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| REQUIEM SERVICE FOR PRIESTS WHO SERVED THE PRELACY In conjunction with the Ghevontiants commemoration, all Prelacy parishes will observe a special requiem service this Sunday, February 23, in memory of the deceased clergy who served the Prelacy. Remembered with gratitude and honor: His Holiness Catholicos Zareh I, His Holiness Catholicos Khoren I, His Holiness Catholicos Karekin I, Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians, Archbishop Hrant Khatchadourian, Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, Archbishop Sumbat Lapajian, V. Rev. Fr. Vaghinag Sisagian, V. Rev. Fr. Ghevont Martougesian, V. Rev. Fr. Nishan Papazian, V. Rev. Fr. Barour Ekmekjian, V. Rev. Fr. Oshagan Minasian, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Amrigian, Rev. Fr. Arsen Varjabedian, Rev. Fr. Mateos Mannigian, Rev. Fr. Bedros Mampreian, Rev. Fr. Stepanos Garabedian, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Der Hovanesian, Rev. Fr. Houssig Naghnikian, Rev. Fr. Adom Melikian, Rev. Fr. Yeghishe Kasbarian, Rev. Fr. Ghevont Khosrovian, Rev. Fr. Bedros Kasarjian, Rev. Fr. Sahag Balian, Rev. Fr. Ghevont Papazian, Rev. Fr. Papken Kasbarian, Rev. Fr. Sahag Yeghigyan, Rev. Fr. Nerses Shahinian, Rev. Fr. Bsag Sarkisian, Rev. Fr. Yeghishe Mkitarian, Rev. Fr. Souren Papakhian, Rev. Fr. Arsen Simeoniantz, Rev. Fr. Movses Der Stepanian, Rev. Fr. Mampre Biberian, Rev. Fr. Khachadour Giragossian, Rev. Fr. Yervant Yeretzian, Rev. Fr. Gomidas Der Torosian, Rev. Fr. Movses Shrikian, Rev. Fr. Dickran Khoyan, Rev. Fr. Smpad Der Mekhsian, Rev. Fr. Vahan Ghazarian, Rev. Fr. Ashod Kochian, Rev. Fr. Arshavir Sevdalian, Rev. Fr. Kourken Yaralian, Rev. Fr. Arsen Hagopian, Rev. Fr. Sarkis Antreasian, Rev. Fr. Sahag Andekian, Rev. Fr. Hmayag Minoyan, Rev. Fr. Krikor Hairabedian, Rev. Fr. Asoghik Kiledjian, Rev. Fr. Varant Bedrosian, Rev. Fr. Sahag Vertanessian, Rev. Fr. Vartan Kassabian, Rev. Fr. Torkom Hagopian, Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Artinian, Rev. Fr. Geghart Baboghlian, Rev. Fr. Arshag Daghlian, Rev. Fr. Vatche Naccachian, Rev. Fr. Vahrich Shirinian, Rev. Fr. Vartan Arakelian, Rev. Fr. Gorun Shrikian. O Christ, Son of God, forbearing and compassionate, through your love as creator, have mercy upon the souls of your departed servants. Be mindful of them on the great day of the coming of your kingdom. Make them worthy of your mercy and of remission and forgiveness of their sins, glorify and number them among the saints of your right hand.
(From the Armenian Church’s Repose of Souls [Hokehankist] service)
ARS REMEMBRANCE DAY Archbishop Oshagan announced that this Sunday, February 23, all Prelacy churches will observe Remembrance Day for the Armenian Relief Society. Requiem service for all deceased members and benefactors will be offered following the Liturgy in a tradition established some years ago and by the request of the ARS regional executive. Remembered specifically will be the founder of the ARS, Agnouni (Khatchadour Maloomian), on the occasion of the 99th anniversary of his death, and benefactors George and Beatrice Lazarian, Levon and Sophia Hagopian, Karekin and Virginia Siroonian, Samuel and Agnes Yeremian, Araxie Proodian, Haiganoush Garabedian, Doris Norian Lentzi, Alice Norian, Arpkes Kelerchian, Hagop Jacques Mouradian , Alice Haigazian Berman, Genevieve Yekeshian, Yervant and Helen Terzian, Albert and Takouhi Bagian, Giragos Vaporsiyan, Kourken Assaturian, and Margaret Assaturian. “This is a day for us to honor those who served the Armenian people for many decades in the field of education and humanitarian and social welfare. It is also an opportunity for us to express appreciation of the Armenian Relief Society’s noble service for more than 100 years,” said the Prelate.
