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

Issue 5, Volume 5 1 February, 2014

JOINT ANTELIAS-ETCHMIADZIN MEETING

HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, joined 7 Archbishops and Bishops in Antelias, Lebanon, representing the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Great House of Cilicia for 2 of the ongoing meetings of the joint-committees of the two Catholicosates.For 3 sessions, which lasted Monday morning through Tuesday, the committee members finalised the details of the procession and service of canonisation, as well as the calendar changes that will pursue the proclamation of the Martyrs of 1915 as Saints of the Armenian Church. The second committee, that of the Liturgical Reformation and Unification, met also for 3 sessions, Wednesday-Thursday to finalise the Canonical Guidebook for clergy and Pastoral Manual for aprent sand Goparents concerning the sacrament of Baptism. The text of the updated service of Baptism has already been approved by the Bishop Synod which met in November 2013. The committee members met with HH Aram I, Cathoicos of Cilicia and joined the clergy in the daily services of the church.

THEOPHANIA – A CELEBRATION OF CHOIRS

Under the direction of David Stephan, the Choir of the Armenian Parish of the St Yeghiche Church participated in “Theophania” on Saturdya evening, 25 January. The magnificent Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) was the host of this joint celebration of Christian hymns and songs of praise.The Evening Service was made up of six parts which highlighted different aspects of God’s revelation of Himself and the manifestation of the Holy Trinity through the birth and Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the meaning of the word Theophania. Each part was led by a different participating choir. The hope of the organisers, St Kyrel Trust, is to make this an annual event with different themes, and to be a small step in bringing unity to the Church. It was Christ’s prayer that all of us be one, as He is one in the Father (John 17:20-23); let us also have this as our prayer throughout the service.

HOLY TRINITY: PRAYS FOR SYRIA AND THE GENOCIDE VICTIMS

On Friday 24 January, in the week of prayer for Christian Unity, Armenians from Manchester and its surroundings joined their brothers and sisters from the Church of England for an ecumenical morning prayerin the Holy Trinity Armenian Church. Prayers were offered for peace in Syria and the Middles East and for the victims of Armenian genocide. At the end of a joint morning prayer the faithful gathered by the Genocide Memorial of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church to offer a special prayer for the victims of the Armenian genocide. The Memorial includes a small urn which contains the ashes of Armenian martyrs. “It was a poignant moment’ says the official website of St Chrysostom’s Church in Manchester, “as we heard how Armenian Christians of that same area of Syria today are being persecuted, made to convert to Islam, or forced out of their country – over 100,000 have recently fled to Armenia.” May the memory of the Martyrs of the Genocide be eternally blessed.

ARMENIAN HYMNS AND PRAYERS IN OXFORD– 22 FEBRUARY

Join the Primate and our students in Oxford for the second Badarak in Oxford on Saturday, 22 February, 2014. HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian will celebrate the Badarak, at Pembroke College Chapel (Pembroke College, Oxford, OX1 1DW) and deliver the homily. The Badarak is scheduled to commence at 5:00pm. Please spread the news. Thanks to the leadership of Very Revd Fr Garegin Hambardzumyan,the Oxford Armenian community has already organised a church choir and petitioned 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.

SUMMER INTERNSHIP: THE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK & IRELAND

The 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. 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 opportunities 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.

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BADARAK COURSE IN TWO WEEKS - SIGN UP NOW!

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, HyeDoon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG – 0208 127 8364 – primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk

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.

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

Yeghiche Church in London. By the invitation of Fr Garegin HAmbardzumyan, Visiting Pastor, Fr Aren will celebrate

the Badarak and deliver the homily of the day. The faithful will get to meet Fr Aren following Badarak.  BIBLE STUDY GROUP: The Bible Study group will NOT meet this Thursday, because of a scheduling conflict. The

group will resume in two weeks on Thursday, 20 February, in the Syrian Cathedral 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.