​     The 54th Anniversary celebration of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley was held on Sunday, November 17, under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate. 

​    Archbishop Anoushvan celebrated the Divine Liturgy, during which he ordained as acolytes three youths from the Sunday/Armenian School, Nishan Baljian, Gabriel Bulbulian and Austin Afarian. These three adolescents actively serve on the altar of Saint Gregory Church. Their sponsor was Archpriest Antranig Baljian, Pastor Emeritus of Saint Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown. During his message, Srpazan Hayr spoke of the importance of service to our Lord’s Church as part of the Christian life. Taking from the Gospel passage read that day, he reflected on the words of Jesus Christ, who said, “the least among you of all is the greatest.” He emphasized that the way to greatness is through becoming a servant, of God, of our people and our Armenian Nation.

​    Following the services, a festive Thanksgiving Dinner was served in Jaffarian Hall, an annual tradition hosted by Saint Gregory Church’s Ladies’ Guild. Over 120 people were on hand to enjoy the festivities. In addition to the Prelate and Archpriest Fr. Antranig, the Reverend Father Vart Gyozalyan, pastor of Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel Armenian Church was also in attendance.
     Joseph Almasian, Chair of the Board of Trustees, welcomed all in attendance and used the opportunity to thank the pastor, Board of Trustees and all volunteers and donors for their dedication and hard work in support of St. Gregory Church throughout the year. He also highlighted some of the parish’s recent achievements, as well as some plans for the near future.

     ​Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, pastor of the church, invited the newly ordained acolytes to the podium and presented each one with a special gift on behalf of the parish community. Representing the Sunday/Armenian School, Austin Afarian and Hovig Baljian each made brief remarks outlining those things for which they are thankful. Both were sure to mention their gratitude for the Saint Gregory Church community and for having their spiritual home in order to worship God and find their strength.
    Mrs. Knarik Nerkararyan-Kevorkian offered two beautiful musical selections on the piano.
   In his remarks, Der Stephan congratulated the entire community for having reached the milestone of 54 years of existence as a church and of service to the Armenian community in the greater Merrimack Valley. After sharing some thoughts about the Christian understanding of “thanksgiving,” Der Hayr took the opportunity to thank the Board, National Representatives, Ladies’ Guild and Men’s Club members, Choir, altar servers, Sunday/Armenian School staff and, in general, all those who volunteer to serve St. Gregory Church in a variety of capacities. He also congratulated the Prelate on his forty years of service to the Eastern Prelacy.

       He then invited Archbishop Anoushavan to the podium with a special surprise. Mrs. Sossy Jeknavorian, principal of the Sunday/Armenian School, and dedicated for over forty years to the religious, cultural and Armenian language education of several generations of young Armenians, would be honored with the Mesrob Mashdots award, granted by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of the Great House of Cilicia. His Eminence then read the encyclical of His Holiness and pinned the medal on Digin Sossy’s lapel. There was an air of excitement in the room as all who were present could attest to Sossy’s genuine and sacrificial spirit of service for her church and nation. She spoke a few words of thanks, which were met with thunderous applause.
​   In his remarks, the Prelate relayed his congratulations to the parish and to Digin Sossy, as well as those of the Prelacy’s Religious and Executive Councils. He commended the entire community for its hard work over the past year and charged everyone to continue in their dedication to the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Prelacy community and the St. Gregory Parish.
​​    Once the banquet was concluded, upon personal invitation by the pastor, Archbishop Anoushavan visited the newly consecrated Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel Armenian Church in nearby Haverhill, Massachusetts, and was given an extensive tour of the new sanctuary and entire facility, imparting his fatherly blessing on the priest and parishioners before departing.

“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭40‬ ‭RSV‬‬

On behalf of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church, Deacon John Saryan and Board of Trustees member Greg Afarian delivered 9 boxes of food and personal supplies to the Lazarus House in Lawrence , Massachusetts, this past Friday September 27th.  The boxes contained non perishable food including canned tuna and chicken, canned pasta, fruits, beans, and vegetables.  

Also provided were bags of rice, dry pasta, snack foods, peanut butter, crackers, toothpaste, soap, diaper wipes and shampoo. 

Saint Gregory Church has been conducting twice yearly food drives to assist our neighbors in need for the past 3 years. 

The Lazarus House is a Lawrence-based Christian ministry that seeks to feed, clothe and house the less fortunate among us. The Board of Trustees would like to thank all parishioners who contributed to the food drive. 

