Begin your Crossroads Newsletter Experience with a prayer from St. Nerses Shnorhali's "In Faith I Confess," read by one of our young parishioners from St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church of Douglaston, NY.
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ARMENIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY
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Saturday, September 21, is the 28
th
anniversary of the Independent Republic of Armenia, the culmination of a process that had begun more than a year earlier with a “Declaration of Armenian Independence” that led to the Armenian Republic that was officially proclaimed on September 21, 1991.
In the life of a nation, as in the life of an individual, there are milestones marking important events, some triumphant, some tragic, some auspicious, some awesome. Such milestones are common in the lives of most nations, but the vicissitudes of history have left some momentous milestones in the life of the Armenian nation. Certainly, the declaration that led to independence is one of those milestone events of our recent history.
The splendor of independence was that the Armenian people would be able to determine the course of their own destiny, with the full opportunity to establish anew a society organized according to the Armenian ethos and based on fundamental civil and human rights, such as the freedom of speech, press, and conscience. For more than sixteen centuries—except for a brief period of independence from 1918 to 1921—the Armenian people fought to maintain their religious faith and their own unique society. Independence in 1991 reaffirmed that right to live as a people with its own way of life, its own beliefs, and on its own soil.
The ensuing years have not been easy—no one said it would be—and the future years will most likely be filled with even greater perilous challenges. May the Creator look with favor and bestow His protection and wisdom to the Armenian people at this crucial milestone in their long history.
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PRAYERS FOR THE REPUBLIC WILL BE OFFERED THIS SUNDAY
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By directive of the Prelate this Sunday, September 22, Prelacy parishes will offer special prayers for the Republic of Armenia on the occasion of the 28
th
anniversary of its independence. During the Requiem Service prayers will be offered for the new martyrs of Artsakh’s struggle for independence.
O Christ our God, guardian and hope of the faithful, keep, guard, and bless the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian nation, the Armenian Church, and your people present in peace, under the protection of your holy and venerable cross. Deliver us from visible and invisible enemies. Make us worthy to thankfully glorify you together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
(From “Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Republic of Armenia.”)
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PRELATE WILL ORDAIN DEACONS AT ST. SARKIS CHURCH
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This Sunday, September 22, Archbishop Anoushavan will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York, where during the Divine Liturgy he will ordain Sub-Deacons Berdj Agopian, Raffi Nenejian, and Razmik Nenejian to the holy order of deacons of the Armenian Church.
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85
th
ANNIVERSARY OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH CELEBRATED
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Archbishop Anoushavan surrounded by parishioners of Holy Trinity Church, Worcester, following the Liturgy last Sunday.
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His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon at Holy Trinity Church in Worcester, Massachusetts last Sunday and presided over the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Blessing of Basil. A banquet celebrating the 85
th
anniversary of the parish followed in the church’s hall.
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PRELATE MARKS FIRST ANNIVERSARY WITH
MESSAGE TO COMMUNITY
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Archbishop Anoushavan celebrated the first anniversary of his election as Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy last week with a message addressed to the Faithful of the Eastern Prelacy. His Eminence first expressed his thanks to Almighty God for the successful completion of his first year as Prelate. “I am happy to inform you that we have concluded a successful and fruitful year through the cooperation and support of the Executive and Religious Councils, the NRA delegates, parish priests and Boards of Trustees.” The Prelate then went on to provide an overview of the new activities and programs that enriched the mission of the Prelacy during the past year. Concluding his message the Prelate said, “With God’s blessings and with your unreserved support we were able to accomplish all this, and we hope to do the same and more in the future. And as we pray for you, we ask that you also pray for us, so that we may serve with God’s grace and filled with Armenian spirit.”
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PRELACY THANKSGIVING DAY WILL BE CELEBRATED
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In what will become the beginning of a new tradition, each year a special “Prelacy Thanksgiving Day” will be celebrated honoring one aspect of the Prelacy’s multi-faceted mission. The first “Prelacy Thanksgiving Day” will take place on Sunday, November 17, 2019. The day will begin with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by Archbishop Anoushavan at St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York, beginning at 10:30 am. A Thanksgiving Banquet will take place after the Liturgy at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York. Cocktail reception will begin at 2 pm with dinner and program at 3 pm.
