NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.-- Archbishop Oshagan was on hand at Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley on Sunday, May 21. His Eminence the Archbishop, Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern United States, traveled from New York to preside over the parish's 47th Anniversary Celebrations and to dedicate a new library in memory of parishioner extraordinaire and friend of the Armenian community, the late Tom Vartabedian, whose untimely passing last November was a cause of great sorrow and reflection for the entire community.
        Unstable weather, particularly a passing snowstorm that it seemed specifically targeted his travel plans, prevented Srpazan Hayr from travelling to North Andover on February 12 of this year, and despite his busy travel schedule and the long week he and Der Stephan Baljian (pastor of Saint Gregory Church) had just endured at the National Representative Assembly in Illinois, he was gracious enough to adjust his travel schedule in order to be with his flock on this joyous occasion.
          Srpazan Hayr celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon. During his fatherly message, he emphasized the words of Jesus Christ taken from the Gospel reading of the day (from John, Chapter 10), "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep... Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture." "Perhaps we can take a lesson from the ranchers of the old American West, or the shepherds from ancient times," he said, "but just as the cowboys or the shepherds would carefully round up and herd their livestock into the pen or stable -- even sometimes leaving the others to go in search of the lost sheep or steer -- in the same way our loving, heavenly Father, gathers us together into the safety of His Church, and the very gate by which we enter is Jesus himself." He encouraged the faithful to remain in the safety of God's sheepfold, where they might truly find green pastures and the spiritual nourishment human beings so desperately seek throughout their lives.
        Following the Divine Liturgy and Requiem service for the deceased Pastors, Deacons, Godfathers, Benefactors, Trustees and N.R.A. delegates, Srpazan Hayr descended the Holy Altar and took his seat in the nave of the church. Der Stephan, in the meantime, made a brief presentation outlining the new youth library, conceived by and almost brought to completion by the late Tom Vartabedian in cooperation with the students and staff of Saint Gregory's joint Sunday/Armenian School.
         As part of the observance of 2016's "Year of Service," the idea to have a working library geared toward the youth of the parish and placed at it's disposal sprang out of a Sunday School wide "Forum on Service" conducted in February of 2016. Tom immediately formed a Student Service Committee from among the older Sunday School students and got to work. While everyone involved has some notion that the library, once brought to completion, would eventually be named by him, in the wake of Mr. Vartabedian's illness and subsequent death, everyone involved at every level agreed that it would be fitting to name it the "Thomas M. Vartabedian Library" and dedicate it in his memory. The library, currently housed in one of the Sunday School's classrooms, will contain religious, cultural and literary books in both Armenian and English, geared toward the youth. It is already off to a modest start, thanks to generous donations by Archbishop Oshagan, Mr. Gregory Arabian and many others, and its capacity will also be greatly expandable in the future. During his remarks Der Stephan unveiled the new plaque that will hang in the library. 
                Following this, the Sunday School commencement ceremony began. The students, under the direction of Principal Sossy Jeknavorian and their teachers, had a chance to share prayers, recitations and insightful reflections about the faith, theology, morality and liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Srpazan Hayr presented the yearly promotion certificates to all of the students. This year's three graduating students, Armen Almasian, Armen Hovsepian and Michael Mahlebjian also had a chance to address the parishioners, their parents and their fellow Sunday School students. In his closing remarks, the Prelate commended the students and congratulated the graduates, encouraging them to remain in the faith they were brought up on and reminding them that their service to our Lord's Church has just begun. He stated that in almost twenty years as Prelate, this was the first time he was presiding over a Sunday School commencement. He praised the parents and teaching staff and stated his satisfaction with the progress the children and community had made.

