E-NE W S L E T T E R ...............Է-ԹԵՐԹԻԿ The official online publication of the Primate’s Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland Issue 42 (Volume 4), 19.October 2013 JOYFUL CULMINATION TO AN INSPIRING FIRST PILGRIMAGE Armenian House near Cilicia converted to a motel Saturday, 12 October, was the last night of the first Pilgrimage to historic Armenian cities and villages in Historic Western Armenia (Eastern Turkey). Inspired by the experience of visiting the birthplaces of their grandparents and great-grandparent, and learning more about these cradles of Western Armenianism, the pilgrims spontaneously decided to stay late in the hotel lobby sipping tea/coffee or a glass of wine, and discussing and reminiscing their beautiful experience of the past 9 days. Words led to a story; stories led to a discussion; discussions led to a magnificent spontaneous sing-along performance of traditional Armenian songs, around the piano in the café of the Hotel. The group sang and danced until 2:00AM the morning of their departure back to London. This was the culmination of 3000 Kilometers of pilgrimage visiting Kars, Ani, Van, Akhtamar, Bitlis, Farkin, Dyarbakir, Diktranagerd, Palu, Tepe, Malatya, Ayntep, Cilicia, Adana, Kayseri and Cappadocia, and many smaller villages en route. Every historic Armenian city the pilgrims stopped they offered a requiem prayer for the souls of the martyrs from that region and the victims of the Genocide. Click here to read a special report prepared by the Primate’s Office. If interested in forthcoming pilgrimages organized by the Primate’s Office please call 0208 127 8364, or click here. BADARAK, BAPTISM, AND ASSEMBLY ... ALL IN ONE DAY Sunday, 17 November will be a very busy day for the Armenian community in Dublin and Ireland. The Third Annual Assembly of the Armenian Church in Dublin, Ireland, is scheduled on that day. The Parish Council will present its annual reports including financial statements. The assembly of the dues-paying members will discuss the reports, approve the amended version, and elect the Parish Council for the year 2013-2014. But this is only one of the four activities on that day. Earlier during the day, Badarak is scheduled at 12:30 in Taney Parish Church, followed by the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism (Thank God our community is growing)! Finally HG Bp Vahan Hovhanesian, Primate, will meet with the newly elected Parish Council to discuss the forthcoming activities and programmes of the Parish in Ireland. If you live in or near Dublin, or in Ireland, please make every effort to join us on Sunday, 17 November. If you cannot make it to Badarak, because of distance, please come to the Annual Assembly. The community has changed during the past three years, with new visions, activities and programmes. Your vote and feedback are very important for us. For more information, please contact Vice Chairman Paul. Click here. • THIRD ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY IN CARDIFF, WALES & MORE Next Saturday 26th October, the Parish Council of the Armenian Church in Cardiff is planning its third Annual Assembly. The day will start with a morning prayer at 11:00 AM in Ararat Church followed by Hokehankisd for the members of the community, presided over by HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian. Following Church services, Cardiff parishioners will meet at Village Hotel to discuss Parish Council reports, elect the 2013-2014 Council and discuss future programmes. Meanwhile, on Saturday 26th September the Cardiff MPC attended services as guests of the Christian Iranian Community in Swansea, which took place at the Sketty Baptist Church. The service was followed by dinner with over 200 attending. The Iranian Christian Community was most welcoming. They usually meet every month both in Cardiff at the Gsabalfa Baptist Church. On Saturday 12th October Cardiff MPC gathered at the Naroush Restaurant in Cardiff to welcome the newcomers to the Armenian community. We were delighted to meet Armenians who moved from Australia and Germany and those studying here in Cardiff. The MPC have decided for each and every year to make a conscious effort at or around the beginning of October to try to find Armenian's who have come to Cardiff to study. For info, please contact chairman John by clicking here. ACYF in Armenian Monastery Naroush, Cardiff San Lazzaro. Venice ST YEGHICHE CHURCH PARISH FOUNDING ASSEMBLY His Grace Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, and the Armenian Community and Church Council of Great Britain (ACCC) have issued a joint statement regarding the establishment of the Church Parish of St Yeghiche. The statement announces the date of the Founding Assembly of the Parish which will take place on Sunday, 3 November at 2:30pm in St Yeghiche Church. The Parish Assembly will confirm its quorum of dues-paying members, confirm the Agenda, adopt its bylaws and elect its Parish Council members. Click here to read the text of the joint statement in Armenian and English. The Primate urges Armenians in London and its surrounding to be part of this historic event of establishing the Parish of St Yeghiche Church. Armenian men and women who are 18 year old and older are qualified to be dues-paying and voting members of the St Yeghiche Parish, if they are baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church, adhere to and abide by the teachings and canons of the Armenian Church, and are not dues-paying members of another Armenian Church parish in the UK. For further information please contact he Primate’s Office at 0208 127 8364, or Zorik Gasparian: 0754 581 1089, or Viken Haladjian: 0797 014 6280. ARMENIANS IN REPORT: “PERSECUTED AND FORGOTTEN” Armenians are highlighted several timesin