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| FEAST OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD
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| Today is the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ (Hambardzoum), which is commemorated forty days after Easter. The universal church has celebrated the Ascension since the fourth century. According to biblical scripture the Ascension took place in the village of Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, in the presence of our Lord’s disciples. After giving them commandments and blessings, the Lord was “received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God,” (Mark 16:19), and “a cloud received him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9).
In the early centuries of Christianity, Hambardzoum was one of the most popular feast days for the faithful and was celebrated with merriment and festivities. There are many Armenian traditions associated with this dominical feast. Perhaps the most well-known and popular one is fortune-telling (vijakakhakh).
Lord, by your mercy you have made this world firm and having come down you saved it from the curse of Adam; today in glory you ascended into heaven; have mercy on us, O God. Ascending the high four-winged crucifixion you saved man and today in glory you ascended into heaven, have mercy on us, O God. By your three days burial you condemned to the deceiving dragon; today in glory you ascended into heaven, have mercy on us, O God.
(Canon for the Ascension of Christ according to the Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Apostolic Church)
NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY WILL CONVENE
NEXT WEEK IN DOUGLASTON, NEW YORK
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| The Eastern Prelacy’s 2016 National Representative Assembly (NRA) will convene next Thursday, May 12, at St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York. The Assembly will continue until Saturday at noon. The Clergy Conference will begin one day earlier, on Wednesday, May 11. Concurrent with the Assembly a Conference of Yeretzgins will take place, as well as the annual conference of the National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG).
NRA BANQUET ON FRIDAY EVENING;
GARO ARMEN AND ARTHUR HAIRABEDIAN TO BE HONORED
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| The Assembly’s banquet will take place on Friday, May 13, at LaGuardia Plaza Hotel, 104-04 Ditmars Boulevard, East Elmhurst, New York.
The 2016 “Man of the Year” award will be presented to Garo H. Armen, a successful businessman and the founder and chairman of the Children of Armenian Fund (COAF). Since its inception, COAF has sponsored projects to reverse the impoverished conditions affecting people in rural Armenia. The projects have earned the praise from international development agencies and experts in the areas of healthcare, education, social and economic development.
Mr. Arthur B. Hairabedian will be the recipient of the “Eagle of the Prelacy” award in appreciation of his outstanding service to the Prelacy and community. Mr. Hairabedian was the first chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, and a long-standing supporter of the Prelacy and its programs.
The evening will begin at 7:30 pm with a cocktail hour followed by dinner at 8:30 pm. For information/reservations contact St. Sarkis Church at 718-224-2275.
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| BIBLE READINGS
Note: Beginning April 4 and continuing until Pentecost (May 15), each day four Gospels are read in the following order: (1) Morning—Luke; (2) Midday—John; (3) Evening—Matthew; (4) Evening dismissal—Mark.
Bible readings for Sunday, May 8, Second Palm Sunday are; (1) Luke 19:29-48; (2) Acts 23:12-35; 1 John 5:13-21; John 12:12-23; (3) Matthew 20:29-21:17; (4) Mark 15:20-37.
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: “Do not be afraid; daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:12-23)
For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here.
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| SECOND PALM SUNDAY
This Sunday, May 8, is Second Palm Sunday (Yerkrort Tsaghkazard). The seventh Sunday of Easter is called Second Palm Sunday because of the readings on that day. Beginning with New Sunday and continuing until Pentecost, the readings are from the four Gospels every day in their proper order. Luke is read in the morning; John at midday; Matthew at the beginning of the evening hour; and Mark at the end of the evening hour. The sections related to Christ’s entry into Jerusalem coincide with the seventh Sunday of Easter, hence the designation of “Second Palm Sunday.”
There are several feast days in our liturgical calendar dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, but according to tradition h is also remembered on the fourth day of Hambardzoum, known as Second Palm Sunday. During the years of Gregory’s imprisonment in the deep pit his guardian angel would appear daily to give him nourishment. On the fourth day of the Ascension the angel did not come, and the next day Gregory asked why. The angel told him that the fourth day of Ascension is the feast day for his celestial army of the 4th rank, and he was permitted to return in the heavens to celebrate the feast day and enjoy Christ in heaven.
