March 15, 2018

MUSICAL ARMENIA THIS SUNDAY

The Prelacy’s 35 th Musical Armenia concert is this Sunday, March 18. Since 1982 the Prelacy has presented the annual Musical Armenia concerts bringing to the forefront many talented artists of Armenian descent. Featured this year are: Composer Mary Kouyoumdjian and Pianist Hrant Bagrazyan. For tickets or information contact: Carnegie Hall (212-247-7800) or Prelacy office (212-689-7810).

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WELCOMES PARLIAMENTARIANS

Archbishop Khajag and Archbishop Oshagan with Parliamentarians and Armenian American community leaders at St. Vartan Cathedral on Saturday, March 10. Members of Parliament included, front row, left to right: Edmon Marukyan, Arpine Hovhannisyan, Naira Zohrabyan, Aghvan Vardanyan. Second row, left to right, Varoujan Vosganian (from Romania), Armen Ashotyan.

Last Saturday, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan and Archbishop Khajag Barsamian along with community leaders joined together to welcome a delegation from Armenia’s Parliament at St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City. Discussions included recent developments in Armenia, the role of the Diaspora, the importance of economic growth and incentives, and migration. The Prelate and the Primate addressed the gathering offering their thoughts about strengthening the relationship of the Homeland and the Diaspora. The delegation also visited Washington D.C. where they met with U.S. government leaders.

VICAR WILL ATTEND DINNER HONORING ARTSAKH PRESIDENT

Bishop Anoushavan will represent His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan and the Eastern Prelacy at a dinner-reception this Saturday, March 17, in Washington, DC. This reception is the culmination of President Bako Sahakyan’s inaugural visit to Washington that included meetings this past week with U.S. government and Congressional officials and representatives of the foreign policy community. The Saturday dinner-reception will provide the opportunity for President Sahakyan to meet members of the Armenian American community.

LEBANON’S MINISTER OF TOURISM VISITS PRELACY

The Prelate and the Vicar with Avedis Gidanian, Minister of Tourism in Lebanon. From left to right: Hrair Baronian, Very Rev. Fr. Zareh Sarkissian, Minister Gidanian, Archbishop Oshagan, Bishop Anoushavan, Jack Mardoian, and Raffi Ourlian.

Archbishop Oshagan, who recently returned from a visit to Lebanon, expresses his thoughts.

Avedis Gidanian, Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Lebanon, visited the Prelacy last Friday where he met with Archbishop Oshagan, Bishop Anoushavan, Executive Council members, and community leaders. They discussed the upcoming Parliamentary elections in Lebanon, as well as the current situation in Lebanon, and other topics of interest. They all expressed the hope for a successful election.

BOOK PRESENTATION IN PHILLY

Bishop Anoushavan will travel to Philadelphia tomorrow evening where he will preside over the Lenten Husgoom service at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church. Following the services there will be a presentation of the Vicar’s latest book, “St. Nerses the Graceful: Pastoral Letters.” On Sunday, His Grace will attend the Prelacy’s Musical Armenia concert at Weill Recital Hall.

BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, March 18 , Sixth Sunday of Great Lent, Sunday of Advent are: Isaiah 66:1-24; Colossians 2:8-3:17; Matthew 22:34-23:39. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch”? All these regulations refer to thinks that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence. So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 2:8-3:17) *** When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which commandments in the law is the greatest? He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he? They said to him, The son of David. He said to them, How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son? No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market places, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father, the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 22:34-23:12) For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings click here. 