a recently published document “Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2011-2013”. The Report is published by “Aid to the Church in Need” which is a registered Charity in England, Wales and Scotland, with a forward by Patriarch Gregorios III, Head of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church. The Report mentions Armenians, mainly in reference to the Genocide of 1915, and enhances the references with recent updates. On page 153, for example, we read: “St Viragos Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, in the Gavur (Turkish for “infidel”) district of Diyarbakir, celebrated services for the first time in more than 30 years. On 23rd October more than 3,000 visitors crowded into the seventeenth-century building, the Armenian Church’s largest church in the Middle East, for Sunday Mass. The following day 10 ethnic Armenians, who had been raised as Sunni Muslims, were baptised in a private ceremony.” Click to download the Report or browse it online.Յաղագս հարց եւ եղբարց մերոց, որք ի գերութեան են եւ ի չար ծառայութեան, զՏէր աղաչեսցուք:Concerning our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who are in captivity and in the service of evil, let us beseech the Lord.(Jhamagirk) : NEXT SUNDAY: AN EVENING OF OPERA GALA @ ST YEGHICHE Time is running out, so also are the tickets! Back by popular demand after the very successful first Gala last year, the second Opera Gala Evening is scheduled next Sunday, 27th October 2013, at 7:00pm in the magnificent Cathedral ofSt. Yeghiche Armenian Church in South Kensington. This year’s programme will include works by composers Verdi, Mascagni, Puccini, Bizet,Dvořák, Rachmaninov and many more. Most of the performers are graduates of the Royal College of Music,including Anaïs Heghoyan, Artur Bobikyan, Jassy Husk, Suzanne Shakespeare, Paula Sides, AlexTsilogiannis and Ross Ramgobin with Jonathan Gale accompanying on the piano. Have you already purchased your tickets? WHAT!!! If not, tickets for the Opera Gala are £22 in advance or £25 at the door; £10 for students and free for under 12’s, and can be secured by calling 07931 377 539 or 07931 377 537.Please make your cheques payable to: The Armenian Church Trust UK. Finally click here for a highlightedpreview from last year’s inspiring first Opera Gala performance at the Royal College of Music. “INTRODUCTION TO THE ARMENIAN CHURCH, PAST AND PRESENT” The lecture series “Armenian Religion, Society, Politics Seminar” by DrHratchTchilinigirian, of the Oriental Institute, Oxford University, will explore the contemporary crossroads where religion, society and politics intersect in Armenia and the Diaspora. This Tuesday’s lecture, 22 October, “Introduction to the Armenian Church, Past and Present” is scheduled for 6:30 -­‐‑ 8:00 PM, in Lecture Room 1 of the Oriental Institute. The history of the Armenian Church is intimately intertwined with the history of the Armenian people. This session will explore the Church's role over the centuries not only in religious matters, but also in political, educational, cultural and social institutions that defined the communal life of Armenians living in different empires. Particular attention will be given to the "secularising" effects of the state-imposed constitutions -­‐‑ the Polozhenie (Statute) of 1836 in the Russian Empire and the National Constitutions of 1863 in the Ottoman Empire -­‐‑-­‐‑ and how these coalesce with the secularisation of society in modern times. ...Click here for details NEW PUBLICATION TheWorship and Liturgical Services Programme of the Primate’s Officeis happy to announce the publication of the new liturgical book: “Sunday Morning Services of the Armenian Orthodox Church.” The book, funded by Armenian Church Trust UK(ACTUK) includes the combination of abbreviated versions of the traditional Armenian Night and Morning services. Each two-facing pages in the book includes four columns: one containing the Classical Armenian text, the other the English translation, and the third the English transliteration of the Armenian text. The fourth column includes comments shedding light on what is being recited or chanted, its biblical origins or explanation of practices associated with the specific part of the services, why we do what we do and other comments. The book is used for the Sunday morning services in our churches in the UK and Ireland according to the Armenian Church tradition. Copies of the book can be obtained for sale from the Primate’s Office for £5 each. To receive your copy in mail, please send your cheque payable to: The Armenian Church Trust UK, to the Primate’s Office, 25 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG. For further information about this and other publications of the Worship and Liturgical Services Programme, please contact he Primate’s Office at: 02081278364. ANNOUNCEMENTS:  FIRST ANNIVERSARY: The Audio Visual department of the Information Centre of the Primate’s Office is celebrating its first anniversary. You can watch any and all of the 30 video clips available online by clicking here.  WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY: The Bible Study sessions resumed last Thursday, 17 October at7:30 PM. We will meet every Thursday in Nevard Gulhbenkian Hall of St Sarkis Church, at 7:30PM. Bring a friend with you, even if she is an Atheist! All are welcome.  THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE can be reached by calling 0208 127 8364 or E-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk  E-NEWSLETTER: Ifsomeoneyouknowwouldenjoy reading our E-newsletter, kindly forward theperson’se-mailto: information@armenianchurch.co.uk The Primate’s Office c/o Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG www.armenianchurch.co.uk information@armenianchurch.co.uk