“A tradition has come down to us concerning the mysterious meaning of this great and wonderful feast; the Enlightener of our souls heard from his guardian angel: On this day there is great feast in the heavens in my rank. For during the ascent of the heavenly One from earth the heavenly spirits in their ranks celebrated this event with rejoicing, beginning with the angels and concluding with the thrones. The illuminator’s guardian angel being from the fourth rank hastened to share in the joyful celebration of which the angel in the flesh learned when he asked him a question. This great mystery took place for the salvation of the logical of angels and mankind so that both of them might unite in one.”
(From the Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church for the first Sunday after Christ’s Ascension, known as Second Palm Sunday.)
DELEGATION FROM “IN DEFENSE OF CHRISTIANS”
VISITS CATHEDRAL
A delegation from the Washington based In Defense of Christians (IDC), visited St. Illuminator's Cathedral and met with Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian.
On behalf of the delegation, Ms. Kristen Evans, IDC Executive Director, gave updates about their recent visit to the Middle East, including the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia, where they met with His Holiness Aram I, and their successful efforts to urge the United States Congress and State Department to classify the massacres of the Christians as Genocide.
In Defense of Christians is an American-based non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the protection and preservation of Christianity and Christian culture in the Middle East. IDC pursues a grassroots mobilization of the Diaspora communities around the world in unity with other concerned Christian communities and all people of good will toward this end. They work to foster global awareness of the on-going plight of Middle Eastern Christians, encourage political advocacy in order to educate national and international policy makers to act toward this goal, and promote programs of humanitarian aid in solidarity with suffering Christian communities in the Middle East.
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|  | Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian with Fr. Joseph Varghese, Pastor of St. Mary's Syriac Orthodox Church, New Jersey; Mr. Toufic Baaklini, IDC President; Ms. Kristen Evans, IDC Executive Director; Ms. Ninar Keyrouz, Director of Media and Communications and activists from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. | |
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| 2016 DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM FOR YOUTH AGES 13-18
The 30th annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute summer program for youth ages 13-18 will be held at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, from July 3-10. Sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the summer program offers a unique weeklong Christian educational program for youth. It aims to instill and nurture the Armenian Christian faith and identity in our youth through a variety of educational activities, coupled with daily church services and communal recreational activities. For information and registration, please visit the Prelacy’s website at armenianprelacy.org/arec/datev or contact the AREC office at 212-689-7810 or arec@armenianprelacy.org.
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| STUDENTS OBSERVE YEAR OF SERVICE ACTIVITIES
AT ST. GREGORY CHURCH IN NORTH ANDOVER
In observance of the Feast of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, students at St. Gregory Church of North Andover conducted a tree-planting in honor of the Holy Martyrs and deceased members of the church community, as part of their “Year of Service” projects. Presiding over the dedication ceremony was Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, pastor. A second project in their Year of Service program is the establishment of a Children’s Library which is expected to be completed in October.
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|  | Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian with deacons, altar servers, and students who planted a flowering tree at St. Gregory Church in North Andover, on the Feast of the Holy Martyrs as one of the projects undertaken by the students in celebration of the Year of Service. | |
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| "DZIRANI" CHILDREN'S CHORUS PRESENTS INAUGURAL CONCERT
On Friday, April 29, 2016, the New York Hamazkayin "Dzirani" Children's Chorus, led by renowned tenor and director from Armenia Kevork Hadjian, presented its inaugural concert. The program included Armenian patriotic and national songs sung by the chorus and soloists.
The concert took place at the Armenian Center in Queens where parents, friends, and community supporters packed the main hall. After introductory remarks from New York Hamazkayin chairperson Asdghig Sevag, who thanked the New York ARF Armen Garo Gomideh, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian and Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, who provided unconditional support of the chorus.
The concert began with the singing of "Mer Hairenik" and the 1915 Gomidas version of "Hayr Mer." This was followed by 12 songs sung with passion and enthusiasm by the children. Each performance was met with rousing applause from the appreciative audience. Closing remarks were given by H. G. Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian who praised the New York Hamazkayin for having the foresight to organize this chorus and for the dedicated leadership of director Kevork Hadjian.
