| 2006
Photo Gallery
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2006
- 20th Anniversary Celebration Press Release
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2005
Press Release
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2004
Press Release
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2003
Press Release
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2002
Press Release
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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.” |
