ԱՌԱՋՆՈՐԴՈՒԹԻՒՆ.ՀԱՅՈՑ.ՄԵԾՆ.ԲՐԻԴԱՆԻՈՅ.ԵՒ.ԻՐԼԱՆՏԱՅԻ DIOCESE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Տ.Վահան.Եպս..Յովհաննէսեան,.Հայրապետական.Պատուիրակ.եւ.Առաջնորդ The Right Revd Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate and Pontifical Legate

Issue4, Volume 5 26 January, 2014

THEOPHANIA THIS SATURDAY The Agia Sofia Cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Church in London will be the host of the first Choirs’ celebration of Theophany. Uniting a number of churches with different backgroundsto celebrate the Theophany of the Lord Jesus Christ. This vesper-like service, organised by St Kyrel Trust, will be held between 19:00 and 20:30 in the Greek Cathedral Agia Sophia, Moscow Road. The service will be made up of six parts highlighting different aspects of Theophania:the revelation or shining of God, generally referring to the manifestation of the Trinity in the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each part will be led by a choir from a different church – Armenian, Coptic, Greek, Maronite, Roman Catholic and Syrian in their traditional music and language, followed by a reading from the bible (in English). Theophaniais an open door event, which will be attended by the Primates of the Churches.

The hope of this service is to be an annual event with different themes, and to be a small step in bringing uBnAityDtAoRthAeKChINurcOhX. IFt wOaRsDChrist’s prayer that all of us be one, as He is one in the Fat

The Primate Office is happy to announce the organization of the second Badarak in Oxford on

23); let us also have this as our prayer throughout the service.

Saturday, 22 February, 2014. HG Bp Vahan Hohvanessian, Primate, will celebrate the Badarak, at Pembroke College Chapel (Pembroke College, Oxford, OX1 1DW)scheduled to commence at 5:00pm, and deliver the homily. Thanks to the leadership of Very Revd Fr Garegin Hambardzumyan,the Oxford Armenian community has already organised a church choir and petritioned the Primate to appoint a Mission Parish Council to prepare the path for the establishment of a permanent Parish in Oxford. If you or someone you know lives in or near Oxford please e-mail the contact info to the Primate’s Office (0208 127 8364 or –mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk). Refreshments after the celebration of Badarak are organised by the volunteers at Oxford and by the Armenian Studies and Armenian Society of Oxford University. Click here for the online flyer.

her (John 17:20-

ANNUAL ADVENT APPEAL – “THANK YOU”

As in last year, the Primate issued an appeal at the beginning of Advent for raising much needed funds to support the operations of the Primate’s Office which supervises all the programmes and ministries of the Armenian Church under the supervision and direction of the Primate. This is the only time during the entire year that the Primate turns to our faithful for direct support of the Primate’s Office and its programmes. HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, is grateful to all those who supported us. “It is only through generous donations of faithful Armenians and friends that our Church will be able to continue offering the various programmes we managed to offer this year, and to create new ones in the future, reaching out and supporting as many Armenians as we can,” said His Grace the Primate adding, “On behalf of all those who benefitted and will benefit from our programmes, and on behalf of our committed volunteer team at the Primate’s Office, I sincerely thank you for your support and generosity.” Click here for a list of the donors.

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PILGRIMAGE ORIENTATION

Thirty Four people have signed up to join in the fourth Annual Pilgrimage to the Holy Land,

which is organized by the Primate’s Office to take place on 6-14 June, 2014. In order to help the

pilgrims who have already signed up, HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, is inviting all those

who participated in the previous pilgrimages as well as those who have signed up for this year’s

forthcoming pilgrimage to attend an Orientation session scheduled for Friday, 21 February in

the Nevart Gulbenkian Hall at 7:00PM. The orientation will be an opportunity to those

participating in the forthcoming pilgrimage to ask questions and enquire about the details of the

various aspects of the Pilgrimage. Participants in the Orientation will also receive hadnouts with

important information about the pilgrimage including a detailed itinerary and important contact

information. The Primate’s Office regrets to inform our readers that due to space limitations at

the hotels and on British Airways, we will no longer be able to add more pilgrims.