The performers were given a special gift—a CD of Armenian folk music by the trio Zulal. The inspiring evening concluded with a special reception.
For more information or to join the choir, please email hamazkayinchorus@gmail.com or call Asdghig at (718) 566-8397. Rehearsals will resume in the fall.
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|  | Bishop Anoushavan, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian with community leaders and members of the "Dzirani" chorus. | |
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| THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC)
Death of Frederic Feydit (May 11, 1991)
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| French scholar Frederic Feydit was one of the most remarkable names in the field of Armenian Studies during the twentieth century, particularly because of his personal relationship and attachment to the Armenian people. In an interview in 1983, he declared to be “a citizen of the Diaspora.”
Frederic-Armand Feydit was born in Paris on April 15, 1908, and studied at the Lycée Hoche of Versailles. He became interested in linguistic studies at the age of sixteen; an Armenian family that had rented a room at his parents’ home had left to him, upon its departure, an Armenian elementary grammar and an Armenian-French dictionary.
He taught French at the school Samuel Moorat of the Mekhitarist Congregation, in Sevres, while he was following the courses of Armenian language and culture by Professor Frederic Macler at the Ecole des Langues Orientales, Father Louis Maries at the Institute Catholique, and Professor Antoine Meillet at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes from 1931-1933.
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After obtaining his diploma from the Ecole des Langues Orientales, Feydit went to Venice and taught French at the Moorat-Raphael school from 1933-1936, while he pursued his Armenian studies with the fathers of the Mekhitarist Congregation. At the age of 27, in 1935, he published Grammaire de la langue arménienne - dialecte occidental, a grammar of Western Armenian. He was elected member of the Armenian Academy of San Lazzaro (the scientific body of the congregation) in 1937. In the same year, he married Hermine, an Armenian survivor of the genocide who lived in Milan.
In 1938 he published an article in Armenian about the medieval historian Hetum (Hayton) in the journal Anahid, directed by Arshag Tchobanian. This article made him known among intellectual circles. In 1941 he entered the Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, one of the highest research institutions in France, which he left in 1949 to take the Armenian chair at the Ecole des Langues Orientales, replacing the distinguished Indo-European scholar Georges Dumezil. By then, he had published his Manuel de la langue arménienne (1948), which would have a second edition in 1969. He also published Considerations sur l’alphabet de St. Mesrop in 1964 (second revised edition, 1982). He taught at the Ecoles des Langues Orientales until 1978. In 1986 he published Amulettes de l’Arménie chrétienne, the best study available about Armenian prophylactic scrolls (հմայիլ – hmayil).
A prolific author, he contributed to many scholarly publications in Armenian and in French on issues related to Armenian language, literature, and history. He translated the Armenian epic David of Sassoun into French (1964) under the sponsorship of UNESCO, as well as Comrade Panchoonie by Yervant Odian. He had also embraced the Armenian cause from the very beginning: in 1937 he rebuffed anti-Armenian attacks by fascist writer Lucien Rebattet, and he published a groundbreaking article on the Armenian genocide on April 24, 1965, in Le Monde.
Frederic Feydit passed away on May 11, 1991, in Paris.
Previous entries in “This Week in Armenian History” are on the Prelacy’s web site (www.armenianprelacy.org).
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| PLEASE DO NOT FORGET:
SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER
The crisis in Syria requires 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: Armenian Apostolic Church of America
(Memo: Syrian Armenian Relief)
Thank you for your help.
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| ARMENIAN ANTHROPOLOGY MUSEUM EXHIBIT
The Anthropology/Armenian Museum has placed the traveling exhibit, "Armenia: Memories From My Home" at the Armenian Evangelical Church on 34th Street in New York City. The exhibit is available to other organizations upon request. The Armenian Cultural Educational Resource Center Gallery at Queens College on Kissena Blvd. Flushing, New York displays the history of the Armenian people from 9000 BCE to the present. For information about the exhibit or the museum call 718-428-5650.
