminal Court
of Appeal on June 17 for consideration of the appeal presented by Artur
Sakunts (pictured, right) and Arayik Zalyan, the representatives of
Heghine Petrosyan (pictured, left), the mother of military conscript
Hayk Movsisyan, who died in a Karabakh prison cell.

Petrosyan’s representatives are asking for Hayk Movsisyan to be
recognized as a victim and Heghine Petrosyan as the victim’s legal
successor, and to oblige SIS investigator M. Babayan to provide the
decision to quash criminal proceedings, as well as copies of the
case material.

As reported [AM] by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly (HCA) – Vanadzor
Office, representatives of the SIS and the General Prosecutor’s office
informed the court in writing that they will not be present because
they are burdened with work.

Arayik Zalyan said representatives of these state institutions
also failed to appear in court when the case was examined by the
court of first instance. Moreover, the applicant’s representatives
petitioned for the participation of the SIS and General Prosecutor’s
office representatives, but to no avail. The court attempted to find
out whether Heghine Petrosyan’s representative doesn’t consider it
necessary to ensure also the presence of the other party at the appeal,
to which Zalyan responded in the affirmative. Thus, consideration of
the appeal was postponed to June 30 at 2:30 pm.

The HCA Vanadzor Office in its statement claimed that representatives
of the SIS and RA General Prosecutor’s Office wish to prevent
disclosure of the real circumstances and causes of Hayk Movsisyan’s
death by prolonging the process, thereby eliminating the “fresh traces”
of the crime.

On November 20, 2012, a court found rank-and-file soldier Hayk
Movsisyan guilty of evading military service “through maiming, feigned
disease, forgery of documents or other fraud” and sentenced him to
3 years in prison. One week later, he was found dead in a detention
facility in Karabakh.

The prosecutor’s office in Nagorno-Karabakh launched a criminal
case on grounds of incitement to suicide, which, however, was
closed due to absence of corpus delicti in the actions of the
penitentiary administration, prisoners in the detention facility,
defendants, and convicts. In order to get a legal assessment of
the actions of officials in the criminal case, it was sent to the
RA Special Investigation Service on grounds of negligence, where
criminal proceedings were instigated. However, Hayk Movsisyan was
not recognized as a victim; thus, the victim and his legal successor
were not given the opportunity to realize their rights enshrined in
the Criminal Procedure Code.

Hayk’s mother, speaking to the press earlier, said she doesn’t believe
that her son committed suicide.

From: A. Papazian

“THERE CAN BE NO COOPERATION WITH SARGSYAN’S REGIME”: OPPOSITION MP LEVON ZURABYAN

06.18.2014 18:11 epress.am

The Armenian National Congress (HAK) presents only demands to
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s regime, and there can be no
talk of cooperation, HAK parliamentary faction leader Levon Zurabyan
(pictured) told reporters in Armenia’s National Assembly today.

In Zurabyan’s words, the current regime doesn’t understand any language
other than the language of demands.

“What cooperation are we talking about? Has there ever been
cooperation? There can be no cooperation with this regime. And [those]
12 points are demands to the ruling authorities. Do you consider
presenting demands as cooperation?” he said.

Recall, speaking on air yesterday and commenting on the 12 points
presented by the opposition, Serzh Sargsyan expressed willingness
to cooperate with the opposition, saying that if that is the goal,
“then notions such as ‘I demand,’ ‘I impose’ and the like should be
excluded from such a document.”

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN RECEIVES NO FORMAL INVITATION TO CUSTOMS, EURASIAN UNION – FM LAVROV

14:48 * 18.06.14

Azerbaijan has not been formally invited either to the Customs Union
or the Eurasian Economic Union but Moscow would welcome any partner
interested in collaboration with these organizations, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“There has been no formal invitation of Azerbaijan to either the
Customs Union or the Eurasian Economic Union but we have always pointed
out in contacts between our leaders regarding economic cooperation
that we would welcome any partner demonstrating an interest in closer
relations with the Customs Union and, in a later period, with the
Eurasian Economic Union,” Lavrov told a press conference in Baku
following negotiations with his Azeri counterpart.

