November 2010 - Saints Vartanantz Armenian Church

N 1& 2
July 24 - Seventh Annual
ARARAT CENTER FESTIVAL.
Greenville, NY. Celebrating the
burning of the mortgage. Free admi–
ssion, Rain or shine. 12 noon to 5:00
p.m.
July 27 –Women’s Guild Centennial
Committee Meeting. 6:30 p.m.
August 8 – Annual Picnic.
August 12 – Parish Council Meeting.
September 11 – Cabaret Night with
the Sandy Bedrosian Jazz Ensemble.
Calendar of Events
Non-Profit Org.
U. S. Postage
PAID Permit
No.123
JAN–
JAN–JUN 2010
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ʲâ²îàôð øÐÝÚ øºê²´Èº²Ü, ÐáíÇõ
ICON
Quarterly Newsletter
Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church
180 Old Westford Rd. Chelmsford MA 01824
Rev. Fr. Khachatur Kesablyan, Pastor
September 18 – Sleeping Beauty Tea
Party featuring mini-ballet performance
by Center Stage Dancers 10-12am,
children of all ages. For more information
contact Houryat [email protected]
September 25 – Armenian-American
Veterans of Lowell - Sam Manoian Post
#1 Annual Scholarship Dinner Dance.
Jason Naroian Ensemble. Cocktails - 6
p.m. Dinner – 7 p.m
September 30 – Second Annual Sts.
Vartanantz Golf Outing. Get
20 free raffle tickets with early bird
registration by August 31. Butter
Brook Golf Club, Westford. 8 a.m.
registration and 9:00 a.m. shotgun
start. For registration and sponsor
information, please contact
[email protected]
October 17 - 100th Anniversary of
the Women’s Guild. His Eminence
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian to
preside. Please save this date.
November 12 – Annual Wine
Tasting Party.
December 3-4 – Annual Bazaar
Return Service Requested
Sts . Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church
180 Old Westford Rd. Chelmsford MA 01824
ՍՐԲԱՊԱՏԿԷ Ր
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FROM OUR PASTOR
Weddings
THE SERMON OFFERED BY FR. KHACHATUR KESABLYAN
•
I am the resurrection, and the life: he who believes in me,
though he die, yet shall he live:
And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.
John 11:25-26
These simple, but most profound words from the gospel of John speak to the heart of
having faith in Jesus’ Glorious Resurrection.
Dear faithful, The Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ or the
Easter Feast is one of the five major or Daghavar feasts of the Armenian Church.
After 40 days of prayer, meditation and fasting during the period of Great Lent, we
gather here to celebrate and share with one another the great news of our Lord’s
Resurrection. Christ is risen from the dead. Blessed is the Resurrection of our Lord.
Today, let us one more time reflect upon the mystery of this great feast day.
The Mystery of Easter is the mystery of Jesus Christ, His sacrificial Holy Blood
shed for mankind and His Rising from the dead for mankind. The prophets in the
Old Testament foretold that “The Son of God would become man, be subjected to
tortures, be crucified, be buried and on the third day rise from death,” – all
accomplished for us to learn about God and his infinite love and compassion for all
mankind. The Gospels tell us that after the crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus
Christ, His body was taken off the cross and placed into the tomb, and the entrance
to the tomb was closed by a large stone, and the soldiers were ordered to control the
entrance to the tomb. After three days, the three women who had followed Jesus
from Galilee - Mary Magdalene, Mary, the Mother of James and Joseph, and the
wife of Zebedee - brought spices and perfumes to anoint the body of Jesus
according to Jewish tradition. They found the stone had been rolled away from the
entrance to the tomb, so they went in but they did not find the body of the Lord.
They stood there puzzled about this, when suddenly two angels dressed in white
appeared and said to them, “Why are you looking among the dead for one who is
alive? He is not here, he has been raised” (Lk 24:5-6). The women returned from the
tomb and told all these things to the eleven disciples and the rest. And while the
disciples were gathered in the room confused, feared and doubtful, Jesus revealed
Himself to them and said “peace be with you.” This was the evangelical tiding of the
fact of Easter or the Holy Resurrection.
