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December 1, 2016

PRELATE IN CONNECTICUT

Archbishop Oshagan joined the pastor, Archpriest Fr. Aram Stepanian, and faithful members of St. Stephen’s Church of Hartford-New Britain on Sunday, November 20, in celebration of the parish’s 91st anniversary. The Prelate celebrated the Divine Liturgy and presided over the anniversary celebration. During the service Archbishop Oshagan blessed a new altar curtain, handcrafted in Armenia and donated by Mr. & Mrs. Garabed Tovmassian of Worcester, Massachusetts. The newly constructed and refurbished pastor’s office was also blessed. An anonymous donor helped to defray the cost of the renovations; the furnishings were donated by Gary Kazanjian. 

During the reception  and anniversary banquet, the Prelate presented Certificates of Merit to Vartkes Khuzkian, Charlie Alex, Jennie Garabedian, and Rita Soovajian, in appreciation of their years of service to St. Stephen’s Church.

Some scenes from the 91st anniversary of St. Stephen’s Church in Connecticut.

VICAR IN PARIS AND VIENNA

Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar General, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Holy Cross of Varak Church in Arnouville, near Paris, on Sunday, November 27. Following the service he joined the Youth Group for a fruitful discussion pertaining to various religious and social issues. 

On Tuesday, November 29, the Vicar attended the first session of the PRO ORIENTE, Commission for Ecumenical Encounter between the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church, which took place in Vienna, Austria, from November 28 to December 1. Bishop Anoushavan represented the Holy See of Cilicia. The Holy See of Etchmiadzin was represented by Bishop Armash Nalbandian, Primate of the Diocese of Damascus, Syria. 

Bishop Anoushavan presented  an Armenian Apostolic Church perspective on  “Obstacles on the Way to Full Communion and Proposal to Overcome them.”  At the conclusion of the conference a joint communiqué was issued encouraging the efforts of the Commission, and requesting that the hierarchs take necessary steps toward unity of the churches. 

On Tuesday, November 29, the participants attended an ecumenical vespers service at St. Hripsime Armenian Apostolic Church where they were hosted by Very Reverend Father Diran Petrossian, Pontifical Vicar of Central Europe and Sweden. 

The participants in the PRO ORIENTE Commission in Vienna.

Bishop Anoushavan and Hayr Diran with the altar servers and choir members at Holy Cross of Varak Church, near Paris. 
Bishop Anoushavan with the Youth Group at Holy Cross of Varak Church.

VICAR WILL ATTEND ANNIVERSARY BANQUET

Bishop Anoushavan will represent the Prelate and the Eastern Prelacy at the 10th annual banquet of the Armenian National Committee of America, on Saturday, December 3 in Washington, DC. 

On Sunday, December 4, His Grace will preside over the Divine Liturgy and deliver the Sermon at Soorp Khatch Church, in Bethesda, Maryland.

REQUIEM SERVICE FOR ARCHBISHOP MESROB ASHJIAN

A Requiem Service for Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, former Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, will take place this Sunday, December 4, at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City. 

Archbishop Mesrob passed away thirteen years ago, on December 2, 2003, in New York during a visit to the United States. He served as Prelate of the Eastern United States and Canada for twenty years, from 1978 to 1998, after which he relocated to Armenia where he directed the 1700th anniversary commemorative committee, and later organized innumerable charitable and educational programs to benefit the people of Armenia and Artsakh. 

Archbishop Mesrob holds the relic of Saint George (Kevork), during an annual ritual at the Sourp Kevork Monastery of Moughni that he helped restore and renovate. The Monastery is located in the Aragatsotn region of Armenia.
IN MEMORIAM
HASMIG HOVNANIAN
1929 - 2016