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL TRAVEL TO NORTH ANDOVER Archbishop Oshagan will travel to North Andover, Massachusetts, this weekend where on Sunday, February 23 he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley. His Eminence will deliver the sermon, ordain an colyte, Noa Aznoyan, and preside over the parish’s 44th anniversary celebration at a festive luncheon following the Divine Liturgy.
GHEVONTIANTZ CLERGY GATHERING Clergy from the Eastern and Canadian Prelacies will gather on their annual clergy conference on the occasion of the Feast of St. Ghevont and the Priests, next week beginning Monday, February 24 to Wednesday, February 26. The 2014 clergy gathering is being hosted by Holy Cross Church in Troy, New York, with Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy presiding. Topics of study will include the Catholicos’ “Year of the Elderly” message and Holy Week.
MUSICAL ARMENIA: MARCH 28 The 31st Musical Armenia concert will take place Friday evening (8 pm), March 28, at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, featuring Narek Arutyunian (clarinet) and Friends (Hahnsol Kim, violin; and Yunqing Zhou, piano). For more information
click here.
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| SAVE THE DATES FOR NRA The 2014 National Representative Assembly (NRA), along with the Clergy Conference, and the Conference of the National Association of Ladies Guilds (NALG), will take place May 13-17, hosted by St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan.
Click here for more details and hotel reservations.
FEAST OF SAINT SARKIS IN DOUGLASTON Last Sunday, February 16, Archbishop Oshagan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, on the occasion of the Feast of St. Sarkis. A luncheon followed the church services in celebration of the parish’s name day.
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Archbishop Oshagan offers communion at St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston. | | A luncheon and program marked the celebration that included a “happy name day” cake. | | | |
Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian and artist Paul Sagsoorian with the portrait of Catholicos Aram. |
| VISIT TO NEW YORK ARMENIAN HOME Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York City, visited the Armenian Home for the Aged in Flushing, New York, on February 12. Der Mesrob spoke to the residents about the “Year of the Elderly,” proclaimed by His Holiness Aram I. Der Hayr visits the Home each week, usually on Wednesdays, where he spends time with the elderly offering comfort and good wishes. On this occasion, resident and artist, Paul Sagsoorian, presented Der Hayr with a portrait of His Holiness Aram I, standing in front of the monument in Bikfaya, Lebanon, dedicated to the martyrs of the Genocide. Mr. Sagsoorian presented the portrait in appreciation of Vehapar’s tireless service to the Armenian nation and his dedication to the Armenian cause.
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BIBLE READINGS Bible readings for Sunday, February 23, are: Isaiah 63:18-64:12; Titus 1:1-11; John 15:17-21. Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began—in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior. To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it. There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach. (Titus 1:1-11) For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings
click here.
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| ST. SAHAG BARTEV This Saturday, February 22, the Armenian Church commemorates the Catholicos Sahag (Isaac) Bartev, a strong and great leader who is recognized as one of the greatest saints of the Armenian Church. He was the son of St. Nerses the Great and a descendant of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Orphaned at an early age, he nevertheless received an excellent literary education in Constantinople, especially in eastern languages. He was the one who encouraged and supported Mesrob Mashdots in the creation of the Armenian alphabet. Soon after this great event Catholicos Sahag began the first translation of the Holy Bible and he led and guided the vast body of works that were translated into Armenian, thus creating Armenia’s “Golden Age of Literature.” He was an ardent believer in education and ecclesiastical discipline and canon law. He is recognized as the person who kept Armenia ecclesiastically and nationally autonomous. St. Sahag lived to an advanced age (some sources say 110 years); however, the exact date of his death is not known. With the death of Catholicos Sahag Bartev the line of St. Gregory the Illuminator came to an end.
