Յանուն Հօր եւ Որդւոյ եւ Հոգւոյն Սրբոյ: Ամէն:
Գոհութիւն, շնորհակալութիւն եւ փառք քեզի, Տէ՛ր Աստուած, մեզի շնորհած առատ բարիքներուդ եւ պարգեւներուդ համար: Ամէն օր քաղցրութեամբդ ու բարի կամքովդ առատապէս կը կերակրես մեզ, որպէսզի մեզ՝ քու ծառաներդ, հաղորդակից դարձնես հոգեւոր բարութեանդ եւ երկնքի արքայութեանդ, ըստ մեր ակնկալութեան եւ յոյսին: Ամենակալ Տէր, մեր Աստուածը, փրկէ մեզ եւ ողորմէ մեզի:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us be thankful for the plenteous gifts of our Lord God, who in sweet bounty nourishes us day by day of His own will, that He may make His servants share in spiritual goodness and in the heavenly kingdom, according to the expectations of our hope. Almighty Lord our God, preserve and have mercy upon us. Amen.
(Armenian prayer of Thanksgiving)
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On this national day of Thanksgiving, as we open our hearts to receive God, let us renew our thanks and devotion to our heavenly Father, whose blessings surround us not only on this day but always. Let us honor and praise Almighty God and pray that His generous bounty will continue to grace our lives.
Dear faithful friends, as you gather together on this holiday with your loved ones, may you be filled with happiness and contentment in the true spirit of thanksgiving. Let us express our gratitude for God’s glorious gifts and raise our voices, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20)
Let us resolve to share the munificent blessings we enjoy with those less fortunate. I ask you to be especially mindful of our brothers and sisters in Armenia and Artsakh. Please participate generously in the Thanksgiving Telethon.
I wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving Holiday.
ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN
Prelate
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REMEMBER THE 2017 TELETHON
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The Armenia Fund’s International Thanksgiving Day Telethon will take place tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, November 23. As in previous years, His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan has asked all Prelacy parishes to offer a special plate collection on two consecutive Sundays—November 19 and 26—to benefit the continuing economic and social growth and progress of Artsakh. The 20
th
annual telethon, under the theme of “Fruitful Artsakh” can be seen live on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, at
www.ArmeniaFund.org
.
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A PILGRIMAGE TO JERUSALEM
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The Armenian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church serve as custodians of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
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The Prelacy is pleased to announce a 14-day pilgrimage to Jerusalem beginning on April 2 through April 15, 2018. Departure is on Monday, April 2, the day after Easter in the U.S. Because Jerusalem follows the Julian (old) calendar, pilgrims will celebrate Easter in Jerusalem on Sunday, April 8.
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Bible readings for
Sunday, November 26, First Sunday of Advent,
are: Isaiah 36:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Luke 12:13-31.
One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?” And he said to them, “Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
And he said to his disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.
(Luke 12:13-31)
***
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you; for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit; so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has one forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
(1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)
For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings
click here
.
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This Sunday, November 26, is the first Sunday of Advent (from the Latin
adventus,
meaning “coming”). Advent is a season of penitence, anticipation, and preparation. Advent serves as a reminder of the original anticipation of the birth of Christ, as well as the anticipation for Christ’s return. Ideally, Advent should be a time of quiet reflection and meditation. In modern times the period leading to Christmas is far from calm, and often is stressful and frenetic. It is a good time to remember to pause and reflect on the proper observation of the birth of our Lord and Savior.
In the true spirit of Christmas remember that this time of the year, although filled with joy for most, can be lonely and sad for many people. Reach out to an elderly person living alone, someone who is ill, or someone who is mourning the recent loss of a loved one.
Saints remembered this week:
Saturday, November 25: St. Gregory the Wonderworker; St. Nicholas the Wonderworker;
St. Myron the Bishop.
Monday, November 27: St. Juliana.