         While parishioners gradually made their way to Jaffarian Hall for the Anniversary banquet, Srpazan Hayr and Der Hayr joined the school children and the Vartabedian Family downstairs in the Vartabedian Library. After some explanatory remarks by Der Hayr, a short dedication service was offered, after which the Prelate once again offered his congratulations as well as his condolences to the Vartabedian family.
          Once in Jaffarian Hall, the 47th Anniversary banquet commenced with a capacity crowd of almost 140 people. Board of Trustees Chairman, Greg Afarian, who also served as Master of Ceremonies for the day, offered some opening remarks. After welcoming Srpazan Hayr to the community, he highlighted some of the achievements and setbacks of the parish over the last year. He also invited Nancy Vartabedian, widow of Tom Vartabedian, along with her two sons Ara and Raffi, daughter Sonya and son-in-law Pat Sico up to say a few words and light the candle on the annual anniversary cake. Seizing upon the opportunity, Der Stephan informed the crowd in just two short weeks, Archbishop Oshagan would celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood... a spontaneous rendition of "Happy Anniversary" broke out followed by cheers, applause and good wishes for Srpazan Hayr.
          Following dinner, the Armenian School hantes began, which consisted of songs dances, poems and recitations performed by Saint Gregory Armenian School students.

    The Annual General Membership Meeting of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley convened on March 5, 2017, on the Second Sunday of Great Lent.      
       We would like to congratulate Kelly Janian, Susan Parigian, and Sylvia Mahlebjian who were elected to serve on the Board of Trustees. Greg Afarian was re-elected to a second term. Sharke' Der Apkarian was elected as delegate to the National Representative Assembly, and she represented our parish at the 2017 National Representative Assembly that took place in Glenview, Illinois, May 18-20.
      Our heartfelt thanks go to outgoing Trustees Richard Shahtanian, Joe Almasian & Melanie Tokatlian for their years of faithful service to our church on the Board of Trustees.
    Following approval of the minutes and reports of the General Meeting by the Prelacy's Executive Council, the new Board of Trustees met on May 1, 2017 and elected it's new Executive (Tivan) as follows:
 
Greg Afarian, Chair
Rob Kochakian, Vice Chair
Armen Kourkounian, Recording Secretary
Kelly Janian, Corresponding Secretary
Susan Parigian, Treasurer
 
       We congratulate the new elected Executive of our Board of Trustees & NRA Delegate and wish our entire congregation many blessings and successful undertakings throughout the coming year.
​

Parishioner Harold Paragamian was honored in The Valley Patriot. Click here to go to the article (Link: http://valleypatriot.com/valley-patriot-of-the-month-hero-in-our-midst-harold-paragamian-wwii/).

