Red Sunday

In the Calendar of the Armenian Church, the fourth Sunday following the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is known as Red Sunday. The color "red" has been used throughout history to represent many things.

One of the symbolic meanings is the blood of the martyrs who were sacrificed for Christ, His Holy Church, and their Christian faith. During the early years of Christianity, faithful followers of Jesus Christ were subjected to severe persecutions and torments. Many elected to die rather than betray their principles of life and faith, which the Incarnate God - Christ Jesus - had endowed to them and all of mankind. The psalmist writes, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the saints" (Psalms 116:15).

Today, martyrdom is far less often an occurrence in the lives of Christians, yet it does happen. However, the greater struggle is the one against sin, which we can see manifested in many ways throughout the world. The battle against wickedness and evil, which will be victorious in the end, is the current expression of the significance of Red Sunday. The Apostle Paul writes that Christ Himself endured such opposition, that we should not grow weary in our battle against wickedness. In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul says: "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:4).

We are to use the opportunity of Red Sunday to once again remind ourselves of Paul's exhortation to remain steadfast in the Lord, and to continue our daily labors of goodness and righteousness.

St. Mary Prepares for Spring Food Festival

Our talented Women's Guild have begun to prepare for this year's Armenian Spring Food Festival by scheduling and conducting workshops and filling the church hall and kitchen with tantalizing aromas. The cultural foods from Armenia include lamb and chicken kebab, cheese boreg, pilaf, and kadayif, just to name a few. We thank all the volunteers who have participated and look forward to another successful Food Festival. We need volunteers to assist on the festival days this weekend and we encourage the young adults in the community to participate so that this tradition can be carried on in the future.

A Book Talk - Trauma and Resilience: Armenians in Turkey

Raffi Bedrosyan, civil engineer, concert pianist, and author of Trauma and Resilience: Armenians in Turkey, conducted a book talk on May 5 at St. Mary Church, attended by 40 parishioners. Mr. Bedrosyan has written and published numerous articles about Turkish-Armenian issues and history of churches left behind in Turkey after 1915. As founder of Project Rebirth, he has appeared as keynote speaker in multiple international conferences related to human rights, genocide studies and Armenian issues. 

Graduation Announcement

Student Name 

School Name 

Degree (Diploma, Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctoral)  

Student Email Address 

Future School (if any) 

Watch the Episcopal Ordination of Our Primate

Abp. Aykazian Urges Action to Save Mid-East Christians

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director, made an urgent plea to rescue the besieged Christian communities of the Middle East, whose population numbers, he said, have "already dropped extensively."

He offered this warning in an interview last week on the Breitbart news website. "The future for Christians right now is terrible," he said: "a Middle East without Christians. We are going to have churches without Christians as museums for tourists. There will be no Christians left."

In the interview, Archbishop Aykazian holds out hope that support from the United States might slow the crisis. While the administration of President Trump has devoted billions of dollars in funding to help victims of Christian persecution, Archbishop Aykazian urged the President to do even more to help Middle East Christians.

Click here to read more.

Watertown Hosts 117th Diocesan Assembly

Last week, 159 clergy and lay delegates representing parishes from across the Eastern Diocese met in Burlington, MA, for the 117th Diocesan Assembly, hosted by the St. James Church of Watertown, MA.

Diocesan Primate the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan presided over the gathering-his first time doing so since his election to the office of Primate one year ago. In the course of the sessions, the Primate presented his vision for the Diocese in the coming years. (See the item below to watch an online video of the Primate's message.)

The week of official events included the annual Clergy Conference and Women's Guild Assembly-as well as the Diocese's annual Awards Banquet, where Dr. Helen Evans was honored as the 2019 "Friend of the Armenians," and Nancy and the late Edward Guleserian were honored as the "Armenian Church Members of the Year."

Click on the following links to read about the Clergy Conference and the Awards Banquet, and to view photos galleries of Diocesan Assembly events. Check the Diocesan website for additional reporting in the coming week.

Primate Offers Vision for "Building Up the Body of Christ"

In his address to the 117th Diocesan Assembly, Diocesan Primate Fr. Daniel Findikyan offered his vision for the Eastern Diocese

In remarks delivered on Friday, May 3, he reflected on his first year as Primate. "This past year has been a time of discovery for me," he said. "It was not only a time of learning, but also a time of connecting with the entirety of our Diocese: its parishes, pastors, and people."