    On Sunday, June 16, members of the newly elected Board of Trustees were installed during a special prayer and dedication service held during the Holy Divine Liturgy. A new Board of Trustees had been elected at our Annual General Membership Meeting held on Sunday, March 3, 2024. Newly elected Trustees were Greg Afarian and Vartkes Hovsepian, both of whom have served in the capacity of Trustee in the past.
     Upon approval of the elections by the Prelacy's Executive Council, the new Board of Trustees set to work on its agenda for the upcoming year. In the ensuing time, Der Hayr and the Board received a letter of resignation from John Arzigian, explaining that he had made the decision to relocate to Florida full time and would no longer be able to serve on the Board. Sossy Jeknavorian, elected Alternate Trustee at the March Membership Meeting, was called up to serve on the Board. We would like to thank John Arzigian for his dedicated service as a Board member and wish him all the best in his future plans.
     In early May, shortly after approval, the Board of Trustees elected the following as its Executive Officers:
Joe Almasian - Chair
Greg Afarian - Vice Chair
Dn. John Saryan - Corresponding Secretary
Christine Kourkounian - Recording Secretary
Diran Balekian - Treasurer

​    The Men’s Club of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church held their final monthly dinner/meeting of the season in Jaffarian Hall, Tuesday evening, May 14. The theme for the evening was a Mexican Dinner with tacos and Mexican appetizers. Thanks go to Mgo Kassabian and Jamie Corriveau for taking the lead in the kitchen preparing the meal and thanks to Jon Makris for bringing in the appetizers.

Upcoming events for the Men’s Club are as follows.
   Our annual Cigar Night and Mercedes raffle is being held on Thursday, June 13 at the Tuscan Kitchen in Burlington. This event is open to anyone who wishes to participate*.
    Refer to the flyers in this bulletin for complete details of both events.
Our annual barbeque is being held on Tuesday, July 9 at Sarkisian Farms. All men
from the Merrimack Valley and beyond are invited to attend. Complete details to
follow.
    Men’s Club dinner/meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and all men of the community and beyond are welcomed to join us. There is no membership fee. Just pay $20.00 for a great meal, which includes beverages, and enjoy the camaraderie of your friends.

     Contact Armen Jeknavorian at 978-265-9479 or [email protected] for more information.

Men's Club Executive

​*Please note, as of the date of publication, this is event is sold out.

,    On Sunday, April 28, clergy and parishioners from four Merrimack Valley area Armenian Churches (Sts. Vartanantz in Chelmsford, St. Gregory in North Andover, Ararat Armenian Congregational in Salem & Armenian Apostolic Church at Hye Pointe in Haverhill) gathered together for the annual commemoration of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide and the 109th anniversary observance of the beginning of this tragic event in the history of the Armenian people. The event was organized by the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of Merrimack Valley.
    The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Vart Gyozalyan, pastor of the Hye Pointe Church. Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, pastor of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church, delivered the sermon. The Holy Altar was served by deacons, sub-deacons and altar servers from the various churches. The choir was made up of choir members from each respective church. A procession brought the entire crowd outside to the church's Khachkar Martyrs' Monument, where intercessory prayers were offered to God through the Holy Martyr Saints.
    Following the liturgical services, a luncheon was offered in the church's Ermonian Hall, followed by a commemorative program. Rev. Fr. Khachatur Kesablyan, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church, offered the keynote address, highlighting the loss of historical Armenian religious properties such as churches and monasteries in historical Western Armenia during the Genocide and in its aftermath, as well as the loss of such properties more recently in occupied Artsakh.
    During the artistic portion of the program, many talented youth, representing each church, displayed their talents through performances of music, dance and poetry.  The events of the day concluded with encouraging words and a benediction by Rev. Janely Pierre, pastor of Ararat Armenian Congregational Church.