By Sossi Essajanian 
 
NEW YORK, NY—In his yearly message, Catholicos Aram I announced 2017 as the Year of Renewal, highlighting renewal as one of the goals of the Bible and a foundational idea in the church’s mission. He also poses both a Christian and national view on the topic, turning to the youth as key players in this renewal. The Catholicos notes, “The standard-bearers of this very important task of renewal must be the Armenian youth, because they are intimately knowledgeable of the current conditions, concerns, and challenges of the world. And, therefore, they feel the actual need for renewal and they can also bring important help to the collective effort of renewal with their expertise and new ideas.” The Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church recently focused their efforts on these words, creating new structures and platforms through which the youth can engage.
     At the 2016 National Representative Assembly delegates passed a resolution initiating the creation of a new Youth Ministry Coordinator. Aimed at engaging youth to be active parish members, the new coordinator will be working toward establishing youth ministers within each parish and coordinating with other church and community leaders to address the needs of the youth. Efforts will be aimed toward maximizing opportunities so that the ministry grows in participants, Armenian Apostolic Church faith, and spiritual leadership within each parish.
     With the task and parameters set, the Prelacy began a search for a candidate to fulfill this mission. They found the motivation and qualities needed in Annie Ovanessian. In a recent interview, she shared what excites her about the position. “As Armenian Christians we all have been blessed with having a legacy of faith and perseverance from which we continue to benefit,” she says. For Ovanessian, those who served faithfully in the church are living examples of being Christian and particularly Armenian Christians. From these foundations, she says, “I am excited to lay the next stones down to help honor the efforts of all those that came before me and hopefully help ensure that by doing so the legacy not only lasts but thrives in the generations to come.” Her new role will allow her the opportunity to do just that by working with others to plan and carry out ministry by, with, and for the youth in programs that include worship, study, fellowship, service and retreats.
     Archbishop Oshagan, the Prelate, warmly welcomed the new initiative and Ovanessian who will lead the effort to establish youth ministers in Prelacy parishes. “We envision this to be, at the least, a four-year plan to serve Christian education for the youth,” the Prelate says and then adds, “When we say ‘youth’ it is not necessarily just a matter of age. It could include anyone who does not know about Christianity and the faith and history of the Armenian Church.”
     Ovanessian’s inspiration for working as a youth minister comes from her personal faith journey as a young middle school student growing up in New Jersey. She notes that it was in her Sts. Vartanantz Sunday School class where she explored what faith meant to her personally. Her teachers, she notes, “…helped guide me to want to learn more about the Armenian Apostolic Church and how I could take ownership of the faith it professed.” Thus, the church and community played a vital role in her life growing up and being a young adult, says Ovanessian. She later went on to teach Sunday School to middle and high school students. Her passion took her all the way to graduating from the Nareg Saturday School, Siamanto Academy, and St. Gregory of Datev Summer Institute and later becoming an advisory board member of the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC). As an engaged youth herself, Ovanessian hopes to inspire youth ministers to “…model what it means to be followers of Christ in the context of our faith expression.” It is her hope that youth ministers will encourage youth to engage with their faith, church, and community.
     Engaged youth bring renewed energy and inspiration to the life of the church. Ovanessian sees engaged youth as contributing willingly and whole-headedly. She notes, “Youth within our church will participate and collaborate most effectively when we provide opportunities for them to explore how the church, its doctrine and teachings pertain to their daily lives; that our faith is a way of life not just something we do once a week.” Youth ministers, Ovanessian says, are in a prime position to inspire others. Her hope for youth ministers revolves the satisfaction of “…empowering adolescents in our churches to grow in the knowledge of what it means to be followers of Christ through the expression of the Armenian Apostolic Church tradition.” Youth ministers, says Ovanessian, bring a special kind of service, one in which they can “…help shape lives and the further success of our churches.” These are some of the qualities of youth that Ovanessian says inspires her to work with them as youth ministers. For her, the youth contribute a unique outlook, one characterized by “energy, drive and unencumbered perspective….” Through mentoring and guidance, Ovanessian notes, one can inspire innovative thinking in the youth.
     Her work with the youth will also connect to other Prelacy departments. Specifically, Ovanessian is enthusiastic to work with the director of AREC, Deacon Shant Kazanjian, and collaborate to support initiatives. This will also give her the opportunity to understand the early religious development of children, as the target group for the youth ministry will be middle and high school students. Ovanessian hopes that as the program grows, “… we may want to expand the ministry to include college age young adults as well.” Her background in sociology primed her for this role in understanding social structures. She notes that for her, “Sociology provided the language and explanations for so many of the informal observations I had made as a young adult in regards to culture and why certain peoples do what they do.” Her later work in sales and customer service for Fortune 500 and direct sales companies also provided platforms and models for communication that Ovanessian can utilize in her new role.
     As Ovanessian embraces her new role in the Prelacy, she strives to provide to her three children the kind of family and community experience she had. She and her husband Simon make space in their “on the move” lives to take the children to Nareg Saturday Armenian School in New Jersey. On Sundays, her husband serves as a deacon while she co-teaches the 9th and 10th grade Sunday School class. The Ovanessian children attend Sunday School, serve on the altar, and participate in junior choir and other youth-related activities at their parish, St. Gregory the Enlightener Church in White Plains, New York. The fact that they live in Brookfield, Connecticut, does not stop the Ovanessians from making sure they and their children have the opportunity to foster a strong relation with their faith and the Armenian Church.
     As the Year of Renewal continues, Ovanessian feels prepared to begin building bridges between the concerns, hopes, and needs of the youth and the congregation and community. She will work to help the youth explore an understanding of God’s call for all Armenian Apostolic Christians while empowering them to be active members of their church and community. This will prepare the youth to answer Catholicos Aram’s call for them to be leaders of this renewal.