“The Karabakh problem has nothing to do with the Eurasian integration
processes underway between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, which will
soon be joined by Armenia through the signing of a relevant document,”
the Russian foreign minister noted, Interfax reports.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apost. Church of America and Canada
H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate, Easter Prelacy and Canada
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
Web:

June 19, 2014

The Armenian Prelacy =99¦ 138 East 39th Street =99¦ New York, NY
10016

tel: 212-689-7810 =99¦ Fax: 212-689-7168 =99¦ Email:
[email protected]

40th DAY REQUIEM FOR DIRAMAYR MARY CHOLOYAN

This Sunday, June 22, a 40th day requiem service will be said
following the Divine Liturgy for Diramayr Mary Choloyan, mother of our
Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New
York City. Following the service the Cathedral will offer Madagh in
memory of Diramayr who died on May 7.

Archbishop Oshagan expresses his sincere thanks for the many
condolence messages he received. His Eminence said, `I am grateful for
the many messages and cards received by mail, email, telephone, and
donations in-lieu-of-flowers. My family and I were truly comforted by
the many thoughtful and caring expressions of sympathy.’

KESSAB LIBERATED BY SYRIAN ARMY;
WIDESPREAD DAMAGE REPORTED

According to reporting by Reuters, rebel and al Qaeda-affiliated
militants, who seized the town of Kessab in March by way of the
Turkish border, have
withdrawn, and the Syrian Army officially announced its recapture and
liberation. There is widespread damage to homes, businesses, and
infrastructure resulting in the lack of water, electricity, and
telephone service. The Syrian army reported that engineering teams
were removing mines
and explosives planted by the `terrorist gangs.’ A number of
Armenians returned to Kessab early this week to assess the damage to
their residences in order to plan their return in the near
future. Homes, community centers, schools, and churches have sustained
heavy damage.

The situation in Aleppo continues to be serious. The Armenian
populated section of `Nor Gyugh’ is reported to be deserted and
devastated.

SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER
The crises in Syria, including the recent upheaval in Kessab, require
our financial assistance. Please keep this community in your prayers,
your hearts, and your pocketbooks.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN
COMMUNITY
IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT.

THE NEED IS REAL.
THE NEED IS GREAT.

DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON LINE.
TO DONATE NOW CLICK HERE
() AND SELECT SYRIAN
ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU. OR IF YOU PREFER YOU MAY MAIL YOUR
DONATION TO:
Armenian Prelacy
138 E. 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Checks payable to: Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief

Thank you for your help

DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM FOR YOUTH

St. Gregory of Datev Institute will hold its 28th annual summer
program for youth ages 13-18 at St. Mary of Providence Center in
Elverson, Pennsylvania, from June 29 to July 6, 2014. The program is
sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council
(AREC). For information and registration, please visit the Prelacy
website (armenianprelacy.org/arec/datev
()).

()

FAVORITE ARMENIAN SONGS OFFERED BY MARGAR YEGHIAZARYAN

A concert by Margar Yeghiazaryan, organized by St. Illuminator’s
Cathedral and Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society of
New York, took place last night at the Armenian Center in Woodside,
New York.
Mr. Yeghiazaryan, a native of Etchmiatzin, Armenia, credits his mother
for
instilling in him the love of music. His mother sang in several choirs
and
cherished Armenian music and folklore. A graduate of the Komitas State
Conservatory of Yerevan, he has performed in Armenia and abroad. He is
a soloist with the famous KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir and has
toured with them several times.

Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the Cathedral, expressed
heartfelt congratulations and thanks to Mr. Yeghiazaryan on behalf of
the organizers for his spectacular performance.

BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, June 22, Second Sunday after Pentecost,
Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin are: Proverbs 9:1-6; Zechariah 3:7-4:9;
Hebrews 9:1-10; John 10:22-30.

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in
Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the
portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
`How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell
us plainly.’ Jesus answered, `I have told you, and you do not
believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but
you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep
hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my
hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one
can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one’
(John 10:22-30).

For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here
().