  ​       On Sunday, April 14, parishioners of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church in North Andover, Massachusetts, gathered to honor the late Very Rev. Yeghishe Manjikian on the occasion of the 40th day of his passing. Fr. Yeghishe served in the Eastern Prelacy during the years 1997-2003, the last three of which he spent as pastor of Saint Gregory Church.
    Following the solemn Requiem service in the church sanctuary, everyone gathered in Jaffarian Hall for a memorial tribute in his memory. The church’s pastor, Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, relayed the condolences and blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate, who, due to prior commitments, could not be there to preside in person.
    Der Hayr acknowledged that, due to the amount of time that had passed since Hayr Soorp served as pastor of the church, that most people in attendance were either too young or too new to the parish to have known him. He also mentioned that gathering together to memorialize one of the church’s former pastors was an important step in honoring/preserving the history and legacy of the church community, and although in its short history of 53 years, there have been seven priests who have served as pastor, only three of those priests – including himself – remain alive today.
    He then read the biography of Fr. Manjikian, highlighting his early life, his entry into the Seminary of the Catholicosate of Cilicia and subsequent ordination as a member of the monastic brotherhood, his many stints in pastoral and administrative roles in various dioceses and his prolific output in the area of Armenian history and literary scholarship.
    Offering his own personal reflection, Der Stephan remembered him as a very scholarly man who also had a great sense of humor. He revealed that he remembered enjoying his classes, especially his Classical Armenian class, at the St. Gregory of Datev Institute during the years prior to his leaving for Antelias to pursue his studies for the priesthood.
      Dn. James Haddad, who was also among the parishioners gathered, also reflected on how Hayr Yeghishe had been his Classical Armenian teacher during his time at the Seminary later in that same decade.
     Deacon Avedis Garavanian also made a heartfelt tribute to the late Hayr Yeghishe, remembering his stern demeanor when it came to church knowledge, and also his keen intellect and warm sense of humor. “We could always count on him to teach us the right thing to do on the altar,” Dn. Avedis said, “whether it was the proper place to stand, the correct pronunciation or reading or the proper way to sing the chants of the Liturgy. He was a very supportive priest to the altar servers.”
    Deacon Dr. John Saryan remembered how his vast knowledge of Armenian history, language and culture was akin to that of his late parents, Sarkis and Arminé Saryan. He recalled how Hayr Soorp’s presence and pastoral care was a blessing to him and his family when Mr. Saryan passed away in late 2001.
     
    Hayr Yeghishe entered into his eternal repose on February 21 and was laid to rest at the Holy See in Antelias.

    Կիրակի, 14 Ապրիլին, յաւարտ Ս. Պատարագի, Ս. Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ եկեղեցւոյ (Նորթ Անտովըր, Մէսէչուսէթս) ծխականները ոգեկոչեցին հանգուցեալ Գերպ. Տ. Եղիշէ Ծ. Վրդ. Մանճիկեանը, վախճանման քառասունքին առիթով։ Անցեալ 21 Փետրուարին մահացած Հայր Եղիշէն 1997-2003ին ծառայած էր Թեմիս մէջ, իսկ 2000-2003ին վարած էր Ս. Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ եկեղեցւոյ հոգեւոր հովուութեան պաշտօնը։
    Հոգեհանգստեան պաշտօնէն ետք, ներկաները հաւաքուեցան «Ճաֆարեան« սրահին մէջ։ Հոգեւոր հովիւ՝ Արժպ. Տ. Ստեփան Քհն. Պալճեան, ներկաներուն հաղորդեց Թեմիս բարեջան Առաջնորդ՝ Անուշաւան Արքեպիկոպոսի ցաւակցութեան եւ օրհնութեան խօսքը։ Այլ պարտականութիւններու պատճառով, Առաջնորդ Սրբազան Հայրը չէր կրցած անձամբ ներկայ ըլլալ եւ նախագահել հանդիսութեան։
    Տէր Հայրը նշեց, թէ ներկաներուն մեծամասնութիւնը շատ երիտասարդ էր կամ ծուխին նորանդամակցած՝ Հայր Եղիշէն ճանչցած ըլլալու համար։ Նախկին հովիւներէն մէկուն այս ոգեկոչումը կարեւոր քայլ մըն էր պահպանելու համար ծուխի պատմութիւնը, որ իր 53-ամեայ պատմութեան մէջ եօթը հովիւներ ունեցած է։ Այնուհետեւ կարդաց Հայր Եղիշէի կենսագրականը եւ յիշեց զինք իբրեւ հմուտ եւ նոյն ատեն զուարթախոհ անձնաւորութիւն մը, որուն գրաբարի դասերը վայելած էր «Ս. Գրիգոր Տաթեւացի» լսարանին մէջ, նախ քան Անթիլիաս մեկնումը քահանայական դասերուն հետեւելու համար։
    Յակոբ Սրկ. Հատտատ նաեւ վերյիշեց Հայր Եղիշէի գրաբար դասերը Անթիլիասի մայրավանքին մէջ նոյն տասնամեակին։ Աւետիս Սրկ. Կառաւանեան եւ տոքթ. Ճոն Սրկ. Սարեան իրենց սրտալից տուրքը մատուցեցին հանգուցեալ վարդապետի յիշատակին։

