Entries by stjohn

THE LORD’S INTENTIONS FOR US

A gardener once observed a bird trying to build a nest on a pile of broken branches from an apple tree. When the bird flew away, the gardener went and destroyed the bird’s nest. The next day, the bird attempted again to build its nest on the same pile of brittle, broken branches. The gardener once again went and destroyed it. The next day, he saw the bird building its nest on one of the other trees in his garden. He looked up, smiled, and left the bird alone. It must have seemed to the poor bird that the gardener was the cruelest man in the world. But the gardener knew

BIRTH OF ROUBEN GREGORIAN

Violinist and conductor Rouben Gregorian was a prolific name both in Iran and the United States, where he lived for the last half of his life.
Rouben Grigorian was born to a family of musicians in Tiflis, Georgia, on October 23, 1915. His family moved to Iran a year later and settled in Tabriz. He studied at the Armenian Central School in Tabriz and then at the Tehran Conservatory, where he later became an instructor of violin. His studies also included classes in composition with celebrated composer

ST. LONGINUS THE CENTURION

Longinus is the name given to the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Christ with a lance during His crucifixion. That episode occurs in the Gospel of John 19:34. Longinus is also identified as the Roman centurion mentioned in the synoptic gospels who identified Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 27:54 and Mark 15:39, as well as Luke 23:47, where the centurion calls Jesus “a righteous man”).

THE FOUR EVANGELISTS

In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are often symbolically represented by four living creatures as described in the Book of Ezekiel (1:5–14) and the Book of Revelation (4:6–8): a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. These symbols capture the essence of the message and the character of the Gospel each Evangelist conveys.
In the Armenian Church, we celebrate the Feast Day of the Four Evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Through their divine inspiration and human experiences, these extraordinary men crafted the Gospels, Աւետարան/Avedaran in Armenian.

A DIVINE HOMECOMING: BISHOP MESROP’S RETURN DIVINE LITURGY

The Primate, who had been consecrated as a bishop at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin a week earlier by His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, presided over the special badarak before a large gathering of clergy and lay people from near and far. A most blessed and joyous homecoming took place on Saturday, October 14, when newly-ordained Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan returned to New York City’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral to celebrate his first episcopal Divine Liturgy as bishop of the Eastern Diocese.

RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE AREA GATHER AT ST. VARTAN

The religious leaders of the area, with whom we share not just a geography but also a commitment to love and service, joined together in St. Vartan Cathedral to extend a warm welcome to me in my new role as the newly ordained bishop of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. Their presence was a testament to the unifying power of faith and the collaborative work we all aspire to undertake for the glory of God and the betterment of His people.

FIRST EPISCOPAL BADARAK IN DIOCESE

“Having received grace and mercy from you, Lord, we gratefully glorify the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.”

These beautiful words from our Liturgy express my feelings at this sacred hour. Today I am overcome with a spirit of thanks to the Lord—who took my life in His hands, shaped my soul, inspired my heart, rescued me from the shadow of death—and guided me, step by step, to this ministry in His service.

My gratitude to God is accompanied by the warmest thanks to my parents, my family, and my friends of a lifetime. They encouraged me to answer God’s call and have walked beside me, along this journey, nourishing my soul with their continuous support every single day.

“APATHY KILLS”: KERKONIAN ON ARTSAKH AND THE THREAT TO ARMENIA

When international lawyer Karnig Kerkonian was invited to speak at St. John the Baptist Armenian Church, hope remained that Artsakh could survive. But by the time he spoke at the Milwaukee, Wis. church on Sunday, Oct. 15, Artsakh had fallen to Azerbaijan. The Western media, and Western governments, largely averted their eyes from the carnage.A graduate of Harvard and the University of Chicago, Kerkonian is an authority on international law and its application in U.S. courts. He warned his audience that what he was about to say “will be difficult to hear, difficult to digest and even difficult to believe.” The events of the past months constitute a “second Armenian Genocide.”

DEATH OF JAMES G. MANDALIAN

For more than three decades, James Mandalian was a dominant name in the Armenian American press as the founding editor of two longstanding publications, Hairenik Weekly and The Armenian Review. James Mandalian was the first editor of Hairenik Weekly, a position that he maintained for thirty-six years until his retirement in 1970. He also was was the first Executive Secretary of the Armenian Youth Federation (originally known as A.R.F. Tzeghagron until 1941) and authored its booklet Highlights of Armenian History (1938).

HOLY TRANSLATORS

The Armenian Church calendar lists the following saints under the title “Holy Translators”: The group of saints labeled as Holy Translators includes the familiar names of Sahag and Mesrob, but also the names of a 5th-century historian, a 6th-century grammarian, a 6th-century philosopher, a 10th-century poet, and a 12th-century theologian….