Click each activity to be redirected to its respective webpage.
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FEAST OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD
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Today is the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ (
Hampartsoum
), which is commemorated forty days after Easter. The universal church has celebrated the Ascension since the fourth century. According to biblical scripture the Ascension took place in the village of Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, in the presence of the disciples. After giving them commandments and blessings, the Lord was “was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19), and “a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). The Gospels of Matthew and Luke conclude with the Ascension.
In the early centuries of Christianity,
Hampartsoum
was one of the most popular feast days for the faithful and was celebrated with merriment and festivities. There are many Armenian traditions associated with this dominical feast. Perhaps the most well-known is fortune-telling (
vijagakhagh
), especially for young women anticipating their future as memorably portrayed in the Armenian opera
Anoush
.
“Today he ascended with divine power on the Father’s chariot accompanied by hosts of angels who sang and cried out: Princes, lift up your gates, and the King of glory shall come in. The powers on high were amazed and in fearful voice cried out to each other: Who is this King of glory who comes in flesh and is wonderful in power? Princes, lift up your gates and the King of glory shall come in. The lordships on high sang a new song in marvelous voice: This is the Lord of glory, the Savior of the world and the deliverer of the human race. Princes, lift up your gates, and the King of glory shall come in”
(Canon for the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the Liturgical Canons of the Armenian Church)
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DARWIN, THE YOUTH AND COVID-19:
THE PRELATE TALKS WITH VARTAN ABDO
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“It was an unpredictable situation not only in the history of our people but in the history of humanity,” said Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian in an interview with Dr. Vartan Abdo, director of Parev TV. “Lately I was remembering the days when I was a student, especially the biology lessons, and I recalled that at the time I didn’t tend to agree that much with Darwin’s points of view.”
Yet, the Prelate added, “there’s something this great scientist said that grabbed my attention: ‘It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.’”
And he gave the statement an interpretation that is consistent with the values of the church.
“With a Christian understanding, instead of being defeated, we try instead to use our resources and emerge victorious,” he said. “We will try to use the different means that science affords us to defeat and crush this pandemic.”
The Prelate also discussed the role of the youth in the era of the pandemic.
“The youth is the freshest force in the life of a people, full of ideals and dreams,” he said. “I believe that, with new resources, we can benefit from their virtues… on a practical level, the members or chairpersons of several of our Board of Trustees, many of whom are already specialized in their fields, contribute with their knowledge to our church.”
As the health emergency has overburdened many of them, forcing some to work “sixteen hours a day as opposed to ten before,” the Prelate said any contribution they can bring to the church, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated.
At the end of the interview, Archbishop Anoushavan congratulated Dr. Abdo for his service to the Armenian community with the Armenian Radio Hour of New Jersey, which marked its 40
th
anniversary last year.
You may watch the interview (in Armenian)
here
.
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SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
THE PRELATE’S HOMILY
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On
Sunday, May 17, Archbishop Anoushavan presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church of Whitinsville, Massachusetts. Rev. Fr. Mikael Der Kosrofian, Pastor, was the celebrant. You can read the Prelate’s sermon below:
Today, the sixth Sunday of Easter has no special name like all the former Sundays. Nevertheless, personally I would like to name it the “Sunday of Preparation” because this coming Thursday we will be celebrating the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into the Heavens, the last opportunity when the Apostles enjoyed the earthly companionship of their beloved Master who commissioned them to teach, to baptize, and assured them that He is with them for ages and ages (Mt 28.16-20).
The feast of the Ascension, celebrated on the 40
th
day of the Resurrection, falls during the working week, and unfortunately is swallowed up by the hectic concerns of our daily lives. We should not minimize the importance of this glorious event which has its proper place in the Divine plan of Redemption. Just as we celebrate solemnly Christmas, as the beginning of the earthly life and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, so too we commemorate His Ascension which signals the completion of that mission. Hence, with equal joy we should be prepared to mark this spiritual milestone which not only highlights the achievement of the Salvific act, but also opens new horizons to comprehend the fullness of the unprecedented Divine intervention in human history. It is important for us to remember that Angels of the Almighty Lord always share good news with mankind, and always rejoice in transmitting the inner secrets for the welfare of mankind. Thus, we read in the book of the Acts that after commissioning His Disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven, and as the Apostles were gazing up toward heaven “suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you in heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11).
