The Feast of the Holy Nativity & Theophany of Jesus Christ, commemorating our Lord's birth and baptism was celebrated with great joy on Friday evening, January 5, and Saturday morning, January 6, 2024. On Friday evening the faithful gathered to hear the eleven Old Testament scripture readings that prefigurate the revelation of the Messiah, and which make up the ancient service of Jrakalooyts, or "Lighting of Lanterns." Our Sunday/Armenian School students participated by reading each of the readings. The participants were as follows: Gabriel Bulbulian, Cameron Afarian, Armen Kourkounian, Hovig Baljian, Austin Afarian, Lucy Kevorkian, Scarlett Chobanian, Ani Chobanian, Thalia Sharabaika and Michael Bulbulian. Immediately following the service, the curtain of the main altar was opened and the Vigil Divine Liturgy began. Jack Balekian read the New Testament Epistle reading from the Letter to Titus, while Nishan Baljian read the same text in Armenian. Raffi Bulbulian read the prayer of General Confession prior to Holy Communion. Following the Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion, the participants, led by Der Hayr, processed downstairs to Jaffarian Hall. After the reading of the Nativity Gospel telling about the Angels' heralding of the birth of Christ to the shepherds, Der Hayr blessed bread, salt and water in the traditional house blessing service of our spiritual home, Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church and Jaffarian Hall. On this occasion traditional Gata were prepared by Sossy Jeknavorian. Following the blessing, Der Stephan greeted all present with the good news that "Christ is born and revealed," to which all responded "Blessed is the revelation of Christ." A joyous fellowship hour took place immediately after, in which all partook of the goodness of the table blessings while greeting and congratulating each other with the good news of the birth and revelation of our Lord. The following day, Saint Gregory Church was filled with parishioners who had come to celebrate Christmas day with their brothers and sisters in Christ. With over seventy in attendance, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by the church's pastor, Fr. Stephan Baljian. Deacons John Saryan and Shant Eghian, as well as Subdeacon Zareh Bulbulian, served at the Holy Altar, assisted by students from our Sunday School. Ms. Knarik Nerkararyan directed the choir from the organ. Master Gabriel Bulbulian served as Godfather (Gunkahayr) of the Holy Cross. In his sermon, Der Hayr reflected on the wise men who came from the East at the time of Jesus's birth, following a star and searching for the Savior of the world. He said, "The wise men from the Gospel...sought after the one who has been revealed as God and king and lord. Wise men sought him way back then… wise men still seek him today." To which he added, "We don’t need to be magi or kings or part of the intelligentsia to be considered wise men… we only need to seek after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the light that shines today from his heavenly face." Following the Divine Liturgy, a procession was formed and Dn. John Saryan solemn carried the dove-shaped vessel containing the Holy Chrism (Muron) from the baptismal font up to the holy altar. Der Hayr announced that as a surprise, one of Saint Gregory Church's newest members, Dr. Carl Manikian, would be receiving the sacrament of Holy Christmastion (Gnoonk) and would thereby be welcomed officially as a member of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Saint Gregory Church family. Following the day's services, a community fellowship luncheon was hosted by the Board of Trustees. All were joyful amid a festive and fraternal atmosphere. The observance of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of our Lord, in accordance with the liturgical calendar of the Armenian Apostolic Church, lasts for eight days, culminating on January 13 with the Feast of the Circumcision or Naming of our Jesus Christ.
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by Deacon John Saryan The fall food drive to help our neighbors at the Lazarus House Ministries ended on Sunday December 17th. Here is a shout out to everyone who supported us by bringing in nonperishable food items such as canned tuna and chicken, canned vegetables and fruit, rice, dry and canned pasta and beans, and snack foods. Altogether we were able to collect 11 boxes of food along with personal care items and diapers. In addition, we were able to collect $300 and will forward a monetary donation to the Lazarus House.
Thanks to Sunday School student Austin Afarian for sorting and arranging the items on the table and thanks also to Greg Afarian who helped with loading and unloading the food. The staff at Lazarus House ministries was extremely grateful for the donation. They do great work in their community. You can learn more about their mission and work at www.lazarushouse.org. Photos by Greg Afarian & Nishan Baljian On Saturday, December 2, we held our annual Bazaar, which was christened "Winter Fest" for the first time this year. While the annual bazaar has traditionally been under the aegis of our devoted Ladies' Guild, it was the first year that a churchwide planning committee worked together in order to mount this successful event. Lasting almost the entire day, many of our parishioners and friends volunteered their time, money and hard work to make sure it was a great success. We are truly grateful to all those who helped plan and execute this year's Winter Fest Bazaar, as well as those who patronized the event.
Article & Photos by Sonya Vartabedian Sico Our church community came together Friday night, November 17, to celebrate the warmth and bounty of the season a week early at our Ladies' Guild's annual Thanksgiving Dinner Family Night. A crowd of more than 100 dined on a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings, capped off with scrumptious pies and other decadent desserts. The night also featured an assortment of drawings and the opening of the Festival of Trees raffle for a variety of festively decorated Christmas trees filled with an assortment of gifts. The Festival of Trees raffle will continue throughout the holiday season, with all raffle sales supporting Saint Gregory Church. Two highlights of the evening were the complete rite of the blessing of the table in the Armenian Apostolic tradition and a heartfelt speech made by 5th Grade Sunday School student Austin Afarian, highlighting the things for which he is thankful, including God, his family and his church.
Photos by Mardo Kevorkian & Gregory Afarian NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - On Sunday, October 1, on the Feast of the Holy Cross of Mt. Varak, His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church in North Andover, Massachusetts. During the Liturgy, His Eminence ordained Mr. Zareh Bulbulian as sub-deacon and also conducted a special prayer for Artsakh, responding to the call of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia for a worldwide “Day of Support” for Artsakh on that day. He also read the encyclical of the Catholicos granting to the church’s pastor, Fr. Stephan Baljian, the right to wear the floral pilon, in recognition of his fifteen years of service as a priest of the Eastern Prelacy. His Eminence reflected on Der Stephan’s love for the Armenian Church and people from a young age and admonished him to continue in his service to our Lord and beloved Mother Church. In his message of the day, Srpazan Hayr tied the cross of Jesus Christ to service and sacrifice, stating that, especially with the recent happenings in Artsakh tantamount to a twenty-first century genocide, we must remain unwavering in our faith, with the hope that emanates from the Holy Cross and which leads us to renewal and the ultimate victory in Christ’s resurrection. Solemn requiem service was offered for the souls of all who had died in the recent Artsakh tragedy, as well as for the deceased pastors, benefactors, Godfathers, National Representatives and Trustees of Saint Gregory Church. Following the services, His Eminence presided over the parish’s 53rd Anniversary celebratory banquet and program. Joseph Almasian, Chair of the Board of Trustees, offered welcoming remarks and briefly reflected on the parish’s activities over the past year, as well as the future goals of the Board of Trustees, including the enhancement of the parish’s new Stewardship program that was unveiled earlier this year. This year’s honoree was Mr. Paul Demoorjian, a faithful parishioner who has humbly served the Saint Gregory Church and Armenian community in countless ways over the years. Paul received this well-deserved award in the presence of his family members, to a standing ovation by the crowd. For his ten years of service as pastor of Saint Gregory Church, Der Stephan was presented with a plaque and a gift from the community. In his remarks, Der Hayr thanked the Board of Trustees, National Delegates, choir members, altar servers, Sunday School staff, Ladies’ Guild, Men’s Club, Maintenance committee and in general all those who volunteered for or contributed to the church in any way over the past year. He reminded everyone that, while we lament the tragic loss of churches, monasteries and historical buildings in Artsakh, we have a responsibility to preserve the church that has been entrusted to our care, both the community and the property, for the present and future generations. Contributing to the artistic portion of the program were an array of performers from many generations, beginning with Gabriel Bulbulian, who played Giligia on flute, and dancers Narineh Boloian and Milana Lombardi, who performed an Armenian traditional dance. Church choir director and soloist, Knarik Nerkararyan, offered two spiritual odes of Krikor Naregatsi, while husband Mardo Kevorkian sang a song in tribute to Artsakh. Mary Barooshian also played three solo selections of Armenian classical music on the piano. In his closing remarks, Srpazan Hayr congratulated the church community and all sister organizations, encouraging them to continue their support of their beloved church and nation. He expressed his particular satisfaction seeing such musical and artistic talent on all levels and from many generations. “This is the beauty, joy and strength of a community’s life,” he said. The program ended with a benediction and the heartfelt singing of Giligia.
The Armenian National Committee of the Merrimack Valley (ANC-MV), accompanied by ANC-ER representative, Steve Mesrobian, held an in-person consultative meeting with Congressman Seth Moulton, 6th-MA and congressional aide Caroline Jones (via zoom) to discuss the current humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, and the frequent Azeri ceasefire violations being committed against both Artsakh and Armenia. Representative Moulton expressed deep concern upon being updated on the severe hardship experienced by the 120,000 Armenian men, women, and children caused by blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Specific requests to Congressman Moulton included putting pressure through the Armenian Caucus to have Samatha Powers, USAID Administrator, provide critically life-saving supplies to Artsakh, and to co-sponsor House Resolutions H Res.108 condemning Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh and on-going human rights violations, and H.Res.320 recognizing the Republic of Artsakh's independence and the impact of the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor. The ANC-MV expressed its appreciation to Congressman Moulton for the meeting, and looks forward to Moulton’s increased attention to the crisis in Artsakh and protection of human and civil rights of Artsakh Armenians.