It is with a great sense of loss that we note the passing of Mrs. Hasmig (Paris) Hovnanian, who died in Yerevan on November 20. She and her husband Vahakn, who passed away in August 2015, were well-known benefactors and recognized as a “power couple,” whose philanthropy benefitted a wide array of charitable institutions.  In the United States, they were noted for their life-long support of the Armenian Church, especially the Prelacy, and the Hovnanian School, as well as other community organizations. At the Hovnanian School Hasmig was the founding chairman of the Friends Committee, which became the School’s vibrant marketing, public relations, and fundraising department. The Prelacy’s main reception hall, which they financed and helped design when the Prelacy building was renovated in 1987, is dedicated in their name. Hasmig was the founding chairman of the Prelacy Ladies Guild and she successfully attracted a number of dedicated individuals who worked harmoniously creating some of the most innovative and popular social and cultural events of the era. They were recognized and awarded the highest honors by Catholicos Khoren I (1969) and Catholicos Karekin II (1986) of the Holy See of Cilicia. In 2008 Archbishop Oshagan presented Hasmig with the Queen Zabel award, one of two high  honors bestowed by the Eastern Prelacy.  

Archbishop Oshagan expressed profound sympathy on behalf of the Eastern Prelacy and personally as he noted how Vahak and Hasmig welcomed him with open arms when he first came to the United States as a young student at Princeton Seminary and considered him part of their family. In a message of condolence the Prelate said, “The legacy left by Vahak and Hasmig can never be forgotten. Their complete dedication to the Armenian church and nation is remarkable. Their names will always be associated with the Armenian Church and the Prelacy, and the Hovnanian School is living testament to their vision and fortitude. I will remember them always with gratitude and affection.” 

Funeral services took place at St. John the Baptist Church in Yerevan on November 21 and 22. She is survived by her son Shant, daughter and son-in-law Nina and Artur Aleksanyan, five grandchildren, Vahak, Gayane, Katya, Paris, Charentz, her sister Teny and the large extended Hovnanian Family.

Vahak and Hasmig Hovnanian cutting the ribbon at the door of the new Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian Hall at the offices of the Eastern Prelacy in New York City in 1987.

ARMENIA FUND RAISES MILLIONS

Armenia Fund concluded its 19th International Telethon last week with a total of $15,428.777 raised in donations and pledges. The funds raised will go toward building a civil defense infrastructure in Artsakh, as well as establishing emergency preparedness to protect the civilian population from Azerbaijan aggression in the future.

BIBLE READINGS

Bible readings for Sunday, December 4, Second Sunday of Advent, are: Isaiah 36:22-37:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-11; Luke 13:1-9

At that very time were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the other living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” 

Then he told the parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:1-9) 

***

Finally, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like heathen who do not know God; that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we solemnly forewarned you. For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 

But concerning love of the brethren you have no need to have any one write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-11)

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

SAINTS THADDEUS AND BARTHOLOMEW

This Saturday, December 3, the Armenian Church commemorates Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew, two of the twelve apostles who were the first evangelizers of Armenia, and were martyred there, giving the Armenian Church its apostolic identity and earning them the title, “First Enlighteners of Armenia.” 

Thaddeus came to Armenia about 43 AD to preach Christianity. He was martyred in southeastern Armenia. His tomb lies in the Armenian monastery of St. Thaddeus (Iran) where a chapel was built in the third century. Bartholomew is believed to have arrived in Armenia about 66 AD. He was martyred in Hadamakert, southeast of Lake Van. 

An apostle is “someone who is sent,”—an emissary or ambassador of the Kingdom of God, sent to announce the Kingdom’s coming in Jesus Christ, and authorized to claim men and women’s allegiance to him. “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God,” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

2017 LITURGICAL CALENDAR POSTER

The 2017 color poster of the Liturgical Calendar of the Armenian Apostolic Church is now available at the Prelacy. At a glance, one can see the complete cycle of feasts and fasts and seasons.  

This 27x36 inch poster should be displayed in our Church halls and classrooms, particularly in our Sunday School classrooms.  

To order copies of the Liturgical Calendar poster, please contact the Prelacy at 212-689-7810 or AREC@armenianprelacy.org. The cost of the poster is $5.00 plus shipping and handling.