Christ rose from the dead, and by means of His Death, He destroyed death and
granted us an eternal life. “I am the Resurrection and I am the Life. Whoever
believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me
will never die” (Jn 11:25).
Christ died for the salvation of mankind, and by His Holy Blood took away the sins
in the world, so that we should inherit eternal life. Therefore, the feast of the
Resurrection is the feast of hope, hope of salvation, hope for new life, and finally,
hope for the eternal life.
Lorem & Ipsum
Avanes and Kristen Bagdasarov
June 12, 2010
Bestman: Arthur Bagdasarov
Parents: Arthur and Emma Bagdasarov
Baptisms
•
Michael Robert England
May 8, 2010
Parents: Brandon and Kristine England
Godfather: Ryan Burgess
Godmother: Deanne England
•
Antonio Michael Marotta
May 16, 2010
Parents: Michael and Aznif Marotta
Godfather: Philip Marotta
Godmother: Pauline Anajarian
•
Emma Bagdasarov
June 11, 2010
Parents: Raphael and Siranush Avakov
Godfather:Keith Kremer
Godmother: Michelle Kremer
•
Arthur Bagdasarov
June 11, 2010
Parents: Avanes and Rebecca Bagdasarov
Godfather: Keith Kremer
Godmother: Michelle Kremer
•
Connor Thomas Cahalane
June 27, 2010
Parents: Kevin and Samantha Cahalane
Godfather: Terry Lynch
Godmother: Rebecca Rafferty
Funerals
•
•
•
•
•
Zareh Chutchian
Charles Boyajian
Benjamin Hampson
Harold Maloomian
Minas Arguoyan
January 20, 2010
April 12, 2010
April 21, 2010
May 11, 2010
June 8, 2010
[Insert Date \ Issue]
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Pastor and President
Rev. Fr. Khachatur Kesablyan
PARISH COUNCIL
Chairman
Bruce Kayajanian
Vice Chairperson
Carol Hildebrand
Secretary
Dr. Dana Kludjian
Wonen’s Guild Chairwoman
Alis Peretzian
ACYOA Chairperson
Katie Berberian
Sunday School Superintendent
Denise Oldham
Armenian School Principal
Houry Yapoujian Schmeizl
Treasurer
Jennifer Hildebrand
Assist. Treasurer
Peter Bogosian
Corresponding Secretary
Kevin Bohigian
Advisors
Alis Peretzian
Dr. Maria Azizian
Kevork Tevekelian
Delegates
Dn. Ara Jeknavorian
Richard Juknavorian Jr.
Lorem & Ipsum
Men’s Club
Daniel Barooshian
Memorials Committee
Dn. James Magarian
Submit your articles or
announcements to Fr.
Khachatur Kesablyan at
[email protected]
Parish Council gratefully
accepts contributions to help
defray the expenses of
publishing and mailing Icon.
The Resurrection of our Lord was the miracle of miracles performed by Jesus
in His earthly life. Therefore, His Resurrection has become the basic and
golden source for our faith, the cornerstone of Christianity and the foundation
of the church.
Dear faithful,
Though the Resurrection of our Lord happened 2000 years ago, it like no other
event in the history of mankind that has changed the world, and will continue
to embody the mystery of life and death life and death, forever and ever. The
resurrection of Christ transformed not only the apostles who witnessed Our
Lord’s physical presence, but also transformed humanity through the past 20
centuries and up to the present, even right here in our sanctuary. The hope
inspired by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, has given all of mankind,
especially those filled with faith, hope for eternal life.
The Jesus’ Resurrection is not just a historic event that happened 2000 years
ago and had its witnesses, but an event we shall never truly comprehend. The
Resurrection is a great mystery, a mystery, which enables a great inner power
to strengthen our faith, fills us with hope and dwells in the very depth of our
hearts.
The Resurrection also has the meaning of renewing our lives and making our
lives more Christ-like, in other words to be more loving, carrying and
compassionate.
If you want to truly feel the resurrection, if you want to have joy that cannot
be taken away from you, then you must receive Christ. And what is this
receiving? The Lord gives us commandments, perfect and wonderful
commandments; His yoke is easy and His burden is light, and He desires us to
follow these commandments, and by granting us a total free will, makes us
capable of following these commandments; and if we struggle to follow them,
it is a certainty that the Lord will walk with us, and help us in everyway as we
often struggle on our journey through life in this world.