FEAST OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND BISHOP ATHENOGENES

Today, June 19, is the Feast of St. John the Baptist (also called the
Forerunner), and Bishop Athenogenes.

John the Baptist is prominent in each of the four Gospels. He is
associated with the beginning of the ministry of Jesus and is
considered to be the
`forerunner’ to Jesus the Messiah. He baptized those who repented
their sins, and he preached of the coming of one after him who is
greater than he and would baptize not with water but with the
Spirit. In the
third chapter of Matthew, John is reluctant to baptize Jesus and does
so only after encouragement from Jesus. The Armenian Church considers
St. John the Baptist as one of the two prime intercessors to Jesus,
the other being the Blessed Mother.

Athenogenes, a bishop and theologian was burned to death along with
ten of
his disciples in Sebastia, Armenia, during the persecution of
Christians by Emperor Diocletian. Athenogenes wrote a hymn of praise
proclaiming the divinity of the Holy Spirit. He is remembered as
singing this hymn as he went
into the flames.

FEAST OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR: DELIVERANCE FROM THE PIT

This Saturday, June 21, is the Feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s
deliverance from the pit (Khor Viraben Yelkuh). Gregory is revered as
the patron saint of the Armenian Church. He is recognized and
memorialized
in both eastern and western hierarchical churches. The Armenian
liturgical
calendar reserves three feast days in his honor: Entrance into the
pit, deliverance from the pit, and discovery of relics. In addition to
these three
days, there are several feast days to which he is closely connected,
namely the feast days for Sts. Hripsimiantz, Sts. Gayaniantz,
Shoghakat, Holy Etchmiadzin, and King Trdat. The Roman Catholic
Church, Orthodox churches, and Oriental Orthodox churches have special
days in their calendars for the veneration of St. Gregory, who is
considered to be one of the Fathers of the
early Christian church.

Gregory was condemned to the pit in 287 AD by King Trdat and the
persecution of Christians began. After the martyrdom of a group of
nuns who came to Armenia from Rome led by Hripsime and Gayane, Trdat
was stricken with strange maladies. His sister, Khosrovidukht, had a
dream that Gregory was the only person who could heal her
brother. Miraculously, Gregory was still alive
after many years in the pit, thanks to an angelic woman who lowered
food and water into the pit each day. Gregory emerged from the pit;
the king was healed and baptized, and he declared Christianity to be
the official religion of Armenia.

Gregory was not the first to preach Christianity in Armenia. That
distinction belongs to the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew who came
to Armenia in
the first century, and thus gave the Armenian Church its apostolic
designation. Nevertheless, Gregory is revered in the Armenian Church
and is considered by Armenians to be the father of their
faith. Hundreds of churches have been built and named in his honor.

`The ancient calendars of the still undivided Church celebrated him
[Gregory] on the same day in both the East and the West as a tireless
apostle of truth and holiness. The father in faith of the whole
Armenian people, St. Gregory still intercedes from heaven today, so
that all the children
of your great nation may at last gather round the one table prepared
by Christ, the divine Shepherd of one flock.’
Pope John Paul II in his `Apostolic Letter for the 1700th Anniversary
of the Baptism of the Armenian People,’ issued February 2, 2001.

FEAST OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

This Sunday, June 22, is the Feast of Holy Mother Etchmiadzin, the
cathedral built by St. Gregory after his deliverance from the pit, to
the specifications he saw in a vision, and on the place marked by the
Lord with a golden hammer. This feast day commemorates the
establishment of the Armenian Church and the end of paganism.

Etchmiadzin is the oldest example of a four-altar, four-pillar, domed,
cruciform church in Christian architecture. More than 1,700 years old,
it is the oldest surviving Armenian Christian site. Relief sculptures
on the exterior walls are some of the oldest examples of the Christian
Armenian art of sculpting.

NEWS FROM THE CATHOLICOSATE

CATHOLICOS WRITES TO INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION

His Holiness Aram I sent the following letter to Dr. Paulo Sergio
Pinheiro, chairman of the Independent International Commission of
Inquiry for Syria
while he was visiting Pope Francis at the Vatican:

Dear Dr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro,

I am writing to you as the Head of the Spiritual Head of Armenians in
Syria and many communities in the Diaspora.