SPECIAL SCREENING OF DOCUMENTARY

A special screening of the documentary “Havresc: Stand on Courage” and Town Hall Meeting will take place tomorrow, Friday, December 1, at 7 pm, at St. Illuminator Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City, co-sponsored by the Cathedral and the Armenian National Committee of New York.  

“Stand on Courage,” is a documentary about the struggles of Armenian Iraqis and their village on the edge of ISIS controlled territory. They have protected themselves and created a community that is a home to all Christians facing persecution. Documentarian David Ritter spent the fall and winter of 2015 in Iraq volunteering in support of the Armenian and Assyrian Christian militias in their struggle against the violence of the Islamic state.

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS CONCERT ON SATURDAY

A Christmas Concert for children will take place this Saturday, December 3, at 4 pm, under the sponsorship of Sts. Vartanantz’s Nareg Saturday School and St. Illuminator’s Saturday School. The concert will take place in the large hall of Sts. Vartanantz Church, 461 Bergen Boulevard, Ridgefield, New Jersey. For information/tickets contact Silva at 201-779-6744.

ST. SARKIS CHURCH (NY) PARTICIPATES IN INTERFAITH SERVICE

St. Sarkis Church of Douglaston, New York, participated in a Community Thanksgiving Service that took place at The Marathon Jewish Community Center. Eight area congregations participated in the interfaith service. 

Rabbi Gary Green, the spiritual leader of the Marathon Jewish Community Center, welcomed the clergy and congregation. The service included recitations from the Old Testament and the singing of hymns. Rev. Linday Lunnum of the Zion Episcopal Church, Rabbi Green, and Father Mark Bristol of Saint Anastasia Roman Catholic Church provided their respective interpretations of the scriptures that were recited. Rev. Fr.Nareg Terterian, pastor of St. Sarkis Church, made the call for the offering of gifts for the victims of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. 

This is the second year that St. Sarkis has participated in this Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. The participants noted that this is a great way to begin the holiday season praying with people of all faiths and learning about different religious traditions. “Our differences—spiritual or cultural—should unite and not divide us,” they said.

The participants in the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service.
THIS WEEK IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC)
Unification of Armenia and Artsakh (December 1, 1989)

Demonstration for Karabagh 1988
The movement for the reunification of Karabagh to Soviet Armenia in the 1980s did not start from one day to another. After Mikhail Gorbachev, the last First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, declared the new formula of glasnost (“transparency”) in the plenary session of the party (April 1985), many issues came to the surface. The atmosphere of openness and relative freedom offered the opportunity to look forward to reunification. In August 1987 the Armenians in the Autonomous Region of Mountainous Karabagh, then a part of Azerbaijan, submitted to Moscow a petition signed by more than 80,000 people.

The crucial step was taken in the February 20, 1988 session of the Regional Soviet of Mountainous Karabagh, which voted 110 to 17 to request the transfer of the region to Armenia.  Instead of a conciliatory solution, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party issued a resolution that qualified the Karabagh movement as “extremist” and “nationalist,” as well as contrary to the interest of the workers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The lack of a solution from the top instilled the need for a solution from the bottom: massive popular demonstrations in Yerevan and Stepanakert followed, to which Azerbaijan reacted with the massacre of Sumgait on February 28, 1988.

The situation became more and more complicated and conflictive during 1988. In an attempt to find a solution, in January 1989 Gorbachev attached the Karabagh region directly to Moscow and designated Arkady Volsky as head of a special committee for administration. The Regional Soviet and the regional committee of the Communist Party were dissolved. However, hopes for a solution of the conflict were dashed and a congress of plenipotentiary representatives of Mountainous Karabagh was held in Stepanakert on August 16, 1989. It elected a National Council, to which it delegated the faculties of executive power. On November 28, 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union decided to eliminate the special committee and reattach Karabagh to Azerbaijan. It also created an Organizational Committee, led by the second secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Viktor Polyanichko. In response, on December 1 a joint session of the Supreme Council of Soviet Armenia and the National Council of Mountainous Karabagh adopted a resolution about the unification of Armenia and Karabagh.