As the Angels heralded the good news of Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ to the shepherds, and the good news of the Resurrection to the myrrh-bearing women dispelling their doubts, once again upon the Ascension of our Lord the Angels relieved the uncertainty of the Apostles.
Indeed, the gravity of the lifting-up of their Master was not like the one which they had experienced at the Empty Tomb. Nevertheless, even when with their own eyes they witnessed His magnificent departure, somehow the disciples must have felt alone and abandoned even though Jesus made a sincere promise to them: “I shall not leave you as orphans, but will send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who will abide with you forever” (Jn 14:16).
The feast of Ascension, as much as it is an undeniable historic event, also fuels the faith of believers of all ages. Hence, I would like to share with you the following three essential points:
a. The Ascension reassures us that while the first phase of the Redemption was completed, there is still much more yet to come. We believe that upon arriving into heaven, Jesus was seated at the Right Hand of God the Father (Heb 10:12). As in the pre-Christian era the notion of the remoteness of the Divine was common in different religions, likewise we Christians should not be deceived into thinking that Jesus has provided us with good teaching and a model for living a good life, but then departed from us to just sit and enjoy His own celestial glory. This indeed is a great temptation and means that as strangers to God’s infinite love we have not fully grasped His ultimate goal through His Sacrifice on the Cross for our welfare. In the light of His Crucifixion, His Resurrection, and His Ascension we should be mature enough in our faith, as well as in our judgement, to fulfill our mission on this earth worthily to participate in His promised glory (cf. Rom. 6:3-4).
b. The Good News of the Angels that Jesus “will come in the same way” has led some believers to assume that His return is coming very soon. Even St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians says that “the Lord will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first, Then we, who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess 4:16-17). The reference of St. John in the book of Revelation (Rev 20:1-3) also was interpreted as the end of the world by those who witnessed the closing of the first millennium.
Likewise, throughout history, every major calamity has been identified with the End. We should avoid understanding and interpreting heavenly truth within the earthly parameters of time and space. As Jesus was incarnated in the fullness of time, likewise He will come again in the fullness of time (cf. Eph 1:10).
c. The promise of the ascended Lord into the Heavens, recorded in the final closing verse of the Gospel of Mathew, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20) is the most powerful promise of the “I Am” revealed to Moses (Ex 3:14). It empowered and energized the Apostles and their followers “to wrestle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).
Having in mind these three golden rules let us actualize them in our daily lives:
a. The feast of the Ascension should be for all of us a day to be uplifted intellectually and spiritually. Every Sunday during the Divine Liturgy, immediately following the “Kiss of Peace”, the deacon invites the congregation “to open the doors of our minds in wisdom and attentiveness” («զդրունս, զդրունս, ամենայն իմաստութեամբ եւ զգուշութեամբ ի վեր ընծայեցուցէք զմիտս ձեր»). Therefore, for the faithful, the Ascension is not a one-time event which happened in the past; rather, it is a continuous procedure of elevation and perfection in the footsteps of the risen and glorified Lord.
b. We Christians never should confuse major disasters, pandemics and so on with the end of the world or of this age. Unfortunately, until recently, even prominent preachers by calculating predictions in the Scriptures have proclaimed an exact date of the End, audaciously challenging the clear statement of our Lord Jesus Christ that “about that day and hour nobody knows, neither the Angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mt 24:36). Instead of wasting our precious time by worrying and trying to solve the riddles of mysteries, our prime duty and goal as true followers of Christ should be to imitate the life of the Crucified and Risen Lord (1 Cor. 11:1)
c. The Promise of the Ascended Lord that “I am with you with always, to the end of the age” is perpetually addressed to all generations, and as such, the Promise refreshes the faith of all believers in times of peace, prosperity and joy, as well as in times of turmoil, famine and anxiety.