Victory in Christ
“But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57, KJV)

        Something that I realize many of you do not know about me is that I am a musician by training. Believe it or not, there was a time in my life where my whole world was classical music, listening to it, performing it, even composing it. Yes, at one time my name was almost synonymous with music, and anyone who knew me would be hard pressed to be able to imagine one without the other.
        Obviously, for my life’s work I chose a different path, led by God’s calling. I do not regret that choice at all. However, over the years, somewhere in between the clergy seminars, committee meetings, office work, sermon preparation and visitation schedules, what was once a presumptive career pursuit of mine has gradually taken a back seat to the rest of my clerical responsibilities and has become an avid – albeit passionate – but nonetheless amateur hobby.
        From my formative years as a music lover, I amassed a large collection of sheet music – all the greatest classical works from masters like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Wagner. Whether scored for piano, orchestra, voice or any instruments you can think of, I am in possession of dozens of such musical scores, which I like to pull out and study – in alphabetical order by composer or publisher – when I finally get a little time to myself. If there is a great classical masterwork to be had, you can bet I have it.
        Well, it just so happened that at the beginning of last week I had arrived at a perennial favorite sitting on the shelf in my dedicated musical bookcase. It was the oratorio “Messiah” by George Frederick Handel. One of the best-known, most beloved musical works in all western literature, Messiah, which takes as its subject Jesus Christ, the prophecy of his incarnation, the saving work he accomplished on earth and the promise of his second coming and the Kingdom of God with him, occupies a special place in the hearts of countless music lovers and people of faith throughout the whole world down through the generations. In my experience, even those who are relatively musically unversed will have had some exposure to or familiarity with Handel’s Messiah, either as a whole or at the very least, its most famous section, the Hallelujah Chorus. When you think of it, really, there is probably scarcely a person alive who is not familiar with that infamous four-note theme at its opening!
        And so there I found myself one night last week, curled up with my trusty full score of Handel’s Messiah, listening and following along with one of my favorite pieces of music.
        As I listened to Part III of the oratorio, I marveled at how Handel (with the help of librettist Charles Jennens) magnificently captured the wonder and amazement of Christ’s resurrection and the hope of all mankind to one day be raised with him in glory and immortality. His text is drawn from the 15th chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians; he goes through all the important lines and concepts: Christ is risen from the dead (verse 20), death through Adam and life through Christ (verse 22), the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised (verse52), death and the grave have no victory over us (verse 55) and, finally, the victory we have over death through Jesus Christ (verse 57).
        Sadly, this is not a very popular selection, comparatively speaking, as some of the more well-known ones, and is often omitted in performance (during my career as a choral singer I had the privilege of singing “Messiah” twice and never once got to sing this particular section).  Yet, as I was listening to the penultimate chorus with the singers repeating the words “But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” it suddenly dawned on me that what I was listening to was the central message of Christ’s resurrection: God gave Jesus victory over death so that we too would have victory over death! What a simple and beautiful gift! Is it any wonder why Paul the Apostle (and Handel!) makes sure to thank him for it?
        Indeed, the resurrection of Christ should be seen as God’s greatest gift to humanity, because it not only showed the power and grace of God, but also gave mankind a new hope of finally living to see the life it has yearned for ever since being expelled from the presence of God in the paradise of Eden – that is, a life free from the corruption of sin and evil… a blessed life, a real life in which we are restored to a continuous, meaningful relationship with God and one which does not end with death but extends into eternity.
        Now, like any other gift, right or privilege we have, we should remember that those things must be secured and their preservation fought for. Make no mistake, the word “victory” is in its truest sense applicable here, considering Christ’s resurrection was truly a victory of life over death, good over evil, God over Satan, renewal over decay. And it was fought for ferociously, by a single man waging uncompromised battle, obedient to the will of his heavenly Father, stopping at nothing to make his way up to the cross and ultimately sacrificing his life in order that this victory might be secured for us mortals, who because of our sin faced very bleak prospects of ever being saved from eternal condemnation. We have a lot to be thankful for.
        The resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promised resurrection of all mankind serve as reminders of God’s faithfulness and his unsurpassed love and compassion toward his creation. St. Paul’s expression follows along the lines of a well-documented biblical rhetorical device, one that is both straightforward and exists in a myriad examples in both the Old and New Testaments. It exists in two steps: 1) identify what great thing God has done for us, and 2) thank him for it. God has given us victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ; thanks be to him. Amen.
Christ is risen from among the dead. Blessed is the resurrection of Christ.
 