The resolution was based “on the universal principles of self-determination nations” and reflected “the legal aspiration of the two sections of the Armenian people separated by force.” The Supreme Council recognized the self-determination of the Autonomous Region, approved by the resolutions of the Regional Council of February 20 and July 12, 1988, as well as the resolutions of the congress of representatives of Artsakh (August 19, 1989) and the National Council (October 19, 1989) (article 1). It also recognized the congress of plenipotentiary representatives and the National Council as only legal authority of Karabagh (article 2). The Supreme Council and the National Council declared the reunification of Soviet Armenia and Mountainous Karabagh, and the citizenship rights of Soviet Armenia were extended over the population of Karabagh (article 3). A joint committee was created by the Supreme Council and the National Council to set up the steps towards reunification (article 4). Both legislative bodies took upon themselves the representation of the districts of Shahumian and Getashen, in the north of Karabagh, which still have their Armenian population (they would be occupied by Azerbaijan and its population expelled in 1991-1992) (article 5). The presidency of both bodies and the Council of Ministers of Armenia were tasked with the execution of measures derived from the resolution “to realize the actual fusion of the political, economic, and cultural structures of the Armenian SSR and Mountainous Karabagh in a unified state and political system.” (article 6). 

Azerbaijan characterized the resolution as an intromission in the internal affairs of the country. The tension between both countries was rising, and the conflict was shaping up towards a military solution. However, the Soviet Union still existed and its police and army, regardless of who they protected, were the last force that prevented the confrontation between Karabagh and Azerbaijan. Once they disappeared, the war became unavoidable.

Although the referenda on independence by Armenia (September 21, 1991) and Mountainous Karabagh (December 10, 1991) declared the independence of both countries, the resolution about the unification was never challenged. As a matter of fact, when Robert Kocharian was proclaimed candidate to the presidency in February 1998, his candidacy was questioned since article 50 of the Constitution of Armenia, sanctioned in 1995, established that the president should have a ten-year citizenship and permanent residency in Armenia. The courts of Armenia, however, determined that the candidacy was legally based on the resolution of December 1, 1989, since article 3 had proclaimed the “reunification of the Armenian SSR and Mountainous Karabagh” and extended the rights of Armenian citizens over the population of Karabagh. The declaration on independence of Armenia (August 23, 1990) had been based on the December 1, 1989 declaration, which was and still is in force. As it is well known, the independence of Karabagh remains unrecognized, even by Armenia.
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET:

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.

ARMENIAN LANGUAGE CORNER
Prepared by the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC)

“Joyful Thanksgiving”­?

Thanksgiving is over. Among the myriad of “Happy Thanksgiving” greetings going all over the place, did you hear anyone saying “Joyful Thanksgiving”?

Of course not. Everyone said “Happy Thanksgiving,” because this is what the English language mandates to say. Happiness is a temporary feeling (and the celebration of a particular day is temporary), while joy has a lasting, more abstract connotation. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” would have taken a different meaning if it had been entitled “Ode to Happiness.” Not by chance, the eighteenth-century Christmas carol says “Joy to the world, the Lord is come” and not… “Happiness to the world…”

Now, how did you say your wish in Armenian? Did you say Ուրախ Գոհաբանութեան օր (Oorakh Kohapanootian or)?

If you did, you were utterly wrong, because you were saying… “Joyful Thanksgiving.” You cannot use oorakh to say “happy” when you are giving good wishes, but only yerchanig.

It is true that some dictionaries may use “happy” to translate both oorakh and yerchanig (երջանիկ). Unfortunately, dictionary authors may be very skillful at putting words together, but very sloppy at thinking how those words are actually used in a sentence. The fact that Google Translate offers the same alternative is, of course, negligible: you are dealing with something called “statistical machine translation,” not a human translator sensible to language nuances.

The Armenian language offers yet another alternative: the word շնորհաւոր (shunorhavor), which indicates your wishes of grace (շնորհք/shunorhk) for a happy event; e.g. Շնորհաւոր տարեդարձ (Shunorhavor daretartz). You could have also used it for Thanksgiving, as in Շնորհաւոր Գոհաբանութեան օր (Shunorhavor Kohapanootian or).

