Crossroads E-Newsletter:12/14/07

December 14, 2007

DELEGATION FROM ARMENIA VISITS PRELACY
A delegation from Armenia, visiting New York to attend meetings devoted to children at the United Nations, visited the Prelacy yesterday, December 13. The Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, the Vicar, Bishop Anoushavan, and Dr. Vazken Ghougassian, Executive Director, welcomed the delegation and shared in a very congenial dialogue about programs in Armenia that benefit children, and the programs that the Prelacy currently supports through orphan sponsorship program and direct aid to orphanages. Heading the delegation was Mr. Aghvan Vardanyan, the Minister of Social Welfare Affairs. Other members of the delegation were Dr. Ara Babloyan, chairman of the standing committee on social, health care and Environmental Protection Affairs; Col. Nelly Duryan, Deputy to the Director of Internal Affairs for Children, and Ms. Lala Ghazaryan, head of the Department of Social Welfare for Orphanages. Accompanying the delegation was Armen Martirossian, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations. Also on hand to welcome the delegation were Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, in New York City and Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York.

CONSUL GENERAL ANTOINE AZZAM VISITS PRELACY
Mr. Antoine Azzam, Consul General of Lebanon, visited the Prelacy today, December 14, where he met with Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan. The Consul General expressed greetings on the coming Christmas holiday, and discussed the current situation in Lebanon. They agreed on the importance of all factions coming together and standing firm in support of Lebanon.

PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO RHODE ISLAND
Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Providence, Rhode Island, this weekend to visit the parish of Sts. Vartanantz Church. Tomorrow, Saturday, December 15, the Prelate will visit the students of the Murad Armenian School. His Eminence will visit each of the classes and speak with the students. On Sunday he will preside over the Divine Liturgy and deliver the Sermon. His Eminence will visit

with the students of the Sunday School and share lunch with them and then enjoy the students’ Christmas Pageant, directed by Yn. Joanna Baghsarian.
BLESSING OF MURON IN 2008
The Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia announced that His Holiness Catholicos Aram I will consecrate the Holy Muron (Holy Oil) next year on June 7, 2008. The Holy Muron, symbol of the grace of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally blessed every seven years. Only the Catholicos can consecrate the oil which is then distributed to the various dioceses for distribution to the parishes. The oil consists of 48 different herbs, flowers, and oils which are combined in a special vessel and mixed with some of the old Muron, creating an unbroken chain with the past.

The Muron Blessing is expected to attract a large number of pilgrims from various parts of the world. More details will be forthcoming.

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING IN AUGUST 2008
An International Gathering of Youth is being organized by the Holy See of Cilicia. His Holiness Aram I is inviting the youth, 18 years and older, to attend this gathering which will include a one-week pilgrimage to Der Zor. Details will follow.

ST. JAMES (HAGOP) OF NISIBUS
Tomorrow, Saturday, December 15, is the feast day St. James (Hagop) of Nisibus (Mdzbin). He was a participant at the first ecumenical council in Nicea (325), where he earned great respect from the Emperor Constantine and other attendees of the council. He was educated in Caesarea and was a cousin of St. Gregory the Illuminator. He was the first bishop of Nisibis, an important early Christian center in Asia Minor (south eastern Turkey) that was a transit point of the caravans traveling between east and west. St. Hagop is one of the most beloved saints in the Armenian Church. Gregory of Narek dedicated one of his hymns to him. Although there is not much known about his personal life, he attempted in old age to reach the summit of Mt. Ararat in search of the Ark. During the difficult climb one night while asleep an angel appeared telling him he is too old to continue. The angel gave him a piece of the Ark and asked him to be satisfied with this and return home. He complied. This piece of the Ark is kept in Holy Etchmiadzin.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
This Sunday, December 16, is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Advent is supposed to be a period of quiet reflection. It should be a remembrance of those less fortunate. Feed the hungry. Clothe the poor. Visit the elderly and sick. Recommit and reinforce the Lord’s commandments. That’s the real Christmas.

ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS FOLDER ON INTERNET
FROM ST. GREGORY CHURCH IN PHILLY
Archpriest Fr. Nerses Manoogian, pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Philadelphia, has sent an “Armenian Christmas Folder” through the internet to his parishioners. The “folder” contains the church’s Christmas liturgical schedule, greeting card list, the Prelate’s Christmas message, Der Nerses’s Christmas message, several Armenian Christmas Hymns, and ends with a Christmas greeting from Der Nerses. Very nicely done! If you would like to see it click here.

2008 DIARY IS IN THE MAIL
Many of you may have already received the Prelacy’s 2008 pocket diary. Besides its usefulness as a pocket diary, it is filled with information that is not readily available elsewhere. Enjoy using it all year long.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, December 14, are: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Luke 15:1-7.

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:1-7)

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

IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE…
To read the message of His Holiness in Armenian click here.
To read the message of His Holiness in English click here.

The year 2007 is coming to an end and with it the Year of the Armenian Language will come to a close. For the remaining issues of Crossroads during 2007 we will quote excerpts from the pontifical message issued by Catholicos Aram I on January 1, 2007.

“Culture is the totality of a nation’s mental and spiritual emotions and dreams, conceptions and aspirations as expressed in words and colors, sounds and forms. Language has a definitive role in all of this.

“The Armenian language has become the backbone of Armenian culture, the main artery pumping blood to it. The Armenian language became the driving force in the creation of the Golden Age and Silver Age in the history of Armenian culture. The Armenian language became the driving force in the creation and development of Armenian historiography, hagiography, literature and the press. In other words, the Armenian language has been the living means giving form and style, spirit and flight to the Armenian mind.

“The Armenian language continues to remain the pivot of Armenian culture, one of the main roads leading the Armenians to their intellectual and spiritual values and traditions. Without the living and vivifying presence of the Armenian language, Armenian culture will become emptied of its true contents, will lose its authentic spirit and specific identity. Without the Armenian language, the Armenian culture, as one of the principal means of defining and expression of our identity and solid pillars of our existence, will lose its particularity and vitality.”
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Great House of Cilicia

AT THE BOOKSTORE….
This week our suggestions are varied, illustrating the wide scope of the books available at the Prelacy Bookstore.

Newly arrived at the bookstore is the memoir written by Jakob Kunzler, In the Land of Blood and Tears: Experiences in Mesopotamia during the World War (1914-1918). This volume includes the experiences of Jakob and Elisabeth Kunzler (affectionately known to many Armenian orphans as “Papa and Mama Kunzler.”) During the years of this memoir the Kunzlers worked in a mission hospital in the city of Urfa, and were eye witnesses to the Turkish genocide of the Armenians. The Kunzlers later headed the American orphanage in Ghazir, Lebanon, where Armenian orphans were sheltered. This new edition is further enhanced with a Preface by the editor of this book, Ara Ghazarians, a Foreword by the well known Genocide scholar, Vahakn N. Dadrian, and an Introduction by Hans-Lukas Kieser, the editor of the 1999 German edition.
$25.00 plus shipping and handling.

Agapi: Inspirational Short Stories by Yn. Joanna Baghsarian is the perfect book for the Advent season. Based on true stories about real people, each story has its own special message. In his appreciation of this collection, Archbishop Oshagan describes Yn. Joanna’s personal stories as being “universal lessons of Christian compassion and goodness.” $15.00 plus shipping and handling.

Tell Me About Armenia, by Terri Eshilian, illustrated by Alan Johnson. This is a lovely and colorful book to be read to young children describing the rich heritage of Armenia. The principal characters, Diran and Satenig, take us on a journey of discovery. $22.00 plus shipping and handling.

