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CATHOLICOS
ARAM I CONFERS WITH WCC OFFICIALS
ON SITUATION IN LEBANON
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and former
moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC), has been conferring
with Dr. Samuel Kobia, General Secretary of the WCC, and the office of
the U.S. Conference of the WCC, concerning the situation in Lebanon.
His Holiness discussed proposals for political and humanitarian initiatives.
In the political realm, the Catholicos emphasized the following three
inter-related points: (1) An urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire
and cessation of all hostilities; (2) Development of a solid framework
for a political solution to the crisis; and (3) Build on this framework
for a permanent settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, with the goals
of justice, peace and prosperity for the region.
In the area of humanitarian initiatives, His Holiness appealed to all
ecumenical churches and organizations to mobilize and reach out and help
the needy in Lebanon through the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).
PRELATE
CALLS FOR PRAYERS FOR PEACE;
CATHOLICOS EXPRESSES THANKS
His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan continues to ask for prayers
for peace in the Middle East and an end to the hostilities that have disrupted
life in Lebanon causing loss of life and destruction.
The Prelate and Vicar are maintaining regular contact with His Holiness
Aram I, to keep informed about the general conditions in Lebanon and the
specific situation and needs of the Armenian community.
In an e-mail message V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chifjian, Communications Officers
of the Catholicosate, stated today: “His Holiness Aram I instructed
me to convey his deep appreciation and warm thanks to all those, who by
telephone, by fax or e-mail, have expressed their concern and solidarity,
and have included in their prayers Lebanon in general, and the Armenian
Church and people in particular. We pray and hope that with the help of
the international community and people of good will, peace with justice
and reconciliation among nations will prevail in the Middle East.”
V. REV. FR.
SHAHE PANOSSIAN IS ASSIGNED
DEAN OF THE CILICIAN SEMINARY
V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian, who has been serving as the pastor of Sts.
Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, NJ, for the past two years, will become
Dean of the Cilician See’s Theological Seminary. Several months
ago His Holiness Aram I asked Fr. Shahe to return to Lebanon to assume
this important post beginning with the 2006-2007 academic year.
Hayr Shahe will perform his final Badarak as pastor of Sts. Vartanantz
this Sunday, July 30. Next Sunday, August 6, the Board of Trustees is
hosting a reception/luncheon with the dual purpose of saying farewell
to Hayr Shahe and welcoming the parish’s new priest, Rev. Fr. Hovnan
Bozoian and his family. The luncheon will take place immediately after
the Divine Liturgy on August 6 which will be celebrated by Der Hovnan.
For information contact the parish office, 201-943-2950.
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR WILL TRAVEL TO ARMENIA
Dr. Vazken Ghougassian, Executive Director of the Eastern Prelacy, will
travel to Armenia tomorrow where he will remain for ten days conferring
with the Prelacy’s charitable agency in Armenia, St. Nerses the
Great Charitable Organization. The Prelacy has many charitable projects
including the sponsorship of more than 700 children, aid to orphanages,
and the quarterly distribution of food parcels to the elderly.
ANEC PRESENTS
ANNUAL HISTORICAL COIN AWARDS
With the ending of the school year, some lucky (and exceptional) students
at Armenian schools heard an extra jingle in their pockets. The jingle
was not the traditional noise of change, but ancient coins depicting Armenian
royalty, specifically during the reign of King Levon II of Cilicia.
The coins, donated by Mr. Gary Setian of Massachusetts, are awarded each
year by the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC) during the year-end
ceremonies at Armenian schools. Students are selected on the basis of
their excellence in Armenian studies and their participation in the Armenian
community. To read more about the Setian coin awards click
here
GRADUATION
DAY AT SIAMANTO ACADEMY
Five students graduated from the Siamanto Academy in ceremonies that took
place on June 24 in Woodside, New York. This year marks the 25th anniversary
of the establishment of the Siamanto Academy, under the sponsorship of
the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC).
The Academy is designed for high school students who are graduates of
Armenian schools. It offers accredited, college-level courses in Armenian
studies, with accomplished faculty members including Christian educators,
literature professors, historians, and guests speakers in various disciplines.
To read more about the graduation click
here
ENCOUNTERING
ECUMENISM
The Department for Ecumenical Relations of the Catholicosate of Cilicia
has issued a booklet entitled Encountering Ecumenism: Two Young Armenian
Women’s Experience as Delegates to the 9th Assembly of the World
Council of Churches.
The booklet has two articles, “The Holy See of Cilicia Leaves its
Mark on the WCC 9th Assembly,” by Vanna T. Kitsinian, Esq., and
“Encountering Ecumenism at the 9th Assembly of the WCC,” by
Nayiri D. Baljian. Ms. Kitsinian is an attorney living in Los Angeles
and Ms. Baljian is a graduate student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
in Massachusetts.
Catholicos Aram said: “I was very pleased to see the young delegates
of our church actively and seriously involved in all spheres of the life
and work of the Assembly. The intervention particularly of our two young
women delegates from Los Angeles and Boston in the plenary sessions made
me proud. They reminded me of my first intervention as a young delegate
at the 5th Assembly in Nairobi in 1975. The contribution, the zeal and
the seriousness of our youth give me hope for the future of the ecumenical
movement and the active ecumenical role of our church.”