Pastor's Message for the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration Today is the feast day of the Holy Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, and since this is the feast where we celebrate Christ’s transfiguration and shining like the light of the sun, I’d like to open my message today with a very meaningful illustration about the nature of light. It comes to us from none other than one of the most celebrated Christian authors and apologists of all times, C.S. Lewis, of “Chronicles of Narnia” fame. Mr. Lewis writes the following: “I was standing today in the dark toolshed. The sun was shining outside and through the crack at the top of the door there came a sunbeam. From where I stood that beam of light, with the specks of dust floating in it, was the most striking thing in the place. Everything else was almost pitch-black. I was seeing the beam, not seeing things by it. Then I moved, so that the beam fell on my eyes. Instantly the whole previous picture vanished. I saw no toolshed, and (above all) no beam. Instead I saw, framed in the irregular cranny at the top of the door, green leaves moving on the branches of a tree outside and beyond that, 90 odd million miles away, the sun. Looking along the beam, and looking at the beam are very different experiences.” I am sure we have all had a similar experience to that which the author describes. We may have been in a dark spot where a little bit of light is shining through… no big deal, it doesn’t change much. But when we (carefully) gaze into the place from which the light is coming, we are given a whole new view, a different perspective on that light itself – its source, its origin, what lies beyond. It is in that moment that that light becomes truly something which we can “see.” The disciples Peter, James and John, I believe, had this very experience when they witnessed the Transfiguration of our Lord. Two scriptural passages come to mind when considering today’s feast day and the example given to us by C.S. Lewis. The first is from Psalm 36, verse 9, which reads, “For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light.” Ի քէն է Տէր աղբիւր կենաց եւ լուսով երեսաց քոց տեսանեմք զլոյս: You may recall that during last year’s sermon on the Feast of Transfiguration, I briefly touched upon this verse and its meaning. I had mentioned that the Armenian version of this Psalm verse actually reads, “By the light of your face, we see the light.” Think back to how this relates with C.S. Lewis’s illustration. The disciples had been around Jesus for a while. He was always shining with the divine grace and love of God the Father. There was always light in his countenance to one degree or another. This resembles that beam of light shining through the crack at the top of the shed door. But recall that it wasn’t until Lewis went and stood directly in line with the beam that he was given a new perspective and was able to gaze into what lay beyond. In the same way, it wasn’t until the disciples got into the right position physically, spiritually – until they were standing there directly under the ray of light – that they got a whole new perspective. Just that change in position and perspective gave them what they needed to be brought into a different reality, something beyond anything they could have comprehended or fathomed. They not only became completely illuminated by the light themselves, but they were able to look beyond this light and stare into the very fountain of life that is God our Lord – the source of all life and love, from which all creation emanated. Now, I want you to understand that this is why Peter stated specifically, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” In this place particularly. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) It wasn’t just that they knew that the light was there, or simply that it might aid them in their vision by adding some extra guidance from time to time. They would have figured that out by this time in their walk with Jesus. The light of Christ may have helped them, but until now it had not transformed nor engrossed them in such an impactful way. It wasn’t until these disciples came exactly to that place, to that vantage point, directly in line with what they were seeing - the true person of the anointed Messiah in all the glory of his divine and human nature, that they could penetrate into the very depths of God the Father’s being and presence. This brings me to the other scriptural passage I had in mind, which is part of today’s epistle reading. In it the Apostle John, whom I should point out as one of the three that witnessed the Transfiguration in person, contemplates this very contrast between the darkness, the small beam of light and the full measure of light and its source that lies beyond it. He writes, “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:5-7) God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. The light may shine in the darkness from that crack above the door, but if we are still in the dark part of the shed, the light is of little to no use. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true. We can claim that we notice the light, appreciate it even, but as long as we remain in the dark part of the shed, we are lying to ourselves, we are still in darkness. But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. By walking in the light our path and our life become illuminated and we understand not only the light we are seeing (Jesus), but also the light of God himself in which Jesus is illuminated, as we see today upon contemplating the mystery of the Holy Transfiguration. God from God, light from light, true God from true God. These affirmations from the Nicene Creed are not simply nebulous terms or platitudes, they are a definitive declaration of the universal truth that we see here shining from the transfigured face of our Lord. That he is God from God, that he is light from light… and that today when we stand directly in his presence, along with the Apostles and the Prophets and all the witness of the Christian faith, we can come face to face with this light and look beyond it to see the everlasting light, shining from the face of our eternal, heavenly Father. Dearly beloved, on this most glorious feast day of the Holy Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that we would all be brought directly into the light and presence of our Lord’s shining, transfigured face. Through him, may we truly find the source of our life, and by the light of his face may we come face to face with the face of the almighty, everlasting God. Last Thursday, the Armenian Friends of America hosted a Field Trip
to the Armenian Museum in Watertown, MA. 10 members from the St. Gregory, Hye Pointe and Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Churches were treated to a guided tour followed by a fabulous luncheon at a nearby restaurant. A few pictures are shown above and below with the first being our AFA Group attendees. The Bible written in Armenian was dated 1207 A.D. and all the antiquities were breathtaking. A wonderful and very special day was enjoyed by all. Please log onto: ArmenianFriendsofAmerica.org for our upcoming October dance information with complete details. John Arzigian, Chairman Armenian Friends of America STUDENTS OF SAINT GREGORY SUNDAY/ ARMENIAN SCHOOL PARTICIPATE On Tuesday, April 4, six students from Saint Gregory Church Sunday/Armenian School participated in the evening service for the Remembrance of the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, which is commemorated every year on "Great Tuesday," falling during Great or Holy Week.
Dressed in robes and veils and holding lit votive candles, these six young girls mystically portrayed the individual members of the Holy Church (that's all of us) who are called to have a deep reserve of faith, hope and love and to be wakeful and ready for the awesome and glorious second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The parable Jesus tells, found at the beginning of Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew, relays that the Church is like a bride waiting for the arrival of her bridegroom, Jesus Christ. In the parable, five of the bridesmaids (the individual believers) were wise and brought extra oil for their lamps in case the bridegroom was late in arriving. The other five were foolish and didn't pack any extra oil to light their lanterns. When the bridegroom was delayed, the lamps of foolish bridesmaids ran out of oil and went to the nearby towns to buy more, the bridegroom arrived with his entourage and brought everyone into the wedding celebration. The foolish bridesmaids were locked out and were deprived of the joy and feasting of the wedding. The lesson of the parable is for each and every Christian believer to be prepared for the second coming of Christ, with the lit lanterns symbolizing true faith in the Holy Trinity fueled by the fervor of doing good in this world for the glory of God's name. We congratulate these young ladies and their families for their participation. Delivered at the Annual General Member-ship Meeting of Saint Gregory Church Your Board of Trustees worked very hard throughout the year to provide guidance and leadership to support the operation of our beloved St. Gregory Church.
