E-NEWSLETTER - ARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK & IRELAND The Primate's Office

HH - J:RJIK

AArmenian Church of the United Kingdom and Ireland

VV. Revd Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate

119th June 2011, Issue 24, Vol 2

ARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK & IRELAND

THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE

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PONTIFICAL VISIT TO GEORGIA

Last Friday, 10th June, 2011, at the invitation of His Holiness Ilia

II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, and through the coordination of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, initiated a historic Pontifical visit to Georgia. During his visit, the Catholicos of All Armenians was welcomed by His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and by His Excellency Mikhail Saakashvili, President of the Republic of Georgia. The visit of His Holiness also included meetings with other Georgian leaders and diplomats as well as the Primate and leaders of the Armenian people there. On Sunday, June 12, His Holiness visited the Holy Etchmiadzin Church in Tibilisi and presided over the opening ceremony of the ―Hayartun‖ centre. Throughout his visit, His Holiness Karekin II accompanied by the Georgian Patriarch, visited the Armenian communities in the Tbilisi, Javakheti, Akhaltsikhe, Akhalkalaki, Aspindza, Ninotsminda and Tsalka regions. During the visit, the two heads of the churches reached agreements that will hopefully help resolving the long-running disputes between these two neighboring sister churches.

THANK YOU ALL!

TThank God, and despite the non-stop rain on that day, our first Armenian Street Festival on Sunday, 12th June, 2011, was a great success and a day to remember. I am writing these lines to thank all those who contributed to the success of the Festival: the staff of the “Primate’s Office” who organized the Festival; the “Armenian Church Trust of UK,” who sponsored the Festival; the many volunteers who prepared and served the food and monitored the cashier, drinks, corn and fruit stations and who supervised the children’s games, the captains, the talented musicians, singers and entertainers; and the many Armenian organizations whose presence and active participation made this truly an all-Armenian festival. My gratitude also to all who contributed to the Festival financially, the sponsors, the donours of the raffles gifts, and those who contributed food and

drinks. Finally, thanks are also due to all those who sent the Primate’s Office their e-mails of support, praise and congratulations. Indeed, it is thanks to all of you, that for the first time in the history of the UK, Armenians and their neighbors and friends had a beautiful Festival celebrating their faith, heritage, culture and identity. I am glad to inform you that the Primate’s Office has already contacted the Mayor’s Office and is in the process of finalizing the date of next year’s Armenian Street Festival. God bless us all. With prayers and blessings,

- Very Revd Dr Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate

ARMENIAN CHURCH TRUST FUNDRAISING FOR ST. GIRAGOS ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL: GALA EVENING WITH STARS AND POLITICIANS

The Primate’s Office cordially invites you to a Gala evening celebrating the opening of the stage play of the famous BBC Series ―Yes, Minister‖ and ―YES, PRIME MINISTER.‖ The play is at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly and the Gala Night will take place on 7th July. Present at the Gala will be well known faces from television, stage and film-world including our own Kevork Malikyan who plays the role of the Ambassador of Kumranistan. The show stars Simon Williams of the famous series ―Upstairs, Downstairs‖ and Richard McCabe. In addition to seeing the show, you will be able to enjoy drinks while mingling with famous celebrities from the world of showbiz and well known UK politicians. A limited number of tickets to see the show and experience the Gala, donated by the producers of the show, Mark Goucher Ltd., have been made available to the Armenian community for a donation of £250 per ticket as a fundraising effort to support the rebuilding of the St. Giragos Armenian Cathedral in Diyarbakir, which is the birthplace of Kevork Malikyan and is the church where he worshiped with his parents and family as a little boy. All the proceeds of this fundraising event will be donated to the Armenian Church in Diyarbekir. Tickets can be reserved from the Primate’s Office. Please make your donations payable to ―The Armenian Church Trust‖ and mail it to the Primate‘s Office, 25 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG. For further information please contact he Primate’s Office.

