Eastern Prelacy’s National Representative
Assembly
Convenes in Granite City
Archbishop Oshagan Speaks of Three
Important Anniversaries and
Focuses on the 1600th Anniversary of the Founding of the Alphabet
Mini-Symposium Celebrates the Heritage
of the Armenian Alphabet
NEW YORK, NY—The National Representative
Assembly (NRA) of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
(Eastern United States) met in Granite City, Illinois, from
May 18 to 20, at which time clergy and lay delegates deliberated
on future programs of the Armenian Church in America. The
host parish—for the first time—was St. Gregory
the Illuminator Church, a small parish with a big heart.
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, the Prelate, welcomed the delegates
to the NRA with warm words of praise and thanks to the host
church and its pastor, Rev. Fr. Serop Azarian:
“I have special words of thanks on behalf of the Religious
and Executive Councils and all of our parishes and faithful,
to Granite City’s St. Gregory the Illuminator Church,
to the pastor Rev. Fr. Serop Azarian, the Board of Trustees,
affiliated and sister organizations, for their hospitality
as the hosts of this National Representative Assembly, for
the first time in the history of this community.
“As much as this indicates their preparedness and dedication,
it is as much—and more—a testimony to the advancement
and self-confidence a number of our smaller parishes have
displayed.”
In his message to the NRA, the Prelate noted “the year
2005 presented to us remembrances that have profound importance
for our nation’s spiritual advancement, collective memory
of affliction, and the education and training of our clergy.
In other words, 2005 is the 1600th anniversary of the founding
of the Armenian alphabet, which we mark with glory; the 90th
anniversary of the Genocide of 1915, which we mark with remembrance;
and in our more recent history in the Diaspora, the 75th anniversary
of the re-establishment of the theological seminary of the
Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, which we mark with
testaments.”
A major part of the Prelate’s message focused on the
1600th anniversary of the Armenian alphabet and the far-reaching
effects of this event. His Eminence said,
“The purpose of St. Mesrob and his compatriots was very
clear. It was necessary to give life to Christ’s message.
Not to hear, but to live the Bible and the establishment of
the alphabet was a spiritual revolution for us. The instinct
of self-defense of our nation grew to include the protection
of our religious and cultural treasures, which we believe,
can save us from all types of danger. The new Armenian was
created by the living example of the Bible and the words and
example of God’s Son.”
Describing vividly the current challenges facing the Church,
His Eminence said, “Much is demanded of us. We have
all willingly taken upon ourselves the yoke of the holy mission
of the church by developing in our prelacy religious and national
education to impel our people to the things of highest interest.
The 1600th anniversary commemoration of the discovery of the
Armenian alphabet must transcend scholarly and inspirational
celebrations. Let us return to those times when the Armenian
alphabet together with the Christian faith created our heroic
people and cast firm the anchor of the existence of our people,
where by living we have found immortality.” (The Prelate’s
message in Armenian and English can be read on the Prelacy’s
web page, www.armenianprelacy.org).
Awards
Several important awards were conferred during the closing
banquet on Friday, May 20, including the Man of the Year award
to Zohrab Tazian; Eagle of the Prelacy award to Antranig Hagopian;
Youth Leadership awards to Alison Lovett, Michelle Hagopian,
Stephen Hagopian; and Certificates of Merit to Annette Simpkins,
Edward Haroian, Grant Korkoyan, Jeffrey Hagopian, Melanie
Keeney, Nelle Bogosian and Rose Lesko.
Co-Chairmen and Secretaries Elected
The smooth and efficient sessions were due in part to the
expertise of the co-chairmen, Artin Dermenjian from All Saints
Church, Glenview, Illinois, and Alan Goshgarian from St. Asdvadzadzin
Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts. Elected to serve as English
and Armenian secretaries respectively were Barbara Baljian
from Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, Massachusetts and Rev.
Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, pastor of Soorp Khatch Church, Bethesda,
Maryland.
Religious Conference
A report from the Religious Conference, which took place prior
to the full Assembly was offered by Rev. Fr. Nerses Manoogian,
secretary of the Religious Council. The report focused on
such topics as ecumenical relations, religious education,
publications, seminars, ordinations, new clergy assignments,
and clergy candidates.