I hope that these few explanations will help us to become better acquainted with dominical feasts. I firmly believe that more than any generation we need the energy streaming from the Majestic Ascension and the promise of the ascended Lord. Some of us may feel orphaned in the midst of the current confusion and uncertainty caused by the pandemic. We are saturated with information and regulations, yet we often are unsure where we are heading. This is why we are called to lift up our minds and souls, to breathe in the fresh air of Divine wisdom, in order not to be disoriented and not to fail in our pilgrimage from this life to Life Eternal. The great “I AM” is with us, always, and invisibly is working through the heroic sacrifice of doctors, nurses and health workers, through public servants who are providing our necessities while we are safely distancing ourselves in our homes, as well as through the community of science which, supported by public agencies, are on a mission to discover the cure for the coronavirus.
Let us with renewed faith unceasingly pray, be prudent, and be patient. And with the Angels, let us raise praise unto the Lord, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Comforter for His visible and invisible blessings, to whom is befitting Glory, Power and Honor, forever and ever. Amen.
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THE HOLY SEE OF CILICIA TAKES PART IN INTERFAITH PRAYER
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On Thursday, May 14, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and the clergy of the Catholicosate took part in an interfaith day of prayer, joining Pope Francis and other religious and global leaders in their invocations to God to stop the coronavirus pandemic.
The Catholicos presided the prayer along with the congregants at the entrance of the patriarchal see’s cathedral. During the ceremony, the healing prayer of the Armenian church was read, as well as the prayer written by the Catholicos in Arabic and English. The hymns sung included “
Der Voghormia
” (“Lord Have Mercy”) and “
Park kez Der Asdvadz mer
” (“Glory to you, o Lord our God”) as well as the “
Hayr mer
” (the Lord’s prayer), with which the ceremony was closed. Upon receiving the invitation to take part in the initiative, His Holiness had sent the prayers in Arabic and English edited by him to the organizing committee.
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LUCILLE BEDROSIAN SAHAGIAN
(March 27, 1927 – May 16, 2020)
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Archbishop Anoushavan and the Religious and Executive Councils received the sad news that Lucille Bedrosian Sahagian, a long-time member of the Armenian Prelacy’s Ladies Guild, has passed away of natural causes at the age of 93.
Lucille Bedrosian was born in Chicago (Illinois) to Kesrow and Rebecca (Babian) Bedrosian. After marrying John Sahagian, they moved to Fairfield (Connecticut), where she continued her long-time involvement in business. She was a very spiritual woman who loved her Armenian heritage. Lucille Sahagian was actively involved in the Ladies Guild, where she had been its treasurer from the early 1980. She was also an active member of the Armenian Relief Society. She is survived by her daughter Becky (Gangemi), grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as her brother Edward and Diane Bedrosian, and was predeceased by her parents and her husband, as well as her son-in-law, Sebastian Gangemi. The funeral services and interment were held privately.
The Prelate and the Religious and Executive Councils extend their condolences to Lucille Bedrosian Sahagian’s family members and loved ones. May God bless her righteous memory.
Asdvadz hokeen lousavoreh
. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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THE PRELACY RAFFLE IS ON!
DRAWING DATE: SEPTEMBER 12, 2020
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For many decades, the Prelacy has sponsored an annual raffle drawing that benefits its educational and religious programs. The drawing usually takes place in May at the conclusion of the National Representative Assembly. This year, the coronavirus pandemic hit when the raffle was underway, and the National Representative Assembly, to be originally hosted by St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Philadelphia, Pa., had to be postponed. The new drawing date has been set for September 12, 2020. The top prize is $5,000; second prize is $2,000; and third, fourth, and fifth prizes are $1,000. However, we always like to point out that in this raffle there are no losers, because all of the money raised benefits our Prelacy programs.
Please consider purchasing one or more tickets ($100 each). For information, please contact your local parish or the Prelacy office (email@armenianprelacy.org or 212-689-7810).