REVD FR. SHNORK TO LEAD YOUTH DELEGATION TO HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

The Primate’s Office announced yesterday, 17th June, 2011 that the Reverend Fr. Shnork Baghdassarian, Pastor of the St. Sarkis Church, will be leading the official delegation of the Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF) to the Mother

See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The delegation will participate in the second international Armenian youth assembly. Delegates representing Armenian young men and women from the various dioceses of the Armenian Church around the world will gather in Dzaghkedzor, Armenia to participate in the assembly, 6th-10th July. The Assembly‘s agenda will include short prayer services, business sessions (election of officers, agenda, programmes, budget... etc), visitations to historic monasteries and sites, social and entertainment programmes and a lunch and meeting with His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians. The Primate will meet with the delegation of the ACYF of United Kingdom and Ireland—Fr. Shnork Baghdassarian, Narek Sarkissian and Hovik Hovhannisyan—and with the rest of the ACYF executive committee members on Tuesday, 26th June, prior to the delegation‘s departure for Armenia to go over the details of their participation in the assembly. Bari yanaparf ;u \a=o[oujiun!

ANNOUNCEMENT: MISSION PARISH COUNCIL IN DUBLIN - SUMMER 2011 PROGRAMME Once again on Sunday 22nd May, 2011, we were encouraged by a visit from our Primate Hayr Vahan. Although his time with us was short and he almost did not ̳make it‘ due to the vagaries of Aer Lingus we appreciated his visit, meeting with the Mission Parish Council (MPC), conducting a prayer service and the distribution of the Holy Communion. The Primate also delivered a lecture on the history and meaning of Badarak and met with the younger members to discuss setting up an Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF) chapter in Dublin. In between these engagements there was, as always, plenty of Irish and Armenian food to enjoy. Many thanks to all who supported and contributed to the success of the day. Our activities for the summer slow down as the Sunday School finish its academic year, and some families leave for the warmer summer of Armenia. However, under the leadership of the MPC, we plan to meet once a month at the Taney Parish Centre at the usual time, 12:30-15:00 pm, on the 19th June, 17th July and the 21st August. The ̳Programme‘ will include Choir/Deacon rehearsal for those who can and want to sing, a Bible Study session for those who want to know more about our faith in addition to food and fellowship, which will be available even to those who don‘t want to sing or study! We have set up a Bank Account for the MPC with Ulster Bank, Dundrum. We encourage all members who attend to consider donating 5 Euros per month which will go towards rental costs (rooms for the lecture halls) and travel and accommodation costs for the attending clergy. Margaret Sarafian is our Treasurer and you reach her via e-mail: armmpc@gmail.com. Meanwhile, September 25th should already be in your diary as the date for a concert by the well- known Armenian singer from France, “Marten Yorgantz”. This event is organised by the Armenian Sunday School and to be held at the Taney Parish Centre. Tickets are on sale now! Please contact Margaret for further details.

POLITICIANS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JOIN US @ THE 1ST ARMENIANS FESTIVAL The first Armenian Street Festival was inaugurated by a prayer by the Very Revd Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate,followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, where the Primate was accompanied by Cllr. Julie Smith,

Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Mr. Gevorg Terterian, Consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in UK. Present also at the opening ceremonies was Baroness Caroline Cox a long-time friend of the Armenians. Both the Mayor and the Baroness addressed the people already gathered at the opening of the Festival. Other politicians who, regretfully, were unable to attend the Festival, sent letters of congratulations and support among them are: Mr. Boris Johnson, Mayor of London; Lord Avebury and Lord Harrison. Our own Lord Dr. Ara Darzi, sent the following statement to the Primate: ―Although my passport advices that I am a British citizen, I am proud to be a British citizen of Armenian descent. We Armenians boast of an ancient and noble heritage with beginnings in the dawn of time. Our Ancestors will hav lived beside nations and peoples that no longer exist and dot our history books – Medes, Persians, Romans and Parthians. The 19th Century brought about an era of suffering and sacrifice from which Armenia itself still feels the effects. Although families were flung across the globe, the common bounds of heritage, strength of spirit and compassion survive – passed from mother to daughter, from father to son, generation after generation. It is the heritage of courage, sacrifice, hope and compassion that is celebrated with families today. Although I cannot be with you I offer the Very Revd Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, and all the assembled guests my very best wishes for the first Armenian Street Festival in London. –Professor Ara Darzi.‖ Present at the Festival was also Cllr. James Husband, the previous mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea who was very instrumental in obtaining the permits for the street closure and parking suspension essential for the success of the Festival, and other cllrs. Thank you all!

CELEBRITIES CONTRIBUTE TO SUCCESS OF THE 1ST ARMENIAN FESTIVAL In addition to the over-2000 people who attended and passed through the

Festival several TV celebrities, musicians and singers participated and stopped by in support of the Armenians. The Master of the Ceremonies of the Festival was none other than our own Kevork Malikyan, who in his opening remarks welcomed all and congratulated the Primate and the staff of the Primate’s Office for such a successful Festival.