Two books of poetry by William Michaelian: Winter Poems includes poems on simple topics that with the poet’s skill of language come alive with meaning. $11.95 plus shipping and handling. Another Song I Know, by the same author, contains short but memorable poems. $13.95 plus shipping and handling.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October 16 to December 18—“From Jesus’ meals with sinners to the Lord’s Supper,” a five part Bible study at the Armenian Prelacy will begin on October 16 and continue on the first and third Tuesday of the month, from 7:15 to 8:45 pm. Conducted by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC). For information and registration, please send e-mail to arec@armenianprelacy.org or call 212-689-4481.

December 16—St. Gregory Church (North Andover, Massachusetts), Children’s Christmas Pageant and Party following the Divine Liturgy. Luncheon buffet.

December 23—St. Stephen’s Day Celebration, Watertown, Massachusetts. The Golden Jubilee celebration will come to a close with a commemoration of the church’s patron saint, the first deacon and martyr, St. Stephen.

December 31—New Year’s Eve Dinner Dance, Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, and ARF Dro Gomideh, The Sheraton Meadowlands, E. Rutherford, New Jersey. For information 201-943-2950.

February 10—Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, Annual Membership Meeting. Snow date: February 24.

February 24, 2008—Annual Membership meeting, St. Gregory Church (North Andover, Massachusetts).

March 2, 2008—Musical Armenia, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City, featuring Aleksandr Nazaryan on viola and Karen Tchougourian on piano.

June 7, 2008—Blessing of Holy Muron in Antelias, Lebanon. Details will follow.

June 27 to July 6—St. Gregory of Datev Institute, Summer Christian Studies Program for youth ages 13-18 at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, organized by the Armenian Religious Education Council. For more information click here.

August 15-17, 2008—International Gathering of Youth and Pilgrimage to Der Zor, organized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia. Details will follow.

If you wish to receive future issues of the Crossroads E-Newsletter in your E-mail Inbox, send an e-mail message with your name and your full e-mail address to email@armenianprelacy.org and write "subscribe" in the subject line.

December 14, 2007
DELEGATION FROM ARMENIA VISITS PRELACY A delegation from Armenia, visiting New York to attend meetings devoted to children at the United Nations, visited the Prelacy yesterday, December 13. The Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, the Vicar, Bishop Anoushavan, and Dr. Vazken Ghougassian, Executive Director, welcomed the delegation and shared in a very congenial dialogue about programs in Armenia that benefit children, and the programs that the Prelacy currently supports through orphan sponsorship program and direct aid to orphanages. Heading the delegation was Mr. Aghvan Vardanyan, the Minister of Social Welfare Affairs. Other members of the delegation were Dr. Ara Babloyan, chairman of the standing committee on social, health care and Environmental Protection Affairs; Col. Nelly Duryan, Deputy to the Director of Internal Affairs for Children, and Ms. Lala Ghazaryan, head of the Department of Social Welfare for Orphanages. Accompanying the delegation was Armen Martirossian, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations. Also on hand to welcome the delegation were Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, in New York City and Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York.

