Armenian Church News
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Diocese
of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland
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Bishop Hovakim visits
Dublin Parish
On Sunday, 8th May, His
Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan visited the Armenian Mission Parish in Dublin and
celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Christ Church in Taney Parish, a local
Anglican community who graciously provide their church for the Armenian
community both for worship and to hold the Armenian Sunday School. The liturgy
was on the day of the feast of Second Tsakhazard (Second Palm Sunday). It is an
Armenian feast which symbolises the entrance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ to the heavenly kingdom after His ascension.
Three members of the Dublin Parish were
baptised, confirmed and received their first communion at end of the Divine
Liturgy. At the end there was an “Agape” lunch organised by the Parish Council.
The community members socialised and congratulated the newly baptised members
of the Church. In the evening the Primate held a meeting with members of the
Parish Council, discussing the Diocesan Bylaws and other questions related to
the life of the Parish. In the evening the Primate visited some of the families.
In this issue:
Dublin Parish
Ecumenical:
Armenian and Syrian Churches
Concert: 25th Anniversary of Artsakh Independence
Concert in
Oxford for Syrian Relief
Spirituality:
Pentecost
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Diocese of the Armenian
Church of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland
His Grace Bishop Hovakim
Manukyan, Primate
Diocesan Office
Tel. 0208
127 8364 primatesoffice@ armenianchurch.co.uk
Volume 2, Issue 17 13 May 2016
Armenian Church News
This was the fifth visit to Dublin Parish by
the Primate since October 2015. This six year-old parish has progressed both in
spirituality and organisation. The members of parish consist predominately of
Armenians from Armenia, Iraq and Syria.
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Ecumenical
Life
Building Bridges:
Armenian and Syrian Churches
On 10th May, His Grace Bishop Hovakim paid a
fraternal visit to His Eminence Archbishop Mar Athanasius, Primate of the
Syriac Orthodox Diocese of the UK, who organised a lunch in honour of His Grace
Bishop Armash Nalbandyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Damascus and Rev.
Dr. Haroutune George Selimian, President of the Armenian Protestant Community
in Syria who are currently visiting the UK. The clergy of the Syriac
Archdiocese and members of the community were present.
The relations between Armenian Apostolic and
Syriac Orthodox Churches are historical. Today the two Churches, who share the
same faith and are in full communion work closely both on international and
national levels. One of the objectives of this fraternal cooperation is to
protect human rights and do advocacy work especially in regions of conflict. In
Syria both Armenians and Syriac Christians suffer equally and share the same
concerns with the people of other traditions and faiths.
Ecumenical
Life
Raising Awareness about
Syria
On 10th May, His Grace Bishop Hovakim
Manukyan visited the House of Commons along with His Grace Bishop Armash
Nalbandyan and Rev. Dr. Haroutune George Selimian who were received by Baroness
Joyce Anelay, Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual
Violence in
Armenian Church 
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Armenian Church News
Conflict, Minister of State of the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office and a member of the House of Lords. The meeting was
organised by His Grace Bishop Angelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox
Church. The participants spoke about the situation in Syria. They expressed
concerns about the increase of religious extremism and fundamentalism which is
spreading across Syria and is threatening the whole region. They stressed the
importance of the presence of foreign diplomats in Syria to open up the
political dialogue which will lead to a peaceful end to the bloodshed and the
brutal war in Syria. Also, the need to increase the humanitarian aid was
highlighted by the visitors as well as the urgency of having balanced
educational programmes in place after the conflict is over.
Community
Life
Concert Dedicated to 25th Anniversary of the Independence of Artsakh
Saturday, 7th May was an inspiring evening
for the Armenians in London who celebrated the victory of the 9th May with a
special concert of classical and folk Armenian music dedicated to the 25th
Anniversary of Independence of Artsakh at the Navasartian Centre. Pieces
composed Gomidas Vardapet, Gusan Haykazuni, as well as based on the poems of
well-known Armenian poets Hovhanness Shiraz, Avetiq Isakyan were performed by
guest singer Kevork Hadjian. The evening ended with the patriotic song of
Sartarabad (words by Barouyr Sevag, music by E. Hovannesian), when the audience
joined the singer with applauds and imposing singing. The evening was opened
with the blessings of the Primate who introduced Mr. Hadjian as a well-known
singer, friend and also a deacon who continuously supports the mission of the
Church with his dedicated services.
The event was organised by the Armenian
Heritage and Cultural Committee of ACC UK with the support of His Grace Bishop
Hovakim Manukyan, Primate of the Armenian Churches of the United Kingdom and
Ireland.