SUNDAY OF ADVENT

This Sunday, March 18, is the sixth and final Sunday of Great Lent, known as Sunday of Advent ( Galstyan Kiraki ). On Advent Sunday we are asked to ponder the mystery of the first coming of Christ and especially his second coming which is a fundamental tenet of our Christian faith, and which is mentioned in the prayers read this Sunday. Christ came to the world for the salvation of humanity. We are told to be ready at all times because He will come again for the judgment of sinners, and when the righteous will become worthy of entering the Kingdom of God. “Then people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. He will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” (Mark 13:26-27) Advent Sunday has its own special hymn, which proclaims that the apostles knew the mystery of the advent of Christ. The story of the expulsion from paradise is repeated and an appeal is made to Christ to ask the Heavenly Father to establish peace on earth. Sunday of Advent is in preparation for next Sunday, Palm Sunday, which is the celebration of the glorious entry of our Lord into Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week. The terrible manifestation of your glory which will be in your second coming David foresaw and announced beforehand by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, God will come openly, fire will burn before him. Then, O Jesus, spare us, have compassion, O Christ and have mercy. Mother of God unwedded, bride of heaven on earth, when in the sight of light you sit at the right hand of your only-begotten beseech him for us to deliver us from the awful flame, to number us with the righteous that we also may sing glory with the heavenly ones. (Canon for the Sixth Sunday of Great Lent from the Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church)

ST. GREGORY’S COMMITMENT TO THE PIT

During Great Lent, saint days are commemorated only on Saturdays. During the remainder of the year saints can be honored on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays. This Saturday, March 17, the Armenian Church celebrates one of the three days in its liturgical calendar devoted to St. Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of the Armenian Church. The three days are: Descend into the Pit, Emergence from the Pit, and Discovery of his remains. This Saturday is the commemoration of his commitment to the Deep Pit ( Khor Virab ). Gregory maintained his faith and refused to renounce Christ. As a result he endured many tortures and his final punishment was banishment into a deep pit where he remained for a period of thirteen or more years. Miraculously he survived, thanks to his faith and according to tradition an angelic woman (identity unknown) who lowered food and water into the pit. The Monastery of Khor Virab is a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims who visit Armenia. The monastery was built on the exact location where St. Gregory was imprisoned. The pit is accessible and it is possible for visitors to climb down the ladder (27 steep steps) into the pit. The church, named Sourp Asdvadzadzin, dates to the 17 th century. The area is one of the most beautiful in Armenia and provides stunning views of Ararat. The area surrounding Khor Virab is the site of the ancient Armenian capital, Artashat, founded by King Artashes I about 180 BC. Come, let us exalt on this day the spreader of the spiritual light to us who sat in darkness, the holy patriarch Gregory. Come, you children instructed y him, exalt on this day the distributor to the sons of Torkom of the undefiled gifts of the Holy Spirit who gave us a new birth as sons of the light. Come, you children instructed by him, exalt on this day the interpreter of the divine word in the land of Armenia. On this day the Church and her children sing with the angels, on this day of memory of the enlightener ascribing glory to God in the highest. (Canon to St. Gregory the Illuminator, Commitment to the Pit, from the Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church)

LENTEN PROGRAM CONTINUES

Scenes from the Lenten service and program last night.

Last evening’s Lenten Program began with a church service ( Husgoom ) at 7:00 pm, presided by His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan, Prelate. There were two presentations: the first by Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian, Pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church of Ridgefield, New Jersey, who reflected on John 15:9 — “Abide in my Love” (in Armenian), and the second by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York City (who was scheduled to speak last Wednesday but the program was canceled due to inclement weather), who spoke on Church and Charity . The evening program concluded with a table fellowship at 8:00pm. Next Wednesday, March 21, the sixth and the final Lenten lecture will be presented by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of Christian Education of the Prelacy, and his topic is “ Called to Freedom in Christ .” The Lenten Program is sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG), and the Ladies’ Guild of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral. To see this week's Lenten presentations, watch below.

REGISTER FOR DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM

Plans are underway for the 32 nd annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program, a unique Armenian Christian educational program for youth ages 13-18 to enrich their knowledge of the Christian faith in a wholesome and nurturing environment, with recreational activities and daily church services. Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the Program is scheduled to be held at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, from July 1-8, 2018. For information and registration click here.

“THE BOOK OF WHISPERS” PRESENTED IN DOUGLASTON

Bishop Anoushavan and the author Dr. Varoujan Vosganian with attendees at the book presentation.

Dr. Varoujan Vosganian, author of “The Book of Whispers.”