The four Pillars which we have focused on in the past remain our priority: Spiritual Growth, Uniting the Community, Church Growth and Financial Stability. Even though we faced lingering headwinds from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in the early part of the year, we were encouraged to see our church attendance increase and our Sunday and Armenian Schools finally open for in person classes in the fall. Nevertheless, there are still some faithful who have chosen not to return yet. We understand that the past two years have been transformative for all of us in one way or another, but rest assured, St. Gregory wants you to know that no matter what has changed, our church will always be here for you to come home to. One area we can be thankful for is the renewal of in person fellowship which helped to UNITE THE COMMUNITY. We were all spiritually and socially reunited through the long awaited, in person fellowship with church events including Coffee Hour, the Annual Picnic, the 52nd Anniversary Dinner, Men’s Club Cigar Night, Fall Fair and Thanksgiving Family Night to name a few. These events helped to bring back our sense of church family and community. This coming year is sure to be another exciting and fulfilling year with many events contemplated and planned, including His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, who will make a pontifical visit to the Eastern United States which will include a visit here at our beloved St. Gregory on November 1. The Church continued its OUTREACH through our parishioner’s charitable giving where food drives were conducted for The Lazarus House in Lawrence, providing help for our neighbors who are less fortunate. St. Gregory continued the sponsorship of 11 orphans in Armenia through the Prelacy Orphan Program. We are proud of all our church bodies, the Sunday School, Ladies Guild and Men’s Club, for their continued dedication to this important outreach program. The church also supported the Prelacy’s Lebanon disaster relief program through financial contributions funded by second plate collections and Sunday School donations. FINANCIAL STABILITY and a balanced budget are always at the forefront of the Board of Trustees concerns. In 2022 we faced rising costs in all phases of our church’s operation and had to make certain decisions to hold very tight to control our spending which ultimately resulted in a slight net positive for the year. However, it should be noted that in 2022 and for the past few years, we had the benefit of several one-time events like the gas explosion reimbursements, PPP loan forgiveness and funeral donations which have provided us with much needed financial relief. We should recognize that this is not a sustainable financial model for which we can plan for in our budget process. The church must work to keep our regular fund-raising events successful while looking for new ways to improve our financial stability. In addition to the need for regular church events, we must also look inward at how our individual families can financially commit to St. Gregory. This is an area which deserves our attention. I call on each of you to take a heartfelt look of how you give to the church. Be thankful for what God has provided to you and your family and look at how you can give back to His house. It’s our collective responsibility to sustain what we have through the giving of both our financial support and our time. On the topic of CHURCH GROWTH, this past year did bless us several new members and families for which we are thankful and who we warmly welcome to our church community! This is not a new story, but it bears repeating; increasing membership remains the key to our success. Therefore we urge each of you to communicate to others the benefits and importance of becoming involved at St. Gregory and tell them what makes our spiritual home so special. In conclusion I would like to thank the many people who have made this year a success: The deacons, choir members and choir director who dedicate every Sunday to making our Badarak so special. Our Men’s Club and Ladies Guild members who work tirelessly at church events to make them as successful as possible. The director and teachers of the Armenian and Sunday schools who bring the Armenian language and Christian education to our children. The maintenance crew for keeping our grounds beautiful and our facility operational and safe. My fellow Board of Trustee members who worked very hard throughout the year to keep our church vibrant and alive. A special thanks to outgoing members Sylvia Mahlebjian and Treasurer Susan Parigian who tirelessly worked to keep our finances stable during these unprecedented times. And of course, many, many thanks to Der Stephan for his spiritual leadership and guidance. May God’s blessings give him and his family much love, happiness, and good health throughout the coming year. I am happy to serve and proud of our church’s 52 year history, but now more than ever, we ALL need to work together to foster new growth so that we can preserve this spiritual house we call God’s home. Sincerely, Joe Almasian, Chairman Board of Trustees Annual General Membership Meeting March 5, 2023 Delivered at the Annual General Member-ship Meeting of Saint Gregory ChurchReverend Deacons, Esteemed Trustees, Distinguished NRA & NALG Delegates, Beloved Members of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church, As always, we begin by praising God Almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for sustaining us through the successes and challenges of the past year. On behalf of our entire church community, I would like to thank our beloved Prelate, Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, for his care and guidance throughout the year. Our Prelate’s fatherly care, as well as the guidance and support of the Religious and Executive Councils of the Prelacy throughout the past three years continue to be much appreciated. One of the highlights of my week continues to be the weekly “Prayer with the People” program that is broadcast through the Prelacy’s Facebook page. In the first part of the year, these sessions were recorded every Monday evening and broadcast twice weekly on Tuesday (Armenian) and Thursday (English). Starting in the Fall, they were reduced to a single language broadcast on Tuesday evenings. Starting this year, the format has changed slightly and is now aimed at praying for the blockaded men and women of the Republic of Artsakh. Srpazan Hayr visited our community last year on the weekend of October 1-2, when he came to help us celebrate our parish’s 52nd anniversary. Both the Prelate’s visit and the anniversary banquet, along with the Bike-a-thon, were truly one of the highlights of the year. During the Divine Liturgy that he celebrated, he ordained Michael Bulbulian, Cameron Afarian and Andrew Movsessian as acolytes. Srpazan Hayr also presented our church with a portion of the newly prepared Holy Chrism (Muron), which had been blessed in Antelias, Lebanon, by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I on July 1. Following the Divine Liturgy and Ordination services, during the reception that followed in Jaffarian Hall in commemoration of the 52nd Anniversary of St. Gregory Church, our beloved long-time member Armena Bizios was honored with an official citation from the Prelacy, in appreciation of her years of dedication and service to Saint Gregory Church. I am thankful to our choir, altar staff, Board of Trustees and active parishioners who serve in any capacity in the church and continue to use their time and talent to bless our community. I would like to publicly thank the Board of Trustees and its executive for all their hard work and devotion throughout this past year, led by our chairman, Joe Almasian. While the previous Board was tasked with handling the aftermath of the pandemic (“Recovery Mode”), the current Board is presented with the difficult task of overseeing a plan of strengthening of our parish (“Growth Mode”) in a post-pandemic setting. Two of our Trustees have come to the end of their three consecutive terms in office: Sylvia Mahlebjian and Susan Parigian. Both have served faithfully and have brought their unique expertise and skills to the table. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the entire parish, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sylvia and Susan for their service on the Board of Trustees for the past six years. May God continue to bless them and their future service to their church and nation. My thanks also goes out to the following: the Ladies’ Guild, the Men’s Club, their Executives and the Cigar Night Committee the Maintenance/ Groundskeeping Crew, Sunday/Armenian School staff, Deacons/Altar Staff, Church Choir (with director Knarik Nerkararyan) and the (currently disbanded) 50th Anniversary Steering Committee. There continued to be some challenges once again awaiting all these bodies and committees this past year, but I am very appreciative to the dedicated men and women who comprise them, for their leadership, resolve and “can do” attitude in the wake of all the setbacks to our religious, financial, communal and social operations we have endured here at Saint Gregory Church. With all this in mind, I give thanks to God for those who went above and beyond to help our church and her pastor with time, talent and treasure. Even though we have mostly completed our process of “returning to normal,” I cannot emphasize enough how much you are STILL wanted, STILL needed and STILL appreciated for your faithfulness and dedication to our church and community. The work of stabilizing and growing our church community are just beginning to resume. At the start of 2022, another flare up of the Covid-19 worldwide pandemic was awaiting us, this time with the milder, but more contagious “Omicron” variant. Fortunately for us, while it did whisk its way through our community members, it died down just as quickly as it started up, leaving us by mid-February cautiously ready to take the step of lifting the masking/social distancing requirements we had reemployed in August 2021 (due to the outbreak of the “Delta” variant). Fortunately, this remains the most recent (and hopefully last) usage of any kind of alterations to our normal operations. While our parishioners (including myself and my family) contracted the virus here and there at different times throughout the year, it seems that the immediate concern of Covid-19 is under control and mostly behind us, meaning that we finally can begin forging ahead with our church and community life in the future. Thankfully, 2022 saw the return of most, if not all of our regular annual events, with the exception of the Armenian Christmas Avak Luncheon (that was right at the peak of the Omicron variant). We welcomed back the unaltered General Membership Meeting, Poon Paregentan, Lenten Dinners, Holy Week, Sunday/Armenian School commencement/hantes, Men’s Club Cigar Night and Annual Picnic. In the Fall, the “full version” yearly anniversary celebration made its triumphant return, as well as the Prelate’s Bike-a-thon, Annual Dinner-Dance of the Armenian-Friends of America and our Fall Bazaar. Weekly Bible Study resumed from September through December. Avak Luncheon for our seniors returned in December, while Family Nights for our entire community returned in November with the much-loved Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by the Ladies’ Guild. In September, we also entered the first academic year of Sunday School that was not only completely in person, but also was not “scaled back” in any way, which included the first Christmas pageant/party on Sunday, December 18, the most recent Christmas celebration having been in 2019. The 2022 National Representative Assembly also returned in person in Philadelphia, May 11-14 of this year. Our National Representatives Greg Minasian, John Kulungian and Greg Afarian all represented us there and participated in the re-election of our Prelate, Archbishop Anoushavan for a second four-year term. Additionally, I travelled away from the community two other times: for the Prelacy’s annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute in Pennsylvania (June 26-July 2) and for the Annual Clergy Conference in Huntington, NY (Oct 3-5). This past year also saw the pastoral ministry of the church further return to normal, as we worked and prayed together to the best of our abilities. Regular liturgical services were offered for the participation of the faithful both on Sundays and on many other special occasions (including Great Lent, Holy Week and the feasts of the Presentation and Holy Ascension of our Lord). Much care and effort continue to go into the preparation of weekly sermons and other messages on special occasions. An extended preaching/teaching session on Poon Paregentan (called “Educational Seminar”) was conducted as in past years and was very well received by the