He proceeded to outline an ambitious set of priorities for the coming years, drawing inspiration from a passage in St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians (Eph 4:11-16). His broader plan, titled "Building Up the Body of Christ: A Vision for Our Diocese," includes ideas for reinvigorating Diocesan organizations aimed at youth, choirs, and altar servers; elevating the level of liturgical services; and making various modes of education a priority for all segments of the church community.

He concluded with a plea to people across the Diocese to "recognize the great strength that resides in our church, when her faithful act together, as a common body, with a common purpose."

Click here to watch a recording of the Primate's address.

Welcome Bishop Daniel on His Return to the U.S.

On Saturday, May 18, a special Divine Liturgy at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York will mark the return of our Primate to the U.S., following his ordination as a bishop of the Armenian Church.

The newly-ordained Bishop Daniel Findikyan will celebrate his first episcopal Divine Liturgy among the faithful of the Eastern Diocese beginning at 10 a.m. It will be followed by a reception in the Diocesan Center's Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium.  Click here to view a flyer.  

19 Յիսուս ասաց նրանց. «Ճշմարիտ, ճշմարիտ եմ ասում ձեզ, մարդու Որդին ինքն իրենից ոչինչ չի կարող անել, այլ անում է այն, ինչ տեսնում է, թէ Հայրը կատարում է, որովհետեւ ինչ որ Հայրն է անում, նոյնը նրա նման եւ Որդին է գործում, 20 քանի որ Հայրը սիրում է Որդուն, եւ այն ամէնը, ինչ ինքն է անում, ցոյց է տալիս նրան. եւ նրան ցոյց կը տայ սրանից շատ աւելի մեծ գործեր, որոնց վրայ դուք կը զարմանաք. 21 որովհետեւ, ինչպէս որ Հայրը յարութիւն է տալիս մեռելներին եւ կենդանացնում է, նոյնպէս եւ Որդին կենդանացնում է` ում կամենայ: 22 Սակայն Հայրը ոչ մէկին չի դատում, այլ ամէն դատաստան տուել է իր Որդուն, 23 որպէսզի ամէնքը պատուեն Որդուն, ինչպէս պատւում են Հօրը: Ով Որդուն չի պատւում, չի պատւում եւ Հօրը` նրան առաքողին: 24 Ճշմարիտ, ճշմարիտ եմ ասում ձեզ, որ, ով իմ խօսքը լսում է ու հաւատում է նրան, ով ինձ առաքեց, ընդունում է յաւիտենական կեանքը եւ չի դատապարտւում, այլ մահուանից կեանք անցաւ: 25 Ճշմարիտ, ճշմարիտ եմ ասում ձեզ, որ կը գայ ժամանակ, եւ արդէն իսկ եկել է, երբ մեռելները կը լսեն Աստծու Որդու ձայնը, եւ նրանք, որ կը լսեն, կþապրեն, 26 որովհետեւ, ինչպէս Հայրն ինքն իր մէջ կեանք ունի եւ կեանք է տալիս, նոյնպէս եւ Որդուն տուեց ինքն իր մէջ կեանք ունենալ եւ տալ: 27 Եւ նրան իշխանութիւն տուեց դատաստան անելու, քանի որ մարդու Որդի է. 28 դրա վրայ ինչո°ւ էք զարմանում, որովհետեւ կը գայ ժամանակ, երբ բոլոր նրանք, որ գերեզմաններում են, կը լսեն նրա ձայնը 29 եւ դուրս կը գան. ովքեր բարի գործեր են արել` կեանքի յարութեան համար, իսկ ովքեր չար գործեր են արել` դատաստանի յարութեան համար: 30 Ես ինքս ինձնից ոչինչ անել չեմ կարող, այլ, ինչպէս լսում եմ Հօրից` դատում եմ, եւ իմ դատաստանը արդար է, որովհետեւ ոչ թէ իմ կամքն եմ որոնում, այլ նրա կամքը, ով ինձ առաքեց»: 

(Յովհ. 5:19-30)

19 Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.24 "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judgedbut has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out-those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. 

(John 5:19-30)

Click Here