October 26, 2012
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
97TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OURFA RESISTANCE TO BE COMMEMORATED IN LA CRESCENTA
On Sunday, October 28, 2012, the 97th anniversary of the heroic
Ourfa resistance will be commemorated with requiem service and a memorial
luncheon at the Prelacy “Dikran and Zarouhie Der Ghazarian” Hall,.
The day will begin with Divine Liturgy presided over by H.E.
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, who will also deliver the sermon.
At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, requiem service will take place
for the souls of fallen heroes of Ourfa. The service will be followed by a
memorial luncheon under the auspices of the Prelate and organized by the
Armenian Compatriotic Union of Ourfa.
The luncheon features opening remarks by Lt. Col. John Keusseyan,
guest speaker Mr. Levon Parian, keynote speaker Dr. Minas Kojayan, and
entertaintment by Mr. Khatchig Tankian.
PRELATE WELCOMES ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN CHOLOYAN
On Friday, October 26, 2012, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate, welcomed H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern
U.S., who is currently on a brief visit to the Western U.S.
The two Prelates discussed general issues of concern to both
Prelacies and collaborative efforts under the umbrella of the Holy See of
Cilicia, the efforts of their respective Prelacies with regards to providing
aid to the Syrian-Armenian community, and the commemoration of the Genocide
Centennial. They also discussed the Ghevontiants Clergy Conference which
the Western Prelacy host early next year with the participation of the three
North American Prelacies. Each Prelacy holds a clergy conference annually
on the Feast of Ghevontiants, and every two years the three Prelacies hold a
joint conference with the participation of their respective Prelates and
clergy members.
By the invitation of the Prelate, on Sunday, October 28, Archbishop
Choloyan will deliver the sermon at St. Gregory Church in San Francisco.
CONSTRUCTION PROGRESSING RAPIDLY ON
ST. GARABED CHURCH OF LAS VEGAS
We are pleased to announce that construction on St. Garabed Church
and Cultural Center of Las Vegas is progressing at a rapid pace.
The construction project began in June of 2012 with the demolition
of the existing structure and the placing of the foundation. Presently,
late October, the church structure has already been erected thanks to the
diligence of the Parish Council and Building Committee.
Once completed, the complex will serve as the spiritual and cultural
hub for the Armenian community of Las Vegas and for visitors alike.
This project is being realized thanks to the generosity of
benefactor Mr. Larry Barnes and contributions by the Dream Fund at UCLA.
PRELATE TO DELIVER INVOCATION AT THE
ANC-WR ANNUAL BANQUET
On Sunday, October 28, the Prelate will deliver his message at the
Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region annual banquet,
which will be held at the Beverly Hills Hilton. This banquet is the largest
annual gathering of Armenian-American public policy leaders and is attended
by prominent members of Congress, State Legislators, and community leaders.
This year’s honorees are Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Revered
Joe Matossian, historian Dr. Rubina Peroomian, author Chris Bohjalian, and
entrepreneur Varant Melkonian.
The Prelate was among last year’s honorees. He was bestowed with
the first ever “Khrimian Hayrig” award for his decades of spiritual
leadership and efforts as an advocate of truth, justice, and human rights.
SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF FUND BENEFIT DINNER
On the evening of Friday, October 26th, the Prelate will attend a
fundraising dinner at the Pasadena Armenian Center to benefit the Syrian
Armenian Relief Fund.
The evening features entertainment by Harout Pamboukjian, Shahe
Sakayan, Koko Hayitian, and the Bel Canto String Quartet.
IN CELEBRATION OF THE “YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN BOOK”
PRESENTATION OF ALICE NAVASARGIAN’S LATEST BOOK
THE IMMORTALS
In celebration of the “Year of the Armenian Book”, on Thursday,
October 18, 2012, the second in a series of literary luncheons was held at
the Prelacy “Dikran and Zarouhie Der Ghazarian” Hall under the auspices of
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, and organized by the Prelacy
Ladies Auxiliary.