Last Saturday St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York, in cooperation with the Romanian Armenian Society of New York, sponsored an evening with Dr. Varoujan Vosganian, author of “The Book of Whispers.” Considered an international phenomenon, this novel has been translated into 20 languages including English and twice was sponsored for the Nobel Prize in Literature by the Israeli, Romanian and Armenian Writers Associations.   The novel is the true story of Dr. Vosganian’s grandparents who survived the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey, relocated in Romania, and refused to forget this calamity. It is in many ways evocative of the common trauma of the Armenian people as well as of the general human suffering characteristic of the 20 th century.   Dr. Vosganian, a PhD economist by training, is also author of many economic and literary texts, serving presently as Prime-Vice President of the Union of Writers in Romania. He has been a member of the Romanian Parliament since 1990 and has served as Minister of Economy and Finance. He has been recognized for his achievements with three awards, from the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the “Nerses Shnorali” Order from Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and the “Knight of Cilicia” designation by Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.   The program started with an invocation by His Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, after which an attendance of more than 76 people enjoyed a mesmerizing presentation by Dr. Vosganian followed by a book signing and refreshments. Among the attendees were Queens City Councilman Paul Vallone and his family. It was especially meaningful for him as his wife is also Armenian.

Treaty of Moscow (March 16, 1921)

The Treaty of Moscow was signed between Soviet Russia and Kemalist Turkey on March 16, 1921. The Russian side yielded to most Turkish demands, and signed a document that was utterly damaging to Armenia for the sake of Russian-Turkish “friendship and brotherhood.” The treaty was the outcome of the second Russian-Turkish conference, held in Moscow from February 26-March 16, 1921, with the participation of two Russian (Georgi Chicherin, the Commissar of Foreign Affairs, and Jelal Korkmasov) and three Turkish representatives (Yusuf Kemal bey, Riza Nur bey, and Ali Fuad pasha). Stalin, the Commissar of Nationalities, lobbied against any claim from Turkey that could put the Russian-Turkish alliance in risk. In a letter to Lenin on February 12, 1921, he had written: “I just learned yesterday that Chicherin really sent a stupid (and provocative) demand to the Turks to clean Van, Mush, and Bitlis (Turkish provinces with enormous Turkish supremacy) to the benefit of Armenians. This Armenian imperialist demand cannot be our demand. Chicherin must be forbidden to send notes to the Turks suggested by nationalist-oriented Armenians.” The Bolsheviks sought to halt further Turkish advance into the region. Weary from the ongoing Russian Civil War, which was winding down, they had no intent of starting a new war. Not surprisingly, Chicherin refrained from his pro-Armenian position, and declared during the conference that Russia would not insist about passing the border to the west of the Akhurian (Arpachay) and the south of the Arax rivers. This meant that the entire province of Kars and the district of Surmalu (Igdir), which had never belonged to the Ottoman Empire, would go to Turkey. The Turkish delegation additionally claimed for the province of Nakhichevan, which historically had belonged to the Armenian Province and then to the governorate of Yerevan under the rule of the Russian Empire, to be put under Azerbaijani administration. Thus, the treaty of “friendship and brotherhood” between Soviet Russia and Turkey recognized Turkish control over Artvin, Ardahan, Kars, and Surmalu. The region of Adjara, with the port of