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October 16, 2014
PRELATE OF ALEPPO VISITING U.S. AND CANADA

Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian, Prelate of Aleppo, arrived in the United States on Monday and will be visiting communities in the United States and Canada. He will conduct public briefings on the continuing crisis facing the Armenian community in Syria and will raise funds to help keep the Armenian schools in Syria open and functioning. Currently Archbishop Shahan is in California; after his visit to the east coast he will go to Canada.

Archbishop Oshagan will travel with Archbishop Shahan during his visits to communities within the jurisdiction of the Eastern Prelacy. The schedule of visits is as follows:

  • Wednesday, October 22, St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, where in the morning there will be a meeting with the members of the Central and Regional executives of the Armenian Relief Society. In the evening a community gathering will take place at St. Stephen’s Church Hall.
  • Thursday, October 23, Sts. Vartanantz Church in Providence, Rhode Island (during the day); in the evening at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia.
  • Friday evening, October 24, St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York.
  • Saturday evening, October 25, Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey.
  • Sunday, October 26, Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. The Liturgy will be followed by a presentation and fellowship.
  • Monday, October 27, St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York City.

Please support these public briefings with your attendance and donation; if you prefer you may make your donation now.
A scene of destruction from one of the Armenian neighborhoods of Aleppo.
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: Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief

Thank you for your help
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL ORDAIN DEACON IN CONNECTICUT

Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Connecticut, where this Sunday, October 19, he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and deliver the Sermon at St. Stephen’s Church, in New Britain. Archbishop Oshagan will be assisted at the altar by Archpriest Fr. Aram Stepanian. The Prelate will ordain Ara Stepanian to the order of the diaconate. His Eminence will preside over the parish’s 89th anniversary celebration following the liturgy.


BISHOP ANOUSHAVAN WILL INTRODUCE NEW PRIEST
TO GRANITE CITY PARISH;

Bishop Anoushavan will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at St. Gregory Church in Granite City, Illinois, this Sunday, October19. On this occasion the Vicar will introduce the parish’s new pastor, Rev. Fr. Torkom Chorbajian and Yeretzgin Shogher.

Last Sunday, October 12, the Board of Trustees and the Ladies Guild of St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, hosted a special coffee hour and fellowship to bid farewell to Der Torkom and Yn. Shogher after the Divine Liturgy, where Der Torkom has been serving as assistant pastor in an internship program under the guidance of Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian.
Archpriest Fr. Antranig and Rev. Fr. Torkom with deacons, altar servers, and choir members following the Divine Liturgy that was celebrated by Der Torkom.
A farewell dinner for Der Torkom and Yeretzgin was hosted by Michael and Susan Guzelian and attended by Der Antranig and Yeretzgin and board members of St. Stephen’s Church.
PRELATE ORDAINS DEACONS IN DEARBORN

Last Sunday Archbishop Oshagan celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon at St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan. During the Liturgy His Eminence ordained Jeffery Noroian, Khatchig Kafafian, and Thomas Gerjikian as deacons and Yervant Bedikian as a sub-deacon. The Prelate also presided over the parish’s 52nd anniversary celebration in Lilian Arakelian Hall. Attending were children recently baptized at St. Sarkis Church who received the blessings of His Eminence.
A scene during the ordination service.
Recently baptized children received the blessings of the Prelate.
PRELATE WILL ATTEND GROUNDBREAKING OF 
ST. NICHOLAS GREEK CHURCH AT GROUND ZERO

Archbishop Oshagan will attend the groundbreaking of the new Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church near Ground Zero in New York, this Saturday, October 18, at noon.

St.Nicholas Church was a well-known and often visited sanctuary in lower Manhattan since the 19th century until it was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center’s south tower on September 11, 2001. The new structure, designed by Santiago Calatrava  (designer of the PATH station at the World Trade Center under construction), will overlook the 9/11 Memorial. Construction of the church is expected to be completed by 2016 or early 2017.


PRELACY CLERGY GATHER FOR RETREAT IN PENNSYLVANIA

The clergy of the Eastern Prelacy gathered at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, for a three day retreat, from October 13-15, 2014, under the presidency of the Prelate, His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan.

The members of the clergy were afforded the opportunity to give themselves more fully to prayer and reflection, in order to return to their respective parishes rejuvenated, refreshed and renewed. This was the main goal for the gathering. There were also six other items on the agenda.

