The National Representative Assembly of the Eastern Prelacy elected the new Executive and Religious Council, in its first meeting of this kind convened entirely on a virtual platform by videoconference. Following an opening prayer by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, the Prelate invited Rev. Fr. Nareg Terterian of St. Sarkis, Douglaston, NY, to first say a prayer in memory of the lives lost 19 years ago on September 11, 2001.

 

With 70 out of 76 eligible delegates in attendance, a quorum was achieved. Simone Topouzian, Chairperson, called the meeting to order, with delegates credentials, the

Executive Council's report, the Financial Report and the budget draft approved by the Assembly with no objections. Janet Haroian served as secretary. The reports and the draft had been previously circulated and questions from the delegates answered by the Executive Council in due time.

 

Archbishop Anoushavan then introduced the virtual assembly to the message of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I streamed live from Antelias. "In spite of tremendous difficulties of different nature and scope, the Prelacy, under the leadership of Surpazan, with religious and lay councils thanks to God, they have made significant achievements," Aram I said. "They all deserve-in fact, you-my warm thanks and deep appreciation."

 

We are living, His Holiness said, "in unusual times... humanity is still under the constant and fearful threat of the coronavirus pandemic, and it seems that the challenges, concerns, problems generated by this pandemic will be around us for the foreseeable future." Hence, he urged the faithful "to be realistic in planning and organizing the activities and the agenda priorities of the Prelacy as well as of our parishes."

 

In his address to the Assembly, the Catholicos mentioned his directive encouraging parishes to entrust women and youth with leadership positions in our churches and communities. He also expressed his happiness over the theme of "learning and growing together," as learning is an endless process in the life of a person, organization and community. We should all become a source of learning including learning from the pandemic, he said.

 

In his closing remarks, the Catholicos called on strengthening our national unity.

 

"We need to deepen the sense of togetherness: we are one nation, we are one people, we are one community, we are one Church," Aram I said. "That sense of togetherness brings us together: we need to strengthen this bond."

 

Upon the request of Mrs. Topouzian, Rev. Fr. Hrant Kevorkian of St. Sarkis, Dearborn, Mi., reviewed the voting procedures and conducted a "test" vote on behalf of the Nominating Committee. As the test run was being conducted, Mrs. Topouzian invited Anoushavan Surpazan to deliver his message to the Assembly (see the full text below).

 

In his address to the delegates, His Eminence outlined the challenges the Prelacy had faced in this unprecedented year and how it had responded to them.

 

"At first, when the lockdown was imposed, many people were frightened and others were uncertain," Archbishop Anoushavan said. "Yet we managed to learn a new way to thrive."

 

He acknowledged the toll the Covid-19 pandemic had taken and that the difficulties are not over yet.

 

"There is no doubt that we have paid a high price in the loss of precious lives and the downturn of the economy," he said, adding that "there is a long way to go before the journey is finished."

 

Still, "the fact that we were challenged but not defeated is the solid reality that the loss was not in vain but laid the foundation of a new era."

 

The Prelate then summed up his thoughts in three major concepts:

 Divine Guidance: Thank God that even though we were deprived of the opportunity to celebrate together Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter, and all the following feasts together, God continues to lead us by hope in the resurrection "to discover a new dimension of the power of faith over fear and in the face of uncertainty."

 

Collaboration: "It is often the case that disasters, rather than prosperity, will bring people closer to one another," His Eminence said. "The pandemic was not an exception to this phenomenon... collaboration stands as one of the major keys for our common success," he said, highlighting the heroic sacrifices of the medical community, officials, and the public during the pandemic.

 

Innovation: This concept, which has a become a byword for our experience in the era of the pandemic, "Necessity is the mother of invention" has become the byword in our experience in the era of the pandemic. "innovation has become the driving force for plans and activities throughout the Prelacy."

 

To finalize, His Eminence invoked "the magnificent Badarak chant, 'Heavenly King, keep unshaken our Church and keep in peace the worshipers of your holy name.' God works in mysterious ways through each of us and for each of us. May God bless and protect from visible and invisible viruses, enemies, and powers. May He keep the world, Christendom, the Armenian Apostolic Church, unshaken, and the worshipers of His Holy Name in peace."

 

After the voting for Executive and Religious Councils was finished and the minutes were ratified, following one minor correction, Chairwoman Topouzian invited the Prelate to offer his closing remarks. After thanking the delegates for their participation in a historic session of the Assembly, Archbishop Anoushavan again urged everybody to have "faith over fear," with the certainty that we will emerge stronger from the pandemic.

Dear Parents of St. Sarkis Suzzane and Hovsep Hagopian Saturday School,

 

I hope you and your family are safe and healthy as you read this letter. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we have been adjusting, like yourselves, to the drastic changes in life during the last few months.

 

As you know, schools across the nation, including ours, closed to stop the spread of 2019/2020 coronavirus.

 

According to the result of the recent survey that you had responded to, the school executive board has decided to reopen the school until the end of this year 2020 and to have online sessions (via Zoom). These online sessions will be for students in grades 1st and higher.

Unfortunately, we won't be able to resume the Nursery, Pre K and Kindergarten classes at this time, because the feedback has been that the younger students may not be able to concentrate in front of the computer screen for the duration of the class.

We are planning for the online session not to exceed more than 45 minutes. Currently we are finalizing the structure of each Saturday morning session.

 

God willing, we would like to continue the onsite Saturday school classes, with enhanced safety precautions in place, starting January 2021.

 

The school will reopen with online classes only on Saturday, September 26, 2020. Before this date, we will provide an update to all registered families, how and what time students classes will be resuming.

We will email you the lesson plan in advance of the school start date, by the assigned teacher of your kids.

The Lesson plans will be planned according to where we had left off last spring of 2020. The moving up of the grade levels will take place in January 2021, with the exception of last spring's Kindergarten class, they will be moving up to 1st grade starting this coming September.

 

There will be no tuition fees or charges involved until the end of the year 2020.

Please see the attached registration form and fill it out as soon as possible.

 

I'm extremely appreciative of our students, parents, teachers and administrators for their positivity, patience and flexibility during these trying times.

 

Respectfully,

The Principal of Saturday School,

 

Nairy Zohrabian

 

Fr. Nareg asked the members of the Salt & Light group members to be the voice of the suffering and provide help for the Armenian brothers and sisters in Lebanon.

We are grateful that the following donations were made to the Salt & Light Fundraising Drive.   

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. 

I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 

 

Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine.

ԿՈՐՆԹԱՑԻՆԵՐՈՒՆ (10.18 - 11.10)  

 

 

This Sunday, September 20, 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 27, when the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak will be commemorated.

Next Tuesday, September 22, 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 the age of 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.

Monday, September 21, Sts. Mamas, Philictimon and St. Simeon Stylites the Elder

- Mr. HOVANES ARDZIVIAN, passed on Sunday, September 13, 2020. Funeral services were held on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, at St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. May he rest in peace.

- Mr. & Mrs. Vahe and Setta Bijimenian and children Armen and Mimi request requiem service for the souls of their beloved brother in-law and uncle  GARABED BARIKIAN, beloved sister in-law and aunt NORA BIJIMENIAN, beloved parents and grandparents AVEDIS and MARIE BIJIMENIAN, ANTRANIG and HOUDA SARKISSIAN, beloved grandparents and great grandparents HAYRABED and HRIPSIME SARKISSIAN and beloved uncle and aunt BOGHOS and NEVART SARKISSIAN.