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STS. GHEVONT AND PRIESTS This Tuesday, February 23, the Armenian Church commemorates the Feast of the Holy Ghevontian (Leontine) priests. After the battle of Vartanantz, a group of priests and deacons was abducted by the Persian king and imprisoned, tortured and martyred. Ghevont is revered as the leader of the group because he was an advisor to Vartan Mamigonian, and he delivered an inspiring message on the eve of the battle at Avarayr. Ghevont, who was highly educated, assisted Saints Sahag and Mesrob in translating the Bible into Armenian.
LENTEN LECTURES BEGIN MARCH 5 The 2014 Lenten Lectures will begin on Wednesday, March 5, and continue through subsequent Wednesdays during Lent. The theme of the lectures will be The Nicene Creed, based on the recently published Commentary on the Nicene Creed, by Archbishop Zareh Aznavorian, of blessed memory. The newly published bilingual book was translated by Deacon Shant Kazanjian, director of the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC). The lecturers include: Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General of the Eastern Prelacy; Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian, pastor of St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts; Archpriest Fr. Nerses Manoogian, pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York; and Deacon Shant Kazanjian, director of AREC. The Prelacy’s Lenten Lectures continue a decades-old tradition. The series is sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council, the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG), and the Ladies Guild of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral. The lectures take place at the Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City, with church service at 7:30 pm; Lecture and Q & A at 8 pm; Table Fellowship at 8:45 pm. For information contact the Prelacy office at 212-689-7810, or arec@armenianprelacy.org or the Cathedral office at 212-689-5880.
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| DYARNUNTARACH IN NORTH ANDOVER The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord to the Temple (Dyarnuntarach) was celebrated at St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley in North Andover, MA, on Friday, February 14, 2014. A large group of parishioners gathered in the church to pray during Vespers. Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian, pastor of St. Stephen's Church in nearby Watertown, joined Fr. Stephan Baljian, pastor of St. Gregory, in conducting the service and leading the procession outside to light the traditional bonfire. Once outside, the clergy led the faithful in the singing of the Lord's Prayer and the Armenian National Anthem. Following the ceremonies, the St. Gregory Ladies' Guild hosted their monthly Family Night dinner and fellowship, in celebration of the feast day and St. Valentine's Day. On this occasion, the church's Men's Club prepared and served the delicious meal. Musical entertainment was provided by popular stage performer Tommy Rull.
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Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian and Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian conducting the traditional service and bonfire. | |
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| NEWS FROM THE CATHOLICOSATE
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EUROPEAN NGOs MEET WITH CATHOLICOS Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) from Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom met with His Holiness Aram I last week at the Catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon. These NGOs are engaged in humanitarian work in Syria and are particularly concerned about the Christian communities in the region. Prior to traveling to the region, they met with the government of member countries of the European Union. Having been informed of the contribution of His Holiness Aram to the Geneva 2 meeting at the World Council of Churches (WCC), they were interested in hearing his views about the crisis. His Holiness explained the purpose of the WCC statement and added that the only way to peace in Syria is through dialogue between the government, the opposition, and representatives of local communities, with the support of the United Nations and the Arab League. The Catholicos stressed that any solution to the Syrian crisis must recognize the rights and obligations of Christians because they are native to the country and the region.