CONSUL GENERAL ANTOINE AZZAM VISITS PRELACY Mr. Antoine Azzam, Consul General of Lebanon, visited the Prelacy today, December 14, where he met with Archbishop Oshagan and Bishop Anoushavan. The Consul General expressed greetings on the coming Christmas holiday, and discussed the current situation in Lebanon. They agreed on the importance of all factions coming together and standing firm in support of Lebanon. PRELATE WILL TRAVEL TO RHODE ISLAND Archbishop Oshagan will travel to Providence, Rhode Island, this weekend to visit the parish of Sts. Vartanantz Church. Tomorrow, Saturday, December 15, the Prelate will visit the students of the Murad Armenian School. His Eminence will visit each of the classes and speak with the students. On Sunday he will preside over the Divine Liturgy and deliver the Sermon. His Eminence will visit
with the students of the Sunday School and share lunch with them and then enjoy the students’ Christmas Pageant, directed by Yn. Joanna Baghsarian. BLESSING OF MURON IN 2008 The Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia announced that His Holiness Catholicos Aram I will consecrate the Holy Muron (Holy Oil) next year on June 7, 2008. The Holy Muron, symbol of the grace of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally blessed every seven years. Only the Catholicos can consecrate the oil which is then distributed to the various dioceses for distribution to the parishes. The oil consists of 48 different herbs, flowers, and oils which are combined in a special vessel and mixed with some of the old Muron, creating an unbroken chain with the past. The Muron Blessing is expected to attract a large number of pilgrims from various parts of the world. More details will be forthcoming. INTERNATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING IN AUGUST 2008 An International Gathering of Youth is being organized by the Holy See of Cilicia. His Holiness Aram I is inviting the youth, 18 years and older, to attend this gathering which will include a one-week pilgrimage to Der Zor. Details will follow. ST. JAMES (HAGOP) OF NISIBUS Tomorrow, Saturday, December 15, is the feast day St. James (Hagop) of Nisibus (Mdzbin). He was a participant at the first ecumenical council in Nicea (325), where he earned great respect from the Emperor Constantine and other attendees of the council. He was educated in Caesarea and was a cousin of St. Gregory the Illuminator. He was the first bishop of Nisibis, an important early Christian center in Asia Minor (south eastern Turkey) that was a transit point of the caravans traveling between east and west. St. Hagop is one of the most beloved saints in the Armenian Church. Gregory of Narek dedicated one of his hymns to him. Although there is not much known about his personal life, he attempted in old age to reach the summit of Mt. Ararat in search of the Ark. During the difficult climb one night while asleep an angel appeared telling him he is too old to continue. The angel gave him a piece of the Ark and asked him to be satisfied with this and return home. He complied. This piece of the Ark is kept in Holy Etchmiadzin. FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT This Sunday, December 16, is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Advent is supposed to be a period of quiet reflection. It should be a remembrance of those less fortunate. Feed the hungry. Clothe the poor. Visit the elderly and sick. Recommit and reinforce the Lord’s commandments. That’s the real Christmas. ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS FOLDER ON INTERNET FROM ST. GREGORY CHURCH IN PHILLY Archpriest Fr. Nerses Manoogian, pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Philadelphia, has sent an “Armenian Christmas Folder” through the internet to his parishioners. The “folder” contains the church’s Christmas liturgical schedule, greeting card list, the Prelate’s Christmas message, Der Nerses’s Christmas message, several Armenian Christmas Hymns, and ends with a Christmas greeting from Der Nerses. Very nicely done! If you would like to see it click here. 2008 DIARY IS IN THE MAIL Many of you may have already received the Prelacy’s 2008 pocket diary. Besides its usefulness as a pocket diary, it is filled with information that is not readily available elsewhere. Enjoy using it all year long. DAILY BIBLE READINGS Bible readings for today, December 14, are: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Luke 15:1-7. Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:1-7) For listing of the entire week’s Bible readings click here. IN CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE… To read the message of His Holiness in Armenian click here. To read the message of His Holiness in English click here. The year 2007 is coming to an end and with it the Year of the Armenian Language will come to a close. For the remaining issues of Crossroads during 2007 we will quote excerpts from the pontifical message issued by Catholicos Aram I on January 1, 2007. “Culture is the totality of a nation’s mental and spiritual emotions and dreams, conceptions and aspirations as expressed in words and colors, sounds and forms. Language has a definitive role in all of this. “The Armenian language has become the backbone of Armenian culture, the main artery pumping blood to it. The Armenian language became the driving force in the creation of the Golden Age and Silver Age in the history of Armenian culture. The Armenian language became the driving force in the creation and development of Armenian historiography, hagiography, literature and the press. In other words, the Armenian language has been the living means giving form and style, spirit and flight to the Armenian mind. “The Armenian language continues to remain the pivot of Armenian culture, one of the main roads leading the Armenians to their intellectual and spiritual values and traditions. Without the living and vivifying presence of the Armenian language, Armenian culture will become emptied of its true contents, will lose its authentic spirit and specific identity. Without the Armenian language, the Armenian culture, as one of the principal means of defining and expression of our identity and solid pillars of our existence, will lose its particularity and vitality.” His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Great House of Cilicia
AT THE BOOKSTORE…. This week our suggestions are varied, illustrating the wide scope of the books available at the Prelacy Bookstore. Newly arrived at the bookstore is the memoir written by Jakob Kunzler, In the Land of Blood and Tears: Experiences in Mesopotamia during the World War (1914-1918). This volume includes the experiences of Jakob and Elisabeth Kunzler (affectionately known to many Armenian orphans as “Papa and Mama Kunzler.”) During the years of this memoir the Kunzlers worked in a mission hospital in the city of Urfa, and were eye witnesses to the Turkish genocide of the Armenians. The Kunzlers later headed the American orphanage in Ghazir, Lebanon, where Armenian orphans were sheltered. This new edition is further enhanced with a Preface by the editor of this book, Ara Ghazarians, a Foreword by the well known Genocide scholar, Vahakn N. Dadrian, and an Introduction by Hans-Lukas Kieser, the editor of the 1999 German edition. $25.00 plus shipping and handling. *Agapi: Inspirational Short Stories* by Yn. Joanna Baghsarian is the perfect book for the Advent season. Based on true stories about real people, each story has its own special message. In his appreciation of this collection, Archbishop Oshagan describes Yn. Joanna’s personal stories as being “universal lessons of Christian compassion and goodness.” $15.00 plus shipping and handling. *Tell Me About Armenia, by Terri Eshilian, illustrated by Alan Johnson. This is a lovely and colorful book to be read to young children describing the rich heritage of Armenia. The principal characters, Diran and Satenig, take us on a journey of discovery. $22.00 plus shipping and handling. Two books of poetry by William Michaelian: Winter Poems* includes poems on simple topics that with the poet’s skill of language come alive with meaning. $11.95 plus shipping and handling. Another Song I Know, by the same author, contains short but memorable poems. $13.95 plus shipping and handling.