Թարգմանեց՝ Դոկտ. Վարդան Մատթէոսեան

      ​St. Gregory Men’s Club held its monthly dinner/meeting on Tuesday, April 9 in
Jaffarian Hall. The meal consisted of a Lebanese Falafel dinner prepared by Zareh
Bulbulian followed by dessert called Sfouf prepared by Zareh’s wife Mireille. Jon
Makris brought in homemade appetizers prepared by his wife Becky.
      Discussed was the Orphan Program. Throughout the years the Men’s Club has
been sponsoring many orphans in Armenia and presently we are sponsoring
three. They are Atom and Arsen Hovhannisian whose ages are 4 and 8 respectively
and Mariam Abrahamian who is 13 years old. Sadly, Atom and Arsen’s father was
killed in 2020 in the Artsakh war and Mariam’s father was a martyr in 2016.
At the end of the meeting, a special birthday tribute was paid to Raffi, Zareh’s
youngest son.
       The May Men’s Club Dinner/Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 14 and the
dinner theme will be Mexican which will be prepared by our chefs Jamie Corriveau and Jim Apovian.

​
Upcoming Men’s Club events:

June 13: Mercedes Super Raffle and Cigar Night dinner which will be held at the
Tuscan Kitchen, Burlington, MA. That event will replace our regularly scheduled
meeting for June.

July 9: The Men’s Club barbeque, held at Sarkisian Farms in Andover, will be our final event before the summer break. Open to all men in the Merrimack Valley and beyond.

Story by Richard Shahtanian
     It’s hard to miss Armena Bizios on a Sunday morning. She is usually the first parishioner to enter the sanctuary, always entering on the right side, and always taking the same seat in the pews. Armena is a deeply religious woman who attributes her long healthy life of 94 years to the following pillars: her strong Christian faith, love for her family, and over a half century of unwavering dedication and service to Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley.
     In 1958, Armena married a nice young man from Haverhill named Hector “Middy” Bizios. Middy was raised in a Haverhill Greek Orthodox church and Armena in a Haverhill Armenian Apostolic church. They grew up in the same Haverhill neighborhood near Lafayette Square which was predominately made up of French, Armenian and Greek ethnicities. Back in those days, it was expected that she would marry an Armenian. But Armena and Middy’s love for each other made it acceptable (somewhat) to go against the grain and tradition. Nevertheless, they still had to have two wedding ceremonies: one at the Greek church and one at the Armenian church.
​      They agreed to raise their family in Haverhill but were still undecided whether to raise their children in the Armenian or Greek church until a special evening changed their lives forever. Sometime in 1971, St. Gregory was hosting a fundraising/social event and Armena and Middy attended thanks to invitations from a family friend of Armena named Arev Kasparian and a friend of Middy’s from the Rockingham Racetrack named Richard “Dick” Shahtanian. Upon entering the church hall that evening, Dick hollered and waved for Middy from across the hall to come over and meet a bunch of the guys. It was there that Dick introduced Middy to a few of the St. Gregory stalwarts, specifically Michael Boloian, Sarkis Sarkisian, Jim Apovian, Greg Johnson, and Ara Shrestinian, all of whom would eventually become Middy’s lifelong friends. Middy and Armena had such a wonderful time that evening that they decided that night St. Gregory Church would be the place to call their family’s “spiritual home.”
    In the early years, as their children Charla and John attended Armenian and Sunday School, Armena and Middy became very active and supporting members of St. Gregory Church. As time passed and their kids began their adult lives (Charla became a successful attorney and is now an employment law consultant and John now works in the dental equipment industry), Armena and Middy continued serving on the Board of Trustees, Ladies Guild, ARS, Avak, Men’s Club, Food Fairs, and all the other organizations that still make our church operational today.