Indeed, receiving Christ is the only true happiness this world can ever know –
a happiness that is achieved when we accept His love for us, a happiness that
this world doesn't know, but resides in the Hope of the Resurrection. This is
what we celebrate on Easter, that we can become complete, we can become
whole, we can become transformed and perfected, and we can have absolute
happiness, for eternity, knowing God.
I pray that the light of Jesus’ Resurrection will always enlighten your lives
now and always, Amen.
[Insert Date \ Issue]
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FEAST DAYS
Parish Council Report
The first 6 months of 2010 have proven to be a challenge from a
financial standpoint. Fortunately, with having very dedicated and generous
parishioners we’ve been able to maintain our budget. Our Women’s Guild
has once again helped us financially.
Mark your calendars for the weekend of October 17th, as it will be a
very special celebration of their 100th Anniversary. It’s our opportunity to
thank our Grandmothers, Mothers, wives and all the women of our parish for
their years of dedication and hard work. It’s been said on many occasions
that the Women’s Guild is the backbone of our church and they’ve proven it
year after year. So please join us in honoring the women of our parish in
showing them our love and support.
Also this fall we have a number of events planned. There will be a
Jazz Night on September 11th, Princess Party on September 18th and our 2nd
Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament on September 30th along with our 2nd
Annual Wine Tasting on November 12th. Then of course we have our
Annual Bazaar on the weekend of December 3rd and 4th. We’re eagerly
looking forward to these great events which we hope will keep things
hopping at Sts.Vartanantz!
Respectfully,
Bruce Kayajanian
Chairman
JANUARY
5th Eve of Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, Candlelight (Lucernarium) Divine Liturgy
6th Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
13th Feast of Naming of Our Lord Jesus Christ
30th Feast of St. Sarkis the Captain, his son Martyros
FEBRUARY
9th Feast of St. Ghevond the Priest and His Companions
11th Feast of St. Vartan the Captain and Companions
Tiarn’ndaraj
14th Eve of Great Lent or Great Barekendan
21st Sunday of Expulsion
28th Sunday of the Lost (Prodigal) Sun
MARCH
7th Sunday of Steward
14th Sunday of the Judge
20th Commemoration of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s torments and
commitment to the pit
21st Sunday of Advent
28th Palm Sunday
Holy week
APRIL
4th Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ
7th Annunciation to the Virgin Mary
MAY
13th Feast of Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ
23rd Feast of Pentecost
JUNE
6th Feast of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin
24th Feast of the Holy Translators St. Sahak and St. Mesrop
FIND MORE ON LINE HTTP:// WWW.STVARTANANTZ.COM
Lorem & Ipsum
[Insert Date \ Issue]
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FRO
PARISH ORGANIZATIONS
Holy Thursday
Women’s Guild
The 2010 is a special year for the
Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Women’s
Guild in that we are celebrating our
100th anniversary in October. The
Women's Guild (WG) is a
fundamental organization of Sts.
Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic
Church, serving the parish in fund
raising activities, as well as
interesting
cultural,
providing
entertainment,
and
Christian
Holy Thursday is dedicated to the Last Supper
of our Lord Jesus Christ and symbolizes the
establishment of the Sacrament of Communion.
In the morning, Divine Liturgy is celebrated in
our churches. Following the Evening Service,
the Service of the Washing of the Feet is
From the Washing of the Feet Service
conducted. Christ, displaying true humility and
humbleness, washed the feet of his disciples
after the last Supper (Jn 13:1-16). Following His example, priests in the Armenian
Church humble themselves and kneel down on the bema, in front of the Church altar,
and wash the feet of 12 children or servants of the church, anointing their feet with
blessed oil. In the evening of the Holy Thursday, a solemn service is held, which is
the introduction to Good Friday. It symbolizes the Crucifixion, Death and Burial of
Our Lord Jesus Christ. Gospel readings during the service recall the prayer of Jesus
in the garden of Gethsemane, His betrayal, arrest, and the denial of Peter.