In a recent statement Archbishop Anoushavan explained that the “Prelacy Thanksgiving Day” was conceived “in order to thank, without exception, our people for their unwavering dedication to all Prelacy sponsored programs. Therefore, every year we will spotlight a different program. For the inaugural event we have decided to celebrate and honor the services of the Prelacy’s charitable mission in Armenia and Artsakh through the Saint Nerses the Great Charitable and Social Organization (
Medzn Nerses
) that was established as the Prelacy’s charitable office in the homeland. Although the roots of this effort go back to the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, the formal establishment of this charitable office actually took place 25 years ago. Indeed, in 2018
Medzn Nerses
marked its official 25
th
anniversary. So, therefore, this year on November 17 we will be celebrating its 25
th
+1 anniversary. In effect we are celebrating 26 years of love in action in Armenia and Artsakh,” the Prelate explained.
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Archbishop Anoushavan with clergy and lay leaders at the CAMECT meeting.
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The semi-annual meeting of Christian Arab and Middle Eastern Churches Together (CAMECT) met on September 16 at the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Staten Island, New York. CAMECT is a common effort of fourteen faith communities in the United States who belong to or are associated with their respective churches in the Middle East. They meet two times per year or more as the need arises. Among those who attended the recent meeting were: Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Chairman; Bishop Gregory Mansour, Recording Secretary; Bishop David, Coptic Orthodox Diocese; Archbishop Joseph, Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Very Rev. Fr. Thomas Zain, Recording Secretary.
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PRELATE WELCOMES ARMENIAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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Archbishop Anoushavan welcomed H. E. Bishop Mikael Mouradian, Exarch of the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of the United States and Canada to the Prelacy this week. The clergy leaders discussed issues of mutual concern to benefit the community.
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ARS EXECUTIVES VISIT PRELACY
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Archbishop Anoushavan met on Wednesday with Ani Attar and Sandra Vartanian, chair and vice chair of the Eastern Region of the Armenian Relief Society respectively. Also participating in the meeting was Mary Gulumian, recently appointed director of the Armenian National Education Committee (ANEC). They had a productive exchange of ideas about the Armenian schools in our community as well as some upcoming projects and plans that can be implemented to benefit and advance the mission of the schools.
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SUMMER YOUTH ACADEMY CONCLUDES
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The Summer Youth Academy organized by the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, came to a successful conclusion. The participants were student and young professionals from the Eastern, Western, and Canadian Prelacies. The program included lectures, religious services, intimate encounters with His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Q&A Roundtables, and sightseeing.
Participants from the Eastern Prelacy were: Shant Eghian, Taleen Donoyan, Anahid Donoyan, Lorie Simonian, Michele Colanelo, Anoush Krafian, Ani Chobanian, Isabel Hagobian, Juliet Hagobian, Mari Bijimenian, Vrej Dawli, Knar Topouzian, and Violette Dekirmenjian.
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We have been featuring impressions written by this year’s participants from the Eastern Prelacy. We conclude this week with the following reflection written by Anahid Donoyan, from Sts. Vartanantz Church in Providence, Rhode Island.
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When the plane landed in Lebanon my body flooded with emotions. I had arrived at the place where my parents were both born and where my family’s roots were planted. Neither of my parents had been back to Lebanon since they left and I was given the opportunity to be the first in my family to go back and visit thanks to the Summer Youth Academy sponsored by the Prelacy and the Holy See of Cilicia. From all of the classes that we attended to the meetings with His Holiness Catholicos Aram, I was able to learn new things that enriched both my spiritual and personal life.
Each day we sat together for several classes. Topics covered varied from the history of our Armenian Church, to the background of the Liturgy and Gospels, and the connections that our church keeps with different churches throughout the world. We listened to the different professors and we were given the opportunity to voice our own thought and ask questions. My favorite classes were the ones where we were first presented with a question and had to answer the question to express our own opinions and bring our thoughts to the table before we even started the class. This approach provided the opportunity to form my own thoughts to present, and later see how they changed once I had more knowledge on the topic at hand.
Some of the most thought-invigorating discussions that we had were when we were able to sit down and meet with His Holiness Aram I. His Holiness addressed all questions that we had and provided us with the answers that we were looking for. He spoke about how to attract the youth into the church and how to truly be involved in the Badarak on a more spiritual level. Some of the most compelling words that I heard from His Holiness were during his sermon on the Feast of Asdvadzadzin at the conclusion of the Badarak. His Holiness spoke of the importance of the Armenian language and teaching it to children at a young age. This sermon stuck with me, as I am a teacher at my local Mourad Armenian School in Providence, Rhode Island. I started Armenian school at a young age and once I graduated I became a teacher’s aide and I am now a teacher to the pre-K class. The thoughts conveyed by His Holiness were identical to those in my mind.