Message from Catholicos Aram I
A message to the Assembly from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos
of the Great House of Cilicia, was read to the assembly by
V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian.
The Catholicos expressed his pontifical blessing and love
to the delegates to the NRA and expressed the wish that the
delegates “will see correctly the challenges facing
your prelacy and develop appropriate responses and plans.”
His Holiness also said, “As we are constantly reminded,
we live in a world dominated by continual change, the immediate
consequences of which we feel in all spheres of our life.
The Armenian individual, Armenian family, Armenian school,
and Armenian community are subject to the influences of the
positive and negative consequences of our life in other countries.
We cannot remain indifferent and we have no right to remain
indifferent in the face of this reality. It is essential that
you look at the various faces in the life of your prelacy
from this perspective to see what has the highest urgency
for serious examination. It is necessary to get away from
rigid thinking, single-minded approaches, and traditional
courses, and to correct and complete that which is vital and
that responds to the present conditions and needs. We know
that this is not easy work but extremely important and urgent.”
Executive Council Report
The Executive Council report was presented by the chairman,
Richard Sarajian, Esq. He described the various programs,
challenges and achievements during the past year, as well
as focusing on areas that need special attention.
“This year the Prelacy succeeded in maintaining and
improving its programs as well as adding new programs. The
Council did this while maintaining the fiscal responsibility
promised at last year’s Assembly,” he said.
Mr. Sarajian spoke about the very successful joint commemoration
of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in New York
City. He thanked the parishes for their support in organizing
buses to come to New York on April 24th.
He especially focused on the advances made in the recruiting
and preparing of new clergymen. “Since the election
of Archbishop Oshagan in 1998, we have added eight new priests.”
He acknowledged, “we still have a long way to go”
in this and other areas, “but we have made good progress
on which we must build.”
Mini Symposium
The Thursday afternoon session was devoted to a mini-symposium
on the 1600th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian
alphabet.
Organized by Karen Jehanian, the symposium featured Professor
Hratch Zadoian who provided the keynote address, with presentations
offered by Dr. Vazken Ghougassian, Professor Michael B. Papazian,
and Ms. Nayiri Baljian. V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian, pastor
of Sts. Vartanantz Church in New Jersey, offered the closing
remarks for the symposium.
The remarks of Professor Zadoian, of Queens College, provided
the background to the presentations that followed. He explained
how “on the eve of the development of the alphabet,
Armenia had been divided and incorporated into Byzantium and
Persia. What made the partition of Armenia a greater threat
to our existence as a nation was precisely the absence of
a written language.”
Professor Zadoian concluded his keynote address with a story
he described as “the inextricable link between the legacy
of Mesrob Mashtots and our national survival. Every time I
go to Armenia, I visit the Madenataran, the depository of
priceless manuscripts going back to the Fifth Century. There
are incredible cultural treasures on display, but I mainly
go to see the largest manuscript, the Homilies of Mush. This
is a huge book, weighing about sixty pounds and illustrated
on parchment over 800 years ago. In 1915, when Mush was put
through fire and sword, two Armenian women fleeing for their
lives decided to save the manuscript. Too heavy for either
of them, they broke the book in two and each carried half.
They took it over the long and difficult terrain, through
dangers and horrors that we can scarcely imagine until, in
time, the two halves were reunited in Yerevan. Two women,
in the midst of carnage and destruction, put their own lives
in greater danger by carrying and protecting this large burden,
trying to bring it to safety. I do not know anything about
these women; I do not know even if they were literate. But
I know that they understood that we survive as a nation not
only in flesh and blood, but in our spiritual and cultural
heritage.”
The presentation by Dr. Vazken Ghougassian, the Executive
Director of the Prelacy, was entitled “Written on Stone:
The Armenian Heritage of Stone Epigraphy.” Through his
narrative, accompanied with slides, Dr. Ghougassian showed
the importance of preserving Armenian epigraphic heritage.