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Parish Life
Concert in Oxford for Syrian Relief
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On
Saturday, 7th May, Oxford Armenian Choir organised a charity concert to
support the Syria Relief Fund and the #IamArtsakh Twitter fundraising
campaign initiated by the Armenian students at Oxford, Cambridge and UCL. The
harmonically challenging beautiful melodies of the Armenian Church Hymns
(Sharakans) were presented a capella by the choir at Pembroke College Chapel,
which was full to its capacity. The choir sang a range of Sharakans from the
10th century to modern times and the programme included pieces by Nerses
Shnorhali, Komitas and Yekmalyan.
Theo
Maarten van Lint, Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian Studies at Oxford
University, gave an insightful introduction to the history of Sharakans and
their meaning in Armenian Church services. Rev. Vram Khazarian the visiting
pastor of St Yeghiche Church in London also spoke about the symbolism of
these hymns. Among the honourable guests at the concert were Bishop Armash
Nalbandian, Primate of Damascus, and Rev. Haroutune Selimian, President of
the Armenian Evangelicals in Syria, who at the end of the concert spoke to
the audience about the struggle of the people in Syria, including the ethnic
minority of Armenians, who face war, displacement and poverty, and asked everyone
to pray for peace and love. After the concert the guests were invited to a
wine reception in the Mary Hyde Eccles room at Pembroke College. The choir's
performance was highly praised, and around £600 was raised to be split
between the two funds.
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Armenian Church News
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Spirituality
Pentecost
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History
of the Feast
On 15th May the Armenian Church celebrates Pentecost (Հոգեգալուստ).
The word Pentecost derives from the Greek word Πεντηκοστή, which means 50
days. In the Armenian it is called sometimes “Hinunk” (հինունք). Hinunk (50)
is the name that is generally ascribed to the liturgical season starting from
Easter Monday until the day of Pentecost or the Descent of the Holy Ghost on
the Apostles. Each day in this period is considered a dominical day in honour
of Christ’s Resurrection and the last day in honour of the Descent of the
Holy Ghost. The usual Wednesday and Friday fasts are not observed during this
period.
The
feast of Pentecost is also practised in the Jewish tradition. On the 50th
day
after Passover they celebrate the Jewish Pentecost which symbolises the
obtaining of the Ten Commandments by Moses on the Mountain of Sinai. The
Christian feast of the Descending of the Holy Ghost coincides with the Jewish
feast of Pentecost.
Biblical
Evidence about the Feast Jesus Christ promised His disciples that He would
send the Holy Ghost during the Last Supper (John 14:26, 16:7). On the day of
Ascension, He commanded them to wait until they received the Holy Ghost (Luke
24:49). According to the Acts of the Apostles it happened on the 50th day after Easter, when “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and
began to speak foreign languages as the spirit gave them the gift of
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speech”
(Acts 2:4).
There
are two occurrences in the Bible when people spoke different languages. The
first time it happened was after the construction of the tower of Babel when
God confounded the speech of the people (Genesis 11:8–9). The second time was
during Pentecost. Whilst the first time it happened so that people would not
understand each other, the second time the languages were divided to preach
the word of God. There were many people coming to Jerusalem from different
parts of the Roman Empire and the Apostles started to speak the language of
those people (Acts 2:4-12). It is said that 3000 men and women were baptised
on that day (Acts 2:41).
Pentecost
in the Armenian Tradition The Armenian Church celebrates the feast of the
Descent of the Holy Ghost the 50th day after Resurrection
Sunday and it always falls on a Sunday. Depending on the day of Holy
Resurrection, the feast of Pentecost is movable and it will befall any Sunday
from the 10th
May to 16th June. The variation is 35 days. Before the
twelfth century, the Armenians would celebrate only one day. Catholicos St.
Nerses the Gracious (1169-1173) made changes in the Armenian lectionary and
calendar. The feast is now celebrated for 7 days.
St.
Nerses wrote special hymns dedicated to Pentecost. There is also a special
hymn dedicated to Pentecost written by St. Gregory of Narek (X-
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XI). On
the day of Pentecost, during the Divine Liturgy, the prayer of St. John
Chrysostom (V) Church father is read in the Church. In the evening there is a
special right of blessings of the four corners of the world called Andastan.
Iconography
The
images of Pentecost in Armenian iconography date back as early as the XVI
century (Gospel of Moughni). The images depicting the scene of Pentecost were
drawn by many Armenian Medieval painters such as Kirakos Abakhesti (XIV),
Rstakes (XIV) and Mgrtich Painter (XV).