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A Note about the Readings
: Beginning Monday, April 20, and continuing until Pentecost (May 31) each day the four Gospels are read in the following order: 1) Morning—Luke; 2) Midday—John; 3) Evening—Matthew; 4) Evening dismissal—Mark. By Pentecost the four gospels are read up to the passion.
Bible readings for Sunday, May 24, Second Palm Sunday,
are: (1) Luke 19:29-48; (2) Acts 23:12-35; 1 John 5:13-21; John 12:12-23; (3) Matthew 20:29-21:17; (4) Mark 15:20-37.
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Acts 23:12-35
In the morning the Jews joined in a conspiracy and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who joined in this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the council must notify the tribune to bring him down to you, on the pretext that you want to make a more thorough examination of his case. And we are ready to do away with him before he arrives.”
Now the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush; so he went and gained entrance to the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to report to him.” So he took him, brought him to the tribune, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you; he has something to tell you.” The tribune took him by the hand, drew him aside privately, and asked, “What is it that you have to report to me?” He answered, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more thoroughly into his case. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they kill him. They are ready now and are waiting for your consent. So the tribune dismissed the young man, ordering him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of this.”
Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, “Get ready to leave by nine o’clock tonight for Caesarea with two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Felix the governor.” He wrote a letter to this effect:
“Claudius Lysias to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, but when I had learned that he was a Roman citizen, I came with the guard and rescued him. Since I wanted to know the charge for which they accused him, I had him brought to their council. I found that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but was charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. When I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”
So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him during the night to Antipatris. The next day they let the horsemen go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he belonged to, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod’s headquarters.
***
John 12:12-23
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
the King of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:
“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
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For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings
click here.
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Archdeacon Shant Kazanjian, Director of Christian Education (Eastern Prelacy), is currently conducting a 6-part Bible Study via Zoom, on Saturdays from 2:00pm to 2:30pm, focusing on the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus as portrayed in the pages of the New Testament. You are welcome to register for the upcoming third session by sending your name, email address, and phone number to Dn. Shant.
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DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM ONLINE
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Due to the circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic, the Prelacy’s St. Gregory of Datev Institute will hold a condensed online Summer Program for youth ages 13-18 from June 29 to July 3, 2020, instead of its regular sessions at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania.
There will be an hour-long class (11 am to noon), Monday to Friday, which will include a brief church service, followed by mini-sessions on the Bible, Armenian Church history, and a panel discussion on current issues.
We invite our youth, and especially past Datevatsis, to take part in this unique Christian educational program.
Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register, please send your contact information (name, address, phone number, email address, and DOB) to Dn. Shant Kazanjian at
shant@armenianprelacy.org
. If you have any questions, please contact Deacon Shant by email or at 212-689-7810.
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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 projects 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 Misha* who is sponsored by Jack and Suzan Dostourian.
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Dear Sponsor,
This is Misha. On October 31, 2019, I turned 12 years old. On December 16, 2018, our family had a car accident in which my mother and father died, and I broke my leg. I spent two and a half months in the hospital. I am well now.
I used to do gymnastics and had scored many victories. After the car accident, I don’t do sports anymore. In school, I am doing well.
When I grow up, I want to become a computer programmer. Presently, I live with my two sisters. My uncle is my legal guardian.
Misha
* In order to protect the privacy of the children we use only their first names.
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PLEASE CONSIDER SPONSORSHIP:
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The St. Nerses the Great Charitable and Social Organization’s orphans’ sponsorship program now has two branches:
a. Minors up to the age of 18.
b. Orphans who upon turning 18 continue their studies at a higher education institution.
If you would like to sponsor a child on the waiting list of the Prelacy’s Sponsorship Program, please
click here
for quick and easy online sponsorship. Alternatively, for the sponsorship of both minors and university students you may also contact the Prelacy by email (
sophie@armenianprelacy.org
) or telephone (212-689-7810).