He emphasized, “the urgency for systematic collection
and publication of Armenian lapidary inscriptions wherever
possible, be it in Armenia or anywhere in the world. In the
present age of technology, these inscriptions should be saved
and made accessible to scholarship because they might always
be subject to vandalism and in some countries to state organized
destruction.” A striking example of this is the cemetery
of Old Julfa on the banks of the River Arax on the border
between Iran and Nakhichevan. In recent years the cemetery,
with all of its monuments and epigraphic history was reduced
to piles of gravel by the Azeris,” Dr. Ghougassian said.
Dr. Michael B. Papazian, Associate Professor of Philosophy
at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, provided a survey on “Themes
in Armenian Christian Literature.”
Professor Papazian focused on one representative each of three
genres or kinds of writing that are common in Christian literature:
hagiography, refutation of heresies, and biblical commentaries.
The three authors he focused upon were Agantangeghos, Eznik,
and Stepanos Siwnetsi.
He concluded with the hope that his presentation provided
a “better idea of the wealth of the Armenian Christian
tradtion.” He noted that although several of these works
have been translated and are available to a wider public,
the amount of translated Armenian Christian literature is
much less in comparison to the much better studied Greek and
Latin traditions.” Noting that even the Syriac tradition
is more accessible to the modern English reader, he expressed
the urgent need to make our literature more widely available
and ended with, “Perhaps the best tribute to the anniversary
of the Armenian alphabet and the beginnings of Armenian Christian
literature would be just such an endeavor to reveal our literary
treasures to the world.”
The final presentation was made by Ms. Nayiri Baljian who
presented a PowerPoint presentation, “Understanding
the Divine Liturgy.” Ms Baljian's work-in- progress
is a cohesive and comprehensive understanding of the liturgy
presented in a way that can be absorbed and appreciated.
National Association of Ladies Guilds
Concurrent with the NRA, the 22nd Annual Conference of the
National Association of Ladies’ Guilds (NALG) took place.
The Guild had two days of activities that included their annual
meeting and presentations by Richard Avodoian, a human resources
consultant, and Richard Asadorian who spoke about the production
of rugs.
Elections
As a final duty the delegates elected members of the religious
and executive councils. Elected to the religious council were
V. Rev. Fr. Shahe Panossian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, NJ, and Rev. Fr. Aram Stepanian, pastor of St.
Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, MA. Re-elected to the Executive
Council were Bedros Givelekian, St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston,
NY, and Noubar Megerian, St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia,
PA; and elected to the Executive Council was Jack Mardoian,
All Saints Church, Chicago, IL.
Elected to serve as world delegates were the following twelve
individuals: Vahram Danielian, Artin Dermenjian, Sarkis Garibian,
Haigaz Grigorian, Michael Hagopian, Onnic Marashian, Jack
Mardoian, Zohrab Tazian, Judge Sarkis Teshoian, Richard Sarajian,
Stephen Hagopian, Dertad Manguikian.
Assembly Concludes
Delegates whose terms of office ended and who are not eligible
for re-election were invited to address the Assembly, including
David Karapetian, Stephen Selverian, Ayda Karian, and Lt.
Col. George Rustigian.
Richard Sarajian, outgoing chairman of the Executive Council,
reflected on his experiences beginning with his first year
as a delegate in 1984. He recalled current and past delegates
who made an impact on him as well as his relationship with
two prelates. The delegates expressed appreciation of his
exceptional service with a standing ovation.
In his closing remarks Archbishop Oshagan noted that the assembly
is over but your job, as delegates, has just started. You
are the ambassadors of your communities and you have to go
back and fulfill the decisions that were made here. “We
have a great task. We all need to make sacrifices in order
for us to achieve our goals. He again expressed thanks to
the pastor, board and delegates of St. Gregory Church, the
ladies guild and entire congregation for the exceptional job
they did in organizing the NRA. “You are no longer a
small community,” he said, “You grew up!”
His Eminence thanked the representative of the Diocese, Mr.
George Marifian, for his presence and participation. He also
thanked the representative of the Armenian Relief Society,
Janet Haroian, and the Hairenik Association, Haig Oshagan.
He also expressed thanks to Antranig Boudakian who has successfully
chaired the annual raffle campaign for the last five years.