Throughout those three days, the clergy celebrated the seven daily services of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which are 1) The night hour (kisherayin zham), 2) the morning hour (aravodyan zham), 3) the sunrise hour (arevakal zham), 4) the midday hour (jashu zham), 5) the evening hour (yeregoyan zham), 6) the peace hour (khaghaghagan zham), and 7) the rest hour (hankusdyan zham).

The other items on the agenda were: 1) the final review and suggestions of the Holy Week services with its new English translation; 2) the resolutions of the 2014 National Representative Assembly; 3) the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; 4) Bishops Conclave in Etchmiadzin in November 2015; 5)  the Pontifical visit of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I in May 2015; 6) the recent summit that was held in Washington, D.C., “In Defense of Christians”; and 7) a workshop on “Pastoral Skills” led by Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Armenian Church in Douglaston, New York.

In reference to the NRA resolution, the clergy were assigned the task of reviewing the Prelacy’s Christian education programs, and Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), was invited to participate in that session.

Dn. Shant presented a brief outline of the Christian Faith. The clergy reviewed it and made several significant revisions and additions. They then discussed ways to strengthen the Christian educational programs within our parishes, exploring also ways to integrate technology in this ministry at all levels.  It was reaffirmed that every parish should form and implement a Christian Education Committee, if they do not already have one. It was also recommended that AREC evaluate the St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program. And as expected, one of the perennial issues in such gatherings was the Soorp Badarak—helping our people to better understand and participate in the central worship service of the Armenian Church.

And finally, on the occasion of the pontifical visit, the Prelacy parishes were asked to focus on the general theme of “Faithfulness to our Armenian Christian Heritage.”  And Deacon Shant was asked to present 5-6 topics under this overall theme. Faithfulness to our Armenian Christian heritage, he highlighted, entails being faithful 1) to the Bible, 2) to our baptismal calling, 3) to our faith expressed in the creeds, 4) in prayer, 5) to coming together on Sundays to celebrate the Soorp Badarak, and 6) in participating in the mission of the Church. This plan was endorsed by the clergy.

Click on the banner below to listen to a podcast from the retreat center in Elverson produced by Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian that includes interviews, Bible reflection, and sharagan. This is the seventh weekly podcast in a new initiative by Fr. Nareg, pastor of St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York.
Clergy serving the Eastern Prelacy in front of the serene St. Mary of Providence Center in Pennsylvania where they met for a three-day retreat. From left to right: Rev. Fr. Torkom Chorbajian, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, Rev. Fr. Bedros Shetilian, Archpriest Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian, Archpriest Fr. Aram Stepanian, Archpriest Fr. Zareh Sahakian, Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Very Rev. Fr. Sahag Yemishyan, Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian, Archpriest Fr. Nerses Manoogian, Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, Rev. Fr. Hrant Kevorkian.
The clergy during one of their study sessions.
MUSICAL ARMENIA APPLICATIONS

The Musical Armenia committee is accepting applications from young Armenian musicians who would like to be featured in a concert at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City. Those interested in applying should visit the Prelacy’s web site (www.armenianprelacy.org) or click here.

The Prelacy inaugurated the Musical Armenia series in 1982 in order to promote the careers of talented young Armenian musicians from all over the world. Since then, the annual concerts have remained faithful to the objectives of the series. The 2015 concert will take place on Friday, March 20. Applications should be sent no later than October 30, 2014.
BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, October 19, Sixth Sunday of the Exaltation are, Isaiah 20:2-21:6; Galatians 4:3-18; Luke 4:14-23.

Then Jesus filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” (Luke 4:14-23)

For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here.
THE HOLY EVANGELISTS

This Saturday, October 18, the Armenian Church commemorates the Holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors of the four Gospels. The word Evangelist comes from the Greek Euaggelistes which means “one who brings good news.”  Evangelists are given the special ability by the Holy Spirit to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly and effectively. In the early days of the church evangelism was the work of the apostles. By the third century, the authors of the four canonical Gospels became known as the Holy Evangelists, and as the church grew “evangelist” began to denote a specific office that could include “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers” (see Ephesians 4:11-12). All four died martyrs.

Matthew is the patron of the Church’s mission. The Gospel attributed to him closes with Jesus’ command to His disciples and followers to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Mark had significant influence on the advancement of Christianity. Although the Gospel according to Mark is a narrative of the life of Jesus, theologians consider it to be a handbook of discipleship. The dominant message is that being a Christian is not only believing in Jesus Christ, it is also living according to the example set by Jesus. According to tradition, Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria. One of the most magnificent cathedrals in the world is named after him in Venice, where his relics are kept.

