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April 25, 2014

EASTER IN ANTELIAS

On Easter Sunday, Armenian members of the Lebanese parliament, ministers, civil society representatives, and more than a thousand faithful attended the Holy Liturgy at the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in Antelias, Lebanon . His Holiness Aram I based his Easter sermon on the message of the angel at Jesus’ empty tomb (Matthew 28:5-7). The Catholicos said that the cross and the resurrection of Jesus were at the core of Christian faith and the pattern of Christian history, including Armenian history. “In spite of all their suffering, Armenians continue their journey of faith, upholding the Christian principles of justice, peace, and freedom.”

His Holiness also addressed the current situation of Christians in the Middle East, Syria, and Lebanon. He said that the Middle East is the home of Christianity and that Christians have remained attached to their land despite persecutions and sufferings, contributing profoundly to the flourishing of the region. Our roots are here and so is our future, His Holiness said. Addressing the situation in Syria, he said that it was unacceptable that the Aramaic-speaking population was evicted from the historical Christian village of Ma’alouia and that the Armenians in Kessab were attacked by rebels supported by Turkey. The Catholicos asserted that Christians and Muslims have lived together for centuries and will again build their lives together.

EASTER AND HOLY WEEK AT PRELACY PARISHES

St. Stephen’s Church, Watertown, Massachusetts

The St. Stephen’s congregation taking Communion on Easter Sunday.

Archpriest Fr. Antranig Baljian with the parishioners whose feet were washed on Maundy Thursday. In celebration of “The Year of the Elderly,” elderly parishioners were invited to participate in the foot-washing ceremony.

St. Gregory Church, Granite City, Illinois

Bishop Anoushavan with altar servers and parishioners following Easter service.

All Saints Church, Glenview, Illinois

Maundy Thursday services were celebrated by Bishop Anoushavan at All saints Church, seen here with Archpriest Fr. Zareh Sahagian and the twelve participants in the Washing of the Feet ceremony.

Parishioners filled the pews at All Saints Church.

St. Paul Church, Waukegan, Illinois

Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian celebrated the Easter Eve Divine Liturgy at St. Paul Church, Waukegan, Illinois. He is shown here with Rev. Fr. Daron Stepanian, pastor, and deacons, altar servers, choir and parishioners.

St. Gregory Church, North Andover, Massachusetts

Members of the Sassoun chapter of the AYF in North Andover, Massachusetts, sponsored an Easter Day Bake Sale at St. Gregory Church. Proceeds benefitted the relief fund for Kessab and travel expenses for the junior seminar.

FAREWELL RECEPTION FOR AMBASSADOR NAZARIAN

A farewell reception for Ambassador and Mrs. Garen Nazarian took place on Friday, April 11, in Kavookjian Hall of the Diocese of the Armenian Church, sponsored by the church and community organizations in the metropolitan area. Mr. Nazarian has served as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations for the past five years.

Archbishop Oshagan, as well as members of the Eastern Prelacy’s Religious and Executive Councils attended. In his comments, Archbishop Oshagan described Mr. Nazarian as a distinguished representative of Armenia who was ever-vigilant to protect the interests of Armenia. His Eminence also praised the ambassador for serving the Armenian American community with care. “He was always accessible, always ready to listen, always prepared to support the community. It is, therefore, with a sense of sadness that we say farewell to Ambassador and Mrs. Nazarian. However, this is just a temporary farewell. Our paths will surely converge again, during their continuing service to Armenia.”

Archbishop Oshagan speaking at the farewell reception for Ambassador and Mrs. Garen Nazarian.

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. Delegates and guests will find more information here.

DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM FOR YOUTH

St. Gregory of Datev Institute will hold its 28th annual summer program for youth ages 13-18 at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, from June 29 to July 6, 2014. The program is sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC).

For information and registration, please visit the Prelacy website (armenianprelacy.org/arec/datev).

BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, April 27, New Sunday are: Luke 4:14-30; Acts 5:31-6:7; James 3:1-12; John 1:1-17; John 21:5-25; Matthew 27:50-61; John 20:26-31.

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:26-31)

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

(Note: Beginning Monday, April 28 and continuing until Pentecost (June 8) each day four Gospels are read in the following order: 1) Morning—Luke; 2) Midday—John; 3) Evening—Matthew; 4) Evening dismissal—Mark).

NEW SUNDAY

This Sunday, April 27, is New Sunday (Nor Kiraki). Easter Sunday is followed by a period of fifty days (Hinoonk) during which there are no fasting days or saints days. This period from the Resurrection to Pentecost (Hogegaloost) is dedicated to the glorification of the Resurrection. Each of the seven Sundays of Hinoonk has a special name.

This Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter, is called New Sunday, since the first day of the week through Christ’s Resurrection became consecrated and Sunday became a dominical day. It is also called Second Easter (Grgazadiz), which literally means “Easter repeated,” because it is the eighth day of Easter and a day similar to Easter.