Holy Friday
Good Friday,is the day of commemoration of Christ’s tortures, Crucifixion, Death and
Burial. The Service of the Crucifixion is conducted, following which, the Service of
His Burial is held. It is during the Burial service that the symbolic Tomb of Christ,
decorated with flowers and candles, is brought to procession around the Church for
the faithful to witness and participate.
Holy Saturday
On Holy Saturday, Christ’s destruction of hell and His liberation of righteous souls
are commemorated. According to Church tradition, the new day begins following the
Evening Service. An evening Divine Liturgy is celebrated, at the end of which the
good tiding of the glorious resurrection of the Savior is proclaimed: “Christ is Risen
from the dead; Blessed be the Resurrection of Christ!” The period of Great Lent is
thus concluded. The feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ or the
Easter Feast starts on the eve and is continued after midnight. On the eve a solemn
Candlelight Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Following the conclusion of the Liturgy, the
assembled faithful welcome each other on the occasion of the Glorious Resurrection
of Christ conveying the great tiding: “Christ is Risen from the dead” and receive the
answer: “Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ” and take lit candles home,
symbolizing the Light that Christ brought into the world.
Lorem & Ipsum
fellowship activities for its
members. The Women’s Guild
has always been a strong
advocate for our Church’s school and ACYOA and gives its financial
support whenever they need it. One example of the WG‘s advocacy and
financial support are their generous donations to CASP, the Children of
Armenia Sponsorship Program. The Women's Guild Central Council
administrates CASP, and the CASP-US Team are volunteers who provide
direct financial and moral support to the orphans and their caregivers.
Funds have supplied the children with food, clean water, clothing, medical
care, education and recreation, as well as paying for utilities and capital
improvements. This program assures the child can enjoy simple pleasures of
life which most of us take for granted. Our Women’s Guild takes care of
two children every year at a cost of about $440.00. Women’s Guild
Activities during this fiscal year: This year the Women’s Guild focused on a
number of outreach projects within the community such as the Reach out
Blanket Project and the Mother’s Day Gift Bag Project. Both projects were
a huge success; our members were very generous in their contributions.
Gifts went to women in shelters in Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill. We
also were active in programs such as the annual January Christmas Dinner
where we pay honor to the “Woman of the Year”. This Year we honored
Louise Ajemian as the “Woman of the Year” for her love, service and
dedication to our church. She served more than 20 years as Sunday School
superintendant and has been a faithful member of the WG for years.
Woman of the year Louise Ajemian with her family
[Insert Date \ Issue]
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Other activities included Poon
Paregentan Kef Dance where all
ages come together for a festive
evening of food and Armenian
music, and Lenten Dinners on
Friday evening during Lent. These
nights began with a prayer service
followed by delicious meals and
ending with interesting and
interactive programs. Read more
about this activity on page 13.
Guest speaker Dr. Maria Azizyan
The women also work very hard
cooking and serving for the annual
picnic in August and of course, everyone enjoys the Christmas Bazaar,
the pastries, and Armenian delicacies are scrumptious. The members
together observed special occasions such as the Saintly Women’s Day
held in Rhode Island on March 13, The Armenian Martyr’s
Day/Genocide – for the raising of the flag held at the Lowell City Hall in
April. Several of our members served as delegates to the Annual
Diocesan Assembly this year held in Chicago, IL. We try to make our
monthly meetings a special event for its members. For example, we
were delighted to have on March 25th Doctor Maria Azizian as a guest
speaker. Doctor Maria also serves as an advisor on the parish council.
Sometimes we have had cooking lessons from our senior members. The
end of year meeting serves as a nice get together as this year the women
made a trip to the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell and then a
luncheon at the Olympia Restaurant. Sts. Vartanantz Women’s Guild is
a group of women who can be counted on during time of need. They
unselfishly give hours of labor to cook, serve and donate. We look
forward to seeing its members and new membership in September when
we kick off a new season, and we are looking forward to our 100th
Anniversary Gala event to be held in October. Information on the 100th
Gala is forthcoming.
