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| INDEPENDENCE DAY—JULY 4, 1776 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Tomorrow, Friday, July 4 is Independence Day that celebrates the birth of the United States of America, created by the union of thirteen colonies. Thomas Jefferson, the young Virginian who would later become the nation’s third president, wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence that in its final form would absolve the colonies from “all Allegiance to the British Crown,” and declare that “all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved,” and that as Free and Independent States, they have full “Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.” It was a daring document. A fledgling group of colonies challenging the mighty British Empire, supported by “a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” The signers became traitors, with the threat of death, to create a new nation, governed by laws, not kings. Miraculously, the war that followed between the greatest power of the day and the new nation with its rag-tag army led by George Washington was won by the colonies. The principles embodied in the declaration were, of course, lofty and noble ideals. The quest for those ideals continues. On the occasion of the 238th anniversary of the birth of the “thirteen United States of America,” let us remember those who throughout the past and into current times made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives to protect the “Great Experiment” and the principles of the “American Dream” for themselves and others. Let us resolve to continue the struggle to reach the ideals of the Declaration—the ideals that gave shelter and opportunity to thousands and thousands of immigrants and refugees, including our Armenian ancestors.
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| PONTIFICAL PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS Last Sunday parishes of the Eastern Prelacy offered Pontifical Prayers and Blessings on the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the election and consecration of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar, presided and delivered the sermon.
Pontifical Prayers were offered in Prelacy parishes last Sunday. At St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York, Bishop Anoushavan presided with the participation of Very Rev. Fr. Zareh Sarkissian and Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian.
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| PRELATE WILL ATTEND HOMENETMEN GAMES Archbishop Oshagan will attend the Homenetmen Eastern Region’s Annual Athletic Games this weekend hosted by the New York chapter. His Eminence will deliver the invocation at the banquet Friday evening at the Westchester Hilton, and at the closing ceremonies on Sunday.
PHOTOS FROM DATEV
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|  | Faculty and students at the 2014 St. Gregory of Datev Summer Institute currently taking place in Elverson, Pennsylvania. | |  | The bucolic setting of the St. Mary of Providence Center provides the perfect atmosphere for summer activities, including study sessions. | |  | Recreational activities keep mind and body healthy and strong. | |  | Morning and evening worship are important components of the program. | |  | Discussion and contemplation are encouraged. | | | |
VICAR ATTENDS POLICE/CLERGY BREAKFAST Bishop Anoushavan attended the 2014 Police/Clergy Affinity Breakfast organized by the “Patrol Borough Queens North” last week at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel. Keynote addresses were given by the Honorable Melinda Katz, Queens Borough President, and Assistant Chief Diana L. Pizzuti, Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Queens North.
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|  | Bishop Anoushavan with Deputy Inspector Jason Huerta (left) and Police Officer John Erdman, both from the 111th Precinct. | |
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| TEACHERS’ SEMINAR ORGANIZED BY ANEC The Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC) will sponsor a teachers’ seminar to be held on August 23, 2014, at the Prelacy headquarters in New York, from 10 am-4 pm. All schools and teachers are invited to participate. The program will have the following lectures: Sossi Essajanian: “Supporting the Next Generation: Early Childhood Development, Best Practices, and the Armenian Language Teacher” Anahid Garmiryan: “To Be or Not to Be a Teacher: the Fundamentals of Bilingualism”
For more information, please email ANEC at anec@armenianprelacy.org or call (212) 689-7231/7810.
SIAMANTO ACADEMY RESUMES ITS ACTIVITIES The Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC), jointly sponsored by the Prelacy and the Armenian Relief Society, sponsored for many years the Siamanto Academy for young adults. After a recent hiatus, the Academy is ready to resume its activities. The Academy offers courses on Armenian history, culture, and contemporary issues. Classes will take place on a monthly basis, every second Saturday, beginning in September at Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church (Ridgefield, New Jersey), from 2 pm-5 pm. For additional information, please contact ANEC at anec@armenianprelacy.org.
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| BIBLE READINGS Bible reading for Sunday, July 6, Fourth Sunday after Pentecost are: Isaiah 1:21-31; Romans 7:15-8:11; Matthew 12:38-45. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation. (Matthew 12:38-45) For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here.