CALENDAR OF EVENTS October 16 to December 18—“From Jesus’ meals with sinners to the Lord’s Supper,” a five part Bible study at the Armenian Prelacy will begin on October 16 and continue on the first and third Tuesday of the month, from 7:15 to 8:45 pm. Conducted by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, director of the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC). For information and registration, please send e-mail to arec@armenianprelacy.org or call 212-689-4481. December 16—St. Gregory Church (North Andover, Massachusetts), Children’s Christmas Pageant and Party following the Divine Liturgy. Luncheon buffet. December 23—St. Stephen’s Day Celebration, Watertown, Massachusetts. The Golden Jubilee celebration will come to a close with a commemoration of the church’s patron saint, the first deacon and martyr, St. Stephen. December 31—New Year’s Eve Dinner Dance, Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, and ARF Dro Gomideh, The Sheraton Meadowlands, E. Rutherford, New Jersey. For information 201-943-2950. February 10—Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, Annual Membership Meeting. Snow date: February 24. February 24, 2008—Annual Membership meeting, St. Gregory Church (North Andover, Massachusetts). March 2, 2008—Musical Armenia, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City, featuring Aleksandr Nazaryan on viola and Karen Tchougourian on piano. June 7, 2008—Blessing of Holy Muron in Antelias, Lebanon. Details will follow. June 27 to July 6—St. Gregory of Datev Institute, Summer Christian Studies Program for youth ages 13-18 at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, organized by the Armenian Religious Education Council. For more information click here. August 15-17, 2008—International Gathering of Youth and Pilgrimage to Der Zor, organized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia. Details will follow.

If you wish to receive future issues of the Crossroads E-Newsletter in your E-mail Inbox, send an e-mail message with your name and your full e-mail address to email@armenianprelacy.org and write "subscribe" in the subject line.