    In addition, Charla also recalls how her father and David Brundage were instrumental in starting the Men’s Club Scholarship Fund for St. Gregory students. However, it wasn’t until sometime around 1991 when their lives took a significant turn. Middy was approaching retirement at the former Bradlees Department Stores as a manager and Armena in typical fashion was working alongside him as a part-time department clerk and secretary also at Bradlees, when they agreed to chair the weekly St. Gregory Bingo games each and every Wednesday night which at that time was the church’s largest fundraiser.
​     Having a successful Bingo operation, which St. Gregory Church did for nearly 30 years, required significant parishioner participation to prepare and serve refreshments, sell tickets, call numbers, prepare and generate the required lottery paperwork, as well as setting up and cleaning the church hall and downstairs designated areas. Armena recalls having to leave their home around 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons and not returning home until well after 11 p.m. It was a true labor of love for both of them and they really enjoyed working alongside other parishioners who they called their best friends as well as talking with the bingo players, many of whom loyally attended every week.
     After Middy passed away in 2002, Armena didn’t slow down as she continued serving her church in the many capacities as she had in the past as well as attending Bible study on a regular basis. In addition, soon thereafter she volunteered to serve on the newly formed Building Committee and rarely missed a meeting, as the same can be said for everything else she participated in.
    In fact, Ann Apovian is amazed at her close friend’s dedication and resiliency: “Armena serves as an example for all of us. Her deep faith, love of God, and commitment to St. Gregory Church is second to none. For years she has worked hard in our kitchen, managed the “Country Kitchen” at our bazaars for at least 35 years, and she never complained… not once. I can’t remember her ever missing a picnic, bazaar or any other event. She brings that same work ethic to everything else she does for our church. She is simply an amazing person!”
     Often times there are only a few parishioners in the sanctuary at the very start of Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. One person our parish priest, Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian, can always count on seeing at 10:00 a.m. sharp is Armena Bizios. Der Stephan remarks: “Armena is in every aspect a staple of our church community. She has always been reliable for all these decades. She brings a spirit of pride and dedication to everything she does for our church, including simply attending on Sundays and rolling up her sleeves to work on countless events and projects. On the rare occasion she is absent from Sunday services or a church function, its doesn't quite feel the same without her there.”
     Armena continues keeping her body and mind in great shape. She prays at various times throughout the day and stays physically active and independent. She still enjoys golfing and participating in many other activities.
​     Armena’s memories of the last 50 plus years at St. Gregory Church are filled with endless joy and happiness. “St. Gregory was the foundation of our lives and that remains true for me today. We made lifelong friends through our church and our social life always centered around St. Gregory Church. When Middy passed away, I don’t know what I would have done without my church girls and all their love and support,” said Armena.
    Today, she prays that the younger generations can also find that same closeness and spiritual connection to St. Gregory Church as she and her generation experienced.