E-NE W S L E T T E R ...............Է-ԹԵՐԹԻԿ

≈

JOYFUL CULMINATION TO AN INSPIRING FIRST PILGRIMAGE

Armenian House near Cilicia converted to a motel

Saturday, 12 October, was the last night of the first Pilgrimage to historic Armenian cities and villages in

Historic Western Armenia (Eastern Turkey). Inspired by the experience of visiting the birthplaces of their

grandparents and great-grandparent, and learning more about these cradles of Western Armenianism, the

pilgrims spontaneously decided to stay late in the hotel lobby sipping tea/coffee or a glass of wine, and

discussing and reminiscing their beautiful experience of the past 9 days. Words led to a story; stories led to

a discussion; discussions led to a magnificent spontaneous sing-along performance of traditional Armenian

songs, around the piano in the café of the Hotel. The group sang and danced until 2:00AM the morning of

their departure back to London. This was the culmination of 3000 Kilometers of pilgrimage visiting Kars,

Ani, Van, Akhtamar, Bitlis, Farkin, Dyarbakir, Diktranagerd, Palu, Tepe, Malatya, Ayntep, Cilicia, Adana,

Kayseri and Cappadocia, and many smaller villages en route. Every historic Armenian city the pilgrims

stopped they offered a requiem prayer for the souls of the martyrs from that region and the victims of the

Genocide. Click here to read a special report   prepared   by   the   Primate’s   Office. If interested in

forthcoming pilgrimages organized  by  the  Primate’s  Office  please  call  0208  127  8364,  or  click here.

BADARAK, BAPTISM, AND ASSEMBLY ... ALL IN ONE DAY

Sunday, 17 November will be a very busy day for the Armenian community in Dublin and Ireland. The Third Annual Assembly of the Armenian Church in Dublin, Ireland, is scheduled on that day. The Parish Council will present its annual reports including financial statements. The assembly of the dues-paying members will discuss the reports, approve the amended version, and elect the Parish Council for the year 2013-2014. But this is only one of the four activities on that day. Earlier during the day, Badarak is scheduled at 12:30 in Taney Parish Church, followed by the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism (Thank God our community is growing)! Finally HG Bp Vahan Hovhanesian, Primate, will meet with the newly elected Parish Council to discuss the forthcoming activities and programmes of the Parish in Ireland. If you live in or near Dublin, or in Ireland, please make every effort to join us on Sunday, 17 November. If you cannot make it to Badarak, because of distance, please come to the Annual Assembly. The community has changed during the past three years, with new visions, activities and programmes. Your vote and feedback are very important for us. For more information, please contact Vice Chairman Paul. Click here. •