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SIAMANTO STUDENTS DISCUSS LOGIC
AND ETHICS WITH STEPHANIE HAVENS
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Siamanto Academy students discussed how to put our capacity for reason in the service of human values we all share. In the last class by videoconference on Saturday, May 16, guest speaker Stephanie Havens, who holds a BA in Philosophy from Manhattanville College, succeeded in enthusiastically involving the students in her presentation on “Logic and Ethics.” Since 2017, Stephanie has been travelling to Artsakh to run the Christians in Need Foundation’s English-language courses, in cooperation with TUMO and the Russian-American School.
In their conversation with Stephanie, the students spoke about fundamental human values, the “what and how” without which we cannot say we are “living humanely.”
The next class of the Siamanto Academy is on May 30, 2020.
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MOURAD SCHOOL USES TECH
TO KEEP CLASSES GOING
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Since April 6, the Mourad Armenian School has been offering the 8-week courses of the Armenian Virtual College to those students who are not able to attend an Armenian school. Most students signed up to the basic, intermediate and advanced level courses. In addition to this initiative that was prompted by the COVID-19 health emergency, the school has implemented a number of synchronous and asynchronous learning resources, involving the use of email and videoconferences. They will receive their GPA and certificates of attendance.
The school is looking forward to the students returning to the classrooms in September, resuming classes with renewed enthusiasm.
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ST. SARKIS SALT & LIGHT ZOOM MEETING
ATTRACTS RECORD ATTENDANCE
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On Friday, May 8, the St. Sarkis Salt & Light Youth Group (Douglaston, New York) held their first virtual Zoom meeting, and it was a pleasant surprise to have 60 youth attending! In preparation for the meeting, Der Nareg Terterian, Pastor, and the Youth Group facilitators met through their own meetings a few times to discuss technical, logistical, and educational aspects of putting a large scale event together. Given the 78 registered members of the youth group, this was no easy task, but the passion and dedication of the facilitators shone through as each did their part to ensure a successful Zoom event for the youth.
The aim was to meet with the kids on the usual Friday night schedule, and 10 individual Zooms were coordinated for each group with their respective facilitators. All groups followed a discussion guide prepared by Der Nareg, which focused on connecting the kids back together, talking about general feelings and emotions each may be amid this pandemic, and a reflection on the Bible verse of St. Paul to the Philippians, which emphasized the power of prayer and the peace of God amid anxiety. The meetings lasted about 45 minutes and left both the kids and the facilitators feeling excited to be connected with each other again. As we inch forward in this pandemic, the Group looks to hosting similar zoom meetings until it is possible to safely gather together again at St. Sarkis Church.
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“A LEGACY OF ARMENIAN TREASURES: TESTIMONY TO A PEOPLE”
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The Alex and Marie Manoogian Museum in Southfield, Michigan holds the largest and most representative gathering of Armenian art and artifacts outside Armenia, with a total of 1,500 objects, including illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, rugs and carpets, sacred vessels and vestments, textiles and embroidery, ceramics, metalwork, paintings, coins, and objects from the ancient kingdom of Urartu. A Legacy of Armenian Treasures features more than 160 of the museum's most beautiful pieces, each reproduced in full color and accompanied by a detailed entry. Essays by nine scholars of Armenian art and artifacts shed light not only on the artistic significance of these objects, but on their cultural context as well.
Copies of this book may be purchased from the Prelacy Bookstore (books@armenianprelacy.org or 212-689-7810)
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Death of Neshan Krekorian (May 21, 1978)
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The story of the “unsinkable” Titanic, the “greatest luxury liner of its time,” and its Armenian passengers has been told many times, and there is a mixture of legend and reality around the name of Neshan Krekorian.
He was born in Keghi, in the province of Garin (Erzurum, in Turkish) in 1886 (*). He was barely in his twenties when his father urged to emigrate from Western Armenia and start a new life across the Atlantic Ocean. Along with five other compatriots from Keghi he walked for seven days to Trebizond, on the Black Sea. They sailed to Marseilles and bought his third-class ticket on the Titanic, departing from Cherbourg in its maiden voyage with 2,200 passengers. They were locked down in their decks, because regulations required steerage passengers to be isolated from first and second class.