Batum, was returned to Soviet Georgia on the condition that it would be granted political autonomy due to its largely Muslim Georgian population. (Adjara became an autonomous republic within Georgia.) Turkey withdrew from Alexandropol (nowadays Gumri) and a new border was established between Turkey and Soviet Armenia, defined by the Arax and Akhurian rivers. According to these new boundaries, Mount Ararat and the ruins of Ani remained within Turkey. The treaty also stipulated that Nakhichevan would become an autonomous entity under Azerbaijani protectorate. Azerbaijan obliged not to transfer the jurisdiction to a third party, namely, Armenia. Additionally, Turkey later acquired a small strip of territory known as the Arax corridor, which had also been part of the governorate of Yerevan. This corridor was located east of Surmalu, limited by the Arax River to the north and the Lower Karasu River to the south. It was a strategic strip of land that allowed Turkey to share a common border with Nakhichevan and, consequently, Soviet Azerbaijan. Both signatory parties were internationally unrecognized, and thus were not subject of international law, which made the treaty illegal and invalid. The RSFSR, now under the guise of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was legally recognized for the first time in 1924 by Great Britain. The Great National Assembly of Turkey was a non-governmental organization led by Mustafa Kemal, which did not have any legal grounds to represent the Turkish state in international relations. According to the Ottoman Constitution, only the sultan had the right to engage other states, be it personally or through a representative. The Kemalist movement was actually a rebellion against the legal authorities of the country, and Kemal was a criminal fugitive who had been sentenced to death by a fatwa signed by the Sheikh-ul-Islam, the highest religious authority of the Ottoman Empire, on April 11, 1920, and a court-martial on May 11, 1920. The section of the Treaty of Moscow related to Armenia was a violation of international law, since treaties can only refer to the signatory parties and do not create any obligation to third parties that are not bound by treaty without the latter’s agreement. At the time of the Treaty, the Soviet regime had been thrown out from Armenia by the popular rebellion of February 1921. The treaty was reaffirmed in October 1921 with the Treaty of Kars and the borders it established have been maintained ever since. However, this did not mean that Soviet policymakers necessarily accepted the terms of the treaty as permanent. After World War II, when the Soviet Union was at the zenith of its power, its leader Stalin reopened the issue on behalf of Armenia and his native Georgia. Supported by Moscow, both republics began to assert territorial claims against Ankara. According to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Stalin made this move at the insistence of Lavrenti Beria, the deputy premier and a fellow Georgian. Indeed, Ankara sought the support of Washington, which had become suspicious of Soviet intentions with the onset of the Cold War. The issue was eventually dropped by Moscow and by 1952 Turkey joined NATO, precluding any further discussion on border revisions. The frontiers established by the 1921 treaty remained unaltered and were maintained by the newly-independent states of Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan after the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. Following the shoot down of a Russian plane over the Syria–Turkey border in November 2015 and the rise of Russo-Turkish tensions, members of the Communist Party of Russia proposed the nullification of the Treaty of Moscow. Initially, the Russian Foreign Ministry considered this action in order to send a political message to Turkey.   However, Moscow ultimately decided against it in its effort to de-escalate tensions with Ankara.