Respectfully,
Annette Cameron
Corresponding Secretary
Lorem & Ipsum
Holy week
Holy Monday
The Gospel readings tell us about
the story of the “cursed fig tree.” On
his way back to Jerusalem Jesus was
hungry. He saw a fig tree by the side
of the road and went to it, but found
nothing on it except leaves. So He
said to the tree, “You will never
again bear fruit!” At once the fig
tree dried up. The disciples saw this
From the Washing of the Feet Service
and were astounded. “How did the fig
tree dry up so quickly?” they asked. Jesus answered, “If you believe you will
receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Mt 21:22).
Holy Tuesday
“The Parable of the Ten Virgins” is commemorated (Mt 25:1-13). This parable
from the Gospel, tells the story about the five foolish and the five wise virgins.
The message exhorts us to be vigilant and prepared for the Coming of Our Lord
Jesus Christ. On Holy Tuesday, during the Evening Service, ten young women
approach the Holy Altar of the Church. Five of the girls have burning candles or
oil lamps in their hands, symbolizing the wise maidens, and the other five have
extinguished candles or unlit lamps in their hands, symbolizing the foolish
maidens.
Holy Wednesday
On Holy Wednesday, the anointing of Jesus Christ by a woman in Bethany and
the Betrayal of Christ are commemorated. In the Gospel of St. Matthew, we
learn that while Jesus was dining with his Apostles, a woman came in with an
alabaster jar filled with valuable perfume. She opened the jar and poured the
perfume on Jesus’ head. The disciples witnessing this act become upset, as the
perfume could have been sold and the proceeds could have been given to the
poor. Jesus hearing their displeasure said, “Why do you trouble the woman? For
she has done a good work for me. For you always have the poor with you; but
you do not always have me.” The woman’s actions foreshadowed His
preparation for burial. “For in that she has poured this ointment on my body, she
did it for my burial,” said Christ (Mt 26:6-13). The Gospel reading on Holy
Wednesday exhorts us not to abuse the love and promise of God, and by
remembering His tortures and death for the sake of mankind, to never deviate
from the correct path which is to worship and give glory to Him alone.
[Insert Date \ Issue]
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Membership and Stewardship at Sts. Vartanantz: The Ticket to Play
Armenian School
At Sts.Vartanantz, we have all been blessed to enjoy many of God’s
bountiful gifts which include the opportunity to pray together in our
beautiful sanctuary, to enjoy the warm fellowship with friends and family,
to engage in many educational and social programs for the entire
community, and to receive God’s grace through the celebration of the
Holy Sacraments.
Our desire to safeguard the future of Sts. Vartanantz and ensure that our
children and the coming generations can also experience our priceless
Armenian Christian heritage and cultural traditions can be fulfilled
through the church’s membership and stewardship programs.
The benefits of your membership provide steady, reliable funds for the
operation of our wonderful church complex, and entitles you the privilege
of being a voting member of the Parish, where you can help decide critical
issues presented during our Annual Parish Assembly. Members can also
hold various parish offices such Parish Council, Diocesan Delegate, and
serve on the executive committee of any parish organization.
Stewardship is our gift to the church above and beyond our membership
contribution, and is a heartfelt expression of our gratitude for all the
blessings we have received from God, and to help assure that Sts.
Vartanantz, our spiritual home, will forever remain a steadfast fortress of
our Christian faith.
With the launch of our annual 2010 Membership and Stewardship
campaigns, we appeal to all the faithful to please consider the following:
• If you are already a dues paying member, please continue your
membership donation of $150.
• If you had previously been a dues paying member of Saints
Vartanantz or are considering starting your membership for the
first time, please reflect upon the critically important role of the
church in your family’s life as well for the Armenian-American
Community.
• As responsible stewards of our priceless Armenian
Christian Heritage, we are asked to embrace the spirit of
giving and keep the warm spirit of Sts. Vartanantz in our
hearts.
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all those who have already made
their 2010 membership and stewardship donations.
This year we celebrated our 2nd
year as the Sts. Vartanatz Armenian
School. We had two main teachers
this year, Yeretzgeen Anna
Kesablyan and myself, with the
wonderful help of Arpine Arakelian
and Irina Gevorgyan. Yeretzgeen.