Five nights into the journey, close to midnight on April 14, the ship hit a massive iceberg in the North Atlantic and slowly began to sink. Krekorian and other men broke a chain lock to get up to the upper decks. He managed to make his way to the last lifeboat, No. 10, which was being lowered with half capacity filled, and jump into it. Only 712 passengers survived, of whom more than 500 were first- and second-class travelers. Krekorian was one of 176 passengers (55 men, 98 women, and 23 children) from third class who survived out of 709. The only other survivor of his five companions of travel was David Vartanian, who was 20 or 22 at the time.
Krekorian was rescued by the ship Carpathia and taken to New York, where he arrived on April 18. He caught pneumonia and was hospitalized for four days. When he finally made it to his destination in Brantford, Ontario, he was in hospital again for a couple of weeks.
There were stories exaggerated or made up. A Brantford newspaper published a sensationalist tale of the Armenian who dressed in women’s clothing; Krekorian’s loose fitting, low crotch pants, vest and shawl, the typical dress of Armenian men, may have made for such confusion. (**)
In 1918 he settled in the town of St. Catharines, in the same province. He became a foundry worker in the local General Motors plant, saving enough money to bring his two younger brothers and help found the first Armenian church of Canada in St. Catharines. He married Persape Vartanian in 1924 and they had three children. He never went on a boat again in his life, and he would not swim, which spoke to the trauma that he had experienced.
Neshan Krekorian passed away in St. Catharines on May 21, 1978.
---------
(*) The Titanica Encyclopedia gives the date May 12 and clarifies that the death certificate says December 1, 1886, while the Titanic passenger list gave his age as 25. However, the tombstone says December 15, 1890.
(**) There were other people rumored to have used women clothing to escape. The myth has been debunked in Snopes.
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Crossroads
welcomes your inquiries and comments (English and/or Armenian), as well as parish news, photographs, and calendar items. Remember that the deadline for submitting items is Tuesday evenings. Please write to
crossroads@armenianprelacy.org.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(
Calendar items may be edited to conform to space and style
)
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May 9—June 13:
A 6-part Bible Study via Zoom, presented by Archdeacon Shant Kazanjian, Director of Christian Education (Eastern Prelacy), on Saturdays from 2:00-2:30pm. For info, please contact Dn. Shant at shant@armenianprelacy.org or call 212-689-7810.
May 13-16
—
POSTPONED
—National Representative Assembly (NRA) of the Eastern Prelacy hosted by St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Philadelphia.
May 30
—The Siamanto Academy will hold its class online on Saturday at 10:30 am. For information, contact ANEC Director Ms. Mary Gulumian at
anec@armenianprelacy.org
or call 212-689-7810.
May 31
—
POSTPONED
—Save the date. St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church, Douglaston, New York, 30th Anniversary Banquet.
June 29—July 3
—St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program online For information, please contact Dn. Shant Kazanjian at 212-689-7810 or shant@armenianprelacy.org.
September 26-27
—St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley (North Andover, Massachusetts), 50
th
Anniversary, under the auspices of Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate.
October 4
—Save the date. St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church of New Britain, CT, 95th Anniversary Banquet.
October 17
—
CANCELED
—Hye Kef 5 Annual Dance, presented by the Armenian Friends of America, Inc.. Featuring: Steve Vosbikian Jr., Mal Barsamian, John Berberian, Ara Dinkjian and Jason Naroian. At the DoubleTree Hotel in Andover, MA. For details, visit ArmenianFriendsofAmerica.org or call Sharke at 978-808-0598.
November 15
—Save the date. The Eastern Prelacy's Annual Thanksgiving Banquet.
November 28
—Save the date. Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church 80th Anniversary Celebration, under the auspices of Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate. Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston, Rhode Island.
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The Armenian Prelacy
Tel: 212-689-7810 ♦ Fax: 212-689-7168 ♦ Email: email@armenianprelacy.org
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