Luke is the author of the third Gospel and the Book of Acts. He is considered to be the patron of physicians and artists. The Gospel according to Luke describes Jesus as “the healer of a broken world.” Luke is also noted for his concern for the poor, the marginalized, women, and social outcasts. His Gospel does not end with the Resurrection, but continues to Pentecost and the eternal presence of Christ in the world. Traditionally he is believed to be one of the Seventy and the unnamed disciple in Emmaus.

John, often called the “beloved disciple,” is the author of the fourth Gospel. He was the only one of the twelve disciples who did not forsake Christ and stood at the foot of the Cross. Jesus entrusted his mother to John’s care on the day of the Crucifixion. The best known verse in his Gospel is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” According to tradition, John left Jerusalem after attending the first ecumenical council and went to Asia Minor and settled in Ephesus. He was exiled to the island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation, although more recently scholars have concluded that John the Apostle and John of Patmos were two different people.
THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])
Death of Anastas Mikoyan (October 21, 1978)

Anastas Mikoyan was perhaps the only politician that lived through the first half century of the Soviet regime, from the days of Lenin to the first years of Leonid Brezhnev’s rule in the 1960s, and remained at the highest positions of the Communist Party. He was also a controversial name with regards to Armenian history. (His younger brother Artem was the co-founder of the Mig aviation design bureau, which would produce the military jets.)

Mikoyan was born on November 13 (25), 1895, in the village of Sanahin, nowadays the neighborhood of the city of Alaverdi, in the province of Lori (Republic of Armenia). After graduating from the local school, he studied at the Nersisian School in Tiflis and the Gevorgian Seminary in Etchmiadzin.

In 1915 he formed a workers’ soviet in Etchmiadzin and formally joined the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. He edited two newspapers in Baku and led the Bolshevik clandestine network after the collapse of the Commune of Baku in June 1918. He was among the 26 commissars who fled from Baku and the only one who escaped death when the others were shot in September 1918. The circumstances have remained shrouded in mystery.

In 1919 Mikoyan became the head of the Baku board of the Caucasian committee of the Russian Communist Party. After a short stay in Moscow, he returned to Baku as representative of the Military-Revolutionary Committee of the XI Red Army. In December 1919 he wrote a report to Lenin where he insisted on the need to put an end to the Armenian Question and to renounce the idea of the formation of a united Armenian state. In 1921 he co-signed a letter sent to Lenin by Nariman Narimanov, the head of the Military-Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan, which said that Gharabagh and Nakhichevan should remain under the authority of Soviet Azerbaijan.

Afterwards, Mikoyan moved to Moscow, where he continued his political career. He was in Stalin’s inner circle; he became People’s Commissar of Trade of the Soviet Union in 1926 and Commissar of Food Industry in 1931. He developed a comprehensive program for the Soviet food industry and, in this regard, he visited the United States for two months in 1936 with his wife Ashkhen (died in 1962) to study the American methods of production. He initiated the production of ice cream in the Soviet Union, which remained under his personal supervision until the end of his tenure.
The Caucasus trio: From left to right, Mikoyan, Joseph Stalin, and Sergo Ordzhonikidze.
Mikoyan was elected a full member of the Politburo of the Communist Party in 1935 (he would keep this position until 1966) and became deputy chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars in 1937. He was among those who executed Stalin’s policies, including signing documents that condemned to death hundreds and thousands of people during the Great Purge.

In September 1937 Stalin dispatched him, along with Georgy Malenkov and Lavrentiy Beria, with a list of 300 names to Yerevan, to oversee the liquidation of the Communist Party of Armenia, which was largely made up of old Bolsheviks. Over a thousand people were arrested and seven of nine members of the Armenian Politburo were sacked from office. On September 22, 1937, Nikolai Yezhov, head of the NKVD (predecessor of the KGB) from 1936 to 1938, transmitted to Stalin a petition by Mikoyan to execute 2,000 Armenians, instead of the initial 1,500. During the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the NKVD at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, on December 20, 1937, Mikoyan praised Yezhov for his tireless work: “Learn the Stalin way to work," he said, "from Comrade Yezhov, just as he learned and will continue to learn from Comrade Stalin himself.” On the other hand, he helped the families of purged friends who had remained without any assistance. He also saved Marshal Hovhannes Baghramian, a hero of World War II, from repression and exile in 1937.

