The official online publication of the Primate’s Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland Issue 41 (Volume 4), 13 .October 2013

E-NEWSLETTER...............Է-ԹԵՐԹԻԿ

PILGRIMS CONTINUE JOURNEYING HISTORIC ARMENIA

In the ruins of St Sarkis Church In Diyarbakir

It has been over a week now that 16 members of the Armenian parishes of St Sarkis, St Yeghiche and

Cardiff have joined the Primate, HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, in our diocesan first pilgrimage to Historic

Armenia. The pilgrims left last Friday to Istanbul where they stayed one night and continued their flight to

Kars, where it all began. Kars was the starting point of a pilgrimage that explored over 3000 kilometers of

driving. As of the date of the writing of this paragraph, the pilgrims have made it from Kars, to Van,

Akhtamar, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Malatya, Ayntep, Adana and Kayseri. Led by Mr Armen Aroyan, the group

visited the Armenian neighborhoods, churches and schools of these cities. Whenever possible a requiem

service, Hokehankisd, was offered for the souls of the residents and martyrs from that village or city. A

commentary on the background, history and Armenian population of that location, prior to the Genocide,

helped enrich the experience of the pilgrims. In the next issue of the E-Newsletter, we will focus on the

various villages and cities visited by the pilgrims with a brief description of the agenda of the pilgrims, who

are expected to return to London on, Sunday, 13 October.

ST YEGHICHE CHURCH PARISH FOUNDING ASSEMBLY

HG 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 Armenian 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.

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THIRD ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY IN DUBLIN

The Parish Council of the Armenian Church in Dublin, Ireland is happy to announce the scheduling of the third annual Armenian Church Assembly in Dublin on Sunday, 17 November. The Assembly will take place in Taney Parish Church in Dundrum, Dublin, at 3:00pm, following the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, Badarak, by HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate. The Assembly will receive and discuss reports presented by the Chairman and Treasurer of the Parish Council. The Agenda of the Assembly will also include discussion of the various programmes and activities offered by the Parish Council and to elect the 2013-2014 Parish Council members. All dues-paying members are invited to join the Assembly to participate in the discussion and to vote on matters related to the mission and programmes of the Armenian Church Parish in Dublin. If you live in or around Dublin, Ireland, and have not signed up for the Church Parish, please do so, by contacting the Parish Council Chairman: Ayda at: alundon@eircom.net, or Vice Chairman Paul at: pmanook@hotmail.com. For more information please visit the website at: http://www.armenians.ie/

Fellowship after Badarak ACYF inDAurmblienn,iIarnelaMnodnastery San Lazzaro. Venice

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE FOR HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, MANCHESTER

The Holy Trinity Armenian Church of Manchester was the first established church serving the Armenian communities in Northern Europe. It is only with the support of the faithful that the Church can safeguard this community and its structure for future generations. This year we have had many interesting and wonderful events organised by the Armenian Ladies Association, the Armenian Sunday School and the Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF) of Manchester for which we are very grateful to their hard work and proud of their existence.Please note that donations are notmembership and cannot be registered as subscriptions.It is with this in mind that the Church Wardens of the Holy Trinity Church in Manchester invite you to become a part of our community and be Officially Subscribing Member of our church.You can make your subscription payment by cash, cheque or standing order. For standing order the Church’s bank details are:Natwest Bank, Heald Green Branch, Armenian Church Fund,Sort Code: 01-03-90, Account Number: 31029744. By Post: Make cheques payable to: “Holy Trinity Armenian Church Manchester” and post it to : Violet Shirvanian , 252 Wythenshawe Rd, Northern Moor, Manchester, M23 0WT

ARMENIAN RELIGION, SOCIETY, POLITICS: OXFORD UNIVERSITY

The lecture series “Armenian Religion, Society, Politics Seminar” by Dr Hratch Tchilinigirian, of the Oriental Institute, Oxford University, will explore the contemporary crossroads where religion, society and politics intersect in Armenia and the Diaspora. Nineteenth century sociologists had suggested that rationality and modernisation of society would decrease levels of religiosity and religion would lose social significance. Others declared the "death of God" or predicted that God would be "turned into a cultural artifact" in the "Post-Christian era". Yet, in recent years, religion has not only "returned", but is increasingly the centre of politics and societal conflicts. Even as scholarship on the effects of these historic mega-trends on the Armenian Church and society are scarce, the seminar will deal with the impact of the long process of "secularisation" of the Armenian Church starting with the Millet system in the Ottoman Empire and later under Soviet rule. The dual process of "societal secularisation" (global trend) and state-imposed "institutional secularisation" (and to some extent "laicization") of the Armenian ...Click here for details

ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL IN KARS: WORLD MONUMENT WATCH

The first stop of the first pilgrimage of the Armenian Church of UK to Historic Armenia was Kars.
 A few days before the pilgrimage was launched under the auspices of Bishop Vahan, the World
 Monuments Fund (WMF) added the Armenian Cathedral of Mren in Kars to the“2014 World Monuments Watch.” The Cathedral of Mren is a 7th-century Armenian Church near the border with Armenia, 1.5 km west of
 the Akhurian River. The church of Mren is a domed triple-nave basilica. The 2014 list reflects a number of distinct preservation challenges,
 including conflict and catastrophe, lack of resources, and loss of cultural traditions.

 While these are longstanding issues, their persistence is an
 ever-growing cause for concern.

 The 2014 Watch serves as a call to action, bringing the fragility of
 the sites and the dangers they face to international attention. It also
 identifies opportunities for local communities to work together with
 the larger preservation community, government organizations, corporate
 sponsors, and others to help ensure their future. For some sites,
 inclusion on the Watch presents the best hope for their survival.

AN OPERA GALA EVENING AT ST YEGHICHE CHURCH

As part of the worldwide celebration of the cultural month inOctober this year, the Armenian Church Trust of the United Kingdom (ACT UK) cordially invites our faithful andfriends to an Opera Gala Evening on 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. If you would like to sponsor part of this event or would like to advertise in our programme please contact the Primate’s Office. Tickets are £22 in advance or £25 at the door; £10 for students and free for under 12’s. Tickets are available 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.

AN EVENING WITH MARC (MAGAR) BALAKJIAN: PAINTER AND PRINTMAKER

The Armenian Institute cordially invites members of our community to attend an evening of illustrated talk by painter Marc Balakjian about the source of his inspiration. The evening is scheduled on Thursday, 17 October 2013 at 7:30 pm at the Armenian House, 25 Cheniston Gardens, W8 6TG (Tube: High Street Kensington). Marc Balakjian is the son of survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. He grew up in Lebanon. In 1966 he came to England to study architecture. After working a year in Oxford as an architectural draftsman he decided to study art. From 1967 to 1970 he studied painting at Hammersmith College of Art in London and from 1971 to 1973 postgraduate printmaking at the Slade School of Fine Art. He has taught printmaking in many art schools in Great Britain, Europe and the USA. He has had one man shows in London, Belgium, Norway and Canada and participated in numerous group shows including many International Print and Drawing Biennales and Triennials in Europe, Japan and the USA. He was awarded many international prizes in these exhibitions.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  RESUMPTION OF OUR WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY: Please note that our weekly Bible Study sessions will resume this Thursday,

17 October at7:30 PM, in Nevard Gulhbenkian Hall of St Sarkis Church. All are welcome. Meanwhile, there will be no Bible Study

session this Thursday, 10 October.  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/oHyeDoon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG www.armenianchurch.co.uk information@armenianchurch.co.uk