participants. All this is done so that we can reach our people with the important message of the Word of God. In addition to in person services and preaching/teaching, we continued to offer live stream broadcasting of our these and other events over Facebook Live, keeping our parishioners who not attend church engaged in the life of the church and informed about the latest goings on. We also added our weekly Bible study to the list of what is available via live stream. Weekly communications through our E-newsletter “Aghavn-E Weekly” were sent out by email. Our helpful Sunday bulletin was prepared dutifully every week and also sent out prior to each Sunday service via the above mentioned E-Newsletter. In addition, news stories, pastor’s messages and photo galleries were posted to our website’s news blog. At the beginning of the year, a periodical publication, “Aghavn-E Quarterly,” containing all of the weblog content from the previous year was published and distributed electronically. Along with this, we also included an e-book entitled “From the Pastor’s Lectern: A Collection of the Best Sermons From 2021.” Also, acting on a directive from the Prelacy, our entire baptismal registry (1970-present) was digitized and updated. Work is in progress on wedding and funeral entries as well. Last year, there was also significant progress made on an updated version of the church’s telephone directory, complete with a new and updated format. This should be ready and distributed to our parishioners in a very short time. We bid a sad farewell to the following parishioners and friends during 2022: Ara Shrestinian Patti Tateosian Nellie Palanjian Sandy (Asoian) Goldman Queena Karibian Martin Barooshian Martin Garabedian Susan Hovanasian Lydia Tateosian Rose Marie Pellicio Pearl LaRosa Harold Paragamian As for happier occasions, there were two baptisms performed throughout the year. We congratulate the newly baptized and their families. Participation in Holy Week & Easter were affected slightly by the tail end of the Omicron spike, however those who could attend services, did, while many children of our Sunday School participated in the Services of the Ten Bridesmaids and Washing of the Feet. The breakfast and church clean-up day we had on Great Saturday once again brought us together in the spirit of teamwork and community effort. Another maintenance and beautification day took place on August 20, organized by our Board of Trustees, with the participation of much of our community. A special “thank you” to all who participated in these important events. Last year also saw the return of our fully in person Annual Picnic, once again under the leadership of Mr. John Arzigian. The 2022 Annual Picnic proved to be our most successful one yet, which brought together friends of church from near and far for a day of joyful celebration. During the picnic, which took place on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we conducted the Great Procession of the Holy Cross around the church’s premises, with the participation of guest clergy Rev. Fr. Vart Gyozalyan and Very Rev. Fr. Leonard Faris. Speaking about our church’s financial health, I wrote the following statement in last year’s report: “A financially solvent and healthy church that is crafted by the love and generosity of her parishioners is not an unaffordable luxury – it is a necessity, especially if we want our beloved Saint Gregory Church to continue to play a meaningful and central role in our personal and collective lives.” The past few years we have banded together to make it through the financial and moral challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s time we get serious about making sure that we all are continuously supporting our church financially – to the best of our ability, going forward into the coming years and decades. Our church needs to be tended to and taken care of. I have often said, and it is worth repeating here again, “The church has to be the responsibility of all its members. If we want the church to be there for us when we need it – for spiritual guidance, for refuge from the world’s turmoils, for comfort and solace when we lose a loved one, for the joyous occasions of weddings and baptisms – we have an obligation to support her at all times, to make sure she will be there.” On a personal note, I wanted to state how grateful I am to God for all the ways you supported me, Yeretsgin Alice, Nishan, Hovig and Mariam. Your help and generosity never go unnoticed nor unappreciated. Whether it has been sending Christmas gifts and baskets, feeding us at church functions, sending hand-me-down clothes or other types of gifts, or inviting us to share in events that mark big moments in your family life, we continue to be in awe of the grace and love you have shown to us. We are grateful to be considered part of your greater family, as we consider all of you part of ours. In closing, I would like to leave you all with a very special passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. It gives us a beautiful insight as to how we as a church should be governed and in what manner we should serve our Lord as one body. “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12-17) Practice kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Forgive each other, just as the Lord has forgiven you. Clothe yourselves with love. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Let his word dwell in you richly. Teach it to each other in wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts, sing songs to God. Give thanks to God our Father through Jesus. If we can live by these precepts, we can become truly one body, the Body of Christ as we have been called to be through our baptism. Our church is not a club, a weekend activity, not a cultural museum or a heritage preservation society. Our church is us, anchored in deep faith in Jesus Christ and hope in his resurrection, practicing love towards each other and the entire world. Let’s build up our church spiritually and thereby strengthen our spiritual lives, for the glory of the all-Holy Trinity and the honor of our Holy Mother Armenian Apostolic Church. May God bless you all and may he bless Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley. Prayerfully, Fr. Stephan Baljian, Pastor Annual General Membership Meeting March 5, 2023 OLGA SARKISIAN & SAINT GREGORY ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCHby P. Richard Shahtanian, Esq. Olga Sarkisian’s life is an incredible story of dedication, faith, and devotion to her church. She lives at the same family house in which she was born and raised. Her home remains closely surrounded by the homes of her loving family. She started working at the Andover Companies at the age of 18 in their accounting department and remained there for her entire career which spanned 60 years before retiring at the age of 78. Nobody was more committed or worked longer at the company than her. Olga’s commitment to St. Gregory Church is no different. She’s the perfect example of devotion to her church and to the parishioners it serves. She was one of its founding members and worked tirelessly as a member of the Armenian Church Committee Fund of Merrimack Valley which was organized for the sole purpose of going door to door raising funds and finding an appropriate place for an Armenian church in the Merrimack Valley. Olga recalls the following: “We would meet at Arev Kasparian’s house near the North Andover Library up the street. At first, we were just looking to move the Armenian Club from Newbury Street in Lawrence to another location. We then decided our community really needed a church first and foremost so we purchased our church from the Methodists who turned down far more lucrative offers because they wanted to sell to another religious organization and not a gas station or any other business.” Since our church doors opened in 1970, she has served as St. Gregory’s bookkeeper. Prior to the purchase of the church, Olga was also the bookkeeper at the Armenian Club in Lawrence which operated as an extension of the ARF and ARS organizations. Everyone just assumed that Olga would take on the same role as bookkeeper after the move was made from the club to the church. She agreed to do so and has never looked back. Her job involves, among other things, keeping track of income and expenses, paying bills, bringing deposits to the bank, as well as working hand in hand with the church’s treasurer. Although many think of her as our bookkeeper and a numbers person, Olga truly enjoys people and making them feel welcome. In many ways, she also serves as an ambassador for the church. When asked what makes St. Gregory so special and why it has been her spiritual home for over 53 years, she quickly replies: “It’s the people. I consider all the parishioners my extended family. Also, I love to greet and welcome people at our picnics, bazaars or when they walk through our doors on Sunday morning. My family has always been very warm and welcoming and that’s who I am as well.” Simply put, nobody knows more people and keeps track of all our parishioners and friends better than Olga. If you are not well or have been missing from church for a while, you can expect a call from Olga. If there’s a person you do not know or recognize, just ask Olga. If somebody mails in a donation and they haven’t been seen in a while, that person can be sure to receive a handwritten note or telephone call from her. If there’s somebody in a nursing home or an assisted living facility who is connected to our church in some way, that person will get a visit from Olga, always with choreg or another special treat in her hands (“Loyalty” is her middle name). For many years while working full time and safeguarding the church’s finances, Olga was also taking care of her ailing mother, Satenig, whose losh kebab and other recipes are still used to this day at church events. Like with other things in her life, Olga never wavered and remained steadfast to her church and family. When asked about that difficult time in her life, she answered: “I never really thought about it. You just do it.” Olga’s strong Christian faith is an inspiration for all of us to follow. Christine Kourkounian, a longtime dedicated parishioner who has held several positions in our church, is Olga’s niece and had this to say: “… if there was ever an angel on earth, it is my aunt ! She is always there for everyone, always so giving of her time… she’s just one of the kindest people I know and not just to us in her family, but to everyone she encounters. She is truly an inspiration for us all to be kind, loving and cheerful even during times when it may be difficult to do so.” Our parish priest, Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, echoed Christine: “Olga has shown herself to be an exemplary parishioner and true Christian, always keeping up with elderly members of the community, visiting the ill and confined and reaching out to new families… she has taken me on countless visits to those in need. I can always rely on her tips that someone has been hospitalized or is otherwise in need of a pastoral visit. For me personally, Olga has been a guiding light since I first arrived in the North Andover community and has been very benevolent toward me and my family.” Ann and Jim Apovian have known Olga for many years. In fact, Jim used to work at Olga’s family farm in West Andover when he was a teenager. Ann first met Olga when Ann got married and later worked with Olga for several years at the Andover Companies. Olga was Ann’s supervisor. When asked about Olga’s contributions and dedication to the church, Ann couldn’t say enough: “There has been no greater asset to our church than Olga Sarkisian. Whether it’s been keeping our books to the penny, helping with the ladies’ guild or so many other things, Olga never complains… she always works with a smile on her face because she loves the church and its people.” Ann continued: “I’ve never met anyone like her. Her mind is just incredible. You can ask her about something that happened decades ago or just this morning, it doesn’t matter, she knows the answer. She’s just as sharp today as when I first met her. I remember the executives at the Andover Companies coming up to her all the time and asking her questions.” Today, Olga is looking forward to handing in her calculator and turning over the bookkeeping position to somebody else in the very near future. However, she has no intention of slowing down. For the first time, she will be able to attend Badarak from beginning to end and not have to be in the office on Sundays collecting donations and performing the job that she enjoyed for all those years. Most of all, she will continue doing what she enjoys most, which is making people feel loved and welcomed when they come to St. Gregory. (Olga’s story is written in loving memory of Tom Vartabedian, who was a dear friend, mentor, and teacher to many in our community.)