The experience was not just about classes and discussions. We were also given the opportunity to go on different tours around Lebanon and to explore the country on our own. I truly appreciated this opportunity to take part in this year’s Summer Youth Academy.
(By Anahid Donoyan)
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Bible readings for
Sunday, September 22, Second Sunday of the Exaltation (Eve of the Fast of the Holy Cross of Varak),
are: Isaiah 14:3-17; 2 Corinthians 10:18-11:10; Mark 10:1-12.
He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.
Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
(Mark 10:1-12)
* * *
For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends.
I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super apostles. I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you.
Did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed God’s good news to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for my needs were supplied by the friends who came from Macedonia. So I refrained and will continue to refrain from burdening you in any way. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.
(2 Corinthians 10:18-11:10)
For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings
click here.
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PAREGENTAN OF THE HOLY CROSS OF VARAK
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This Sunday, September 22, is the
Paregentan
(Eve) of the Fast of the Holy Cross of Varak. Monday to Friday are fasting days leading up to next Sunday, September 25, when the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak will be commemorated.
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FEASTS OF SAINTS FEBRONIA, MARIANA, AND SHOUSHAN
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Next Tuesday, September 24, the Armenian Church remembers Febronia, Mariana, and Shoushan. The best known of the three is
Shoushan
, daughter of Vartan Mamigonian and great-granddaughter of Sahag Bartev. She was educated under the tutelage of St. Sahag and her mother, Sahaganoosh. Her father’s life and martyrdom influenced her to become a devout and faithful Christian. Her birth name was Varteny, but she was called Shoushan because of her extraordinary piety. She was married to Vazken, a son of a Georgian king, and had three sons and a daughter. After the death of her father-in-law, her husband became power hungry, went to Persia, renounced the Christian faith and returned to Georgia with another wife, and tried to force Shoushan to renounce her Christian faith. Even after years of imprisonment and torture she refused to renounce the faith for which her father had fought so valiantly.
Febronia
was a nun of extraordinary beauty at Nisibis in Mesopotamia. She was offered to be spared from persecution and torture if she renounced her religion. She refused and was brutally martyred.
Although the daughter of idol worshippers,
Mariana
was raised by a woman who was secretly a Christian and was baptized at age twelve. At the age of fifteen she confessed to her father that she was a Christian. She refused to renounce her religion, and refused the offer of marriage by a local official telling him that she was “married to Christ.” She was tortured and martyred.
Also commemorated this week:
Monday, September 23, St. Simeon Stylites the Elder
Thursday, September 26, Bishops Barlaam, Anthimus and Irenaeus
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The Prelacy’s Orphan Sponsorship program was established in 1993 and continues to be the central mission of the Prelacy’s programs in Armenia and Artsakh. As part of the program, letters are received regularly from sponsored children addressed to their sponsors. We are pleased to share some of these letters through
Crossroads
.
This week’s letter is from David*, who is sponsored by Varoujan Kalustian.
*In order to protect the privacy of the children we use only their first names.
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Dear Sponsor,
My name is David. . . . I was born in the region of Tavoush in Archis community. I am already 18 years old. I was diagnosed with “Hemophilia A” since childhood. My father died in 2005 and my mother raised me. After graduating from 9
th
grade in middle school, I was accepted in a Technical College at Yerevan State University of Finance and Economy. I was the Insurance Department’s student. This year I will be graduating from the college. I am very grateful to you. May God bless you with good health and grant you strength to help needy children like myself. The money you send us allows my mother to take care of clothing and transportation for us. I am also very grateful to the St. Nerses Organization that makes our problems known to generous people like you.
It does not matter in which part of the world we live, Armenians always love and respect each other. With endless gratitude, (signed) David . . .
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PLEASE CONSIDER SPONSORSHIP:
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Currently there are children on the waiting list for the Prelacy’s Sponsorship Program. If you would like to sponsor a child please
click here
for quick and easy online sponsorship. You may also contact the Prelacy by email (
sophie@armenianprelacy.org
) or telephone (212-689-7810), ask for Sophie.
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EXALTATION AND BLESSING AT CATHEDRAL
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Last Sunday the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Khachverats) was celebrated at St. Illuminator's Cathedral. Following the Divine Liturgy the ceremony of Antasdan (blessing of the four corners of the world), and the blessing of basil took place as well as the blessing of madagh (Harrisa) that was dedicated to the 104th anniversary of the heroic battle of Mousa Dagh and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the survivors in Anjar.