Anna has done an exceptional job
with the older elementary aged
children,
especially considering
AS students performing at year end hantes
that most do not speak Armenian at
home. The younger children’s class
(ages 3.5-1st grade) was taught by Houry Yapoujian Schmeizl and by
year-end had 17 students attending regularly. We had 21 students
registered for the school year. We are actively looking to add at least one
more teacher to the roster in the Fall of 2010. If interested, please email
Houry at [email protected]. We held two hantes’ this year, one in
January to celebrate Armenian Christmas, and one in May to mark the
end of the school year. In January we sang songs and recited poetry in
Armenian, which reflects our heritage and importance of the celebration
of Christmas and New Years Eve. At the year-end recital the children
recited poetry by Silva Gaboodigyan and Barouyr Sevag, and sang songs
about our language, culture and people. We tied in historical figures and
events that had been studied throughout the year such as Mesrob
Mashdots and Vartan Mamigonian. The children were all given test
material at the end of the year for assessment, and were given report
cards and award certificates in front of the congregation. It was a very
happy occasion for all and the children performed beautifully. Our
curriculum came straight from the Diocese-Gilda Kupelian has made
many efforts to appeal to families with different needs, with a graded
curriculum and many ideas to share which we implemented all year long.
The parents have been very happy with the children and attendance is
regular, about 90% of our students come regularly and attendance is up
from last year.
Deacon Ara Jeknavorian
Chair, Stewardship Committee
Lorem & Ipsum
Respectfully,
Houry Yapoujian Schmeizl, Armenian School Principal
Dr. Doris Jafferian
Chair, Membership Committee
[Insert Date \ Issue]
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ACYOA
Palm Sunday Speech!
Katie Berberian- chair person
Good afternoon everyone. Thank
you for joining us today on this
special Palm Sunday! This year
has been an awesome adventure
for our Sts. Vartanantz ACYOA;
we have experienced many
Fr. Khachatur, Sonya Kalajian, Youth advisor
different things, learned many
with ACYOA members
valuable lessons and shared many
laughs together! We would like
to share with you, some of the wonderful memories and events that have
taken place.
Taleen and Spencer Every year the ACYOA members from the
east coast gather together in May and October for Hye Mertsoom. For the
first time in many years our youth group formed a volleyball team and
competed at the Sports weekend in October, at St. Leon’s church in
Paramus, New Jersey. We would like to thank our coaches Steve Sarkisian
and Sue Kludjian for their time and dedication to our group. Even though
we did not win in the event, it was an excellent experience for us all. The
first night we had what they called “Ice breakers” so we could all get to
know each other. We then left to spend the night with our host families
who were simply wonderful. The weekend was filled with watching
competitions such as co-ed volleyball, basketball, tavloo, ping pong, and
connect four. The nights were busy with dances, laughter, and establishing
new friendships and strengthening our old ones. The weekend ended with
Sunday Badarak and the championship ceremonies. This weekend brought
our ACYOA members closer together, not only as a group but as a team. It
truly was a great experience of bonding and sharing our Christian Armenian
faith. It was sad to say our good byes, but everyone had such a wonderful
experience as we all looked forward to our next sports weekend together.
40th Lenten Fellow Program Dedicated to Diocesan
Theme: “Vocations: A Call to Serve”
For the 40th consecutive year, the Lenten Season at Sts. Vartanantz was
observed by six weekly fellowship programs consisting of a worship
service (either the Peace or Rest Hour), a dinner, and a reflection focused
on enriching the faith of our parishioners. In keeping with this year’s
Diocesan theme, “Vocations: The Call to Serve,” our 2010 Lenten Program
explored the unique order of the priesthood. Our major goal was to learn
how to help identify and encourage those members of our community who
feel a calling from God to further nurture their desire to serve God and the
Armenian Church. Each Friday evening, a member of the Armenian clergy
shared their personal journey to a “Vocation to Serve” in order for the
faithful to better understand the various positive influences that helped each
clergy hear and answer their calling. The following priests opened their
hearts to the faithful to share their journeys: our pastor, Rev. Fr. Khachatur
Kesablyan, Rev. Fr. Krikor Sabounjian (Holy Translators – Framingham),
Very Rev. Fr. Simeon Odabashian (Sts. Sahag and Mesrob – Providence),
Very Rev. Ghevont Samoorian (former pastor and current visiting pastor at
St. Mark – Springfield)), and Rev. Father Arakel Aljaian – St. James,
Watertown. While each journey was truly unique as one would expect,
there were several common key family relationships, which served as an
immense inspiration for each member of the clergy. A devout
grandparent/parent served as an initial example of devout faith, which was
responsible for creating that first link between the young child, church, and
God. Then, the model of the parish priest became the catalyst that helped
the “calling” be heard over and over again until one could no longer resist,
thus submitting oneself to God, and thus a life of service.