Pastor's Message for the New Year One week a Sunday school teacher had just finished telling her class the Christmas story. After telling the story the teacher asked, "Who do you think the most important woman in the Bible is?” A little boy raised his hand and said, “Eve.” The teacher asked him why he thought Eve was the most important woman in the Bible. The little boy replied, “Well, there are so many days of the year named after Eve. You know, like Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve…” Now that we have gotten past New Year’s Eve, we find ourselves here on the first day of the year 2023, known as New Year’s Day. There is something particularly great about New Year’s Day, and I believe that it is the promising start that a new year brings along with it, a new year in which new and exciting things can happen – new adventures, new challenges, new blessings. One of the most important themes of the Bible and Christian Theology is newness. The message is that God makes everything new. He created his Creation from nothing and established everything in the universe. Imagine the life of the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. Every joy and wonder of God’s Creation and his presence must have felt so new and amazing to them. Their encounter with nature and with each other must have felt very fresh and new as well. It is with this kind of fervor that we greet each New Year. Really, as children of God, we should be greeting each new day, each new hour that God gives us as a thing of wonder and new blessings. But for whatever reason, the new year triggers in us humans an awareness of a new beginning and new horizons being given to us by our Lord as a gift. Think back to just a month and a half ago when our Men’s Club held its Super Raffle drawing and pulled the winning ticket for that brand new Mercedes-Benz, which one of ticket buyers now proudly drives around in. Imagine how new that car – or any car we’ve purchased new – must seem. The way the seats feel, or the steering wheel and all the knobs and buttons are all part of the new experience. The great advancements in technology that new cars sport today all lend to this sense of newness. Lord, even that “new car smell” that everyone can’t seem to get enough of – these all remind us of the wonder and thrill of having something new – a car, in this case, but in really could be anything that we have just purchased new. Now if I were to ask you how we treat a new car, how would most of us reply? We may have rules like no eating or drinking in the car, or maybe we develop a weekly regimen such as cleaning or polishing the exterior and vacuuming the rugs and floor mats. We may also be careful not to push the engine to hard by driving too fast, carefully avoid potholes and maybe even park it away from lots of other cars in the parking lot to make sure there are no dings or scratches from other cars or people. This is kind of what it is like when we enter a New Year. It is something pristine and delicate, something about which we have a sense of needing to take care because it is a precious gift from God. We enter the New Year with lots of hope, many resolutions to turn over new leaves and much resolve to allow God to make us better people with better and more meaningful lives. When we first drive that new car off of the lot, we do not immediately start tossing our muddy work boots on the back seat throwing sticky change in the change drawer, taking our raked leaves and grass clippings to the dump or chowing down on fast food, leaving straw wrappers and stray French fries to fall all over the floor! In the same way, we don’t want to hop into a New Year with the same old and messy habits from our old lives. Driving into our new year should be done with same fascination and delicacy with which we drive that new car. And we should be just as resolved to keep our lives clean and pristine in the new year. We should renew our resolve to be grateful to God, even when circumstances are difficult. We should strengthen our commitment to studying the Bible and following our Lord’s commandments. We should become more devoted to Jesus Christ by getting in the habit of praying every day and coming to church to worship as often as we can. A New Year calls for us to renew our relationship with God, start new endeavors and become new people. My New Year’s prayer for all of us today is that we would enter the year 2023 with a sense of awe, joy and gratitude toward God, that we would be inspired by his “newness” and that we would spend the rest of the year getting closer to him. Let’s all pray together for health, blessings and success of all this year’s endeavors. May God bless you and your families, our church, our Armenian nation and our people worldwide. May he bless your lives and keep you in good health. Prayerfully, Fr. Stephan Baljian, Pastor New Year 2023 52nd Anniversary of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley Posted by The Armenian Prelacy The first weekend of October offered for St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley a wonderful opportunity to enliven the early days of fall. Despite the intimidating news filling the airwaves about Hurricane Ian, a group of outdoor and sports enthusiasts joined His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, on the afternoon of Saturday, October 1, in an 18-mile bike-a-thon along the former railroad line now converted into the Windham-Salem Rail Trail. On Sunday, October 2, the Prelate celebrated Divine Liturgy. Before his sermon, he ordained Michael Bulbulian, Cameron Afarian and Andrew Movsessian as acolytes, with the sponsorship of Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, Pastor. Archbishop Anoushavan expressed his satisfaction for the dedication of the three teenagers, which is the most beautiful expression of faith and guarantees the continuity of the church’s mission. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the parish welcomed the newly blessed and consecrated Holy Muron. Following the church services, in the parish's Jaffarian Hall, the faithful celebrated the 52nd anniversary of the church's consecration (1970).
Board of Trustees chairman, Joseph Almasian, gave a slide presentation about the church’s activities in the past year. Fr. Stephan was happy to report that the community was slowly returning to normal life following the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. A tasteful artistic program added to the festivities of the day. On this occasion, Mrs. Armena Bizios received a certificate of recognition from the Prelacy for her many years of service to the church and its auxiliary bodies, as well as to the Armenian Relief Society. After this, the Prelate highly praised all that the community was able to realize, both before and after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Srpazan Hayr especially appreciated the fact that children, young adults and elderly all took part in the program, participating with songs and poems, on piano and on flute. Taking this into account, he announced that the North Andover community is qualified to be known henceforth as the "Art-lovers' Community," and he bid them to always continue to work together with joy and with a positive spirit. The spirited and engaging anniversary day closed with a final blessing and the singing of "Giligia." Translated by Fr. Stephan Baljian Photos courtesy of Greg Afarian & Karen Chappell Our church's Annual Picnic, held on Sunday, September 11, 2022, was a tremendous success. Over 400 people gathered together to eat, dance, enjoy the music and meet up with good friends both outside in the parking lot and inside Jaffarian Hall.
Falling on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Great Procession of the Holy Cross and Blessing of the Four Corners of the World (Antasdan) were conducted with the participation of the faithful. Joining Fr. Stephan Baljian, pastor of St. Gregory Church, were the Rev. Fr. Vart Gyozalyan, pastor of the Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Pointe and Very Rev. Fr. Leonard Faris, pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church (Lowell). We would like to thank all the volunteers who, under the capable leadership of picnic committee chair John Arzigian, worked hard to make this year's annual picnic memorable. Also, a big "thank you" to all those who came to support our picnic. We look forward to seeing everyone at next year's picnic! Pastor's Message for the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”” These meaningful words of the Apostle Paul resound today in this holy church on the glorious feast day of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God Asdvadzadzin Mariam. “Abba! Daddy! Hayrig!” Those of us who have had the honor of raising children can attest to the fact that there is no sweeter sound than hearing our small child, in his/her diminutive manner and tiny voice addressing us in such a familiar way as “Mommy” or “Daddy.” It gives both parent and child a distinct sense of belonging. “This is my daddy.” “This is my baby.” Followed, of course, by the strong feeling of connection that the children feel with their parents, and they with the children. So what does Paul mean when he says, “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying “Abba! Father!”?” Let’s take a look at this line in the context of today’s scripture reading from the letter to the Galatians: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:4-6) What he is saying is that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, sent at an appointed time and born from the Blessed Mother in order to do two things: 1) to save us from sin and condemnation, and 2) to bring us into the family of God the Father as his adopted children. God in heaven is Father, Jesus Christ (who is also God) is Son, and through baptism and a life of faith lived in him, we become sons of God along with him. The same spirit with which Jesus the Son reveals God as Father is given to us so that we can confess him as “Father” as well. It’s amazing to think that our Lord in his teachings could have literally told us any name to name God, but the name he used was “Father!” So, through his grace, we receive adoption as sons, or children, and as his followers we now have the same boldness to address the Creator of the Universe simply as Father. And not just “Father” in the formal sense. Paul’s use of the term “Abba” shows us the same kind of familiarity and kindred relationship that we talked about earlier… one where we can go to our Father and address him with intimacy, like little children. Since, as your priest, I am addressed formally very often, with everyone calling me “Der Hayr” or addressing me in writing as “Reverend Father,” I get a feeling of joy in my heart when little Mariam bursts into my room in the morning and exclaims, “Hi, Baba!” before waddling over for her morning hug and kiss from her daddy. I like to imagine that this is how God feels when we come to him in prayer and cry out “Abba! Father!” to him as well. Now, today