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EXALTATION AND BLESSING IN WATERTOWN
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It was a beautiful morning last Sunday at St. Stephen’s Church in Watertown, Massachusetts. After the Holy
Badarak
ended Der Antranig, the subdeacons and deacons along with all the altar servers formed a procession which went to each side of the church to bless the people and the corresponding corners of the world with the Holy Cross decorated with Basil (
Rehan).
As the procession wound its way around the church, Der Hayr sprinkled the faithful with rosewater, a sign of God's blessings being poured out upon the faithful through the Holy Cross. Each year the Feast of the Holy Cross marks the beginning of the new Sunday School year, and the students eagerly enter church so that they can be “sprinkled” by Der Hayr. The annual Sunday School Picnic took place after services.
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EXALTATION AND BLESSING IN RACINE
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On the occasion of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, St. Hagop Armenian Apostolic Church of Racine, WI celebrated the Divine Liturgy and performed the ceremony of Antasdan.
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ZAVARIAN SCHOOL BEGINS NEW TERM
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The new school term began at the ARS’s Zavarian one-day school in Dearborn, Michigan, on Friday, September 13. The students, refreshed after their summer vacations, were accompanied by their parents in their first day return to school. Classes take place on Friday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. For the 2019-2020 school term the Zavarian School has added a second session of instruction that will take place Saturday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon. The Saturday session is beginning to attract new students who previously were unable to attend the Zavarian School because of time and distance.
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Birth of Yervant Odian (September 19, 1869)
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A century and a half ago, “the greatest Armenian satirist born for laughter” after Hagop Baronian, in the words of novelist Shirvanzade, was born in Constantinople. Yervant Odian would surpass Baronian, the premier name in Armenian satirical literature, by the sheer number and variety of his works. His ability to write stories at any given instant was unique. Many of Odian’s works were published in daily installments, following the French model of the
feuilleton,
and some of them remained unpublished as books for long decades.
Born on September 19, 1869,
Օ
dian grew up at the home of his uncle, the statesman and political figure Krikor Odian, where he witnessed the debates of famous literary names. He attended the Berberian Lyceum from 1882-1883, but he dropped out due to his weakness and completed his education with private tutors and insatiable reading in Armenian and French.
He started his literary career in 1887 with translations and literary studies. Five years later, he became assistant editor of the famous daily
Hairenik
of the Ottoman capital. He was producing a steady flow of chronicles, short stories, and novellas, drawing upon social and political issues. In 1896 Odian became editor of
Hairenik,
but in the same year, the persecutions and massacres started in Constantinople prompted him to leave the Ottoman Empire. For the next twelve years he would live as an exile in Greece, Paris, England, Austria, Egypt, and India, which he later portrayed in a memoir entitled
Twelve Years Out of Constantinople
(1912-1913). He published several newspapers in Greece, Paris, and Egypt, and wrote many works, including a series of stories under the title of
The Parasites of the Revolution
(1899).
After the Ottoman Revolution, Odian returned to Constantinople in 1909. He continued writing and publishing several satirical newspapers. In the period 1909-1915 he wrote several of his masterpieces of political and social satire: the first two parts of his novel
The Comrade Panchooni
(1910 and 1914),
Family, Honor, Moral
(1910),
The Letters of a Trader
(1914),
The Wife of the Councilman
(1915), two detective novels about the tyrannical rule of Abdul Hamid,
Abdul Hamid and Sherlock Holmes
(1911) and
Saliha Hanum or the Army against the Tyrant
(1912), his satirical profiles of Armenian political representatives (
Our Deputies,
1913). He also translated from French into Armenian Leo Tolstoy’s
Resurrection
(1910) and
Anna Karenina
(1911), as well as works by Emile Zola, Feodor Dostoyevsky, Maxim Gorky, Mark Twain, and others. He also wrote a series of profiles of Armenian politicians, called
Our Deputies
(1913).
Odian avoided the roundup of April 24, 1915, but was arrested in August 1915 and deported. However, he survived three years and a half of a deportee life, and he depicted his recollections in the memoir
Accursed Years
(1918-1919).
He returned to Constantinople after the armistice of October 1918 and resumed his literary activities, again contributing to newspapers (he contributed daily columns to various newspapers simultaneously) while editing some newspapers of his own and writing more novels, such as the three-volume
The Spy Number 17
(1919-1921) and several others.