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| 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. The Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief is a joint effort of: Armenian Apostolic Church of America (Eastern Prelacy); Armenian Catholic Eparchy; Armenian Evangelical Union of North America; Armenian Relief Society (Eastern USA, Inc.); Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Thank you for your help
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| THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])
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| Death of Missak Manouchian (February 21, 1944) French Armenian filmmaker Robert Guédiguian’s movie, “The Army of Crime,” which Richard Brody praised in The New Yorker (2010) as “vigorously heroic yet mournful Second World War drama,” reconstructed the deeds and the downfall of a group of foreign members of the French Resistance led by Armenian poet and activist Missak Manouchian (Manoushian). Manouchian was born on September 1, 1906, in Adiyaman (vilayet of Mamuret-ul-Aziz). He survived the Armenian Genocide, harbored by a Kurdish family. His brother Karabet also survived the Genocide. Both orphaned siblings were accepted at an orphanage in Syria. They finally made their way to Marseilles in 1925. The brothers moved to Paris, where Karabet Manouchian died in 1927. Missak had taken a job at a plant of the automobile company Citroën and joined a member of the General Confederation of Labour, a national association of trade unions that was the first of the major French confederations. He lost his job in the early 1930s, at the time of the Great Depression. He joined the Communist Party in 1934 and became secretary of the Committee of Assistance to Armenia (Hayastani Oknutian Gomide or HOG) the next year and editor of its weekly Zanku. In one of the meetings of the Committee, he met his future wife Melinée Assadourian (1913-1989). Manouchian was a poet who founded two left-leaning literary magazines, Chank and Mshaguyt, with a fellow Communist friend and poet, Sema (Kegham Atmadjian). Besides their own poetry, they published articles on French literature and Armenian literature. At the beginning of World War II, the young poet was evacuated from Paris as a foreigner. He returned after the defeat to Germany in June 1940 and was briefly arrested by the German authorities of occupation in June 1941, when the invasion of the Soviet Union began, but released a few weeks later by the efforts of his wife. After becoming the political head of the Armenian section of the underground MOI (Immigrant Workforce Movement), the branch of foreign members of the Communist Party, from 1941-1943, Manouchian transferred in February 1943 to the FTP-MOI, a group of gunmen and saboteurs attached to the MOI in Paris. The group carried out almost thirty successful attacks on German interests from August to November 1943. The Special Brigade No. 2 of the General Intelligence, a collaborationist French police force, undertook a large operation against resistance activists, which eventually led to the complete dismantling of the FTP-MOI network in Paris. A total of 68 persons were arrested, including Manouchian on the morning of November 16, 1943, in Évry Petit-Bourg. His wife managed to escape and survive the war. Manouchian and the others were tortured to gain information, and eventually handed over to the Germans. The inner circle of twenty-three people (eleven Jewish, five Italians, three French, two Armenians, one Spaniard, and one Polish) was given a 1944 show trial for propaganda purposes before execution. Twenty-two men were shot on February 21, 1944, at Fort Mont-Valérien, near Paris. The only woman of the group was beheaded in the prison at Stuttgart (Germany) three months later. After the liberation, Manouchian would be posthumously awarded the highest order of the Legion of Honor. In the wake of the execution, the Germans printed 15,000 propaganda posters on red background paper. The red posters (Affiche Rouge) bore photos of ten of the dead. The center photo of Manouchian had the following inscription: “Armenian gang leader, 56 bombings, 150 dead, 600 wounded.” The poster was intended to portray the Resistance as murderous foreigners who were a danger to law-abiding citizens. But people marked the red posters with "Morts pour la France!" (They died for France). Pasted on walls all over Paris, the posters became emblems of martyrdom by freedom fighters, and contributed to popular support for the Resistance. The last letter of Manouchian to his wife stated: “I joined the Army of Liberation as a volunteer, and I die within inches of Victory and the final goal. Happy will be all those who will survive and taste the sweetness of Freedom and Peace of tomorrow. I'm sure that the French people and all the freedom combatants will know how to honor our memory with dignity. . . . With the help of friends who would like to honor me, you shall publish my poems and writings that are worth being read. You shall take my memories, if possible, to my relatives in Armenia.” A commemorative plaque and a fresco remember the Manouchian group in Paris, as well as a park and a memorial in Évry Petit-Bourg. A street bears Manouchian’s name in Yerevan. Previous entries in “This Week in Armenian History” are on the Prelacy’s web site (www.armenianprelacy.org).
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| POSTAL SERVICE AT 222 YEARS The U.S. Postal Service is 222 years old today. President George Washington (whose birthday is Saturday) created the U.S. Postal Service with the signing of the 1792 Postal Service Act that gave Congress the power to establish official mail routes. The act also permitted newspapers to be delivered, and made it illegal for postal officials to open anyone’s mail. Thus, the new nation of barely four million enjoyed federally funded postal service with 75 regional post offices and 2,400 miles of postal routes. The Postal Service’s center was first in Philadelphia, until 1800 when it relocated to the nation’s new capital, Washington, D.C. E-Mail is wonderful, but there is nothing like receiving a real letter via the post office. Sadly, the letter that is written, stuffed, licked, stamped, and mailed with great care, thought, and effort, is becoming extinct, and our mailboxes are filled mostly with “junk mail.” Some of us recall the “penny postcard” and the “three-cent letter rate” that could travel clear across the United States into the hands of an eager recipient.