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Armenian Church News
Breviary – New Testament Readings for 15th May
Acts
(2:1-21)
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
When the day of Pentecost came,
they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a
violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were
sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to
rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in
Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this
sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own
language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are
speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native
language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and
Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of
Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own
tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter Addresses the Crowd
Then Peter stood up
with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all
of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to
what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the
morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,
God says, I will pour out my Spirit
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on all people. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even
on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on
the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to
darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day
of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ”
Gospel of John (14:15-24)
Jesus Promises the
Holy Spirit
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and
he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the
Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor
knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will
not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not
see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On
that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am
in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one
who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show
myself to them.” Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you
intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus replied,“Anyone who
loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to
them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my
teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who
sent me.”
Hymn of Pentecost
The Dove that was sent came down with great
sound from on high, like the flashing of light;
armed the inconsumable
disciples with fire
while they were sitting in the holy Upper
Room.
The Dove immaterial, inscrutable, that
searches the deep counsels of God
and t 
second coming,
has been declared
consubstantial [with the Father and the Son].
Blessing in the highest
to the One who
proceeds from the Father, to the Holy Spirit, through whom the Apostles drank
the immortal cup
and invited the earth to heaven.
Life-giving God, man-loving Spirit, you
enlightened with fiery tongues those assembled in unity of love; wherefore
today
we celebrate your holy coming.
The holy Apostles rejoiced
with your coming,
as
they called to unity those who were scattered
by the confusion of tongues;
wherefore today
we celebrate your holy coming.
Through the spiritual, holy baptism at their
hands you adorned the universe
with shining and new garments; wherefore today
we celebrate your holy coming.
The Message of Pentecost
The hymn says “the
holy Apostles rejoiced with your coming, as they called to unity those who were
scattered by the confusion of tongues.” Pentecost symbolises the unity of the
Church in diversity. Christianity was embodied in different cultures yet
remains united in one faith and one Church with the grace of the same Holy
Ghost. It reminds of the Church that radiates its mission. The Holy Ghost
decorates every Christian with variety of gifts and talents which needs to be
brought into the service of humanity through the Church.
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Armenian Church News
BOOK A STALL
AT THE ARMENIAN STREET FESTIVAL!
On Sunday 17th July
the Armenian Church and its community will be hosting its 7th annual Armenian
Street Festival (ASF), taking over the whole of Iverna Gardens by High Street
Kensington. ASF is a celebration of our culture, history, identity and faith;
bringing the community and their friends together for a fun day filled with
music, food and dancing.
Our event attracts over 3000 people
including the Armenian community, local residents, friends of our community,
and representatives of sister Churches in the UK.
On the day we will be offering vendors an
opportunity to hire one of our stalls in order to sell their products and raise
awareness. Over the years our stalls have sold books, artwork, craftwork,
charitable merchandise, jewellery and more. We are offering up to 20 vendors
the opportunity to hire one of our stalls for only £100 for the whole day.
If you would like to learn more, please
email us: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk or call 020 8127 8364. Our stalls
usually get sold quickly so we recommend contacting us as soon as possible to
secure a place at ASF.
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Armenian Church News
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Armenian Church News
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Diocese of Tavush
One Community,
One School
The objectives of creating Sunday Schools on
bordering areas are:
organise and coordinate spiritual education
in Tavush
to underline the scientific, moral and
spiritual aspects of religious education in the curriculum of the schools
to make the region of Tavush a unique centre
of education
to see strengthen the practising of
Christianity
Between 2016-2019 we are planning to create around
70 schools in the region of Tavush
Each school will cost
around 2000 USD
Any child living in the bordering region has a
right to spiritual education. The borders are in good hands if we have people
there living according Christian values
“When I grow up I will become
like Serbazan”
Little Nelli is a member of the
Church Youth Organisation of Noyemberyan City
Strengthening Christianity on the
borders creates a stronger nation
Armenian Church News
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Armenian Church News
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Upcoming Events
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DIOCESAN PROGRAMMES
Forthcoming Events in May, June and July 2016
Bible Studies
Every
Thursday, at St. Sarkis Church Gulbenkian Hall led by the Primate and
the
clergy of the Diocese
Next dates: 19th May, 26th May, 2nd June
 
Bible Studies are an important part of the church’s ministry
as they provide
opportunities for the faithful and those who are interested
and curious to have a deeper understanding of Christianity and to ask
questions about their faith,
beliefs and concerns. During Bible studies we make
observations (what do passages in the Bible say?), provide interpretation
(what do they mean?) and
ask how applicable these passages are to our lives today. Open
to everyone.