The Prelate thanked Richard Sarajian, and recalled memories
of meeting his father thirty years ago. “Now when I
see Richard and Ken I am reminded of that old and true adage:
The apple does not fall far from the tree. Richard is the
one who put our financial house on track. Dear Richard, you
gave so many months of your life. You did it because of your
love for the Church. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf
of His Holiness, I thank you.”
Closing Banquet
The 2005 NRA officially came to an end with the closing dinner
attended by delegates and community members. The dinner took
place in the beautiful community center of the host church.
Richard Sarajian served as the master of ceremonies.
As noted at the beginning of this article, various awards
were given during the closing banquet. The popular Youth Leadership
Awards are presented to young people who show outstanding
leadership qualities through their community involvement.
Archbishop Oshagan presented three such awards to: Alison
Lovett, Michelle Hagopian, and Stephen Hagopian.
His Eminence presented Certificates of Merit to seven parishioners
of the Granite City parish: Annette Simpkins, Edward Haroian,
Grant Korkoyan, Jeffrey Hagopian, Melanie Keeney, Nelle Bogosian,
and Rose Lesko.
Pontifical Message of Blessing
Archbishop Oshagan read a pontifical message in appreciation
of the devoted service of Richard Sarajian to the Prelacy.
As he had done earlier in the day, His Eminence praised Mr.
Sarajian for the time and effort he has given to the Prelacy
for so many years.
Prior to the reading of Vehapar’s message, a slide presentation
on Mr. Sarajian’s life and service was presented by
his brother-in-law and friend, John Daghlian.
Man-of-the-Year
Each year the Prelacy honors a man or woman of the year. This
year’s recipient of this important recognition was Mr.
Zohrab Tazian, who has been a supporter of the Armenian Church
at all levels. Archbishop Oshagan noted that although Zohrab
lives in a community where there are hardly any Armenians,
let alone an Armenian Church, he has been one of the staunchest
supporters of the Church on a national and international level.
“Zohrab has utilized his engineering background to help
in the building of many of our new churches,” the Prelate
said.
In presenting the award Archbishop Oshagan said he felt the
award should say a Man for All Seasons. “We became friends
in the 1970s—I saw him immediately as a true Armenian—and
through the years he has remained a close friend to me and
the Armenian nation, church and the prelacy.”
Mr. Tazian’s life is a true Horatio Alger story. From
very humble beginnings and periods of hardship, today he is
a successful entrepreneur based in the Fort Wayne, Indiana
region. Mr. Tazian accepted the award with words of thanks
and tribute to his family and especially his wife, Naomi.
Eagle of the Prelacy
The coveted Eagle of the Prelacy award was presented to Antranig
Hagopian in recognition of his outstanding service to the
Armenian Church and especially the greater Granite City community.
Jack Mardoian spoke about Mr. Hagopian and the award. “The
Eagle of the Prelacy award was introduced about three years
ago and since that time only a few people have been honored.
It is an extra special award given to individuals who are
superlative in everything they are involved in particularly
in their church community. Tonight we present this award to
a person who very much exemplifies these attributes. My first
encounter was reviewing documents of the original church in
this community and the signatories on the deed. I have gotten
to know him over the years. He is a worker and believes in
putting everyone around him to work. Equally important is
not only the time and effort he has put in this community,
but also he has taken the time to raise a family that continues
to reflect the ideals of the Armenian church. He is the godfather
of this church; he is in the building eight days a week—seven
days is not enough.”
The Prelate presented the award to Mr. Hagopian and said,
“I came to this community almost thirty years ago and
saw a man named Antranig working; I came thirty years later
and I saw a man named Antranig still working in this community.”
Mr. Hagopian accepted the award with deep thanks. “I
had compatriots who are in this room tonight who worked right
alongside of me.” To those who tell him to “slow
down” he said, “The only person who can tell me
that I am not going to work anymore is the man upstairs. As
long as I am physically able I will continue to serve this
church and community.”
Earlier in the day the delegates from Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, New Jersey, invited the NRA to New Jersey for
the 2006 Assembly.
