ARCHBISHOP
OSHAGAN WILL ATTEND ARMENIA-DIASPORA CONFERENCE; PRESIDE AT THE DEDICATION
OF NEW OFFICES
His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan will attend the third Armenia-Diaspora conference
in Armenia as part of the official delegation representing the Holy See
of Cilicia. The conference will begin on Monday, September 18 and continue
to September 20. The first such conference took place in September 1999
and the second in May 2002.
On the evening of Tuesday, September 19, His Eminence will preside over
the official opening of the new offices of the St. Nerses the Great Charitable
and Social Organization, which oversees the Eastern Prelacy’s charitable
work in Armenia and Artsakh. The new office will be named “The Archbishop
Mesrob Ashjian Center,” in honor of the late Prelate who established
and named the agency in 1993.
VICAR GENERAL WILL TRAVEL TO SPRINGFIELD
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, the Vicar General, will travel to Springfield/Indian
Orchard, Massachusetts, this weekend where on Sunday he will officiate
over the Divine Liturgy at St. Gregory Church.
BISHOP ANOUSHAVAN ATTENDS ANNIVERSARY OF
MALANKARA ORTHODOX CHURCH
Bishop Anoushavan represented Archbishop Oshagan at the 25th anniversary
of St. Mary Malankara Orthodox Church, on Saturday, September 9. The Malankara
Orthodox Church is one of five churches in the Oriental Orthodox family,
which includes the Armenian Church.
BISHOP ANOUSHAVAN ATTENDS ECUMENICAL SERVICE
Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar General of the Eastern Prelacy and Ecumenical
Officer on behalf of the Holy See of Cilicia in the United States, attended
an ecumenical service on the occasion of the opening of the 61st session
of the United Nations General Assembly. The service took place at the
Holy Family Catholic Church in New York City, on Monday evening, September
11 and was hosted by the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to the United
Nations. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke.
EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION OF BISHOP ANOUSHAVAN
WILL BE CELEBRATED ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 1
Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the celebration in honor of the recent
Episcopal consecration of Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian. A community-wide
banquet will take place on Sunday, October 1 at 3 pm at the Terrace on
the Park in Flushing Meadows, New York. In the morning, Bishop Anoushavan
will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New
York, a parish he served for more than a decade. Bishop Anoushavan’s
elevation and consecration took place on June 4, in ceremonies officiated
by Catholicos Aram I in the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in
Antelias, Lebanon.
For more information about the October 1st event click
here
NEW SERIES OF BIBLE STUDY AT PRELACY
An eight-session course on the “Letter to the Hebrews” will
start on Monday, October 2, at the Prelacy from 7:15 pm to 8:45 pm, and
will continue to be held on the first and third Mondays of the month.
Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the course
will be conducted by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of AREC.
The Letter to the Hebrews is a profound homily, a “word of exhortation”
(Hebrews 13:22). One of the main themes of the Letter is that the old
covenant has been superseded through the sacrificial death of Christ.
And for that reason, studying the Letter to the Hebrews gives a solid
biblical understanding of the “Soorp Badarak” (Holy Sacrifice)
that we celebrate on Sundays.
Registration is required (suggested donation: $25). For registration and
information, please call 212-689-7810 or e-mail at arec@armenianprelacy.org.
CHILDREN’S CONCERT ON NOVEMBER 18
WILL CELEBRATE THE “COLORS OF FALL”
With the extraordinary success of the Prelacy’s Children’s
Concert two years ago, another concert for children will take place on
Saturday afternoon, November 18, at Florence Gould Hall, at the Alliance
Francaise in New York City, featuring the talented and popular TALINE
AND FRIENDS, from California.
The theme of the concert will be “Fall Colors” (Ashnan
Kouyner). Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased by contacting
the Prelacy office, 212-689-7810, Ext. 26.
MIDWEST DATEV PROGRAM NOVEMBER 10-12
The popular summer Datev program goes on the road again with a weekend
program scheduled in the Midwest, November 10 to 12, at the Colombiere
Retreat and Conference Center, Clarkston, Michigan.
The program will include interactive presentations and instructions on
faith-related topics, discussions of religious and current issues, Bible
studies, short worship services, fellowship and recreational activities.
Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian and Deacon Shant Kazanjian will be the instructors
and facilitators. For information contact Carolyn Sirian at 248-553-7585
(csirian@aol.com) or Deacon Shant Kazanjian at 212-689-7810 (arec@armenianprelacy.com).
WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES FIRST MEETING
The first meeting of the World Council of Churches’ new Central
Committee took place in Geneva from August 30 to September 6. Participating
on behalf of the Armenian Church were Bishop Vicken Aikazian and Mrs.
Paul Devedjian for the Catholicosate of All Armenians; and Bishop Nareg
Alemezian and Dr. Nora Bairakdarian-Kabakian for the Catholicosate of
Cilicia.
The Armenian Church will have the following representatives in the WCC
consultative bodies for the next seven years:
Faith and Order Standing Commission: Bishop Nathan Hovhannissian
(Etchmiadzin). Faith and Order Plenary Commission: Bishop Vicken
Aikazian (Etchmiadzin), Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian (Cilicia). Commission
on World Mission and Evangelism: Ms. Nayiri Baljian (Cilicia). Commission
of the Churches on International Affairs: Ms. Tsovinar Ghazaryan
(Etchmiadzin), Ms. Vanna Kitsinian (Cilicia). Joint Working Group
between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches:
Bishop Vicken Aikazian (Etchmiadzin). Joint Commission between Christian
World Communions and the World Council of Churches: Bishop Nareg
Alemezian (Cilicia). Youth Body: Ms. Nayiri Baljian (Cilicia).
FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
This Sunday, September 17, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of
the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Khachverats), which is one
of the five Tabernacle (Daghavar) Feasts commemorated by the
Armenian Church. This holiday is a general celebration of the Cross and
is commemorated by all of Christendom. Most churches celebrate it on September
14; the Armenian Church celebrates it on the Sunday closest to the 14th.
The Cross, once a means of death for criminals, gradually became the dominant
symbol of the Christian world and an object of reverence and worship.
There are four feasts of the Holy Cross in the Armenian Church with the
Exaltation being the most important. The ceremony begins with the decoration
of the Cross with sweet basil, symbolizing the “living cross”.
After Bible readings, the officiating priest lifts the Cross and makes
the sign of the cross with it, and blesses the four corners of the world
(Antasdan) and asks the Almighty to grant peace and prosperity
to the people of the world.
The Khachverats ceremony was first prepared by Catholicos Sahag
Dzoraporetsi (677-703). He is also the composer of the hymn sung on this
occasion.
As with the other Tabernacle Feasts, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
is preceded by a period of Fasting (Monday to Friday), and followed by
a memorial day (Monday).
15th ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
Next Thursday, September 21, Armenians worldwide will be commemorating
the 15th anniversary of Armenia’s declaration of independence from
the Soviet Union.
Various events in Armenia and the Diaspora will mark this occasion. Here
in New York City the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia is presenting
a concert, “Now & Then: Music in Armenia after Khachaturian,”
at Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center, 129 West 67th Street. For
tickets: 212-501-3330.
GIVING WEEDS A CHANCE….
As those of you who have been following our gardening stories know, this
season our vegetable garden was dormant, for a variety of reasons. So,
we decided to give weeds an opportunity for redemption. We sat back and
did nothing. The result was not pretty! We have the ugliest looking weeds
ever seen. Ever the groundhogs want no part of them. Secretly I had hoped
that left on its own, our garden would produce large quantities of an
edible weed called purslane (PerPer), a very hearty plant known
to grow in most unlikely places—like cracks in the sidewalk. Most
of America considers purslane a weed (like crabgrass) to be destroyed
at all cost, and tons of chemicals are used each year on lawns across
the U.S. (Sometime we will share our thoughts on the American obsession
with lawns). Lately, the great virtues of purslane are being touted, because
it has been found to be extremely high in many nutrients, especially omega-3—higher
than in some seafood. I suppose it was inevitable that some of our upscale
restaurants would get wind of this. We understand that Thomas Keller’s
Per Se restaurant in the Time Warner Center in New York (where
a single meal can cost in the hundreds) has been offering a “Baby
Purslane Salad,” dressed in olive oil and vinegar.
As for our weeds: We anxiously await our first frost.
We end this week with this quote…..
“This tragic day should become a universal day of remembrance of
similar tragedies in the past decade. It should become a day when we commit
ourselves to respect human life and its sacredness as a gift of God and
not to be used as a weapon for any cause. Religion, as a moral and a spiritual
force, should lead the way in this commitment.”
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, speaking
about the September 11 anniversary.
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CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
September
15—2nd Annual Golf Outing
of All Saints Church, at Hilldale Golf Club, Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
For reservations and/or information, 847-858-7685.
September
17—Sunday School registration and fellowship, Holy Trinity
Armenian Apostolic Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, following the Divine
Liturgy.
September
17—First Annual Lobster Fest, St. Gregory the Illuminator
Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 215-482-9200.
September
17—Annual Picnic, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York,
on the church grounds, following church services and the blessing of Basil.
For information: 718-224-2275.
September
18—11th Annual ACEC/School golf outing at Stow Acres Country
Club, Stow, Massachusetts. For information, 781-326-5764.
September
22—Family Night at St. Gregory Armenian Church of Merrimack
Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts, 6 pm at Jaffarian Hall.
September
22-23—Retreat, “Nurturing Faith,” for Sunday
School teachers and staff of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
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
25—St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Third Annual Golf Outing. For information, 215-482-9200.
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 on the Park, Flushing Meadows, New
York, 3 pm. Details will follow.
October
2—New eight-session Bible study on the “Letter to
the Hebrews” begins at the Prelacy, 7:15 pm to 8:45 pm, first and
third Mondays of the month, sponsored by AREC. Conducted by Dn. Shant
Kazanjian. For information: 212-689-7810.
October
8—81st anniversary celebration of St. Stephen Church, New
Britain, Connecticut.
October
19-22—Annual bazaar, Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland.
October
22—Holy Cross Church, Troy, NY, anniversary celebration.
November
3-4— Ladies Guild Food Festival, St. Gregory the Illuminator
Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
November
3, 4, 5—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey,
Annual Bazaar and Food Festival. For information 201-943-2950.
November
5—Annual bazaar, St. Stephen Church, New Britain, Connecticut.
November
5—36th Anniversary Luncheon and program, St. Gregory Armenian
Church of Merrimack Valley, North Andover, Massachusetts.
November
10-12—Mini Datev program for teens, ages 13 to 18. At Colombiere
Retreat Conference Center in Clarkston, Michigan.
November
11—42nd Anniversary of Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda, Maryland,
in the church hall.
November
11-12—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, annual “Armenian
Fest” at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston, Rhode Island.
November
17 & 18—Annual Bazaar, Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic
Church, Worcester, Massachusetts.
November
18—Children’s Concert, “FALL COLORS”,
sponsored by the Eastern Prelacy at Florence Gould Hall, Alliance Francaise,
New York City, featuring TALINE AND FRIENDS. Details will follow.
November
26—St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
First Episcopal Badarak in Philadelphia by Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian.
December
9—Men’s Club Steak Dinner, St. Gregory the Illuminator
Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
December
24—Sunday School Christmas Pageant, St. Gregory the Illuminator
Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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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