I read your 29 July 2013 report to the General Assembly of the UN on
the situation in Syria, which you made as the Chairman of the
Independent International Commission of Inquiry for Syria. I still
remember your statement that `Syria is in free-fall’ and your
description of a =80=9Cfragmented society’ in which `fighters are
changing allegiances.’ I would add that minorities are also the
victims of violence perpetrated by all sides.

With great grief I have been observing the victimization of my
community. The late events in Kessab, facilitated by Turkey,
demonstrate the free hand
with which third-party countries are exploiting the situation. As we
prepare to commemorate in 2015 the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey, modern Turkey has forced
another tragedy upon our people. Our community in Kessab, which have
been displaced from their historical land of Cilicia, have lost
everything and have become refugees once more.

I am currently on an official visit to Pope Francis I in the
Vatican. I would like very much to meet with you and share our concern
personally. However, my representative in Switzerland, Ms. Teny
Pirri-Simonian is available to brief you on the situation of our
people in Kessab. I would appreciate if you could meet her
personally…. If that would not be possible, I propose that we
forward to you information concerning the situation of the Armenian
community in Syria.

I pray that the report of your commission will touch the heart of all
those contributing to the disintegration of Syria and the
victimization of helpless minorities.

I look forward to hearing from you through our representative.

CATHOLICOS RECEIVES ECUMENICAL VISITS IN ANTELIAS

Last week His Holiness Aram I received Bishop Arseni, representative
of the Russian Orthodox Church in Syria and Lebanon. Bishop Arseni
conveyed the greetings of Patriarch Kirill. The Catholicos and Bishop
discussed the situation of Christians in the Middle East. His Holiness
asked the Bishop to transmit his greetings to the Patriarch, who is a
long-time ecumenical colleague.

Later on the same day, Rev. Pierre Lacoste, representing the French
Protestant Federation, met with His Holiness. They spoke of the long
friendly relationship between the French and Armenian people. His
Holiness expressed the profound gratitude of the Armenian people to
France for its support of the Armenian cause.

THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])

Death of Ghazaros Aghayan
(June 20, 1911)

Ghazaros Aghayan was one of the important names in the literary and
education awakening of Eastern Armenians in the late nineteenth
century.

He was born on April 4, 1840, in the Armenian village of
Bolnis-Khachen, currently in Georgia. After receiving elementary
education in his birthplace, in 1853 he entered the Nersisian School
of Tiflis, but left after a year.
He would become an autodidact.

He worked as a typographer in Tiflis, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. In
1867 he returned to the Southern Caucasus, and became the manager of
the printing house of Holy Etchmiadzin and the editor of the monthly
Ararat of the Holy See (1869-1870). He later entered the educational
field and taught in schools of Akhaltskha (Akhaltsikhe), Alexandropol
(Gumri), Yerevan, and Shushi
(1870-1882), and was also the diocesan director of the Armenian
schools of
Georgia.

He was a theoretician of education. The aim of his pedagogical system
was to develop `strong, smart, and virtuous’ citizens. He gave
preeminence to learning the mother tongue and to moral and esthetic
education. He was against corporal punishments and favored co-ed
schools, as well as practical education and physical education. He
wrote many works in the field, and his textbook `Study of the Mother
Tongue’ was particularly appreciated; its first volume, with 33
printings, was the most commonly used first-grade textbook in Armenian
schools for four decades (1875-1916).

Ghazaros Aghayan with Hovhannes Tumanian

Aghayan, who wrote the first autobiographical novel in Armenian
literature
(`Arutin and Manuel,’ 1867) was also a famed author of children’s
poetry and tales; his tale `Anahit’ (1881) is a classic of the
genre. His fairy tale `Aregnazan’ and his poem `Tork Angegh’ are also
well-known works.