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| DISCOVERY OF RELICS OF ST. GREGORY This Saturday, July 5, the Armenian Church observes one of the three feast days dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator (Krikor Lousavorich): the discovery of his relics. St. Gregory is considered to be the “Apostle of Armenia,” and the patron saint of the Armenian Church. He preached throughout Armenia, built churches, including the great cathedral in Etchmiadzin, established the first canon laws, wrote many prayers, and organized the liturgical services. After years of evangelizing, St. Gregory sought solitude and an ascetic life. He retired to a cave at Mount Sepouh where he died in solitude. Shepherds found his body and without realizing his identity they buried him under a pile of stones. Later a hermit, Garnik of Pasen, who was a disciple of St. Gregory, saw a vision and went to Mount Sepouh and found the burial site. He took the saint’s remains to the village of Tordan for burial where King Trtad was buried. Relics from the right hand of St. Gregory, encased in a golden arm, are at the Holy Mother See of Etchmiadzin and the Holy See of Cilicia. The Catholicoi mix the new Muron (Holy Chrism) with the old Muron with the golden hand of St. Gregory.
ST. DANIEL THE PROPHET AND COMPANIONS
SHADRACH, MESHACH, & ABEDNEGO This Tuesday, July 8, the Armenian Church commemorates Daniel the Prophet and his companions. Daniel and his youthful companions, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego, found favor with the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar after their captivity. When the king gave orders for a large statue of himself that would be worshipped like a god, Daniel and the three youths refused. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were put into a large furnace. The flames shot out of the furnace and attacked those standing nearby, but the three young boys walked in the flames without harm. Seeing this, the king ordered their release from the furnace, and he became a convert to the True God. (See the Book of Daniel, chapters 1 to 3 for the full account).
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| NEWS FROM THE CATHOLICOSATE
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IGNATIUS APHREN II VISITS HIS HOLINESS His Beatitude Ignatius Aphrem II, the recently elected Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, and his delegation visited His Holiness Aram I last week at the Catholicosate. After canonical prayers at the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, His Holiness and the Patriarch and the accompanying delegation gathered in the Main Hall of the Catholicosate, where Catholicos Aram welcomed his guests. His Holiness spoke about the history and the circumstances that have bound the two churches together. He then said that the unity in faith between their churches should presently find concrete expression in the lives of their people. He also spoke of ecumenism and emphasized the importance of bilateral theological dialogue between the Oriental Orthodox family of churches and other churches. Patriarch Ignatius thanked His Holiness for his welcoming words and recalled their ecumenical cooperation when His Holiness was the Moderator and he a member of the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches. He promised to continue the legacy of their predecessors and continue the strong relationship between their two churches and the Oriental Orthodox family in the Middle East. The Patriarch and his delegation were the guests of His Holiness for lunch. Bishop Shahe Panossian, Prelate of Lebanon, Archbishop Nareg Alemezian, Director of Ecumenical Relations, and Dr. Bedros Karajerjian, chairman of the Catholicosate’s Executive Council also attended.
RENOVATION AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS CONTINUE
IN BIKFAYA IN PREPARATION FOR 100TH COMMEMORATION Architects and engineers have been working on various renovation and new construction projects at the monastery in Bikfaya, Lebanon, preparing to receive the pilgrims who will come next year from the Diaspora to participate in the commemorative events planned for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. His Holiness Aram I is closely monitoring the progress of the work. The area around the Genocide monument is being enlarged and new monuments are being erected to recall the history of the Genocide and the sufferings of the Armenian people during the 1915 genocide perpetrated by Turkey. New buildings are also being constructed to provide ample space for the clergy, as well as for commemorative activities. Some of the projects are completed, and others will be ready before April 2015.
CATHOLICOS RECEIVES STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS His Holiness Aram I welcomed 25 students from Europe and the United States and their professors to Antelias last Thursday. The students are all majoring in Middle East Studies. His Holiness introduced his guests to the Armenian Orthodox Church and spoke about the Christian presence in the Middle East and ecumenical relations both on a regional and global level. Questions raised by the guests concerned the Armenian Genocide and Armenian-Turkish relations. At the end of the meeting, His Holiness was invited to lecture at Oxford University on the topic “The Middle East Today and the Challenges to Christians.”
BIBLE STUDY COURSE FOR WOMEN CONCLUDES The annual Bible Study Course for Women, organized by the Christian Education Department, ended the 2013-2014 year last week with a closing ceremony. His Holiness Aram addressed the 150 women who faithfully followed the course. Quoting from 2 Thessalonians 2:15, His Holiness said, “…stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.” He then explained the importance of holding strongly to traditions because, he said, “according to the Apostle, traditions embody Christian values and ideals that shape identity.” He noted that Christian identity is expressed through culture, which is the manifestation of the social behavior of a people. His Holiness concluded by saying, “Our Armenian values, ideals, and identity are shaped by our Christian faith, which the Apostles brought to our country. The Armenian family, the church, and the school are the components that guard our Armenian identity and, therefore, it is the responsibility of parents to safeguard our Armenian identity by bringing up their children within these units.”