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2014 Prelacy Lenten Program, on Wednesdays, starting March 5, at St. Illuminator’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral (New York City), Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG), and the St. Illuminator’s Cathedral Ladies Guild. For information, please contact the Prelacy office at 212.689.7810, or arec@armenianprelacy.org or the Church office at 212-689-5880 or office@stilluminators.org. February 24-26—Annual Clergy Ghevontiantz Gathering hosted by Holy Cross Church, 255 Spring Avenue, Troy, New York. March 1—St. Sarkis Sunday School, Dearborn, Michigan, Poon Paregentan Costume Party for everyone, at Lillian Arakelian Hall. March 2—St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York City, Poon Paregentan Manti Luncheon and Program, at John Pashalian Hall, 1 pm, sponsored by the Ladies Guild of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral. Admission $30. March 8—Sunday School Teachers’ Seminar for NY-NJ region, at St. Illuminator’s Armenian Cathedral (New York City), sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) and hosted by St. Illuminator’s Sunday School. Theme: The Nicene Creed. March 8—Anthropology/Armenian Museum will present “The Mark Kyrkostas Remember Me with Music” Dance and Music Concert with audience participation in Kaloustian Hall at the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, Bayside, New York, at 7 pm. March 14—St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Douglaston, New York, Commentary on the Nicene Creed book presentation at 7:30pm, by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Executive Director of Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) of the Prelacy. March 26—St. Sarkis Ladies Guild, Dearborn, Michigan, Mid-Lenten Luncheon following the Lenten morning service, Lillian Arakelian Hall. March 27-April 6—Third Annual Online Auction hosted by Armenian Relief Society, Eastern USA, Inc. Auction items include Weekend Getaways, Unique Gifts, Restaurants, Hotels, Spa and Salon Services, Jewelry, Electronics, Artwork, Sports Memorabilia, and more. To view and bid on auction items during the auction dates: www.biddingforgood.com/arseastusa. To contact the ARS Auction committee: arseusaauction@gmail.com. March 28—Musical Armenia Concert presented by Eastern Prelacy and Prelacy Ladies Guild, at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 8 pm, featuring Narek Arutyunian (clarinet) & Friends, Hahnsol Kim (violin) and Yunqing Zhou (piano). March 28—St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, book presentation, Commentary on the Nicene Creed, at 8:00pm, by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Executive Director of Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) of the Prelacy. March 29—Concert by Zulal Armenian A Capella Folk Trio at Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, 4 pm, followed by a reception in the church hall. Tickets $25, if purchased before March 8; $30 after March 8. To purchase tickets email Janis at sitto1031@yahoo.com or Carol at carolhalfmann@gmail.com. Also online at http://zulal.ticketleap.com/zulal/. For information call the church, 508-852-2414. April 5—Sunday School Teachers’ Seminar – New England region, at St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC). Theme: The Nicene Creed.
April 24—“Walk to Honor our Martyrs,” organized by the New York ARF and the ANC of New York, under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan, at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City. Badarak and Hokehankist, 10:30 am to 12 noon. Walk begins 12:30 pm from the Cathedral. For information: office@stilluminators.org or 212-689-5880.
April 27—Annual Times Square Gathering, in commemoration of the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Sponsored by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan with the support and participation of all churches and organizations. Free bus transportation from area Armenian churches, and other locations.
May 13-17—Clergy Conference and National Representative Assembly, and Annual Conference of the National Association of Ladies’ Guilds (NALG) of the Eastern Prelacy, hosted by St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan.
June 1—Ladies Guild Annual Brunch, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.
June 1—St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, Toronto Children’s Choir concert in the church sanctuary.
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 arec@armenianprelacy.org.
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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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