A limited number of booklets are available. If you would like to have
a copy please contact Crossroads at info@armenianprelacy.org
FEAST OF THE
PROPHET ISAIAH
Today, July 27, the Armenian Church marks the Feast of the Prophet Isaiah,
who lived 700 years before the birth of Christ. Isaiah is called the Messianic
Prophet because so many of his prophecies referred to a coming Messiah
and a new world. Matthew makes many references to Isaiah’s prophecies
concerning Jesus’s birth in his gospel and John says, “These
things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him” (John
12:41).
STS. THADDEUS
AND SANDOUKHT REMEMBERED
This Saturday, July 29, the Armenian Church celebrates the lives of St.
Thaddeus and St. Sandoukht. According to the historian Movses Khorenatsi,
the apostle Thaddeus came to Edessa where he healed the sick and baptized
King Abgar. Khorenatsi writes that from Eddessa Thaddeus went to Armenia
where he preached and converted the Armenian king, Sanatrouk, and the
king’s daughter, Sandoukht. When faced with the opposition of his
governors, the king recanted his conversion. Sandoukht however refused
to renounce the Christian faith. She was imprisoned and executed by order
of her father, and thus became Armenia’s first martyr. Thaddeus
was martyred at Artaz (in present day northern Iran). The Armenian monastery
of St. Thaddeus is built on the apostles’ tomb. During the early
20th century the monastery was an important crossroad for the defense
of the Armenian population of Van, Daron and surrounding areas. A popular
annual pilgrimage by Armenians from around the world takes place in July.
During the four-day festival thousands gather in tents pitched on the
monastery grounds, attend services, sing and dance in remembrance of St.
Thaddeus, one of two apostles who brought Christianity to Armenia. St.
Thaddeus Monastery and the other famous Armenian monastery in northern
Iran, St. Stephen Monastery on the banks of the Arax River, have undergone
major renovations in recent years. In the late 1970s Armenian youth throughout
the Diaspora spent their summers living and working together and, under
the supervision of experts, helped restore the ancient monasteries and
beautify the surrounding grounds.
“See, some shall
come from afar, others from the north and the west, and some from the
land of Syene,” (Isaiah 49:12-13).
IN GOD WE
TRUST
Sunday, July 30, is the 50th anniversary of the adoption of “In
God We Trust” as the U.S. national motto. The original motto of
the United States was E Pluribus Unum (Latin, meaning “One from
many’). In 1956, at the height of the cold war, the 84th Congress
passed a joint resolution to replace the existing motto with “In
God We Trust.” The president, Dwight Eisenhower, signed the resolution
into law on July 30, 1956. The phrase had been in use prior to 1956—it
is actually taken from one of the stanza of the Star Spangled Banner—but
it became official 50 years ago.
Two weeks ago the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution which requests
all American citizens “To commemorate, celebrate, and reaffirm the
national motto of the United States on the 50th anniversary of its formal
adoption.”
ONE WEEK HIATUS
FOR CROSSROADS
Crossroads will not be published next Thursday, August 3. The next issue
will be transmitted on Thursday, August 10. |
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CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
August
6—St. Stephen Church picnic
at Camp Haiastan. For information 781-326-5764.
August
6—Reception in honor of V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian and
Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian following church services at Sts. Vartanantz Armenian
Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. All are invited to attend.
August
8—Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church of Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, Annual Golf Tournament, 11:30 am registration. Blackstone
Valley Country Club, Sutton, MA. For details contact David, 508-234-3261.
August
13—Annual Blessing of the Grapes picnic, sponsored by Sts.
Vartanantz Church at Dunkerhook Park (Pavilion D), Paramus, New Jersey,
1 to 5 pm. For information, 201-943-2950.
August
13—Annual picnic, Holy Cross Church, Troy, New York.
August
13—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, annual picnic at
Camp Haiastan, Franklin, Massachusetts.
August
13—Annual picnic of Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church,
Worcester, Massachusetts, on the church grounds.
August
20—Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church of Whitinsville,
Massachusetts, Annual Church Picnic, 12 noon on the church grounds. For
details: 508-234-3677.
September
10—Annual picnic of St. Stephen Church, New Britain, Connecticut.
September
10—Annual picnic of St. Gregory Armenian Church of Merrimack
Valley, at the American Legion grounds in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
September
15—Family Night at St. Gregory Armenian Church of Merrimack
Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts, 6 pm at Jaffarian Hall.
September
18—11th Annual ACEC/School golf outing at Stow Acres Country
Club, Stow, Massachusetts. For information, 781-326-5764.
September
24—36th Anniversary Luncheon and program, St. Gregory Armenian
Church of Merrimack Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts.
September
25—Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Worcester, Massachusetts,
3rd Annual Golf Outing and Award Dinner at Raceway Golf Course, Thompson,
Connecticut. Registration 7:30 a.m. For information 508-872-9629 or church
office 508-852-2414.
September
28—4th Annual Golf Outing hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, New Jersey. Bergen Hills Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey.
For reservations and/or information: 201-943-2950.
October
1—Banquet honoring Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian on the occasion
of his recent elevation, at Terrace in the Park, Flushing, New York, 3
pm. Details will follow.
October
8—81st anniversary celebration of St. Stephen Church, New
Britain, Connecticut.
October
22—Holy Cross Church, Troy, NY, anniversary celebration.
November
5—Annual bazaar, St. Stephen Church, New Britain, Connecticut.
November
11-12—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, annual “Armenian
Fest” at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston, Rhode Island.
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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