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We have “Black Friday,” “Small Business Saturday,” and “Cyber Monday” and now for the past few years we have the growing “Giving Tuesday” (#Giving Tuesday) observed on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The concept originated in 2012 with the goal of creating an international day of giving at the beginning of the Christmas season to offset some of the commercialization of the holiday season. The concept has been steadily growing and last year #Giving Tuesday recorded $168 million in charitable donations worldwide.
Next Tuesday, November 28 is Giving Tuesday 2017. We urge you to join in this worldwide endeavor and donate to your favorite charity or charities on this day. Of course, we would be grateful to receive your donation to benefit the mission of the Eastern Prelacy. Take this opportunity to make a year-end contribution to the Eastern Prelacy. You can donate online
here
.
Or if you prefer you can mail a check to the Armenian Prelacy, 138 East 39
th
Street, New York, NY 10016. For information or questions contact us by email (
email@armenianprelacy.org
) or telephone (212-689-7810).
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PLEASE REMEMBER
SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER
The crisis in Syria requires our financial assistance.
Please keep this community in your prayers, your hearts, and your pocketbooks.
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT.
THE NEED IS REAL.
THE NEED IS GREAT.
DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON LINE.
TO DONATE NOW
CLICK HERE
AND SELECT SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU.
OR IF YOU PREFER YOU MAY MAIL YOUR DONATION TO:
Armenian Prelacy
138 E. 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Checks payable to: Armenian Apostolic Church of America
(Memo: Syrian Armenian Relief)
Thank you for your help.
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SIAMANTO ACADEMY—
Meets every second Saturday of the month at the Hovnanian School, 817 River Road, New Milford, New Jersey. For information:
anec@armenianprelacy.org
or 212-689-7810..
November 2, 9, 16, 30
—Four-part Bible Study on “The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians,” at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 East 27
th
Street, New York, presented by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of Christian Education at the Prelacy, sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) and St. Illuminator’s Cathedral. 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm , Light Dinner; 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, Bible Study. Register by email (
office@stilluminators.org
) or phone (212-689-5880).
December 2
—SAVE THE DATE: ANCA Eastern Region Gala, International Place, Boston, Massachusetts. For information:
https://ancaef.org/gala
.
December 3
--“Harry L. Koundakjian: 50 Years of PhotoJournalism,” hosted by St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 East 27
th
Street, New York City, 1-5 pm. The exhibit can also be viewed December 4 to December 10, from 12 to 4 pm Monday to Friday and 11 am to 2 pm on Sunday.
December 3
--63rd anniversary celebration of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Granite City, Illinois.
December 5-8
—World General Assembly of the Great House of Cilicia, at the Catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon.
December 10
—St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, 85
th
Anniversary of the St. Sarkis community and 55
th
Anniversary of the current church structure and campus. Soorp Badarak will be celebrated by Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian.
Lavish mezza reception
in the Lillian Arakelian Fellowship Hall; Armenian sacred music performed in the church sanctuary by special guests, Soloist Onnik Dinkjian, accompanied on the organ by Ara Dinkjian.
March 18, 2018
—35
th
Musical Armenia Concert presented by Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Prelacy Ladies Guild. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 57
th
Street at 7
th
Avenue, Sunday, March 18 at 2 pm.
May 9-12, 2018
—Eastern Prelacy’s National Representative Assembly, hosted by St. Gregory Church, North Andover, Massachusetts. The one-day clergy conference will take place on Wednesday, May 9. The full Assembly will convene on Thursday, May 10, at 11 am and will conclude on Saturday, May 12, at noon.
October 20, 2018
—Armenian Friends America, Inc., Sixth Annual HYE KEF 5, featuring world famous Onnik Dinkjian and the All Stars. Double Tree Hotel, Andover, Massachusetts. Details to follow.
www.ArmenianFriendsofAmerica.org
.
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The Armenian Prelacy
Tel: 212-689-7810 ♦ Fax: 212-689-7168 ♦ Email: email@armenianprelacy.org
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