The communal meal that preceded each program helped foster a family
spirit within the parish. Our appreciation is extended to the Women’s Guild
who so graciously managed the six Lenten dinners.
Respectfully,
Dn. Ara Jeknavorian
Tyler A few weeks ago my sister and I attended the ACYOA
juniors New England retreat in Contoocook, NH. This was a wonderful
experience where we reunited with our old friends and made many new
friends. We also learned more about our faith and our historic Armenian
culture. The theme of this year’s retreat was vocation; God’s calling to
the faithful to become priests.
Lorem & Ipsum
[Insert Date \ Issue]
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Students have been very receptive to
the new materials and various ways
of delivering the critical areas of
learning – i.e. Sacraments, 10
Commandments, and parts of the
Badarak etc. Students participated in
the Sacramental life of our church by
participating in the Washing of the
Feet Service and mother and
daughter scripture reading preceding
the Easter Eve Badarak.
Students also participated in some fun and social activities. Many of our
students attended the Second Annual Family night with a Halloween
theme. Many students dressed in costume, played games and did some
crafts. Sunday School also performed along with our Armenian School at
the Women’s Guild Woman of the Year Banquet at Christmas time.
Students read passages from the bible relating to Joseph and Mary’s
travels to Bethlehem. At Easter, we had a very large egg hunt for
students. We were blessed with good weather, so students were able to
hunt for their eggs outside. Many families attended and had great fun. In
April, students attended the flag raising ceremony and a march ending at
the Lowell City Hall in remembrance of Genocide Victims. Many
students attended and showed their pride and support.
This past year, we were trying to focus on making a connection for the
students between what they learn in Sunday School to what they
experience in life. Our students participated in the Lowell Community
Table at the YMCA, feeding the homeless and needy. We also collected
nonperishable food for the House of Hope. Also, our students continue to
sponsor a student in Armenia through CASP.
One of the largest challenges for the Sunday School is finding
parishioners willing to teach our children. We are looking for Sunday
School teachers and substitute teachers for our up-coming school year. If
you
are
interested,
please
contact
Denise
Oldham
at
[email protected]. We are looking forward to the start of our
new school year.
We discussed the role of the priest in the Armenian Church and the
community as well as how the youth can fulfill Gods calling. Aside from
learning about the church, we also learned about leadership and
teamwork. We participated in many activities that helped us strengthen
our leadership skills and worked more efficiently in a group as a team.
We also spent time enjoying the outdoors whether it be roasting
marshmallows at campfires or walking through the woods mesmerized by
the beauties of the waterfalls and lakes. This was a wonderful experience
for my sister and I, where we furthered our Christian faith, learned more
about our Armenian heritage, and made many more lifelong friends.
Sam Balian During these past few months, our ACYOA has gone with
the ACYOA of Framingham’s Holy Translators Armenian Church to two
different places, to spend time with our friends and talk about our
ACYOA’s. During our first trip this fall, we went bowling and played
laser tag and arcade games. Once we realized that our two groups got
along so well together, we planned a second outing in January to go snow
tubing at Nashoba Valley in Westford. Just like our first get- together,
this proved to be an enjoyable experience. In the spring, we look forward
to getting together again with the Framingham ACYOA, where we are
planning on participating in the “Walk for Hunger”, and assist with the
Habitat for Humanities,” both events being worthy charities.
Geena Kludjian I am a new member to the ACYOA Juniors. At the past
bazaars, I would be present to sit with my friends and hang out. Now as a
member of the ACYOA, I had the chance to be more involved with the
bazaar. We had an ACYOA table again this year, and all of our members
helped with organizing, creating, and setting up the tables to make it fun
for our parish and their families.