is a day when we contemplate the relationship that Jesus has not only with his Father, but also with his mother. Similarly, because we are adopted into Christ’s family, the Holy Mother Mary becomes like a mother to us. Just as the Holy Mother gave birth to the Son of God, through the holy baptismal font, the Church constantly gives birth to new children of God. The Holy Church is really our spiritual mother, and our Lord’s mother Mary is seen by the Church as an archetype or model for the Church: reverent, faithful, caring and pure in heart. These are all the things that we as the people of God – his Church – are called to be in our spiritual lives as well. Just a few weeks ago, I had come across a very interesting quote by Dr. John Boojamra, Director of the Religious Education Program at my alma mater, St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York. Writing about the role of Christian education in the lives of your young children, he says, “All we can do is educate our children into the church. We cannot educate them into faith, because that comes as an act of the will and an act of God's grace. There is no way an educational process can give the gift of faith. All we can do is prepare people to receive it, and that happens in the Church and in the home." What he means by this is adoption as God’s children by grace has to come through faith, and this faith comes directly from God, nurtured by our own personal interaction with him. No amount of Sunday School alone, learning about the scriptures, sacraments and saints can teach a person “faith,” although they certainly can help to inspire it and, as he said, prepare an individual to receive it. But ultimately a person receives the gift of faith directly from God with a relationship to him as his child. This means that learning about God and spiritual things with some kind of detached scholasticism is not going to cut it in forming a healthy parent-child relationship with God, whether that be true of ourselves of our children’s generation. Only through actual, genuine faith can a person truly join the “family of God.” Last Sunday at the St. Stephen’s church picnic in Watertown, I bumped in to my brother in Christ, Rev. Janely Pierre, pastor of the Ararat Armenian Congregational Church in Salem. We got around to talking and the subject turned to some of the challenges we have as pastors leading the flock of Christ in today’s modern age. I mentioned the above quote to him, to which he listened earnestly. He nodded his head and replied, “God does not have any grandchildren.” Although I had never heard this expression before, it immediately resonated with me. I did some searching on the internet and, it turns out, “God does not have any grandchildren,” is a fairly well-known expression, used to remind people that unless we ourselves, individually and personally, are children of God our heavenly Father, then we have no relationship with him at all. “My mother used to take me to church by the hand every Sunday morning when we lived in the old country.” “My grandfather was the original godfather of such-and-such church and served for many years.” “My grandmother used to pray every night before bed… she was a very faithful person.” Sound familiar? These are some of the many stories that I’ve heard from various people over the years. These are all wonderful things, but your grandmother’s faith is not your faith; your parents’ church doesn’t mean anything unless it’s your church! Their relationship with God is not your relationship with God. God is calling you to be his child in faith, not his grandchild with some other person or persons between you. God has to be your Father, not your grandfather’s father. God does not have grandchildren. So, dearly beloved, we have a very important question to ask ourselves today on this blessed feast day: is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the spirit of his sonship, in our hearts so that we too cry out to God as Abba! Hayrig! Father? Are we remaining in communion with him through prayer, worship and a life of holiness? Or are we simply riding comfortably on the shirt tails of others, or just “blending in” the background of our church community? Let’s make no mistake about it, our Father God today wants to call each and every one of you his “son” or “daughter.” He wants to have that kind of relationship with you, but it has to be directly through him… it can’t be through anyone – or anything – else. There’s never a better time than now to start praying to him. Thank him for adopting you as his son… for giving you the spirit of being his child, by which you can go to him intimately and find comfort in his familiar presence. Invite him into your life so that he can strengthen you, forgive your sins, help you overcome your shortcomings and set you as part of his family, as an heir to his heavenly Kingdom and eternal life in him. Beloved brothers and sisters, on the occasion of the glorious Assumption of the Holy Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, I would like to congratulate you all, praying that we would all continue to remain as beloved children of God our heavenly Father and the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church, our Mother. During the month of July, Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley collected food and personal items for the less fortunate, as part of a summer charitable campaign organized by the Board of Trustees. On August 5th, through the efforts of Dn. Dr. John Saryan, eight boxes of food and personal items were delivered to Lazarus House ministries in Lawrence. The boxes contained canned tuna, chicken and beef as well as canned pasta, fruits, corn, beans and other vegetables. We also delivered jars of peanut butter, bags of rice, dry pasta, juice and some other food items.
Additionally, a check for $200 was donated to the Lazarus House. Thanks to all of the parishioners who donated food and other items as well as the funds to be given to this worthwhile ministry to help our neighbors in need. Members of the Homenetmen USA Eastern Region competing at the Pan Armenian Games in Yerevan, Armenia, July 2022, pictured with Coach Dikran Asdourian; included in the team picture are Merrimack Valley team members Richie Minasian, Armen Almasian & Michael Baltayan, Myles Couyoumjian, Rob Kouyoumjian & Jack Sarkissian The local chapter of the Homenetmen of Greater Merrimack Valley were thrilled to participate in in the Homenetmen Navasartian Games, hosted by Boston, and held locally in Woburn, Ma over the extended July 4th weekend. We had 16 senior men category members participate in Basketball and Volleyball. Our volleyball team won 1st place.
Greater Merrimack Valley Chapter participants were as follows: Armen Almasian, “Big” Mike Baltayan, Myles Couyoumjian, Rob Couyoumjian, Eddie Garibian, Mgo Kassabian, Dr. Henry Louis, Mike Mahlebjian, Robbie Mahlebjian, Haig Megerdichian, Rich Minasian, Alexander Movsessian, Edward Naroian, Jack Sarkissian and Richie Shahtanian. Our Basketball squad was also privileged and honored to have 6 of our members travel to Armenia during a 10 day stretch in late July to participate in the Pan Homenetmen Games, hosted in Armenia every 4 years. The six members selected were part of the greater Eastern USA Homenetmen team. The Eastern USA team took home the trophy of 1st place, an honor not achieved previously. Please enjoy the photo selections of the athletes from our region. We hope to build upon this success by inviting other age brackets, sports, and genders to join our Merrimack Chapter and participate. We look to add teams for Men’s Junior aged basketball, and Men’s Senior Soccer and Junior Soccer: Women’s Senior Soccer, Basketball, and Volleyball. Please reach out to Greg Minasian @201-218-7126 or email at Greg.Minasian@homenetmen.org We are pleased to announce the completion of the design and installation of a new sign in front of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church. The sign is simple, attractive, made of durable material and is mounted between two solid granite posts.
Design, manufacturing and installation of the sign was awarded to the Bridge Road Sign Co in Newbury, Mass. Installation was completed on Monday, July 11. The sign was a generous gift from the estate of the late Miss Elizabeth Koorkanian, who passed away in 2015. At the time a generous bequest from Miss Koorkanian's estate also went toward Saint Gregory Church's Endowment Fund. May God illuminate her soul in heavenly light. Pastor's Easter Message Christians gathered throughout the world today are celebrating Holy Pascha, or the glorious feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Following the tumultuous events that unfolded over the prior few days, which culminated in the crucifixion and burial of Jesus of Nazareth, the Gospels tell us that is was a moment of wonderment and great awe for the small number of people that became the first witnesses of the resurrection that day. Yes, the encounter with the resurrected Lord, and the “proof positive” that he had indeed been raised back to life meant a lot to the people who experienced it: Mary Magdalene, the other Myrrh-bearing women who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning, Peter and John and the rest of the twelve and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. A lot can be said, and has been said, about the Holy Resurrection of our Lord – historically, theologically and inspirationally. Today, as we are gathered together to celebrate the Resurrection Feast with joy, I wanted to take a moment to contemplate together what meaning the resurrection has for our personal lives today.
Dearly beloved children of God, we all have the special privilege and honor of being comforted, inspired and instilled with joy today by the Holy Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that the resurrection of Christ would today bear witness to us that God is on our side in spiritual battles, that he has defeated death and it no longer needs to be an object of fear and that we no longer need to be so concerned about what happens to us during this life. This Easter, let’s each and every one of us praise Jesus our Lord for his triumphant resurrection. May it bring peace to our world, strength to his Holy Church and salvation to our souls, to the glory of his holy name. Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց: Օրհնեալ է յարութիւնն Քրիստոսի: Christ is risen from among the dead. Blessed is the resurrection of Christ. Prayerfully, Fr. Stephan Baljian Holy Pascha, April 2022 In 2021, your Board of Trustees focused on bringing our community back to together following a very difficult 2020 and the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This goal had its challenges throughout the year as the pandemic surged and retreated several times. The process of reengaging required us to be mindful of striking the right balance between the health and safety of our people and the mission of our church, namely spiritual worship, fellowship, and charity.