Like many other intellectuals, Odian abandoned Constantinople in 1922 after the triumph of the Kemalist movement and moved to Bucharest (Romania). Two years later, he moved to Tripoli (Lebanon), and then to Cairo (Egypt). He passed away
օ
n October 3, 1926, and was buried at the cemetery of Mar Mina.
The works of Yervant Odian have been translated into many languages (Turkish, French, Bulgarian, Greek, Spanish, and others). Both
Comrade Panchooni
and
Accursed Years
have been translated into English.
In 1964 Odian’s story “The False Spy,” directed by Henrik Malian, became one of the episodes of the film
Monsieur Jacques and the Others,
produced by Armenfilm. Almost three decades later, in 1992, Arman Manarian directed a cinematographic version of
Comrade Panchoon
that was
also released by Armenfilm in Armenia. A street of Yerevan and a school in Vagharshapat have been named after Yervant Odian.
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A Cluster of Names from Bygone Days
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There are male and female names that become outdated because of many circumstances. In Armenian reality –but also in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union—we have a collection of names that were fashionable until the early 90s, but the fall of the Soviet state put them out of circulation.
Take, for instance, the trio
Karlen (Կառլեն), Marlen (Մառլեն), and Vilen (Վիլեն).
As you can bet, the ending -
len
was derived from the name of Vladimir Lenin, the “founding father” of the Soviet Communist Party and the Soviet Union. The initial parts of these names varied: the first two came from Karl Marx’s name
(Kar
and
Mar
), while
Vi-
was the combination of Lenin’s first name and patronymic (
V
ladimir
I
lich). Incidentally, only the name Marlen had its female counterpart:
Marlena
(
Մառլենա
).
There was even a more comprehensive combination, which was born in the decades when, after Lenin’s death (1924), Joseph Stalin became lord and master of the Soviet peoples. The combination of
M
arx-
E
ngels-
L
enin-
S
talin gave origin to the male name
Mels
(
Մելս
)
,
the diminutive
Melsik
(
Մելսիկ
), and the female name
Melsida
(
Մելսիդա
).
To the common observer, the name
Ninel
(
Նինել
) looks related to the Russian name
Nina
. However, if you look closely, you will surely notice that there is more than meets the eye. While men allowed themselves the name
Lenik
(
Լենիկ
, diminutive of
Len-in
), women also had the right to adopt the name of the “great leader.” Thus,
L-e-n-i-n
became, in reverse,
N-i-n-e-l
.
More exotic stuff came into circulation when the last name
Lenin
was combined with the Armenian word
drosh/դրօշ
“flag”
(
trosh
in Western Armenian). People started calling their children “Leninist flag” and, instead of the weird
Leninian drosh
(
Լենինեան դրօշ
), they adopted the contraction
Lendrosh
(Լենդրօշ). Since the Armenian name had the ending
-ush
in diminutive forms (for instance,
Siranush > Sirush
(
Սիրանուշ
>
Սիրուշ
), in time, the name
Lendrosh
evolved into
Lendrush.
Another such exotic combination was the name
Lenser
(
Լենսեր
), the combination of the words
Լենինեան սերունդ
(
Leninian seroont
“Leninist generation”), which was less widespread than
Lendrush
.
Even more exotic, at first sight, seems to be the use of the masculine name
Kim
(
Կիմ
). While someone might assume that it could have been a borrow from Korean, you do not need to go so far to the East, but to the North: the name was an acronym of the Russian words K
omunisticheskij
I
nternatsional
M
olodyozhi
(Communist International Youth).
If you look closely into the reality of the Republic of Armenia today, you will hardly find someone aged below thirty and called Karlen, Lendrush, or Ninel. The winds of change are slowly throwing these and other artificially created names to the dustbin of history.
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ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS FOR CROSSROADS?
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Please remember that the deadline for submitting items for
Crossroads
is on Wednesdays at noon.
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Earlier this year the Prelacy embarked on a long overdue process of digitizing photographs and important documents. From time to time we will be sharing some interesting historical photos found in our archives.