We had chocolates, candy, snacks, coloring books, etc. We got a lot of
encouragement from the people that stopped at our table. The most fun
was doing the activities with the children and the pictures with Santa.
Also during the bazaar we ran our first giving tree, donations made to the
Lowell Department of Social Services for less fortunate children, and it
was very successful! We also made a blanket for the homeless, which
were donated to a young homeless mother. As a member to the ACYOA,
it makes me feel so good that I can be part of something special like
charity and helping my Church out! I look forward to our upcoming
charity events and working at next year’s bazaar!
Respectfully Submitted by,
Denise Oldham
Superintendent
Lorem & Ipsum
[Insert Date \ Issue]
11
10
Katie Berberian Our ACYOA is such a special group of people; this year
we were successful with many charitable outreach events, from the
donations to the Boston Children’s Hospital to giving special joy to a needy
child on Christmas. Another memorable event that was very special this
year is when Jennifer Morris, youth coordinator from the Armenian
diocese, came to speak to our group one Sunday afternoon after Church.
We enjoyed lunch with her as she led us on many team building exercises.
We talked about the importance of our ACYOA group, how we feel about
our ACYOA, and the improvements we can make to help us reach the main
circles of ACYOA; Worship, Witness, Education, Service, and Fellowship.
She led us in the conversation, regarding today’s teenagers and the day to
day challenges that we face. She reminded us of the importance of our
church, the Bible, our family, and our Christian friends, and what an
important role these have in our lives. We thoroughly enjoyed her visit! I
know this year has been extremely successful, and will continue to be so. I
am so proud of our group for everything that we have accomplished this
year! Thank you so much for coming, and we would like to thank our
members and their families for hosting such a lovely dinner today,
especially the Sarkisian and Dean Family’s for guiding us in the kitchen!
Also, a very big Thank You to Der Hayr, our advisors, and our parish
members for all their support and guidance to our ACYOA. Have a Happy
Easter and thank you.
Congratulation to our Graduates:
Tyler Arek Kalajian has graduated top 10% of his class from Westford
Academy, and will be attending Boston University for pre-med program,
majoring in biology. At Westford Academy, Tyler was the Vice-president
of Student Council, and a member of student government and the Varsity
Cross Country Ski Team.
Dennis Paroyan has graduated with high honors from Chelmsford High
School, and will be attending Merrimack College to study Business
Aministration. At Chelmsford High School, Dennis was a Vice-president of
Student Government, Freshman Mentor, member of the Spanish Honors
Society and National Honors Sociatey, and Chelmsford Youth Basketball
League, Referee.
Sunday School
It is with great pleasure and pride that
we write this news letter to update you
on our very successful Sunday School
year.
We are pleased to inform
everyone that we increased enrollment
to 47 students! We welcomed many
new families and they have been
wonderful additions to our programs
and our parish.
To keep parents
informed and in the loop, we have
conducted two parent focus groups which yielded a good exchange of
ideas and allowed us to gauge parental satisfaction with the Sunday School
experience. Feedback was positive. This year, we initiated a new program
to our Sunday School by conducting weekly worship service. Children
learned parts of the Badarak, Sharagans, The Lord’s Prayer in Armenian,
and learned to make the sign of the cross. Students were able to show our
parish their successful mastery at our year-end Hantes that took place on
May 16, 2010. Given that our Women’s Guild graciously donated funds
for our Sunday School curriculum, we
dedicated our end-of the year banquet
to the Women’s Guild. Without them
we would not have been able to obtain
new curriculum and the basic supplies
needed to help enhance our students
learning. We are very thankful to the
Women’s Guild for their support.
We continue to have our students
attend church on the first Sunday of
every month. This year, Der Hayr
Carrera Dean and Alina Fandunyan
encouraged our older students to
serving food
provide him with suggestions on
sermon topics which he has graciously
incorporated, thus connecting our students to the church on a more
personal level. In collaboration with the Diocese we have updated our
curriculum, focusing on all grades, but in particular the upper grades.
Both Tyler and Dennis are Sunday School Graduate, ordained altar servers,
and past Chairmen of our AYOAY.
Lorem & Ipsum
[Insert Date \ Issue]