With renewed excitement, our church “re-opened” in the spring after Massachusetts lifted restrictions on operating capacities, social distancing, and the wearing of masks. Those comfortable returning to church shared in our beautiful Badarak and reconnected during coffee hour. We had a very successful spring fair, fall picnic and holiday bazaar. Our Sunday School re-opened in person. Our Men’s club returned to hosting monthly dinners. Our anniversary banquet brought the community together for a wonderful mezza meal, graced with the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian. Our young athletes attended the AYF Olympics and returned with several medals. Care packages were sent to our youth studying home & away at college. The inaugural St. Gregory Bike-A-Thon was a great success and drew many of our youth. With great excitement, we finalized a design and secured work estimates to replace our church sign. The installation is planned for the spring 2022 once final town approvals are obtained and weather allows. Continuing with tradition, our community generously supported fundraising efforts for our brothers and sisters in Armenia & Lebanon and maintained our orphan sponsorship. Charity starts at home and our church provided a generous donation to the Lazarus house to close the year. The church ended 2021 with a net income of $18,981 versus $7,831 in 2020. The significant improvement in our financial stability has been due to the continued generosity of our members responding to our COVID appeal, the improved profitability of our fundraising events, further cost reductions, forgiveness of small business government PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans and importantly the continued generosity of our parishioners and friends – THANK YOU! Our church Endowment fund on 12/31/21 reached $477,002 up from the previous year end of $385,072. In addition to favorable investment appreciation, we were blessed to receive $50,000 and $10,000 respectively from the estates of our beloved Martha Hananian & Rose C Annaian. Looking ahead, we all should recognize that our church still faces many challenges. Membership and attendance are still in decline. The role of the church in people’s life is changing, requiring an openness to change, to adopt new ideas and to renew efforts of outreach – especially connecting with our younger families. In closing, I would like to thank Der Stephan for his continued spiritual leadership, guidance, and partnership. The Board of Trustees wish him and his family all of God’s blessings and we look forward to his continued spiritual guidance over the coming years. To my fellow Board of Trustees, thank you for your time, work & expertise in support of our church - I am privileged to have served with you and proud of our accomplishments. A special thanks to Trustee Armen Kourkounian who along with Jim Kochakian and myself will be leaving the Board after serving 6 consecutive years. Armen has been an incredibly valuable member of our board bringing new ideas, community spirit and limitless energy to our very important work. Lastly, I would like to thank all of our church organizations – both leadership & members, our deacons, acolytes and choir members for their time, expertise, and unwavering devotion to carry on the mission of the Church. Respectfully Submitted, Rob Kochakian Chairman Board of Trustees Pastor's Holy Nativity & Theophany Message It’s about that time of year again… the beginning of a new year. And what usually comes along with the New Year? New Year’s Resolutions! I’m not sure what it is about it being the beginning of a different year that compels people to want to start (or stop) doing something in their lives. I guess the thinking goes, “New Year, new habits…” “new mindsets…” “new adventures…” But regardless of what our New Year’s resolutions look like or from where our motivation for them comes, one thing is for certain: they almost always involve our wanting to set “aright” something that is wrong or lacking in our lives. New Year’s resolutions show our tendency to want to rectify things in our life and are a resolve to make positive some negatives that have been bothering us in the past. They are an expression of our wish to do and be right. You very rarely hear – except maybe jokingly – an example of someone’s New Year’s resolution being to become less healthy, do more harm or be less of a force for good in the world. No, it’s usually just the opposite. Our resolutions show our desire to be kinder, to be healthier and to be all around better individuals both for ourselves and for the people around us. Today is the blessed and glorious Feast Day of our Lord’s Nativity and Theophany, his birth and his revelation upon the earth. Today all of humanity rejoices along with the heavenly hosts at the revelation of the Savior of the world and the salvation of the entire universe. Today we welcome the arrival and presence of one who is always “righteous.” We hardly ever hear the term “righteous” or “righteousness” used anymore in today’s language. To our modern ears, the word “righteous” sounds like a fancy, somewhat archaic term – a technical piece of verbiage that we encounter in dusty Bibles and fairly antiquated translations of our Liturgy. Yet, it is a word with a very simple and self-explanatory meaning. It simply means “morally right or justifiable.” In other words, doing what is “right” or acting in a “right” way is what constitutes righteousness. We read during the service of Chrorhnek – or Blessing of Water – commemorating the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, from the third Chapter of Matthew, about why he came to be baptized by St. John the Baptist. "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.'" (Matthew 3:13-15) Here we have in the Gospel account the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth coming to the River Jordan, where a movement had been started by his distant relative John. This movement was unlike anything that had risen among the Jews in Israel ever before: it was a movement of baptism for repentance in remission and forgiveness of sins. A public and ceremonial showing of the inner desire of a man to be done with sin and to make things “right” with God – which is to say, “become righteous.” We should state here that Jesus himself was without sin and had no need to be baptized in order to have his sins forgiven. This is why John the Baptist protested at first, saying essentially, “What are you doing coming to me? I – all of us, really – need to be baptized by you… you are the Savior and the Messiah. Indeed, the question of why it was that Jesus was baptized has been a difficult one to answer for most Church Fathers and theological scholars throughout the ages. I think the key to understanding this lies in Jesus’s statement “it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” At the time, the ritual of baptism was in use as a way for gentiles to purify their sins before converting to the Jewish faith. The Jews of the time, since they were under the Law, had very little concept of themselves as sinners in need of cleansing and restoration by God. Those belonging to the other nations were seen as dirtied and blemished by their sins and therefore in need of a ritual purification. This is why John’s baptismal movement was so novel and revolutionary when it first arose. It was the first time the Jews had been awakened to a need for God to cleanse their sins and set things right in their own personal lives. It shouldn’t be surprising to any of us, then, that God himself – revealed in the flesh as Jesus Christ – should not only come to be part of this movement of repentance and drawing closer to God’s Kingdom, but to ultimately take the reins and become the leader and fulfiller of this movement. Thus, St. John Chrysostom taught that even though Jesus had no need for baptism himself, he “freely identified himself with the people; otherwise he would have not come with the people for John’s baptism.” Noted author and Biblical commentator William Barclay explains it this way, “in his baptism he identified himself with those he came to save, in the hour of the new consciousness of their sin, and of their search for God.” No matter where we are in our search for God, Jesus comes to us and finds us. Jesus’s baptism “fulfills all righteousness” in our lives as well as those of all believers throughout time. He identifies himself with us so we can be identified with him. His baptismal waters become our baptismal waters; his purification our purification; his righteousness becomes our righteousness. So what is it in your life right now that you feel the need to make right with God? With others? With ourselves? It’s