     ​“And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.” Mark 16:2-8
    The women who came early to the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday morning to anoint the Lord’s body with myrrh were faced with a few great challenges. The first was that since Jesus was crucified the day before the Sabbath (Saturday), the day on which according to the Jewish Law they were not allowed to do any work, they would be delayed until the next day for completing their task. The second was that, due to the circumstances surrounding the Lord’s trial and execution, their actions were probably under a watchful eye and visiting the tomb was most likely a dangerous action. At any rate, guards had been placed at the tomb, and who knows what orders they were under for dealing with anyone trying to gain access? Lastly, even if they were able to safely make it to the tomb undetected (albeit a day late) and to get past the guards, they still faced one last challenge: the large, heavy stone that had been secured at the entrance of the tomb.
     This was the obstacle that seemed to preoccupy them the most. “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” Indeed, it seemed to preoccupy them so much that as they nervously discussed the issue en route to the tomb, they became unaware their surroundings. Notice how they had to “look up” in order to actually notice that the stone had been rolled away? All the while they had been pondering about how they would get that stone away from the entrance to the tomb… how they would make the impossible possible. Yet, when they arrived at the tomb they saw that the stone had already been moved away for them. What a miracle! The impossible had been made possible by a power greater than their own – God’s power! Now I am sure they were amazed by what happened next: seeing the angel in the tomb and hearing the news that Christ was not in the tomb, but had indeed risen from the dead. However, the first emotion they experienced must have been relief that that stone wasn’t there. Now, that may have been for just a moment, as they may have soon after started to become alarmed as to why the stone had been moved. Was there something amiss? Had something happened to the Lord’s body? But nevertheless, even if it was only for a split second, I like to think that that first feeling in their heart was one of relief and gratefulness that the main obstacle they had worried about getting around had already been removed for them.
      Similarly to the women who needed to get to close to Jesus but faced an obstacle, sometimes there are obstacles to our getting close to God as well, and we feel that these obstacles are just too great for us to be able to get around. We want to go to him, to be in his presence, to be in his good graces, but there may be some sin or sinful habit, a reluctance or rebelliousness, or we have some kind of pain or anger that we are holding on to, which keeps us from being able to fully let go and come close to him in our hearts.
     What we need to understand, unlike the myrrh-bearing women of that first Easter Sunday, is that God knows our situation… he knows our needs and our necessities, more so than even realize! We often expect a lesson in problem solving, when what we really get is a lesson in having faith in God’s grace and trusting in his will.
     There is a story of a man who once fell off a cliff in the dark and on the way down grasped a branch and hung on for dear life. Exasperated at what had just happened, hanging there precariously in the dark, he realized he had to cling to that branch for dear life or else it meant certain doom for him. Weakening, he finally cried out to heaven, “Please, help me!” Then he heard the voice of God say, “Let go!”
    “But if I let go, I’ll surely die,” the man replied. But “Let go!” was the response that he heard. When finally he could hold on no longer, he did let go, knowing it was the horrible end. To his great surprise, the ground was only a foot below him!
     Only when we put our trust in God can we be freed from our worries and start to feel his power in our lives. Like he mercifully raised the very earth itself to meet that man, or rolled away the big stoned that stood as an obstacle in between the Holy Myrrh-bearers and Jesus’s body, our Lord will also come to us, bend to us, move mountains for us, when we need him to. He will find the solution. He will make things possible when they seem possible. We only have to seek out his will for our lives, much like the women sought out the body of their Lord and the man from the story sought out emergency aid from God in heaven.
      But the greatest obstacle God shows that he has removed today is the obstacle of death, and particularly spiritual death, which is the kind of eternal death that goes beyond the natural of the death of the physical body, which awaits every single human being. Spiritual death is the death that comes from being cut off from the divine presence of God completely. Jesus himself said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
     We will all die a bodily death someday, but what we must try to avoid is the eternal death of our spirits. It’s like the stone rolled in front of the tomb… how do we avoid it? What can we do about it? How will ever be able to move it so we can get around it??   Thanks be to God that today the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ rolls that proverbial stone away and restores our relationship with God, our heavenly Father. The introit for today’s liturgy reads, “He trampled over death by his death, and by his resurrection granted us life.”
      Jesus’s death and resurrection is the “who will roll away the stone?” moment for us. We don’t know how or why, but he made the impossible possible for us. He made sinners like us, who stand convicted of sin and disobedience before the Almighty Judge, righteous and sinless before him. Not because we moved the stone ourselves, not because we figured out a way to save ourselves from the peril of the threatening abyss… but because he, through his steadfast love, saved us and invited us to inherit his eternal kingdom.
     Paul the Apostle, in his letter to the Romans, sums it up this way, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.” (Romans 5:6-9)
We have been justified through his blood. We have been saved through him… He has rolled the stone blocking our path to God away. Today, let us now wonder about how we will bring about all these things. Let us instead contemplate how God gives us what we need and makes the things that need to happen for us happen.
    Dearly beloved brothers and sisters, on this beautiful Easter Sunday morning, the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty! Through the resurrected and glorified Jesus Christ, God is now closer to you, to me and to us than ever before! No more obstacles. No more worries. Believe in him, trust in him!