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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
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| GRADUATION AT ST. STEPHEN’S SCHOOL St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School (SSAES) successfully completed its 30th academic year with graduation ceremonies for the Kindergarten (June 19) and Elementary (June 20) classes. Mrs. Houry Boyamian, principal, focused on the school’s achievements in her graduation messages. She thanked the faculty, the administrative staff, the PTO, the parent volunteers, the school board and committees, the St. Stephen’s Church board of trustees, and Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian, as well as all the organizations and individuals who contribute to the advancement of the school. To read about the graduations and honorees click here.
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|  | Ten students graduated from St. Stephen’s Elementary School on June 20. | |  | Twenty-seven students graduated from Kindergarten on June 19. | | | |
 | Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian and Houry Boyamian presented a Certificate of Achievement from the Prelacy on the occasion of her retirement after serving 21 years as a Preschool teacher at St. Stephen’s School and a total of 44 years of teaching in Armenian schools. | |  | Mrs. Ardemis Megerdichian was honored with a pin representing the school’s Golden Logo in appreciation of 15 years of dedicated service as an Armenian teacher for Grades 1 to 5. In the photo, left to right, are: Mrs. Houry Boyamian, Principal; the honoree Mrs. Megerdichian; and Mrs. Heather Krafian, Education Committee member. | |
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| THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])
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Mountainous Gharabagh Becomes Part of Soviet Azerbaijan
(July 5, 1921) The establishment of the Soviet regime in the Southern Caucasus between April 1920 and April of 1921 included the solution of ethno-territorial conflicts such as that of Mountainous Gharabagh, which had been in dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 1918. Soviet Russia had recognized the mountainous area of Gharabagh as a disputed zone and, in August 1920, after an agreement signed by Soviet Russian and the Republic of Armenia, Russian forces had been temporarily deployed in the region. On November 30, 1920, one day after the Armenian Bolsheviks had proclaimed Armenia as a Soviet republic (the power was actually transferred on December 2), the Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan (the highest executive power of the country at the moment) recognized that Gharabagh, Zangezur, and Nakhichevan, territories formerly pretended by Azerbaijan, were indivisible part of Armenia.
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| The National Council of Azerbaijan, on the basis of the agreement signed by Soviet Azerbaijan and Soviet Armenia, proclaimed Mountainous Gharabagh as indivisible part of Armenia by the declaration of June 12, 1921. On the basis of the November 30, 1920 declaration and the agreement signed by the Soviet governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Armenia also made a similar declaration. The text of the decree approved by the government of Armenia was published in the Armenian and Azerbaijani press (Bakinski rabotchi, organ of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, June 22, 1921), thus confirming legally the union of Mountainous Gharabagh to Armenia. In the context of international law, this was the last legal act regarding Mountainous Gharabagh during the Communist regime. The fact was totally overlooked by the Caucasian Bureau of the Communist Party of Russia, which invited to a plenary session on July 4, 1921 in Tbilisi, where the union of Mountainous Gharabagh to Soviet Armenia was confirmed as a fact. However, by suggestion of Moscow and the immediate intervention of Joseph Stalin, the decision of the previous day was revised in the wee hours of July 5 and a new resolution was imposed, which established that Mountainous Gharabagh would be part of Soviet Azerbaijan as an autonomous region. This resolution was an unprecedented legal act in the history of international law, when the party body of a third country (Russia), without any legal grounds or jurisdiction, decided the status of Mountainous Gharabagh after another decision had been agreed before. The Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia were included in the process of the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in December 1922. Despite the resistance of the Armenian population, on a small fraction of the territory of Gharabagh, by decision of the Central Executive Revolutionary Committee of Soviet Azerbaijan, on July 7, 1923, the Autonomous Region (Oblast) of Mountainous (Nagorno) Gharabagh was formed as part of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan, without having any common borders with Armenia. This would not solve, but just freeze the question of Gharabagh for the next six decades and half, until the popular explosion of 1988 and the beginning of the Gharabagh movement. Previous entries in “This Week in Armenian History” are on the Prelacy’s web site (www.armenianprelacy.org)