THIRD ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY IN CARDIFF, WALES & MORE

Next Saturday 26th October, the Parish Council of the Armenian Church in Cardiff is planning its third Annual Assembly. The day will start with a morning prayer at 11:00 AM in Ararat Church followed by Hokehankisd for the members of the community, presided over by HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian. Following Church services, Cardiff parishioners will meet at Village Hotel to discuss Parish Council reports, elect the 2013-2014 Council and discuss future programmes. Meanwhile, on Saturday 26th September the Cardiff MPC attended services as guests of the Christian Iranian Community in Swansea, which took place at the Sketty Baptist Church. The service was followed by dinner with over 200 attending. The Iranian Christian Community was most welcoming. They usually meet every month both in Cardiff at the Gsabalfa Baptist Church. On Saturday 12th October Cardiff MPC gathered at the Naroush Restaurant in Cardiff to welcome the newcomers to the Armenian community. We were delighted to meet Armenians who moved from Australia and Germany and those studying here in Cardiff. The MPC have decided for each and every year to make a conscious effort at or around the beginning of October to try to find Armenian's who have come to Cardiff to study. For info, please contact chairman John by clicking here.

ACYF in Armenian Monastery

Naroush, Cardiff San Lazzaro. Venice

ST YEGHICHE CHURCH PARISH FOUNDING ASSEMBLY

His Grace Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, and the Armenian Community and Church Council of Great Britain (ACCC) have issued a joint statement regarding the establishment of the Church Parish of St Yeghiche. The statement announces the date of the Founding Assembly of the Parish which will take place on Sunday, 3 November at 2:30pm in St Yeghiche Church. The Parish Assembly will confirm its quorum of dues-paying members, confirm the Agenda, adopt its bylaws and elect its Parish Council members. Click here to read the text of the joint statement in Armenian and English. The Primate urges Armenians in London and its surrounding to be part of this historic event of establishing the Parish of St Yeghiche Church. Armenian men and women who are 18 year old and older are qualified to be dues-paying and voting members of the St Yeghiche Parish, if they are baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church, adhere to and abide by the teachings and canons of the Armenian Church, and are not dues-paying members of another Armenian Church parish in the UK. For further information please contact he Primate’s  Office at 0208 127 8364, or Zorik Gasparian: 0754 581 1089, or Viken Haladjian: 0797 014 6280.

ARMENIANS IN REPORT: “PERSECUTED AND FORGOTTEN”

Armenians are highlighted several timesin  a  recently  published  document  “Persecuted  and  Forgotten?  A   Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2011-2013”.  The  Report  is  published  by  “Aid  to  the  Church   in   Need”   which   is   a   registered   Charity   in   England,   Wales   and   Scotland, with a forward by Patriarch Gregorios III, Head of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church. The Report mentions Armenians, mainly in reference to the Genocide of 1915, and enhances the references with recent updates. On page 153, for example,  we  read:  “St Viragos Armenian  Apostolic  Orthodox  Church,  in  the  Gavur  (Turkish  for  “infidel”)   district of Diyarbakir, celebrated services for the first time in more than 30 years. On 23rd October more than 3,000 visitors crowded into the seventeenth-century  building,  the  Armenian  Church’s  largest  church  in   the Middle East, for Sunday Mass. The following day 10 ethnic Armenians, who had been raised as Sunni Muslims, were baptised in a private ceremony.”  Click to download the Report or browse it online.Յաղագս հարց եւ եղբարց մերոց, որք ի գերութեան են եւ ի չար ծառայութեան, զՏէր աղաչեսցուք:Concerning our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who are in captivity and in the service of evil, let us beseech the Lord.(Jhamagirk)

:

NEXT SUNDAY: AN EVENING OF OPERA GALA @ ST YEGHICHE

Time is running out, so also are the tickets! Back by popular demand after the very successful first Gala last year, the second Opera Gala Evening is scheduled next Sunday, 27th October 2013, at 7:00pm in the magnificent  Cathedral  ofSt.  Yeghiche  Armenian  Church  in  South  Kensington.  This  year’s  programme will include works by composers Verdi, Mascagni, Puccini, Bizet,Dvořák, Rachmaninov and many more. Most of the performers are graduates of the Royal College of Music,including Anaïs Heghoyan, Artur Bobikyan, Jassy Husk, Suzanne Shakespeare, Paula Sides, AlexTsilogiannis and Ross Ramgobin with Jonathan Gale accompanying on the piano. Have you already purchased your tickets? WHAT!!! If not, tickets for the Opera Gala are  £22  in  advance  or  £25  at  the  door;  £10  for  students  and  free  for  under  12’s, and can be secured by calling 07931 377 539 or 07931 377 537.Please make your cheques payable to: The Armenian Church Trust UK. Finally click here for  a  highlightedpreview  from  last  year’s  inspiring  first Opera Gala performance at the Royal College of Music.

“INTRODUCTION TO THE ARMENIAN CHURCH, PAST AND PRESENT”

The  lecture  series  “Armenian  Religion,  Society,  Politics  Seminar”  by  DrHratchTchilinigirian, of the Oriental Institute, Oxford University, will explore the contemporary crossroads where religion, society and politics intersect in Armenia and the Diaspora. This Tuesday’s   lecture,  22  October,  “Introduction  to  the  Armenian  Church,  Past  and  Present” is scheduled for 6:30 -­‐‑ 8:00 PM, in Lecture Room 1 of the Oriental Institute. The history of the Armenian Church is intimately intertwined with the history of the Armenian people. This session will explore the Church's role over the centuries not only in religious matters, but also in political, educational, cultural and social institutions that defined the communal life of Armenians living in different empires. Particular attention will be given to the "secularising" effects of the state-imposed constitutions -­‐‑ the Polozhenie (Statute) of 1836 in the Russian Empire and the National Constitutions of 1863 in the Ottoman Empire -­‐‑-­‐‑ and how these coalesce with the secularisation of society in modern times.

...Click here for details

NEW PUBLICATION

TheWorship and Liturgical Services Programme of the Primate’s  Officeis happy to announce the publication of the  new  liturgical  book:  “Sunday   Morning   Services   of   the   Armenian   Orthodox   Church.”   The   book,   funded   by   Armenian Church Trust UK(ACTUK) includes the combination of abbreviated versions of the traditional Armenian Night and Morning services. Each two-facing pages in the book includes four columns: one containing the Classical Armenian text, the other the English translation, and the third the English transliteration of the Armenian text. The fourth column includes comments shedding light on what is being recited or chanted, its biblical origins or explanation of practices associated with the specific part of the services, why we do what we do and other comments. The book is used for the Sunday morning services in our churches in the UK and Ireland according to the Armenian Church tradition. Copies of the book can be obtained for sale from the Primate’s  Office for £5 each. To receive your copy in mail, please send your cheque payable to: The Armenian Church  Trust  UK,  to  the  Primate’s  Office,  25  Cheniston  Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG. For further information about this and other publications of the Worship and Liturgical Services Programme, please contact he Primate’s  Office at: 02081278364.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  FIRST ANNIVERSARY: The   Audio   Visual   department   of   the   Information   Centre   of   the   Primate’s   Office   is   celebrating   its   first  

anniversary. You can watch any and all of the 30 video clips available online by clicking here.  WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY: The Bible Study sessions resumed last Thursday, 17 October at7:30 PM. We will meet every Thursday in

Nevard Gulhbenkian Hall of St Sarkis Church, at 7:30PM. Bring a friend with you, even if she is an Atheist! All are welcome.  THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE can be reached by calling 0208 127 8364 or E-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk  E-NEWSLETTER: Ifsomeoneyouknowwouldenjoy reading our E-newsletter,   kindly   forward   theperson’se-mailto:

information@armenianchurch.co.uk

The  Primate’s  Office c/o Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG www.armenianchurch.co.uk information@armenianchurch.co.uk