ARMENIAN PRELACY – EASTERN UNITED STATES SEEKS A WEB/PRINT DESIGNER
The Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church currently seeks a Web/Print Designer who is able to work independently, but also in a group context. The successful candidate must have a degree in web/multi-media design/graphic design/fine arts/or equivalent, be able to manage multiple deadlines, be attentive to details, respect and understand the religious culture and history of the Armenian people. Additional characteristics and requirements are below.
- Good work ethic
- Bi-lingual (English and western Armenian)
- Design all print projects and coordinate with printers
- Design and maintain Prelacy website
- Maintain electronic mailing lists
- Maintain photo archives
- Social media (Facebook, Instagram, website, e-newsletter)
- Computer maintenance is a plus
- Audio/video editing is a plus
- Coordinate with staff
- Professionally mature
Salary commensurate with experience. Please forward a cover letter, your CV and a link to your online portfolio to email@armenianprelacy.org
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| SIAMANTO ACADEMY—Meets every second Saturday of the month at the Hovnanian School, 817 River Road, New Milford, New Jersey. For information: anec@armenianprelacy.org or 212-689-7810.
May 6—ARS Mayr Chapter of New York, Mother’s Day Celebration, 8 pm, Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Avenue, Woodside, New York. Featuring the Yeraz Dance Ensemble. Donation: $50; children under 12, $15; includes dinner, wine, and soft drinks. Advance reservations required. Call Anais (718-392-6982) or Anahid (718-263-9325).
May 12, 13, 14—National Representative Assembly of the Eastern Prelacy hosted by St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York. Also convening are the National Association of Ladies Guilds conference, and conference of Yeretzgins.
May 15—The Armenian community of Connecticut presents a talk on current events by Stepan Piligian. Topic: “Nagorno-Karabkah (Artsakh): The Cause of Armenian Self-Determination; A Recent History and Prospects for Peace.” West Hartford Public Library, Noah Webster Library, 20 South Main Street, West Hartford, Connecticut 06107. Reception 2:30 pm; lecture 3:00 pm.
May 21—Friends of Holy Martyrs Armenian Day School (HMADS), Annual Gala, North Hills Country Club, Manhasset, New York. Educating today’s Armenian American students remains our first priority. Join us in the festivities and help ensure the future of our Armenian School. For reservations/information: 718-225-4826.
May 21—Armenian Relief Society New Jersey Shakeh Chapter, Concert of Patriotic Songs featuring Karnig Sarkissian and his band. Guest speaker: Dr. Nyree Derderian, Vice Chair, ARS Central
Executive Board. Sts. Vartanantz Church Hall, 461 Bergen Boulevard, Ridgefield, New Jersey, 7:30 pm. Admission: (Mezza / cash bar) $65.00; children 4-12, $45. RSVP: Call/text 201-417-0204 (Ani); email arsnjshakeh@gmail.com.
June 3—“An Evening of Poetic Songs,” a concert by Berge Turabian, “Revisiting My Songs”; also featuring Ani Djirdjirian. John Pashalian Hall at St. Illuminator Cathedral, 221 E. 27th Street, New York City, 8 pm. Reservations/Information: 212-689-5880.
July 3-10—St. Gregory of Datev Summer Institute at St. Mary of Providence Center, Elverson, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the summer program offers a unique weeklong Christian educational program for youth. For information and registration, please visit the Prelacy’s website at armenianprelacy.org/arec/datev or contact the AREC office at 212-689-7810 or arec@armenianprelacy.org.
October 9—SAVE THE DATE. Special event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. Details will follow.
October 22—SAVE THE DATE. Armenian Friends of America presents Hye Kef 5, a 5-hour dance, 7 pm to midnight with buffet; Andover Windham, 123 Old River Road, Andover, Massachusetts, featuring musicians Onnik and Ara Dinkjian, Johnny Berberian, Mal Barsamian, Jason Naroian and Paul Mooradian, with proceeds benefiting area Armenian churches. Advance tickets before September 1, $55, call either John Arzigian (603) 560-3826; Sharke Der Apkarian, (978) 808-0598; Lucy Sirmaian, (978) 683-9121, or Peter Gulezian, (978) 375-1616.
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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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