Today, you new peoples, with the heavenly and radiant angels let us sing to the renewer of the human race who died and arose for us, saying: May your resurrection be glorified.

Today, sons of Sion, born sons of God by grace in the font for the renewal for the tomb, saying: May your resurrection be glorified.

Children of faith, celebrating today the feast of Jerusalem on high, renew the garment of your souls and with the sons of light of the new Sion bless Christ the King, saying: May your resurrection be glorified.
(Prayer for New Sunday from the Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church)

THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])

Self portrait by Panos Terlemezian

Komitas Vardapet by Panos Terlemezian

Death of Panos Terlemezian
(April 30, 1941)

Many Armenian intellectuals were also involved in the movement of national liberation at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. Painter Panos Terlemezian was one of them.

He was born in Aygestan, the Armenian suburb of the city of Van, on March 3, 1865. His father was a farmer. After studying at the elementary school, he attended the Van Central College (1881-1886), which he graduated with honors. He became a teacher, while at the same time he joined the first Armenian political party, the Armenagan Organization, founded in 1885.

His political activities attracted the attention of the Turkish government, which tried him in absentia. In 1893 he escaped to Persia and later to Tiflis, in the Russian Empire. After working for a while there, he 1895 he moved to St. Petersburg, where he entered the school of the Art Society. The Turkish government had him imprisoned in 1897 and sent to prison in Tiflis and then in Yerevan, from where he was exiled to Persia. In 1898 he clandestinely traveled to Paris and entered the Académie Julian in 1899. He graduated in 1904, when he won the first prize for his works in the academy’s exhibition. His work “The Entrance of the Monastery of Sanahin” (1904) won the gold medal of an all-European exhibition in Munich (Germany).

After living and creating in Armenia between 1905 and 1908, he returned to Paris for the next two years. In 1910 he moved to Constantinople, where he lived and exhibited until 1913, when he returned to Van. He was one of the seven members of the military authority that led the successful self-defense of Van in April-May 1915 and allowed some 200,000 Armenians of the town and the environment to save their lives. After the evacuation of the town and the emigration of the population towards the Caucasus, he settled in Tiflis, where he participated in the organization of the Union of Armenian Artists.

After the end of the war, Terlemezian lived again on the move. He was in Constantinople, Italy and France between 1919 and 1922, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, where he lived for the next five years, always painting and giving exhibitions. Finally, in 1928 he settled in Soviet Armenia, where he continued producing landscapes, a genre where he excelled, and portraits of celebrated Armenians. He received the title of People’s Artist in 1935. He passed away on April 30, 1941. The Art School (now Art College) of Yerevan bears his name.

Previous entries in “This Week in Armenian History” are on the Prelacy’s web site (www.armenianprelacy.org)

SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER

The crises in Syria, including the recent upheaval in Kessab, need 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.

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

ARMENIAN LANGUAGE CORNER
(Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee[ANEC])

Real Heroes Are Heroes Everywhere

Heroes have been around since the beginning of time. Classical Armenian used the word դիւցազն (tiutsazn, literally “of the lineage of gods”) with the meaning “hero.” This is how the mythical founder of the Armenian nation, Haig, was known by all Armenian historians of ancient and medieval times: Հայկ դիւցազն (Haig tiutsazn).

However, in modern times, both Armenian and English share the common word hero. While this word of Greek origin (ἥρως, hḗrōs) entered Middle English language via Latin in the fourteenth century, it entered the Armenian language much later. According to famous linguist Hrachia Adjarian, Armenian հերոս (heros “hero”) and all nouns, adjectives and verbs derived from it are only found in the modern Armenian language. It is likely that it entered Armenian via French héros. The word tiutsazn from the old language was not displaced, but used along with heros, although the latter acquired a more colloquial use.

Thus, nowadays you can say that General Antranig is an azkayin heros (ազգային հերոս, “national hero”), but nothing prohibits saying that he was an azkayin tiutsazn. Or, since we are evocating the Armenian Genocide, one can perfectly honor any of the few actions of self-defense, either the successful ones (like Van or Musa Dagh) or the not successful ones (like Shabin Karahisar or Urfa), by referring to them as a herosamard (հերոսամարտ, “battle of heroes”), and use tiutsaznamard (դիւցազնամարտ) as a synonym. The memory of the peaceful people who were forced to fight for their survival rather than choosing death in exile deserves to be enhanced.

CNN CRITICIZES OBAMA STATEMENT

Although President Obama issued a strong statement on the occasion of Martyrs Day of April 24, 2014, he again failed to use the word "genocide." In this clip CNN criticizes the President's failure. Watch the clip below.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 25—St. Illuminator’s Cathedral presents a solo concert at 7:30 pm, featuring tenor Kevork Hadjian in commemoration of the 99th anniversary of the Genocide. For information: 212-689-5880.