Prayerfully,
Fr. Stephan Baljian, Pastor
Holy Pascha - Holy Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ
March 31, 2024

       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. 

    ​When it comes to the narratives of Jesus’s birth and baptism, there are many aspects of both stories to explore and further contemplate. As priests, we try to approach each year’s Christmas message from a different one of these aspects. This is so that it doesn’t sound too much like the same message every year.
      There are a lot of elements to the story, so there is a lot with which to engage. This year, the element that got me thinking the most was the story of the wise men who came from the east seeking the newborn Christ child around the time he was born.
     In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2 (which we read during the Christmas Eve Badarak), we read the following:
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.
When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea…Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. (Matthew 2:1-12, NRSV)

There are a few things that stand out to me from this part of the story and I wanted to share them with your on this beautiful Christmas morning.

1. The wise men were actually known as “magi,” or “մոգ” in Armenian. A “magus” was an astrologer, sorcerer or magician of ancient times. This is where we get the word “magic” from and it’s kind of where we get the modern idea of a magician from – someone who can understand and manipulate the elements and make extraordinary things happen from the ordinary. Traditionally, they are depicted as a group of three, although the biblical narrative does not specify exactly how many they were. There could have been five or there could have been five thousand. The reason they are traditionally depicted as three, however, is because the Bible does record the three gifts that they brought to the newborn Christ – gold, myrrh and frankincense. One of my favorite Gary Larson comics is the one that depicts a fourth wise man walking away from Jesus’s house with a disappointed look on his face, over the caption, “Unbeknownst to most theologians, there was a fourth wise man, who was turned away for bringing a fruitcake.”
2. So, who were these magi – these magicians, these astrologers, these wise men – that came from distant lands in the east? What business did they have coming to Judea? They are often referred to or depicted as kings. Whether or not this meant they were rulers of kingdoms in the traditional sense, or simply that they were men of great means (no doubt brought about by their immense knowledge) who lived like kings or were respected like kings, we cannot be sure. It seems, however, clear that they were men with some kind of power and means at their disposal. They were able to spend most of their time studying oracles and prophecies of foreign religions in far-flung lands. They were able to devote themselves to the long, drawn out, painstaking study of stars and constellations. They were able to take a leave of absence from their day jobs and make an incredibly long journey to check out this latest prophecy in person. Lastly, they were able to bring some of the most precious commodities of the time – a metal like gold and spices like myrrh and frankincense. These were precious and expensive elements at the time, but they were able to make their journey with them in tow.
3. Most importantly, however, is the almost incredible way they “got it right” when it came to finding “the real deal” in saviors of the world. At the time, there were many people in many religions around the world that were prophesying and proclaiming one Messiah or another, one manifestation of the divine here or there. The wise men were like the venture capitalists of big religious events. They kept tabs on the market of religions around the world, and when they saw something that seemed like a genuine “real deal” they went for it. And the way they went after it! These men of incredible intellectual and financial wealth saw their task as something almost scientific. The methodology they used in garnering the necessary information, the way they were able to cross reference it with their database of knowledge and the precision with which they were able to narrow down the time and place of the defining moment of entire history – the birth and revelation of divine savior of the world – is nothing short of breathtaking. These were indeed the great scientists of their day and the apex of their scientific knowledge led them to follow a star to find a tiny newborn thousands of miles away. The NRSV version of the text waters it down a little bit, using the phrase “pay him homage.” But we should make no mistake: they sought him out in order to worship him. The Armenian word used, which is երկիրպագանել (“to bow down/worship”) makes that abundantly clear. The scripture tells that they were “overwhelmed with joy” when the star they were following stopped over Jesus’s house. That doesn’t sound like the mere adventure seeker to me. They did not go on a fact finding mission, or out of curiosity or simply as observers to what they thought might be an important event to a foreign people in a particular land. No… they went to fall down before him and worship him as the newborn king and savior of the world and to offer him gifts out of their abundance. Contrast this with the scientific movement of the modern day, which has led most in the scientific fields to skepticism about the divine, or in many cases avowed atheism. It’s sad to think that if all the stars were to have lined up for this great event to take place in our modern age, anyone who would have gone to the great lengths that the wise men did would be ridiculed as fools, rather than revered and labeled as wise men.

But for us, that is neither here or there. What’s important to us is the question “what can we learn from the wise men today?”

1. Like the wise men sought out the newborn Christ, to seek out Jesus Christ in our life is what it truly means to be wise.
2. Like the wise men used their remarkable knowledge to find God and his glory, to use our knowledge for the glory of God is the most blessed way to live.
3. Like the wise men travelled great lengths to reach the Lord, we should go to great lengths to find God in our lives – because the results won’t let us down.
4. The scripture says that when the star they were following stopped over the house where Jesus was, they were “overwhelmed with joy.” Our Lord Jesus Christ can become our joy in life as well.
5. Lastly, like the wise men, when they found Jesus Christ our Lord, they fell down in worship and gave him gifts, we, too, can give him the gift of our heart and our mind and our soul.

    Dearly beloved, it’s the fools of the world that do not seek after our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Psalmist says, “The fool says in his heart ‘there is no God.’” (Psalm 54:1)
The wise men from the Gospel were no fools… they 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.
   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. Amen.

Prayerfully,
Fr. Stephan Baljian, Pastor
​Holy Nativity & Theophany 2024

​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. 

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.

​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.

​      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.

​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.

​    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

     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.​

     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

Reverend 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

by 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.