one thing to make a New Year’s resolution once a year, but what would you say if I told you that you had the opportunity to have Christ’s renewal every day? When we bring all of our sins and our shortcoming before him, he has the power to renew us and recreate us as new creatures who can do right because of his righteousness. “It is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” This New Year and Christmas season, as we look ahead to the upcoming year with hope and anticipation, we rejoice in having a righteous Savior whose righteousness can cleanse us and make us righteous human beings in the sight of God. I propose we all make a resolution today to turn to him every day in prayer and thanksgiving, whether in good times or bad, repent of our sins and ask him to renew us daily with his righteousness, just as he did by being baptized along with us. On this glorious day of the birth and revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is my prayer that we would all experience his love and forgiveness throughout the year and that by entrusting our life to him we would learn truly what it is to be renewed and made righteous in him. Amen. Prayerfully, Fr. Stephan Baljian, Pastor Holy Nativity & Theophany 2022 On Wednesday, January 5 and Thursday, January 6, parishioners of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church joined Armenian Apostolic Christians around the globe in celebrating the Holy Nativity & Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Although, due to the sudden uptick in cases of the "omicron" variant of Covid-19, it was a more subdued celebration this year, nonetheless it was still joyous and solemn for all who participated. On Wednesday evening, January 5, the Mid-Day and Vespers service were offered, followed by the service of Jrakalooyts readings from the Old Testament and Vigil Divine Liturgy. On Thursday morning, January 6, about 30 parishioners joined altar servers and choir members for the solemn Divine Liturgy, followed by Blessing of Water Chrorhnek service. This year's Godfather of the Cross was Mr. Nishan Baljian, son of Rev. Fr. Stephan & Yeretsgin Alice Baljian. Although the community Avak Luncheon that had been planned had to be cancelled, we look forward to being back next year to celebrate together the birth and revelation of our Lord. Ս. Ծննդեան Հայրապետական Պատգամ Ն.Ս.Օ.Տ.Տ. Արամ Ա. Կաթողիկոսի Յովհաննէս Առաքեալ իր Առաջին Ընդհանրական Նամակը կը սկսի վկայելով, թէ՝ Որդին, Բանը, որ նոյնինքն կեանքն էր, Բեթղեհէմի ճամբով յայտնուեցաւ մարդուն (1.1-2)։ Այս գծով անհրաժեշտ է հետեւեալ ընդգծումները կատարել.- – Աստուած՝ ստեղծիչը կեանքին։ Աստուածաշունչը կը հաստատէ, թէ Աստուած ստեղծիչն է կեանքին։ Տիեզերքի մէջ ոեւէ գոյութիւն ինքնագոյ չէ, իր գոյաւորիչը ունի։ Աստուած ոչինչէն ստեղծեց տիեզերքը իր բանական եւ ոչ-բանական արարածներով՝ ստեղծագործութեան մէջ իւրաքանչիւրին իւրայատուկ տեղն ու դերը ճշդելով։ – Մարդը՝ պսակը Աստուծոյ ստեղծագործութեան։ Հանգրուանային կերպով կատարած իր ստեղծագործութեան վերջին օրը Աստուած ստեղծեց մարդը։ Աստուածաշունչի առաջին գիրքը՝ Ծննդոցը մարդու ստեղծագործութեան երկու դրուագներու (1.27,2.7) ճամբով կը շեշտէ, թէ ի տարբերութիւն բոլոր արարածներէն, մարդը ստեղծուած է հողէն, օժտուած՝ բանականութեամբ, եւ որպէս Աստուծոյ գործակից, տիեզերքը կառավարելու յատուկ պարտականութիւն տրուած իրեն։ – Մարդու աստուածատուր կեանքի անկումը։ Աստուածաշունչը կը պատմէ, թէ ինչպէս առաջին մարդը, Ադամը, հաւատարիմ չգտնուեցաւ իր կոչումին, իրեն տրուած իշխանութիւնը օգտագործեց իր հաճոյքին ու փառքին համար եւ թերացաւ Աստուծոյ նկատմամբ իր համարատուութեան մէջ։ Այլ խօսքով, առաջին մարդը մեղանչեց եւ պատճառ դարձաւ որ «Ադամական մեղքը» ժառանգեն հետագայ բոլոր սերունդները։ Մարդու մեղքին հետեւանքով աստուածատուր կեանքը ապականեցաւ՝ չարիք ու վնաս պատճառելով նաեւ ողջ ստեղծագործութեան։ – Բեթղեհէմը՝ ծննդավայր նոր կեանքի։ Ադամի անհնազանդութեան պատճառով մեղքով ապականուած կեանքը Բեթղեհէմի մէջ Աստուծոյ Որդւոյն յայտնութեամբ վերանորոգուեցաւ։ Բեթղեհէմը դարձաւ ծննդավայրը նոր կեանքի։ Քրիստոս յայտարարեց՝ «Ես եմ կեանքը» (Յհ 14.6) եւ իր մարդեղութեան նպատակը բնորոշեց ըսելով՝ «Ես եկայ, որպէսզի կեանք ունենան» (Յհ 10.10)։ Նոր Կտակարանը յստակօրէն կը պարզէ, թէ Քրիստոսի առաքելութեան կիզակէտը, Բեթղեհէմէն մինչեւ Յարութիւն, մարդը օժտել էր նո՛ր կեանքով։ – Քրիստոս՝ ճամբայ նոր կեանք առաջնորդող։ Աստուծոյ մարդեղացեալ Որդին ո՛չ միայն ինքզինք ներկայացուց որպէս նոր կեանք, այլ նաեւ՝ միակ ճամբան դէպի նոր կեանք առաջնորդող (Յհ 14.6)։ Հետեւաբար, նոր կեանք ունենալու համար հարկ է դառնալ Քրիստոսին եւ քալել դէպի Քրիստոս տանող ճամբէն։ – Քրիստոս՝ աղբիւր յաւիտենական կեանքի։ Յովհաննէս Առաքեալ կը վկայէ, թէ Քրիստոսի ճամբով «Աստուած յաւիտենական կեանք տուաւ մեզի եւ այդ կեանքին աղբիւրը Որդին ի՛նքն է» (Ա.Յհ 5.11)։ Ան կը շարունակէ ըսելով՝ «մենք տեսանք եւ կը վկայենք, ձեզի պատմելով անոր մասին, այսինքն՝ յաւիտենական կեանքին մասին» (1.1-2)։ Քրիստոսի աշխարհ բերած կեանքը սովորական կեանք չէր։ Նոր Կտակարանը զայն կը բնութագրէ որպէս առաւել, լեցուն, ճշմարիտ, նոր կեանք, այլ խօսքով՝ յաւիտենական կեանք։ Յաւիտենական կեանքը մերժումն է մեղքով ու չարով տիրապետուած կեանքին, նիւթեղէն ու երկրաւոր արժէքներով առաջնորդուած կեանքին։ Յաւիտենական կեանքը Քրիստոսի ներկայութեամբ ապրուած կեանք է։ Ինչպէ՞ս կարելի է արժանի դառնալ յաւիտենական կեանքին։ Հետեւինք Աւետարանիչներուն ու Առաքեալներուն թելադրութիւններուն.- 1) Քրիստոսի հաւատալով։ Առաքեալը շեշտակիօրէն կը յիշեցնէ՝ թէ «ով որ կը հաւատայ Որդիին, յաւիտենական կեանք կ’ունենայ» (Յհ 3.36)։ Արդ, Քրիստոսը դաւանելով որպէս աշխարհի փրկիչը, մարդ արժանի կը դառնայ Քրիստոսի պարգեւած յաւիտենական կեանքին։ 2) Քրիստոսի հետեւելով։ Քրիստոս ըսաւ, ով որ ինծի կը հաւատայ, պէտք է հետեւի ինծի։ Արդ, որպէս յաւիտենական կեանքի աղբիւր, հարկ է մօտենալ Քրիստոսին։ Որպէս յաւիտենական կեանքի ճանապարհ, հարկ է քալել այդ ճամբէն։ Որպէս յաւիտենական կեանք տանող դուռ, հարկ է մտնել այդ դռնէն (Մտ 7.13-14)։ 3) Յաւիտենական կեանքը ապրելով։ Քրիստոսի հետեւիլ կ’ենթադրէ՝ Քրիստոս իր մէջ ընդունիլ, նոր մարդ դառնալ եւ նորոգուած կեանքով ապրիլ (Յհ 5.12, Բ.Կր 5.17, Հռ 6.6)։ Ա՛յս կը թելադրեն Քրիստոսի ներկայութիւնը ապրած առաքեալները։ Յաւիտենական կեանքով ապրիլ կը նշանակէ մեր նմանին ծառայել, արդարութիւն գործել, բարոյական ու հոգեւոր արժէքներով մեր կեանքը շաղախել, երկնային շնորհներով մեր կեանքը լեցնել եւ բարիք գործելով մեր ապրած օրերը իմաստաւորել։ Սիրելի՛ հայորդի, կեանքը Աստուծոյ պարգեւն է. զայն պէտք է ապրիլ մեր անձի նեղ պարունակէն ու մեր կեանքի սահմանափակ ծիրէն անդին ու վեր՝ երկնային արժէքներու ու յաւիտենական ճշմարտութիւններու համար։ Այս է Քրիստոսին ճամբով աշխարհին յայտնուած կեանքին որակը, իմաստը ու նպատակը։ Հետեւաբար, յաւիտենական կեանքը վախճանական երեւոյթ մը չէ, գալիք իրականութիւն մը չէ. ան արդէն եկած է աշխարհ Աստուծոյ Որդւոյն մարդեղութեամբ։ Քրիստոսի հետեւելու ուխտը կատարած մարդը կոչուած է զայն ապրելու՝ հաւատարմութեամբ, պատասխանատուութեամբ ու յանձնառութեամբ։ Առաքեալը կը պատգամէ՝ «Ամուր կառչէ յաւիտենական կեանքին, որուն քեզ հրաւիրեց Աստուած» (Ա.Տմ 6.12)։ Կ’ապրինք աշխարհի մը մէջ, ուր կեանքը, բնութեան թէ ընկերութեան մէջ, բարոյապէս ապականած է ու ֆիզիքապէս՝ վտանգուած։ Շրջապատուած ենք աստուածատուր կեանքը Աստուծմէ հեռացնող ու զայն մարդակեդրոն ու մարդանպատակ կեանքի վերածող երեւելի թէ աներեւոյթ չարերով ու չարիքներով։ Մարդուն կողմէ բնութեան պատճառուած չարիքներուն առընթեր, նաեւ մարդկային կեանքին անոր պատճառած չարիքներուն ահաւոր հետեւանքները կ’ապրինք մեր անձնական թէ հաւաքական կեանքի բոլոր մարզերէն ներս։ Արդարեւ, գիտութիւնը որքան փորձէ իր այլազան գիւտերով ու նորանոր իրագործումներով հարստացնել ու ապահովութիւն երաշխաւորել կեանքին, առանց մարդուն յաւիտենական կեանք պարգեւած Քրիստոսի կենսատու ներկայութեան՝ կեանքը կը դառնայ աննպատակ գոյութիւն։ Հոն, ուր իր արեան հեղումով մարդուն յաւիտենական կեանք պարգեւած Քրիստոս ներկայ է, մեղքը, չարը ու չարիքը հեռու կը մնան։ Բեթղեհէմը յաւիտենական կեանքին յայտնութիւնն է մարդուն։ Բեթղեհէմը երկնային հրաւէր է ուղղուած մարդուն՝ իր կեանքը Քրիստոսի վերանորոգիչ ներկայութեամբ շաղախելու, որպէս աղբիւրը յաւիտենական կեանքի։ Արդ, ա՛յս հաւատքով դառնանք Բեթղեհէմին ու ապրինք անոր խորհուրդը։ * * * Նոր Տարուան եւ Աստուածայայտնութեան տօներուն առիթով, եղբայրական սիրով կ’ողջունենք Ն.Ս.Օ.Տ.Տ. Գարեգին Բ. Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոսը, մաղթելով քաջառողջութիւն եւ եկեղեցաշէն ծառայութիւններով լեցուն երկար գահակալութիւն։ Քրիստոնէական սիրով կ’ողջունենք Երուսաղէմի Հայոց Պատրիարք՝ Ամենապատիւ Տ. Նուրհան Արք. Մանուկեանը եւ Թուրքիոյ Հայոց Պատրիարք Ամենապատիւ Տ. Սահակ Արք. Մաշալեանը, մաղթելով իրենց աստուածահաճոյ գործերով լեցուն ծառայութիւն։ Հայրական սիրով եւ հայրապետական օրհնութեամբ կ’ողջունենք Մեծի Տանն Կիլիկիոյ Կաթողիկոսութեան թեմերու առաջնորդները, հոգեւորական դասը ու ազգային իշխանութիւնները, հայ կեանքէն ներս գործող բոլոր միութիւններն ու կազմակերպութիւնները. ինչպէս նաեւ մեր ժողովուրդի սիրելի զաւակները, աղօթելով, որ Բեթղեհէմի յաւիտենական կեանքով պայծառակերպուի մեր ազգին կեանքը։ ԱՐԱՄ Ա. ԿԱԹՈՂԻԿՈՍ ՄԵԾԻ ՏԱՆՆ ԿԻԼԻԿԻՈՅ 6 Յունուար, 2022 Անթիլիաս, Լիբանան |
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