 
Birmingham Parish
Divine Liturgy at Birmingham Armenian Mission Parish
Sunday 15th May
Cardiff
Parish
Armenian Church Service at Ararat Church
Saturday, 21st May at 10.30am
Sunday, 22nd May in St. Sarkis Church during the Divine Liturgy
Dedication Service in Memoriam of Mr. B. Kassardjian
Sunday, 22nd May in St. Sarkis Church at 3:00pm
Divine
Liturgy and at 3pm a special remembrance service in memory of the late
Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian.
Pilgrimage to Holy Etchmiadzin
24-26th June
Visit
to Armenia and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, on the occasion of the
visit of His Holiness Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome by the invitation of His
Holiness KAREKIN II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. Those
who want to attend the public events, please contact Karina Gevorgyan on: karinagevorgyan@hotmail.com Tel: 07515 336 637.
 
Consecration of the Icon of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian
Genocide and
in Memoriam of the late Mrs. Dickranouhi Darzi
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Postponed until January 2017
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Armenian Church News
Armenian Street
Festival
'Four Monuments
and a Pilgrimage: Wales and the Armenians' by Canon Patrick Thomas
Thursday, 2nd June at 7pm
A
lecture on the Centenary of the Genocide and 50th anniversary of establishing
the Armenian Professorship at Pembroke College, Oxford.
Sunday, 17th July, 12pm-7pm
Iverna Gardens, London W8 6TP
Announcement
The Armenian Church News (ACN) publishes
announcements of any Armenian organisation as it is an
inclusive channel of communication.
The objectives of ACN are to inform the
wider public and its constituency members about:
Activities of the Primate
Organisations under the auspices of the Primate; ACT UK, ACYF, Ladies
Committee
Worldwide Armenian Church
Parishes
Upcoming events in the community
The announcements about the community
events are published upon the request of a particular
organisation. The articles cannot be
longer than 150 words.
ACN do not raise funds on behalf of any
other organisation except for the Armenian Church (ACT UK,
ACYF, ASF, Primate’s Office’s Ladies
Committee, St. Yeghiche, St. Sarkis, Holy Trinity, Dublin, Cardiff,
Birmingham, Oxford).
Any article, flyer or information that
may contain appeals do not represent the Primate’s or ACN official
position.
a. b. c. d. e.
Editorial:
The main objective of the diocesan e-
newsletter is to serve and reach out to Armenians throughout the United Kingdom
and Ireland. The community members and organisations are welcome to send their
announcements for the e- newsletter, including information not only about
public events but also about important family events such as christening,
matrimony or passing away.
Prayer Intentions for May:
We pray for justice and peace in the world
and particularly for the heroic people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Having remembered the Holy Martyrs of 1915,
we pray for the truth to prevail, and an end to denial, so that genocide may no
longer occur in our modern world.
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Armenian Church News
Worship
Services in the Armenian Churches
Services are held in the Armenian
Churches in London every Sunday starting at 11:00 am. In Manchester, there is a
service on the 1st Sunday of the month. For further details, please
contact the parish nearest to you:
Holy Trinity
Armenian Church
229 Upper Brook Street Manchester, M13
0FY
Tel: 0161 273 1074 www.armenianchurchmanchester.org/
St. Sarkis
Church
Iverna Gardens Kensington, London, W8 6TP
Tel: 020 7937 0152 http://www.stsarkisparish.co.uk
St. Yeghiche
Cathedral
13b Cranley Gardens Kensington, London
SW7 3BB Tel: 020 7373 8133 http://www.styeghiche.org.uk/
Other Parishes
of our Diocese:
Cardiff - Tel: + 44 771 279 2304, +44 2920779248. john@jagproperties.co.uk
Dublin
- Tel: +44 2891 863559. http://www.armenians.ie/
Birmingham
– Tel: +44 121 675 1469. St John’s Church, Stratford Road, Birmingham, B11
4EA Oxford - Tel: +44 7810 490242. armenian.society@studentsclub.ox.ac.uk
We invite those who have questions or
wish to gain deeper understanding of the faith, moral discernment, teachings
and traditions of the Armenian Church to contact the Office of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church in United Kingdom and Ireland:
The Primate’s Office
c/o The Armenian
Vicarage
Iverna Gardens
London, W8 6TP
or email: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk
Editorial Committee:
His Grace Bishop Hovakim
Manukyan, Primate
Garen Arevian
Lena
Boghossian
Hovik Hovhannisyan Aznive Simon
Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian Sossi
Yerissian
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