Fr. Stephan Baljian, Pastor
Holy Pascha 2017

 Holy Resurrection--
New Life
“Where, O death, is your victory?” 
​(1 Corinthians 15:55)
​
​As we welcome spring, we joyfully greet the Feast of the Holy Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not a remembrance of an ordinary event, but rather it is the foundation and raison d’être of Christian life. It was the most momentous event given to all Humankind forming the Christian faith’s strongest rock – twenty centuries ago, today and in the future. It is the Christian faith, because, “without the faith of the Resurrection our preaching has been in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14).

Christ’s resurrection is the assurance given to Humankind, to all of us without discrimination, of a new life—a resurrected life that awaits all of us when we depart from this world. That time is not death, but new life because, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Christ’s resurrection is also our resurrection, providing the life we live in this world genuinely reflects His commandments.

And we contemplate. . .

Death is an inevitable reality that comes later or sooner to every living being. If the life given to us is devoid of Christian faith, then death becomes a loss. If we follow the direction given to us by our Savior, with Christ’s resurrection as a model, instead of loss we find salvation. This salvation, given by Christ’s resurrection, is a reward—even a right—that is grace freely given, whose price our Lord Jesus paid with his passion and crucifixion. The victory is the promise that Jesus gave us through His resurrection, with the condition that we remain on the road of truth, following and fulfilling biblical principles and teachings. It is with this faith and assurance that the Apostle Paul declares, “Where, O death, is your victory?” because he knows full well that the true and lasting victory belongs to Christ, and in our case this victory is gained by following Christ and implementing His commandments.

As Christians, we cannot ignore the resurrection’s non-negotiable demands that are obligatory by our faith. If universal or family values are ignored, then loss is waiting for us; a resurrected life faces us if we firmly protect those values. Jesus very clearly stated human values saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and adds, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). This is the Godly law that becomes viable when we heartily accept our Lord’s other commandment, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Denying ourselves and loving our fellow human beings, the needy, the weak, the helpless, is the purpose of Christian doctrine.

We must live with a new life; with renewed life we must look beyond our own self, to the world around us, to our fellow humans, and the entirety of God’s creation.

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, proclaimed 2017 as “The Year of Renewal.” Renewal by honoring the biblical truths, keeping alive our Armenian Church’s true faith bequeathed to us—our holy heritage, our pure and clean national identity that has been carved in our souls by the sacrifice and martyrdom of our forefathers. Christ’s resurrection is the source of this national renewal, the value and meaning of loyal and faithful lives of our martyrs, whose inspiring last message is: “Through Christ, with Christ to the resurrection of our nation.”

The Feast of the Holy Resurrection is the best opportunity to arm ourselves with the weapons of Christian principles, live our days with the biblical messages, become spiritually cleansed and be model examples for our community, strengthened with Christ’s love and with a tranquil and clean conscience wait for our reunion with Him. Our just reward.

And when this faith becomes an unshakeable rock, our worthy children of the Armenian Church will see the inevitable miracle of our nation’s survival and will say, “Where, O death, is your victory?”
 
“Christ is risen from death; with his death he destroyed death” (Book of Hours).

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN
Prelate
Armenian Apostolic Church of America (Eastern Prelacy) 
Easter 2017