Armenian Church E-Newsletter, Issue 2

The official online publication of the Primate’s Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland Issue 2 (Volume 4), 11 January 2013

HH CATHOLICOS MEETS WITH CHURCH LEADERS IN UK

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, visited London, UK, during this week to meet with His Grace Bp. Vahan Hovhanessian, and with the chairmen of the Armenian Church councils in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Dublin. On Tuesday, His Holiness met with Bp. Vahan who updated the Catholicos about the various programmes and activities of the Armenian Churches in the United Kingdom and Ireland. On Wednesday morning His Holiness met with the chairman and vice-chairman of

the Armenian Community Church Council of Great Britain (ACCC), and with the chairmen of the councils of the Armenian Churches in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Dublin. Among the items discussed at the meetings were the world-wide constitution of the Armenian Church that was confirmed in the Armenian Church Representatives’ meeting in 2009. His Holiness reiterated his earlier affirmation that Armenian Churches must be governed by a constitution or bylaws in agreement to the one adopted by the Armenian Church worldwide. The group discussed also ACT-UK, a church trust established with the blessings of His Holiness.

fPs ILGRIMS DEPART TO THE HOLY LAND

Last Sunday, 6th January, having finished the celebration of the Theophany in their respective churches all over the UK and Ireland, 34 pilgrims met at Heathrow Terminal 1 in preparation for departure to the Holy Land. Greeting them at the Terminal were His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, and Ms. A. Violetta Barzankian-Kaydan, pilgrimage coordinator. Violetta helped the pilgrims in their checking in process and in facilitating their departure. Before entering the security zone, His Grace Bishop Vahan led the pilgrims in a group prayer followed by a blessing. This is the third Annual Pilgrimage coordinated by the Primate’s Office to the Holy Land. The group will be visiting the Armenian Patriarchate to participate in the Armenian Church services and explore the Armenian quarter. The pilgrims will also visit the various biblical shrines including the tomb of the Lord, the Church of the Annunciation, the River Jordan, See of Galillee, Bethlehem and other shrines. For future pilgrimages please e-mail the Primate’s Office.

FEAST OF THEOPHANY CELEBRATED IN ARMENIAN CHURCHES IN THE UK

On Sunday,6 January 2013, His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, celebrated the Theophany Divine Liturgy (Badarak) at the St. Yeghiche Armenian Church in South Kensington, London. The beautiful cathedral of St. Yeghiche was packed with over one thousand people filling the church seats including the one in the second floor balcony, and hundreds of people standing in the isles and in the back of the church. Assisting the Primate in the Badarak, in addition to the senior deacons of St. Yeghiche Church, were the altar servers from the Deacons’ Training Programme. In his sermon, Bishop Vahan reflected on the meaning of the Feast of Theophany as a divine invitation for the faithful people to work with God on bringing peace, reconciliation and prosperity among God’s people. “As the Primate and first servant of the Armenian Church

here in the UK and Ireland,” added His Grace, “I invite Armenians and all Armenian organisations to join the Armenian Church in working together on bringing fruition to the angelic message of Theophany among our people.” Following Holy Communion the blessing of Water ceremony took place, in celebration of the Baptism of Jesus. Similar services were conducted at the St. Sarkis Church in London and the Holy Trinity Church in Manchester. Qristos /nau ;u \a\tn;zau! &rfn;al h \a\tnoujiunn Qristosi!

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CULTURAL PRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION IN DIASPORA

In addition to language, preservation of culture is a significant component in the discourse of identity formation and preservation in Diaspora; in the case of the Armenians, it is the discourse of 'hayapahpanum' (‘preservation of Armenianness’). A seminar at Oxford University will continue in the Fall 2013 term the discussions of the last term that dealt with some of the methodological and conceptual questions of culture. This term will focus on various dimensions of cultural production and how they relate to the preservation of "Armenian identity". For further information, please click here, or e-mail: theo.vanlint@orinst.ox.ac.uk

MONTHLY CHESS AND BACKGAMMON CLUB

The St Sarkis Church Parish Council are pleased to announce that the next date of the monthly Chess & Backgammon Club will be Tuesday 22nd January at 7pm at the London Visitors Hotel, 42-44 Holland Road, Kensington, London W14 8BB. Please reserve your place by emailing stsarkisparish@armenianchurch.co.uk, as spaces are limited. Entry is for free. For map and public transport information, please visit http://bit.ly/Vby505.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  BIBLE STUDY: The group will resume its weekly meetings on Thursday, 7th February, 2013, in the Nevart Gulbenkian Hall, at 7:00pm.  WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER: Our weekly E-Newsletter reaches to almost 2000 families in the United Kingdom and Ireland. If someone

you know would like to receive the E-Newsletter, kindly forward the person’s e-mail address to: information@armenianchurch.co.uk  NEW CALENDAR 2013: The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund GB Calendar 2013 is now available for purchase. Price £7 per calendar plus

£2.50 P&P. To secure your copy(s) please send a cheque payable to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund GB to: Hayastan Fund, 23 Norman Way, London

W3 0AS. Please contact Hayastan Fund at 020 8993 2266 for further information.

 VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK: Click here to watch a video clip of His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian’s New Year’s Reflections.  SCRIPTURE READINGS OF THE WEEK: Click here for a list of this week’s Bible readings according to the Armenian Church lectionary.

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