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This week’s archive photo was taken on January 3, 1978, the day Bishop Mesrob Ashjian arrived in the United States to begin his tenure as Prelate of the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern United States and Canada. This was taken during the Hrashapar services at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City. Bishop Mesrob is flanked by Very Rev. Fr. Oshagan Choloyan on right and Very Rev. Fr. Aram Keshishian on the left. Very Rev. Fr. Oshagan served as locum tenens of the Prelacy from May 1978 to December 1978 after the election of our Prelate Karekin Sarkissian as Catholicos Coadjutor of the Great House of Cilicia. Very Rev. Fr. Aram was elected and consecrated Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia in July 1995 and continues his dedicated service to the Holy See. Bishop Mesrob was elected at a special session of the National Representative Assembly that convened in December 1978 at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield, New Jersey. Bishop Mesrob went on to serve twenty very productive years as Prelate from 1978 to 1998.
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Rev. Fr. Bedros Shetilian, pastor of St. Gregory Church, Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, has published an article on “Christian Anthropology.” You can read it by
clicking here.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(
Calendar items may be edited to conform to space and style
)
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September 22
—St. Stephen’s Church of Hartford-New Britain Annual Picnic and surprise celebration for Centenarian (Col. Charles Alex). In church hall and grounds, 12 noon to 4 pm. Rain or shine. Hot dinners, bake sale, raffle.
September 28
—New Jersey chapter of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational & Cultural Society presents Lilit Hovhannisyan with special performance by Nayri Dance Ensemble, 8 pm, Felician University, Breslin Hall, Lodi, New Jersey. Tickets online only:
www.yap.events/lilithovhannisyan
October 7-10
—On the occasion of the Feast of the Holy Translators a joint clergy conference of the Eastern, Western, and Canadian Prelacies will convene in Montebello, California.
October 12
—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, NJ continues celebration of 60
th
anniversary with Elie Berberian and his band. Information: 201-943-2950.
October 16
—"Western Armenian in the 21st Century: A Dialogue about Challenges and New Approaches." Panel discussion organized by the Armenian National Education Committee, the Zohrab Information Center, and the Society for Armenian Studies, at the Armenian Prelacy. 7:00 pm. Introduction: Ms. Mary Gulumian. Moderator: Dr. Christopher Sheklian. Panelists: Dr. Vartan Matiossian, Mr. Jesse Arlen, and Ms. Gilda Kupelian. Information: (212) 689-7231 or
anec@armenianprelacy.org
.
October 19
—Armenian Friends of America Annual Hye Kef 5 Dance, featuring The Vosbikians, at Double Tree by Hilton, Andover, MA. For information: Sharke’ Der Apkarian at 978-808-0598; John Arzigian at 603-560-3826.
October 19
—Herand Markarian’s Jubilee Celebration: 65
th
anniversary of cultural achievements and 80
th
birthday. Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York, at 7:05 pm. Watch for details.
October 19
—St. Gregory Church, 135 Goodwin St., Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, “Armenian Bazaar,” 11 am to 6 pm. Take out available (call ahead: 413-543-4763.) Free admission and parking.
October 26
—One day conference during the “Year of the Armenian Press” and celebrating the 120
th
anniversary of the establishment of
Hairenik
and the 85
th
anniversary of the establishment of the
Armenian Weekly
will take place in Pashalian Hall of St. Illuminator Cathedral in New York City. Details will follow.
November 1-3
—Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, annual Food Festival. Free complimentary parking; featuring Onnik Dinkjian on Saturday! For information: 201-943-2950.
November 9 and 10
—Armenian Fest 2019, Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, Annual Food Festival at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, 60 Rhodes Place, Cranston. Saturday noon to 9 pm; Sunday noon to 7 pm. Free admission and parking. Valet parking available. For information: 401-831-6399.
November 17
—Eastern Prelacy’s first annual Special Thanksgiving Banquet at Terrace on the Park, Flushing, New York, at 2 pm. Honoring the 25
th
+ 1 anniversary of the charitable work of the Prelacy’s St. Nerses the Great Charity Program: 26 Years of Charitable Giving in Armenia and Artsakh.
December 31
—Save the date. Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, New Year’s Eve dinner/dance.
March 15, 2020
—Save the date and watch for details for the Eastern Prelacy’s 37
th
annual Musical Armenia concert, 2 pm at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, West 57
th
Street at Seventh Avenue, New York City.
May 13-16, 2020
—National Representative Assembly (NRA) of the Eastern Prelacy, hosted by St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Philadelphia. The Clergy Conference will begin on Wednesday, May 13; the full Assembly will convene on Thursday, May 14 and conclude on Saturday, May 16.
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The Armenian Prelacy
Tel: 212-689-7810 ♦ Fax: 212-689-7168 ♦ Email: email@armenianprelacy.org
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