He worked in the editorial boards of the monthly Portz and the
children journal Aghbiur. In 1895 he was arrested with the charge of
being a member of
the Hunchakian Party; he was exiled first to Nakhichevan-on-the-Don,
and then to Crimea (1898-1900). He remained under police surveillance
until the end of his life. In the 1900s he was the elder member of the
literary cenacle `Vernatun’ (Attic), together with Hovhannes Tumanian,
Avetik Isahakian, Levon Shant, and Derenik Demirjian. He passed away
on June 20, 1911, in Tiflis.

Aghayan was the father-in-law of renowned painter Martiros Sarian
(1880-1972) and maternal grandfather of composer Ghazaros Sarian
(1920-1998).

Previous entries in `This Week in Armenian History’ are on
the Prelacy’s web site (
())

LAST GENOCIDE SURVIVOR IN MERRIMACK VALLEY DIES

Tom Vartabedian, the veritable journalist, reports that the last
genocide survivor in Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts, died on June 12.
Nazalie
`Nellie’ Nazarian was 102 years old, still living independently with
the help of two granddaughters. Just weeks prior to her death, she
attended a genocide commemoration at North Andover High School, and
also
attended the unveiling of a genocide memorial at Lowell City Hall.

Nellie escaped the massacre in her native village of Chimisgazag by
taking
refuge in the mountains with her family. She eventually settled in the
United States where she met and married her husband Stephen, who died
in 1965.

To read Tom’s story about `Nellie’ click here
().

THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE CORNER
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])

The Armenian Squirrel

The Greek language has been a provider of Armenian words from very old
times, although it may have been played a less remarkable role than
the impact
of French over the English language.

Squirrels are very cute when they run around parks and backyards, but
they
may become pesky if they turn to get refuge into someone’s home. In
any case, that’s an issue for a specialized company. Our issue is
to explain how Anglo-American and Armenian squirrels are related to
each other.

The Armenian squirrel (Õ½Õ¯Õ«Ö=82Õ¼ skiour) got its name
from the Greek language: skiouros, literally `shadow-tailed,’ from
skia `shadow’ and oura `tail.’ But the name does not appear in
Classical Armenian literature, thus it must have been borrowed in
later time. Linguist Hrachia Adjarian even suspected that the word may
have actually come from Latin.

As a matter of fact, the Latin word is sciurus, which seems to have
originated from the Vulgar Latin word

scurius and its diminutive

scuriolus. From this last word came the Old French escureuil (Modern
French écureuil), which became the Anglo-French esquirel and then,
after the fourteenth century, appeared in the English language as
squirrel.

In conclusion, American and Armenian squirrels are distant cousins.

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

100th Anniversary of Genocide at the Bookstore
The Prelacy’s Bookstore has an extensive collection of books in
Armenian and English about the Genocide including histories,
historical novels, memoirs, eye witness testimonies, essays, and
poetry. Through next April
we will feature one or two books each week from the Bookstore’s
collection.

Now available in paperback:

SKYLARK FARM
By Antonia Arslan

This is the new softcover edition of Antonia Arslan’s story about a
family’s international struggle to stay alive during the Armenian
Genocide. Yerwant’s relatives prepare for his homecoming from years
spent living in Italy, but the festivities are overshadowed by the
imminent threat of World War I. As the Young Turks begin to execute
their plan of
exterminating the Armenians, Yerwant’s family struggles to reach Italy
and safety, leaving behind their `little city.’

Skylark Farm, 268 pages, softcover, $18.00, plus shipping & handling.

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To order these or other books, contact the Prelacy Bookstore by email
at [email protected] or telephone, 212-689-7810.

IT’S OFFICIAL: SUMMER ARRIVES SATURDAY

The sun will reach its northernmost point in the sky on Saturday, June
21 at 6:51 am, daylight saving time, thus signaling the official start
of the summer of 2014, in our part of the world.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

June 22-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, Nareg Saturday
School year-end Hantes, following the Divine Liturgy.

June 22-Wisconsin chapter of SOAR (Society for Orphaned Armenian
Relief) Golf Outing, Meadowbrook Country Club, 2149 N. Green Bay Road,
Racine; 11 am lunch and registration; 1 pm shotgun start; 5:30 pm
finish; 6 pm dinner and entertainment. Golf event with dinner $150 per
golfer; $50 dinner
and program for non-golfers. Registration and/or information:
262-352-4140.