Mikoyan had an outstanding role during the war. Trade, army supply, and production of light and food industry were under his supervision. In 1941 he became a representative of the State Defense Committee, which was the supreme state authority during the war, and was decorated with the order of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1943 for his remarkable job. After the war, he continued to be Minister of Foreign Trade until 1949. Despite his position, his teenage children Sergo and Vano were exiled on trumped-up charges, but returned shortly after the end of the war. His son Vladimir, a pilot in the Red Air Force, had died in combat during the war.

During the 19th Congress of the Communist Party in October 1952, despite his speech filled with praises of Stalin, Mikoyan was not elected to the presidium of the congress. Although he was elected a member of the Central Committee of the party, he did not make it to the presidium of the party. During the plenary session, Stalin rained invectives over Mikoyan and Molotov, first deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, and expressed publicly his lack of trust in them. Stalin’s death in March 1953 probably saved Mikoyan’s career and life. 
Ernesto "Che" Guevara, First Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan of the Soviet Union, and Fidel Castro meet after the successful revolution in Cuba.
The “survivor,” as he would be labeled by Time magazine, maintained a neutral position in the struggle for power after Stalin’s death. He supported Nikita Khrushchev after he imposed himself over Beria as the strongman of the Soviet Union and backed his policy of de-Stalinization. He returned to the post of Minister of Foreign Trade (1953-55) and then became first deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers (1955-1964). Nevertheless, he never gave a public assessment of Stalin’s crimes. In 1954 he visited Armenia and gave a speech in Yerevan, where he encouraged Armenians to reprint the forbidden works of Raffi and Yeghishe Charents.

The veteran politician, who visited the United States several times during Khrushchev’s time, would have a crucial intervention in the solution of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. Two years later, he would become chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR shortly before the coup that ousted Khrushchev and replaced him by Leonid Brezhnev, but he was forced to retire in 1965. Mikoyan was one of the few Old Bolsheviks who was spared from Stalin's purges and was able to retire comfortably from political life. He died on October 21, 1978, at the age of 82, from natural causes and was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. Last April, an initiative to erect a statue of Mikoyan in Yerevan gave room to a heated controversy that shows that the Soviet legacy is far from being resolved.

Previous entries in “This Week in Armenian History” can be read on the Prelacy’s web site (www.armenianprelacy.org).
ORPHAN RUG WILL BE DISPLAYED
IN NOVEMBER

According to confirmed reports the Armenian Genocide Orphan Rug will be part of an exhibit at the White House Visitors Center from November 18 to 23. The exhibit, “Thank You to the United States: Three Gifts to Presidents in Gratitude for American Generosity Abroad,” will showcase the Orphan Rug given to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 as a symbol of gratitude for American aid and generosity for U.S. assistance during the genocide. The rug, 11’7” x 18’5”, has over 4,000,000 hand-tied knots and took the Armenian girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of the Near East Relief ten months to weave. The rug has been in storage for decades and its requested display was embroiled in controversy last year.

The story of the rug is told in a book, President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug, by Hagop Martin Deranian, that is available at the Armenian Prelacy bookstore. For information contact the bookstore by email (books@armenianprelacy.org) or by phone (212-689-7810).
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
October 18—Annual Armenian Bazaar, St. Gregory Church, 135 Goodwin Street, Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, 10 am to 7 pm. Favorite Armenian dinners including shish, losh, and chicken kebab and rice pilaf; stuffed grape leaves, cheese and spinach pie, pickled vegetables; traditional Armenian and American baked goods; raffle. Take-out available. For information: (413) 543-4763.

October 19—St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan will ordain Ara Stepanian as Deacon during the Divine Liturgy and preside over the parish’s 89th Annual Banquet.

October 25—St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley, Annual Fall Fair, 10 am to 7 pm, at Jaffarian Hall, 158 Main Street, North Andover, Massachusetts. Shish, losh, and chicken kebab dinners, lentil and kheyma, vegetarian dinners, pastries, gifts, raffles. For information: 978-685-5038.

October 26—Celebration of 80th anniversary of Armenian Weekly and 115th anniversary of Hairenik, at home of Carmen and Avo Barmakian, 58 Matthew Lane, Waltham, Massachusetts. Keynote speaker, Professor Richard G. Hovannisian, professor of Armenian and Near Eastern History at UCLA. Reservations by October 18, Heather Krafian, 617-932-1965.