SUMMER INTERNSHIP AT THE ARMENIAN CHURCH

Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland is happy to announce the creation of the Summer Internship Program which is designed to provide a practical learning opportunity and experience for college students or recent graduates in different administrative fields to help them build necessary administrative skills that are transferable to other work environments.

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The unpaid work experience will help them set a

solid foundation for their professional endeavour. Maximum two applicants will be chosen for

the Summer Internship Programme, which will offer the intern opportunities for developing

skills and gaining experience in computers, videography, communications and outreach. The

interns will also get opportutnities to attend meetings of the Primate’s Office staff and Parish

Councils. For information please click here. To apply, please contact the Primate’s Office.

SIGN UP NOW! BADARAK COURSE

As part of the Continuing Education Ministry of the Primate’s Office, HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, will be offering a course on the theology and spirituality of our Divine Liturgy, Badarak, on Monday evenings starting Monday, 17 February. The course will meet in the St Sarkis Church, Monday evenings at 7:00pm, and is offered free of charge. Those interested to attend, are encouraged to register as soon as possible, as space is limited. The course will be a great opportunity to discuss questions such as why do we celebrate Badarak every Sunday? Why is an hour or so long? Why do I Have to go to Badarak when I can pray anywhere? and other questions. Registered members will receive printed notes of each session. Make an effort to join us and ask all the questions you wanted to ask about this central celebration of our faith. Those interested to sign up for the course are requested to contact the Primate’s Office via e-mail or telephone: 0208 127 8364.

The Primate’s Office, Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG – 0208 127 8364 – primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk

THIS SUNDAY - ST SARKIS PARISH CAKE SALE AND BRIC-ABRAC

The St Sarkis Church Parish Council is holding a Cake Sake and Bric-a-Brac this Sunday 26th January to raise funds for the Syrian Armenian Relief Fund. If you have any unwanted gifts from Christmas or any good quality unwanted bric-a-brac, the Parish Council kindly ask that you donate such items for the sale. Also, the Parish Council is looking for talented bakers who are willing to donate some cakes for the sale. Those who are interested in making gift and cake donations please contact the St Sarkis Church Parish Council by email: stsarkisparish@armenianchurch.co.uk or tel: 020 7937 0152. Most importantly please join us on Sunday, 26 January and support our effort in raising funds to help our brothersand sisters in Syria. For an electronic copy of the flyer please click here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  FR AREN IN ST SARKIS: The Very Revd Fr Aren Shaheenian will be the guest celebrant of the Badarak at the St Sarkis

Church in London. By the invitation of Fr Shnork Baghdasarian, Pastor, Fr Aren will celebrate the Badarak and deliver

the homily of the day. The faithful will get to meet Fr Aren during the Fellowship Hour in the Nevart Gulbenkian Hall.  BIBLE STUDY GROUP: The Bible Study group will meet this Thursday, for the regular study session, which will take

place at the Nevart Gulbenkian Hall at 7:00pm. All are welcome. .  FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: The Primate’s Office has prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions

(collected from different people and parish council members), which is published in a document accessible by clicking

here. Please send your questions or comments to the Primate’s Office. YOU CAN SUPPORT THE CHURCH WITHOUT DONATING MONEY: If you shop online, then you can go to the

easyfundraising website below and choose “Armenian Church Trust UK” as the cause you want to support. Shop, as you usually do. The website will donate a small percentage of the money spent on the purchahse to our Church. It is very easy: 1) go to easyfundraising.org.uk; 2) sign up for free; 3) Choose the “Armenian Church Trust” as the cause you want to support; 4) shop as much as you want. Nobody will know what you purchased or from where. Easyfundraising will simply transfer a small percentage to the Church. To try it, click here.