The feature entertainment of the Festival‘s programme was the band ―The Beautified Project,‖ a popular rock band from Armenia, whose songs made the people dance despite the pouring rain! Needless to say the programme included an impressive list of Armenian singers, musicians and a unified choir whose contribution gave the Festival its Armenian identity. Thank you to all and God bless!

SPECIAL CORNER AND PROGRAMME FOR OUR CHILDREN Since the first day of initiating the discussion of the idea of an Armenian street festival in the UK, one of the main foci of the planning objective was to have a special corner and a separate programme designated for the children. After all, it is meant to be a day for Armenian of all ages and their friends to celebrate and enjoy. This objective was translated into a corner to the south-western part of the St. Sarkis churchyard. There a big bouncy castle with games were installed for the children to enjoy. It was there also where a magician and a face-painter were constantly entertaining the children and keeping them occupied. Thanks to the participation and support of the Armenian Institute several story-telling sessions were scheduled for the children, at the Library of the Armenian Institute to enjoy listening to stories coming alive by professional story tellers. Despite the rain, the children had fun. Thank you to all donours and the volunteers who helped supervising the children zone.

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS

(According to the Armenian Church Lectionary)

Sunday 19/6 - Pentecost

1 Kings 18:29-46 2 Kings 2:1-15 James 5:16-20 Luke 4:25-30

Monday 20/6

Feast of Sts Hripsime & her companions Proverbs 31:29-31 Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Romans 15:30-16:2

Matthew 10:26-33

Tuesday 21/6

Feast of Sts Gayanéh & her companions Proverbs 1:20-23 Baruch 4:36-5:4 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1

John 16:1-5

Wednesday 22/6

Fasting day

Romans 3:19-31 Matthew 9:9-15

Thursday 23/6

Feast of St. John the Baptist

Proverbs 15:21-25 Isaiah 22:20-25 1 Peter 5:1-7 Matthew 11:2-14

Friday 24/6

Fasting day

Romans 4:1-12 Matthew 9:27-34

Saturday 25/6

Feast of St. Gregory‘s deliverance

Wisdom of Solomon 5:1-8 Isaiaha60:20-61:7 Hebrews 13:17-21 Matthew 19:27-29

PRIMATE MEETS WITH ARMENIANS IN BIRMINGHAM On Saturday, 18th June, Fr. Vahan was in Birmingham to meet with a group of Armenians representing the various segments of the Armenian community in Birmingham. During the meeting those present discussed the several possibilities of coordinating different activities for the Armenian community in Dublin during this summer. This included a celebration of the Badarak (Patarag), community picnic/outing and the various aspects of starting a weekly language school. If you know of an Armenian who lives in or near Birmingham, please forward the contact information or enquiries to the Primate’s Office: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk.

ASAZOUA?Q! «Պարզութիւնը ջահ մըն է, որ թիթեռնիկներու նման` շուտով իր շուրջ կը հաւաքէ բարի հոգիներ եւ բարեկամներ»!

Bible Study Sessions this Week There will be no Bible Study session in English this Wednesday 22nd June, due to the Primate‘s participation in the World‘s Regions‘ Leaders meeting in Moscow. We will resume the following Wednesday. The study group in Armenian will meet this Tuesday 21st June at 7:00pm.

The Primate’s Office

The Very Revd Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, can be reached at the

Primate’s Office (25 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG) by phone: 020 8127 8364, or via e-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk. Appointments can be made by contacting the Primate‘s Office. Please note that messages left on the office at St. Sarkis Church (Vicarage) are not accessed by the Primate or his staff. Also, due to the unavailability of any funding or budget for the Primate’s Office, the office is managed by part-time volunteers, who try their best to process messages left on the answering service, as soon as it is humanly possible.

Online Outreach: You can read all about news and past and forthcoming events in the Armenian Church in UK and Ireland by visiting the official website of the Armenian Church in UK and Ireland: www.armenianchurch.co.uk.  If you are not on our mailing list and do not receive our popular weekly E-

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ARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK AND IRELAND

The Primate’s Office: 25 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG, UK Website: www.armenianchurch.co.uk • E-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk Phone: 020 8127 8364 • Fax: 087 2111 5548

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