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| ARMENIAN LANGUAGE CORNER
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])
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You Eat It, You Do Not Have It Someone may approach you anywhere in the world and ask: «Կրնա՞մ սուրճ մը ունենալ» (Gurnam soorj muh oonenal?). Even if you do not recognize his or her accent, be sure that the person is bringing the English flavor to her Armenian speech: a literal translation of “May I have a coffee?” Two words may have the same meaning in both Armenian and English. It does not mean that you can apply a given Armenian word (or vice versa) for all the meanings of the same word in English. Oonenal is such a case. If Martin Luther King Jr. had spoken his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Armenian, he would have started: «Երազ մը ունիմ» (Yeraz me oonim). The reason is that in both languages you can have a dream, a pen, a house, or a child when you own them. When you intend to get something which is not yours, you ask: “May I have a pencil?” This is true, but only for the English language. You cannot be own (e.g. oonenal) something that it is not yours. Since you need to get it first, the proper way to ask for a pencil in Armenian would be: “Կրնա՞մ մատիտ մը առնել» (Gurnam madid muh arnel?). The word arnel (“to take”) here means “to get.” In the same way, you do not “have” coffee with someone: in Armenian, you “get” (arnel) it. The following example is from Antranig Dzarugian’s memoir, Ethereal Aleppo (Երազային Հալէպ), a source very fitting in these days of disarray for Syrian Armenians: «Ամառուան արձակուրդն է, դպրոցները փակ։ Անակնկալօրէն Միհրան էֆէնտին մեր տունը կու գայ, Նոր Գիւղ, սուրճ մը առնելու» (Amarvan artzagoortn eh, tbrotsnereh pag. Anagngaloren Mihran efendeen mer doonuh goo kah, Nor Kugh, soorj me arneloo)։ “It is the summer vacation, the schools are closed. All of a sudden, Mihran Efendi comes to our home, in Nor Kugh, to have a coffee.” If Mihran Efendi had gone to “have something to eat,” of course Dzarugian would not have said «կերակուր ունենալու» (geragoor oonenaloo), but, simply, «կերակուր ուտելու» (geragoor oodeloo). Because, when you are “having your meal”, you say: «Ես կերակուր կ՚ուտեմ» (Yes geragoor g’oodem), but never ever... «Ես կերակուր կ՚ունենամ» (Yes geragoor g’oonenam). Sometimes, you just need to think differently. Previous entries in “The Armenian Language Corner” are on the Prelacy’s web site (www.armenianprelacy.org)
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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.
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Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of a City
By Marjorie Housepian Dobkin This is a reprint of the 1972 edition of this authoritative book on the disaster of Smyrna, “a poignant, meticulously documented chronicle of an all but forgotten tragedy” (The New York Times Book Review), and “a documentary indictment of the inhumanity of religion, the callousness of Powers and the avarice of commerce” (The Sunday Times). $20 (softcover) plus shipping and handling.
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Հոգիս քեզմով կը խայտայ
Քէմալ Եալչըն, թարգմ. Գարեգին արք. Պեքճեան
Երեւան, «Զանգակ-97», 2003 «Գրքիս պատրաստութեան ատեն բազմաթիւ հայերու դուռը թակեցի։ Նախապէս այս մարդոցմէ ոչ մէկը զիս կը ճանչնար։ Առաջին անգամ ըլլալով թուրք մը իրենց անցեալը կը հարցնէր, վրան ծածկուած, մոռացութեան տրուած “յիշատակները” կենսաւորել կը ցանկար» (Ք. Եալչըն)։ Գին՝ 22 տոլար (թղթակազմ)
To order these or other books contact the Bookstore by email (books@armenianprelacy.org) or by telephone (212-689-7810).
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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, joycey41@cox.net 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. August 23—Teachers’ seminar sponsored by the Armenian Education Committee (ANEC), at the Prelacy offices in New York, 10 am to 4 pm. All schools and teachers are invited to participate. Lecturers: Sossi Essajanian, “Supporting the Next Generation: Early Childhood Development, Best Practices, and the Armenian Language Teacher” and Anahid Garmiryan, “To Be or Not to be a Teacher: The Fundamentals of Bilingualism.” For information: anec@armenianprelacy.org or 212-689-7810. September 7—Picnic Festival, St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley, 158 Main Street, North Andover, Massachusetts, featuring musicians Leon Janikian, Jason Naroian, Johnny Berberian, and John Arzigian; presentation by Siroun Dance Ensemble of Central Massachusetts. 12:30 to 5:30 pm, church grounds. Shish, losh, and chicken kebab dinners, veggie plates, Armenian pastries, family games and activities. 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.
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| 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@armenianprelacy.org 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: info@armenianprelacy.org
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