NEW
YORK, NY—“I have attended Datev for the past four
summers and I must confess that it was probably the highlight
of each of those summers,” said Garineh Panosian, a 2006
graduate of the Datev Institute. That is just one of many observations
and personal testimonials that have come forth from students
who have attended the Datev Institute during the past 20 years.
This summer, seventy-one students (between ages 13 to 18) from
thirteen parishes, and ten clergymen, gathered at the St. Mary
of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, July 2 to 9,
for the 20th annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Armenian
Christian Studies Program, under the directorship of His Grace
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General of the Eastern Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.
In appreciation of the twenty years of Datev a celebration took
place on Saturday evening July 8, at the Holiday Inn, not far
from the St. Mary of Providence Center where the Datev Institute’s
summer program takes place each year. Attending were current
and former Datevatzis. (See details of this event in separate
accompanying story.)
Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC)
of the Prelacy, the Datev Institute offers an opportunity for
the youth to enrich their Armenian Christian faith in a wholesome
and nurturing environment. Worship, Christian education and
fellowship are the three main components of the weeklong program,
with daily Arevakal (Sunrise) and Husgoom (Rest/Compline hour)
services, six hours of interactive classes, panel discussions
and Bible studies, as well as recreational and communal activities.
In addition, this year a special workshop was conducted for
altar servers.
The Institute is a four-year program (one week each summer)
for youth. Those who complete the four-year program may return
for postgraduate classes. All five levels of study take place
concurrently. The overall curriculum exposes the participants
to Armenian Christian essentials, from Bible and creeds, sacraments
and sacred chants, feasts and saints, communal worship and personal
prayer, and ways to live today in faithful obedience to the
mandate of the Gospel of Christ.
The program began on Sunday evening, July 2, with a prayer by
His Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, followed by orientation
led by Deacon Shant Kazanjian, director of AREC. After presenting
the preliminaries, Dn. Shant stressed that “Datev is not
just another youth program; to be sure, it is a youth program,
but with gospel in it. The Gospel of Christ is the essential
ingredient that makes Datev what it is. This gospel, as proclaimed
and celebrated by the Armenian Apostolic Church throughout the
centuries, has shaped and formed our distinctive Armenian Christian
character.”
The Faculty
The roster of instructors this year included Bishop Anoushavan
Tanielian, V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian, V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Garabedian,
Rev. Fr. Khoren Habeshian, Rev. Fr. Antranig Baljian, Rev. Fr.
Nerses Manoogian, Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, Dn. Shant Kazanjian,
Dn. Nishan Baljian, Dn. Arsen Mekaelian, and Ms. Jeanette Nazarian.
Guest lecturer, Rev. Fr. Paul Tarazi, Ph.D., Professor of Biblical
Studies and Biblical Languages at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox
Theological Seminary, taught the upper level students a 4-hour
mini course on the Letter of James. Fr. Tarazi also held a three-hour
session on the same letter with the clergy-instructors of the
Institute.
20th Anniversary
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Datev Institute,
a seminar entitled, “Youth, Faith and Life” took
place on Saturday, July 8, which attracted over 25 Datevatzis.
The seminar was led by Rev. Fr. Antranig Baljian, pastor of
St. Stephen Armenian Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, and V.
Rev. Fr. Paul Tarazi.
Hagop Kouyoumdjian served as the honorary chairman of the 20th
anniversary and chairman of the fund raising committee. Mr.
Kouyoumdjian and his wife, Ica, have been supporters of the
Prelacy and especially Christian education for more than two
decades. His eagerness to help celebrate twenty years of Datev
provided the inspiration for others to follow and support the
future growth of this program for the youth.
The weeklong program came to a close on Sunday, July 9, with
the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at St. Gregory the Illuminator
Church in Philadelphia, officiated by the Prelate, His Eminence
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, followed by a farewell picnic,
graciously provided by Mrs. Asdghig Kazanjian, the owner of
Armenian Delight in Broomall, Pennsylvania. In his homily, which
focused on prayer, His Eminence said, “Praying together
is our Christian obligation and goal. This for us is not negotiable,
because it is the teaching of the Scriptures. When we pray together,
we gather in one place as one body. That coming together in
the name of Christ strengthens our faith and builds us up as
a community of faith. As a Datevatzi you have learned these
things, and it is your Armenian Christian duty to go back to
your parish and take an active role in the communal worship
there in order that you may continue to grow in your faith and
contribute to the building up of your parish community.”
Ari Nalbandian, a 2006 graduate offered this inspiring personal
observation of Datev: “I have been attending the Datev
Institute since my first year in 2003, but it was not until
my fourth year that I truly began to understand its purpose.
I now realize that it is more than just a “bible camp”
or a religious retreat. The one lecture that truly spoke to
me was Der Antranig’s July 4th lecture about freedom.
He explained the concepts of servitude and freedom in a way
that was revolutionary to me, and probably all the datevatzis
in that room. Servitude and obedience to God is true freedom,
the freedom from sin, which I am now trying to apply to my daily
life. Thank you Datev and Der Antranig for giving me a new Christian
outlook on my life.”
And second year student, Arpi Shetilian, had this to say: “I
love Datev more than I could ever imagine. It’s the greatest
place to meet the best people and to make great lifelong friends.
Just in these past two years that I attended Datev, it gave
me a whole new perspective about God and religion.”
Words of Appreciation
A program of this scope is possible only through the collaborative
efforts of AREC and parishes, parents, volunteer workers, and
a number of organizations and individuals. The Institute thanks
the instructors for their labor of love and the parents for
entrusting their children to the Institute for a week of spiritual
formation. The Institute would also like to express its gratitude
to the following for their invaluable services as supervisors
and counselors: Dn. Bedros Kalajian, Dn. Dr. Arsen Mekaelian,
Mrs. Lena Aslanian, Ms. Barbara Baljian, Ms. Mary Gulmezian,
Mr. James Haddad, Mr. Arek Hamalian, Ms. Taleen Kupelian, Mr.
Nazareth Markarian, Mrs. Martha Mekaelian, Ms. Martha Mekaelian,
Jr., Mr. Mikhail Mekaelian, and Ms. Jeanette Nazarian. Many
thanks to those parishes that subsidized a portion of the expenses
by providing scholarships.
The Institute extends its appreciation to the Pashalian Family
Education Fund for the donation of $2,000. The Institute also
thanks the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG) and the National Association
of Ladies’ Guilds (NALG) for their generous support.
Gregor Gregorian, a 2006 Datev graduate, categorized his experience
with these words, “Datev was an amazing experience for
me. It helped me to understand more about the Armenian Church
and learn more about the services and worships such as the Badarak.
Another great aspect about Datev is that it is strict about
its educational program…. I have also learned how to speak
more Armenian which is good because I would eventually like
to speak and understand the language fluently. Overall, Datev
is a great experience for anyone who wants to learn more about
the Armenian Church, history, language, and make new or see
old friends.” |
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