November 2—All Saints Church, Glenview, Illinois, 71st Anniversary under auspices of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, following the Divine Liturgy, at Shahnasarian Hall, 1701 N. Greenwood, Glenview, Illinois.

November 6—Avak Luncheon, sponsored by St. Gregory Church, 158 Main Street, North Andover, Massachusetts, at noon. Speaker: Sonya Vartabedian, “Diary of a Community Editor,” reflections from Sunday School student here to award-winning journalist and editor of The Andover Townsman and Andover Magazine.

November 7-8-9—Rouben Mamoulian Film Festival, 7 pm, at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York. Sponsored by the Anthropology Museum of the People of New York, the Armenian Cultural Educational Resource Center Gallery at Queens College, and The Museum of the Moving Image. Opening night and reception will feature Love Me Tonight, the 1932 musical comedy film produced and directed by Mamoulian, with music by Rodgers and Hart, starring Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier. For tickets and information: anthroarmen@aol.com or 718-428-5650.

November 7 & 8—St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, 58th Armenian Bazaar, 10 am to 9:30 pm at Armenian Cultural & Educational Center, 47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, Massachusetts. Meals served from 11:30 am to 8:30 pm (take out is available). Enjoy delicious meals, Armenian pastries, gourmet items, arts and crafts, books, raffles, attic treasures. For information: 617-924-7562.

November 14-15—Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, Annual Fall Fest. Friday, 4 to 8 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm. Shish, chicken, losh kebab and kheyma dinners. Home made pastries and special desserts. For information: 508-852-2414.

November 15 &16—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, Armenian Fest 2014 at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Broad Street, Cranston, Rhode Island.  Largest indoor festival in Rhode Island. Delicious shish and losh kebob, chicken and kufta dinners and Armenian pastry available all day.  Live dance music. The Mourad Armenian School and Providence Hamazkayin dance groups will perform on Saturday and Sunday at 5 pm. Hourly raffles, silent auction, country store, gift baskets, flea-market, arts and crafts. Main raffle prizes worth total $2,700.  Fun for all ages. Free admission, parking and valet. For information: 401-831-6399 or www.stsvartanantzchurch.org.

November 21, 22, 23—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, Annual Bazaar, Food Festival, and Hantes. Mezze and Kebab dinners (chicken, shish, luleh); dessert table and trays of home-made delicacies; Boutique Booths; Chinese Auction; Supervised Game Room for children; Pre-packaged Monte, Sou Buereg, Kufteh, and Lehmejun; Take-out available; Live Music for dancing and listening. Traditional Kavourma dinner on Sunday served immediately after church service. For information: 201-943-2950.

December 6—Armenian Winter Dessert Festival, Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland.

December 6—St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, Annual Bazaar at Christian Reform Church, Whitinsville, 10 am to 5 pm.

December 7—Ladies Guild of St. Stephen’s Church of New Britain and Hartford, Connecticut, will host a Wine Tasting Party at noon in the church hall, 167 Tremont Street, New Britain. A wine talk and tasting will be provided by Taylor Brooke Winery, Woodstock, Connecticut, owned by Linda Varjabedian Auger.

December 7—8th Annual ANC Eastern Region Banquet, Ritz-Carlton Battery Park, NY. Freedom Award Honoree: former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau and the Morgenthau family; Vahan Cardashian Award Honoree: ANCA activist Alice Movsesian.  Tickets are $250.  For reservations and information, please visit www.anca.org/erbanquet or 917.428.1918.

December 12—Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) 11th Annual Holiday Gala, Cipriani 42nd Street, New York City. Cocktails and Silent Auction, 7 pm; Dinner & Program, 8 pm; Dancing & After Party, 10 pm. For tickets and information www.coafkids.org or 212-994-8234.

February 9-11, 2015—Ghevontiantz gathering of clergy serving the Eastern Prelacy.

March 13-15, 2015—“Responsibility 2015,” International conference for Armenian Genocide’s centennial at Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York, featuring prominent historians, policymakers, authors, and artists. Organized by the ARF Eastern US Centennial Committee, under the auspices of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America, Eastern Region. www.responsibility2015.com for information.

March 20, 2015—Musical Armenia, presented by Eastern Prelacy and Prelacy Ladies Guild, Weill Recital Hall, 8 pm, Carnegie Hall, New York City.

October 5-9, 2015—Clergy gathering of Eastern, Western, and Canadian Prelacies.
Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web site.

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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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