The event featured the presentation of author Mrs. Alice
Navasargian’s latest book The Immortals: A Pictorial Anthology of
Historiographic Works and a Brief History of Armenia and Armenians in
Persia. This is the author’s third book devoted to Armenian contributions
to the arts.
Prominent scholar and author Mr. Stepan Topchyan presented the book.
Among the guests in attendance were Crescenta Valley Pastor Rev. Fr.
Ghevont Kirazian, Executive Council Chair Mrs. Rima Boghossian, sponsors,
friends, and representatives of sister organizations.
The event began with welcoming remarks delivered by Ladies Auxiliary
Chair Mrs. Salpi Srourian, who then invited the Prelate for the invocation
and the blessing of tables. Continuing her remarks, Mrs. Srourian noted
that the day’s event is among those organized by the Ladies Auxiliary in
celebration of the “Year of the Armenian Book” as proclaimed by H.H.
Catholicos Aram I. She concluded by giving a brief overview of Mrs.
Navasargian’s literary accomplishments, among them her third book The
Immortals.
After lunch there was a brief cultural program during which Mrs.
Srourian recited a poem by Barouyr Sevag. She then invited the day’s
keynote speaker to present the book.
Mr. Topchyan began by commending the book, noting that in addition
to having historical and cultural significance, Mrs. Navasargian’s latest
book is of importance to the present day. He reflected on certain portions
of the book which relate to our cultural losses in the past and in modern
times, stating that as it was centuries ago, today also Armenia finds itself
under the influence of outside powers, and it shapes its life and new
history in that environment while Azerbaijan and Turkey continue their
efforts to obliterate our cultural heritage, specifically noting the recent
destruction of ancient stone-crosses in the Jugha cemetery of Nakhichevan.
Mr. Topchyan highlighted that The Immortals is a reflection of greatness of
the Armenian people, a greatness that came about through immortals such as
those found in the book. In conclusion, Mr. Topchyan focused on portions of
the book that are devoted to the contributions of Iranian-Armenians to our
cultural and national life, which our people are generally not too familiar
with, and closed his remarks by once again commending Mrs. Navasargian for
bringing to life the message of our immortals.
Following the presentation, Mrs. Srourian invited the Prelate to
deliver his message.
The Prelate first highly commended the Ladies Auxiliary for
organizing important events such as this presentation. His Eminence then
reflected on the book’s important subject matter and the author’s
praiseworthy work in the preparation of the book. The Prelate continued his
message by citing passages from one of Barouyr Sevag’s poems, the message of
which is that in our collective life it is not the “individual” but rather
the individuals that make up the “collective” which brings about progress.
It is not the “I” but the “We” that is important. This book, stated the
Prelate, brings together individuals and represents their story as a
collective. This colossal work is in itself an immortal work, bringing to
life the message of the martyrs and heroes who built our history, and it can
be regarded as a guidebook for the familiarization and preservation of our
religious and national values, and an example to think and serve not in
terms of “I” but in terms of “We”, the collective good. The Prelate highly
commended Mrs. Navasargian for her work, which shows that she not only
compiled in one volume the lives and stories of our immortals, but revealed
the true depth of their message and legacy. “As we read and learn about our
immortals, we must apply their message and build our national and religious
legacy, be the preachers of those values and live our lives led by their
example, with humility, the spirit of service, and love”, concluded the
Prelate.
Mrs. Navasargian was then invited to deliver her remarks on this
occasion. The author first conveyed her thanks and gratitude to the Prelate
and Ladies Auxiliary for their initiative to organize this event and for the
successful outcome of the event. She also thanked Mr. Topchyan for his apt
presentation, expressed appreciation to all those who contributed to the
preparation of her latest book, and hoped that through this book she will
have contributed to the familiarization and preservation of the Armenian
history and heritage. In conclusion, she thanked the guests for the
appreciation and encouragement of our culture and values they demonstrated
by their attendance.
At the conclusion of the official program, the Prelate presented
Mrs. Navasargian with a memento, and the Ladies Auxiliary presented the
author with a bouquet of flowers.
Guests then had the opportunity to converse with Mrs. Navasargian
and purchase signed copies of her book, the proceeds of which the author
donated to the Prelacy.
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