June 23-Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, 11th Annual
Golf Outing, Sterling National Country Club, Sterling,
Massachusetts. Tee off: 9 am, shotgun start, scramble format. $145 per
person includes: Golf, cart, breakfast, dinner, prizes, raffles, and
chance to win a two-year lease on a 2014 Land Rover with a hole in
one. For information: Kap Kaprielian,
[email protected] or 508-872-9629.

June 24-26-Vacation Bible Camp for preschool (age 4) to 6th grade
students at St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, from 10 am to 2
pm. Religious activities, lessons, crafts, and games. For information:
313-336-6200.

June 28-St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, Ladies Guild
Cooking Class, `Short Cuts to Armenian Cooking,’
11 am, Mock Manti. $15 for each class; $40 for three classes.

June 29 – July 6, 2014: St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program
for youth ages 13-18 at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson,
Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC). For information, contact the AREC office at
212.689.7810
or at [email protected].

June 29-St. Hagop Church, Racine, Wisconsin, Annual Armenian Picnic
and `Madagh’ blessing at 11 am, by Rev. Fr. Daron Stepanian, pastor of
St. Hagop Church, at Johnson Park, 6200 Northwestern Avenue. Shish
kebab and chicken dinners, sarma, penelee, khurabia, and more. Live
Armenian music; children’s activities, raffle drawing. For
information: Zohrab at [email protected].

July 14-39th Annual St. Sarkis Golf & Tennis Classic, Meadowbrook
Country Club, Northville, Michigan. $250 donation for golf breakfast,
lunch, and banquet. $125 donation banquet only. Reservations:
313-336-6200.

July 19-`A Hye Summer A Night IX,’ sponsored by the Ladies Guild of
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, and Armenian Relief Society Ani
Chapter, 7 pm to 12 midnight. Dinner Dance at Alpine Country Club,
Pippen Orchard Drive, Cranston, Rhode Island, featuring Hachig
Kazarian,
John Berberian, Ken Kalajian, and Jason Naroian. Dinner-Dance, $50;
dance only after 8:30 pm, $35 (with student ID $25). RSVP before June
30. Call Joyce Yeremian, 401-354-8770, [email protected] or Joyce
Bagdasarian, 401-434-4467, sweetano6aol.com.

July 26-St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, Ladies Guild
Cooking Class, `Short Cuts to Armenian Cooking,’
11 am, Boereg. $15 for each class; $40 for three classes.

August 4-St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, Annual
Golf Tournament.

August 17-St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, Annual
Picnic and Blessing of the Grapes.

August 17-St. Sarkis Church (Dearborn) Grape Blessing Family Fun
Picnic at Kensington Park, Kensington, Michigan. Good food, music,
biking, soccer, dancing, magician, swimming, playscape, kids games,
door prizes, face painting, tavloo tournament and more.

August 17-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, Annual
Picnic and Blessing of the Grapes, 1-5 pm at Saddle River County Park,
Wild Duck Pond area. Music, delicious Armenian food and desserts, arts
and
crafts, and playground for children, cards, and tavloo, and more.

September 18-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 12th
Annual Golf Classic, River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New
Jersey. Rain or Shine. 11 am registration and Grilled Lunch Buffet; 1
pm Tee Off. Format: Shotgun Scramble (All player levels welcome). Golf
Outing Reservation: $195; limited to first 128 paid golf
reservations. Reservation includes: Grilled lunch buffet, dinner
banquet, golf, cart, and range balls. Contests and
Prizes. Sponsorships available. For information: 201-943-2950.

October 3-St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Douglaston, New York, Saturday
School Dinner Dance Gala.

October 19-St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, His
Eminence Archbishop Oshagan will ordain sub-deacon Ara Stepanian
during the Divine Liturgy and preside over the parish’s 57th Annual
Banquet.

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web
site.

To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox,
add
[email protected] to your address book.

Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please
credit Crossroads as the source.

Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about
their major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected]

From: A. Papazian