Incidentally, you can still use shunorhavor during the forthcoming holidays to say “Happy New Year”:  Շնորհաւոր Նոր Տարի (Shunorhavor Nor Dari). It would sound awkward to say yerchanig for Christmas, even though we say Merry Christmas (and not “Happy Christmas”). Exceptions confirm the rule: we say Շնորհաւոր Սուրբ Ծնունդ (Shunorhavor Soorp Dzunoont) and not Երջանիկ Սուրբ Ծնունդ (Yerchanig Soorp Dzunoont). If you want to make your wishes in one shot, then it is Shunorhavor Nor Dari yev Soorp Dzunoont. As you see, it does not have more words than Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Season III - Episode 7 (88): A Grief Observed

In This Episode:

  • Our good friend Razmig Nenejian joins us to tell us all about the Homenetmen games in Toronto this past weekend.
  • An Interview with Alec Jamgochian an expert in weight loss and developer of the innovative weight loss plan titled "Change your Life"

Click here or on the image above to listen to the podcast!
JOB OPPORTUNITY AT THE EASTERN PRELACY

Assistant Communications Director
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate

The Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America is seeking applicants for the position of Assistant Communications Director, who will work with the Director of Communications and Publications to assist with all aspects of public relations and communications. Must be able to manage multiple deadlines, be attentive to details, and respect and understand the religious culture and history of the Armenian people.
Duties include assisting the Director of Communications in, but not limited to, the following:
  • Write and/or edit press releases.
  • Write and/or edit articles for semi-annual magazine.
  • Help produce text for weekly electronic newsletter.
  • Work with Communications Officer on internet based programs, including web page and social media.
  • Edit and prepare projects (books, booklets, brochures) for printing.

Qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Communications or related field or Liberal Arts.
  • Minimum 5 years experience.
  • Strong writing skills.
  • Skill with social media and other communications channels to showcase Prelacy projects and programs.
  • Knowledge of Armenian language and Armenian Church is a plus.

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Work hours can be flexible.
Please send a cover letter and CV to:
            Dr. Vazken Ghougassian, Executive Director
            Vazken@armenianprelacy.org

PRELATE’S APPEAL—2016

The Prelate’s annual appeal letter will be arriving at your homes within the next week. In his letter Archbishop Oshagan writes about the task of providing spiritual and cultural guidance and nourishment to the Armenian American community. “The Prelacy has always been committed to introducing programs that promote new initiatives to transmit our ancient faith and rich cultural heritage within a modern setting. In a time when traditional values are at risk, the Prelacy is devoted to fostering the Christian faith within the Armenian family as a whole… Whatever we do, whatever success we achieve is because of the kind and generous support of our faithful people—that’s you and others like you,” the Prelate wrote in his appeal.

Last week before traveling to Lebanon, Archbishop Oshagan recorded a short video message about the Prelate’s Appeal. You can view it by clicking below

FROM THE BOOKSTORE


Mother of Light
 Armenian hymns and chants in praise of Mary


 Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano
Ani Aznavoorian, cello
Coro Vox Aeterna; Anna Hamre, conductor


  This beautiful recording includes three types of hymns from the Armenian sacred music tradition: “sharagan” (hymn); “dagh” (ode), and “megheti” (canticle). For this recording the hymns are arranged for soprano, female choir, and cello accompaniment. The accompanying booklet is very informative and includes the words of the hymns in Armenian, transliteration, and translation.
$18.00, plus shipping & handling


To order contact the Prelacy bookstore by email ( books@armenianprelacy.org ) or telephone (212-689-7810).

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. NEW TERM BEGINS SEPTEMBER 10.

December 3—Children’s Christmas Concert with Maggie and Santa Clause. Organized by St. Illuminator’s Armenian Saturday School and Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church Nareg Saturday School, in large hall of Sts. Vartanantz Church, at 4 pm. Tickets: $25.00. For information and tickets: Silva: 201-779-6744; Sts. Vartanantz Church: 201-943-2950; St. Illuminator Cathedral: 212-689-5880.