April 26—Armenian Relief Society, Agnouni, Bergen, Shake, and Spitak New Jersey chapters, present Emmy award winner, Bared Maronian, in his new documentary film, “Women of 1915,” 7:30 pm, Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen Boulevard, Ridgefield, New Jersey. Donation $50 (light meal will be served). For information: Arpi Misserlian 973-907-2898; Talin Daghlian 201-446-2316.

April 26—Armenian Genocide Walk in Philadelphia. Registration 12 noon at Independence Visitor Center (Market Street between 5th and 6th Streets). Walk begins at 1 pm, followed by program at 2 pm. Featured speakers: George Aghjayan, “Why Western Armenia”; Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach, representative of the 17th District. Free bus transportation from St. Sahag & St. Mesrob Church and St. Gregory Church. For information: armeniangenocidewalk@gmail.com and www.armeniangenocidewalk.com.

April 27—Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of Merrimack Valley observance, 3 pm, North Andover High School, 430 Osgood St., Arev Armenian Folk Ensemble performing; joint requiem service by MV Armenian churches; reception to follow; complimentary admission.

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 1—Avak luncheon at noon, St. Gregory Church, 158 Main Street, North Andover, Massachusetts. Speaker: Tom Vartabedian, “A 50-Year Retrospective into Armenian American Journalism,” with stores and photos.

May 9—Armenian Relief Society Mayr Chapter of New York presents “A Mother’s Day Dinner Dance,” featuring the Akhtamar Dance Ensemble and music by Khajag, at the Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Avenue, Woodside, New York. Adults $40; children (under 10) $15. For reservations: Anais, 718-392-6982 or Anahid 718-263-9325.

May 10—Unveiling of new genocide memorial by Lowell City Hall, sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Monument Committee of Merrimack Valley, 10 am, downtown procession, followed by program at City Hall and reception in St. Ann’s Church at noon. Musical interlude by soloist Sevan Dulgarian. Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, MC.

May 10—“Remembering Zahrad” on the 90th anniversary of his birth. Sponsored by the Esayan-Getronagan Alumni of New York, 8 pm at Kalustyan Hall, Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, Bayside, New York. Featuring: Arto Krimian, Dr. Herand Markarian, Zivart Balikjian, Berge Turabian. Admission is free.

May 11—Mothers Day Brunch organized by the Board of Trustees of St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, following the Divine Liturgy. Program will follow. Admission by donation.

May 16—Eastern Prelacy’s National Representative Assembly (NRA) banquet hosted by St. Sarkis Church (Dearborn) at Double Tree Hotel Banquet Hall, 5801 Southfield Service Drive, Detroit. Cocktails 7 pm; dinner 8 pm. Ticket donation, $50. For reservations contact the church office, 313-336-6200 before May 9.

May 21—Benefit for Boston’s Armenian Heritage Park, “Chefs Party for Our Park!” Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 6:30 pm, with participation of more than 15 of Boston’s top chefs. Go to www.ArmenianHeritagePark.org for information.

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.

May 18—St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, Saturday school year-end hantes, 4 pm.

May 18—St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, ARS Havadk Chapter Bingo Luncheon.

May 24—96th anniversary of Armenian independence sponsored by Lowell “Aharonian” ARF, 6 pm, St. Gregory Church, 158 Main Street, North Andover, Massachusetts. Dinner, entertainment, and speaker, Baku pogrom survivor Anna Turcotte, author of “Nowhere, A story of Exile.” Admission: $20 adults; $10 students.

May 31—The Armenian Bar Association presents a panel discussion about “Ongoing Legal Efforts and Challenges to Preserve Armenian Antiquities and Cultural Property,” at Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 42 West 44th Street, New York City (between 5th and 6th Avenues), 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Free admission. For information: Denise Darmanian nyfed@aol.com or 917-848-0968.

May 31—St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, Ladies’ Guild Cooking Class, “Short Cuts to Armenian Cooking,” 11 am, Homemade Lahmajoon. $15 for each class; $40 for three classes.

June 1—Ladies Guild Annual Brunch, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York.

June 1—St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, Sunday School trip to Boston.

June 8—St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, Ladies’ Guild Hot Dog Social.

June 16-17—St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, Sunday School Teens Seminar at Colombiere Conference and Retreat Center, Clarkston, Michigan.

June 24-26—Vacation Bible Camp for preschool (age 4) to 6th grade students at St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, from 10 am to 2 pm. Religious activities, lessons, crafts, and games. For information: 313-336-6200.

June 28—St. Stephen’s Church, New Britain, Connecticut, Ladies Guild Cooking Class, “Short Cuts to Armenian Cooking,” 11 am, Mock Manti. $15 for each class; $40 for three classes.

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.

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 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 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.

October 3—St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Douglaston, New York, Saturday School Dinner Dance Gala.

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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