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.

THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE CORNER Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee

Double Speak Spoiler alert: the title of this article does not refer to the perennial use of euphemism, ambiguity, or inversion of meaning so common in political language. It actually makes reference to a very common linguistic phenomenon called “reduplication” (in Armenian կրկնաւորում / gurgnavoroom ). Reduplication happens when you repeat part or all of a word to express a meaning. You have plenty of examples in English, from “walkie-talkie” to “zig-zag,” which mostly appear in colloquial language and then sometimes go into a more formal expression. Unlike English, in Armenian you have entire words repeated. For instance: տեսակ - տեսակ պտուղներ ( desag-desag budooghner ) “variegated fruits” զանազան մարդիկ (zanazan martig) “different people” In the first case, you have an adjective repeated and connected with a hyphen. In the second, you have the suffix զան (zan) , meaning “form, way, mode,” loaned from Old Persian. The repeated word has been linked by the very common connective ա ( a) . You can also have two words that have meaning and rhyme with each other (“rhyming reduplication”), like English “super-duper.” However, the Armenian cases are more formal. For instance, the word ախ /akh (interjection of affliction) is combined with the word վախ /vakh “fear” and the result is ախ ու վախ (akh oo vakh) “sigh.” There are various reduplicated words that are connected by prepositions from Classical Armenian. Such is the case of գոյնզգոյն /kooynuzkooyn “multicolor,” with the word գոյն /kooyn “color” repeated and glued by the connective զ /z , and խառնիխուռն /kharnikhoorn “mixed, confused, pell-mell,” where two words of relatively similar meaning ( խառն /kharn “mixed” and խուռն /khurn “confused”) are put together with the connective ի /i. You have other cases that remain in the colloquial level and constitute the funny part of it. One of the components usually has no meaning:  a)     The rhyming reduplication that comes from the use of the sound m, either by replacement or addition, as in գաւաթ - մաւաթ ( kavat-mavat ), with kavat meaning “glass, cup,” or արեւ - մարեւ (arev-marev ), with arev  meaning “sun.” (In English, we have the case of shm-reduplication, as in “fancy-shmancy.”) b)     The emphatic reduplication in nouns, like սեփ - սեւ ( sep-sev ), where sep turns sev (“black”), or adjectives, like ճիփ - ճիշդ (jeep-jeesht), with jeep underscoring jeesht (“precise, correct”). These last cases have their parallel utilization in Turkish and must be regarded as part of the long coexistence of both languages in the Ottoman period.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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. March 17 —“Sirusho in Concert” presented by Hamazkayin NJ and ARS Agnouni Chapter, dedicated to the 100 th anniversary of the Armenian Republic and the 90 th anniversary of Hamazkayin. With participation of Nayiri Dance Ensemble. Felician University, Breslin Theater, 262 South Main Street, Lodi, New Jersey, 7:30 pm. Tickets: $85, $65, $45. Purchase online here or email sirushonj@gmail.com . March 18 —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. March 25 —St. Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan, Ladies Guild Palm Sunday Luncheon and special outdoor activities for children, Petting Zoo and pony/horse rides, at 1 pm after church services. In celebration of Palm Sunday, parishioners will form a procession around the exterior of the church; this year a donkey will join the procession in remembrance of our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem. April 6 —Book presentation, “The Sins of the Fathers: Turkish Denialism and the Armenian Genocide” by Professor Siobhan Nash-Marshall. The book will be presented by Dr. Herand Markarian at 7 pm in Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian Hall at the Eastern Prelacy, 138 E. 39 th Street, New York City. Reception will follow. Admission is free; RSVP necessary. April 22 —Remembering the Armenian Genocide, Annual Gathering at Times Square, 2 pm, 43 rd Street and Broadway, New York City. Free bus transportation to and from Times Square. Sponsored by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan; co-sponsored by Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian National Committee of America, ADL-Ramagavars, Armenian National Council, and with the participation of community-wide churches and organizations. Contacts: New York , Sam Melkonian 516-352-2587; Brooklyn , Tigran Sahakyan 347-291-7765; New Jersey , Leo Manuelian 917-418-3940 or 201-746-0409.  April 29 —“History and Future of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Conflict" -- Guest Speaker: Anna Astvatsaturian-Turcotte, Author of "Nowhere, A Story of Exile." Under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate.  1:30 p.m. St. Sarkis Armenian Church, 38-65 234th Street, Douglaston, NY.  A book signing will take place after the lecture. For more information, please call 718-224-2275. May 3 —NYC Fundraiser for the Women's Support Center of the Tufenkian Foundation. 7-9 p.m. Almayass, 24 E. 21st Street, NY, NY. $45 at the door or with advance purchase (ticket includes 1 complimentary glass of wine and small appetizers). Tickets can be purchased via: https://goo.gl/xSw2th. For more information, contact Vartan Badalian at badalivs93@gmail.com.  May 9-12 —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. June 24 --Ways to Wellness: A Panel Discussion on Mental Health -- 1:30 p.m. -- St. Sarkis Armenian Church, 38-65 234th Street, Douglaston, NY. For more information, please contact Anahid at anahide@aol.com (Lecture rescheduled from an earlier date). July 1-8, 2018 – Datev Summer Program for youth ages 13-18-- The 32 nd annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Christian Studies Program will take place at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC). For information and registration, contact the AREC office – 212-689-7810 or arec@armenianprelacy.org or click here. September 21, 2018 to January 13, 2019 —“Armenia!” a large exhibition dedicated to the medieval period of Armenian history and culture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. The exhibit is the first at the Met dedicated solely to Armenia. Curated by Dr. Helen C. Evans. October 20 —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 .

The Armenian Prelacy  Tel: 212-689-7810 ♦ Fax: 212-689-7168 ♦ Email: email@armenianprelacy.org Visit the Catholicosate webpage at  http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/en/