December 3—Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church Annual Bazaar, at the Pleasant Street Christian Reform Church Hall, 25 Cross Street, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 10 am to 4:30 pm, dinners served at 11:30.

December 3 — 10th Annual Banquet by the Armenian National Committee-Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) in Washington, DC at the prestigious Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel.  Honored this year, among others, Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Dr. Levon Avdoyan, and Dr. Roger Smith. The theme for the banquet is "We Are Artsakh Strong" and special focus will be placed upon the activities being undertaken to strengthen and protect Artsakh. The banquet, sponsored by the ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund, will begin with cocktail reception and silent auction at 6 pm, followed by dinner and awards ceremony at 7:30 pm. The weekend will also include the first reunion of ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship and Capital Gateway Program alumni, to be held in conjunction with the ANCA Christmas Party on Friday, December 2nd, ANCA-ER Special Briefing at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia on Saturday, December 3 from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm, with the participation of The Genocide Education Project (GenEd), Permanent Representative of Nagorno Karabakh Republic to the U.S. and Canada H.E. Robert Avetisyan, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the U.S. H.E. Grigor Hovannissian. Brunch Seminar at the ANCA Washington DC Headquarters on Sunday, December 4th from 10 am to 12 noon. To RSVP for the Briefing and/or Seminar, please send an email to ancaer@anca.org. Space is limited to the first 50 RSVPs and priority will be given for out-of-town participants. For banquet tickets and for making donations please visit ancaef.org/banquet/, for more information visit er.anca.org/banquet/ or contact ANCA Eastern Region at ancaer@anca.org or  (917) 428-1918. 

December 11—Celebration of the 62nd Anniversary of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Granite City, Illinois. Episcopal Divine Liturgy, ordinations, and banquet.

December 11—St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church of Douglaston's annual Simply Christmas Concert will take place following church services! This year features Zulal Trio singing contemporary and classical Christmas tunes in the elegant and festively decorated St. Sarkis Church Sanctuary.

December 11—Holiday Dinner of Chicken Shish Kebab, Pilaf, Mixed Vegetables in Tomato Sauce, Salad, Bread, Dessert and Beverages, sponsored by the ARS Havadk Chapter, following church services, St. Stephen’s Church Hall, 167 Tremont Street, New Britain, Connecticut. Christmas Carols and Bingo. Adults: $10; Children 12 and under: $10.

December 11-14—Emma Grigoryan’s Exhibition at St. Illuminator Cathedral’s John Pashalian Hall. Opening reception and meet the artist, 1-5 pm, Sunday, December 11. Exhibition will remain on view through December 14, noon to 4 pm. Grigoryan’s latest book will be available for preview at the reception.

December 15 & 22—Two-part Bible study led by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of the Armenian Religious Education Council, will explore biblical imagery used in the baptismal ritual prayers of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Sponsored by St. Illuminator Cathedral and the Eastern Prelacy. From 7:15 pm to 8:45 pm at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, 221 East 27th Street, New York City. Registration is required; RSVP by email (office@stilluminators.org) or telephone (212-689-5880).

December 18—Armenian Cultural Concert at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Granite City, Illinois.

December 18—Annual Christmas Bake Sale, organized by St. Gregory the Illuminator Church’s Ladies Guild, Granite City, Illinois.

December 18—St. Stephen Church, Watertown, Massachusetts, ordinations of deacons, sub-deacons, and conferring of Stole, by Archbishop Oshagan will take place during the Divine Liturgy. Following the services a celebratory banquet in honor of the ordinations will take place in the church hall. Donation: $30 adults; $15 children 12 and under. For reservations contact the church office by email (office@soorpstepanos.org) or telephone (617-924-7562).

March 31—Eastern Prelacy’s annual Musical Armenia concert at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, New York City.
The Armenian Prelacy 
Tel: 212-689-7810 ♦ Fax: 212-689-7168 ♦ Email: email@armenianprelacy.org