Tag Archive for: News

HOLY WEEK 2024 AT ST. JOHN

The Milwaukee Armenian community began its celebration of Holy Week on Sunday, March 24 with the Opening of the Doors (Turun-Patsek), marking the end of the Lenten closed curtain season in the church sanctuary. Following the Palm Sunday liturgy, parishioners gathered in the church hall for St. John’s annual Palm Sunday brunch, a fundraiser prepared by Sunday School teachers and parents. For the first time in memory, St. John observed the full Holy Week schedule, including the Commemoration of the Ten Maidens on Tuesday, March 26. Ten young girls from the community took part in the evening service.

Read more

POON PAREGENTAN 2024 OBSERVED AT ST. JOHN’S IN MILWAUKEE

St. John Armenian Church of Milwaukee, WI, in observance of the Great Lent, held a Poon Paregentan festivity after today’s divine liturgy. The fun included a luncheon shared by the church members as well as a shish kebob dinner treated by Drs. Russ and Sue Kashian. Children activities were organized by the Sunday School.

Read more

ORDINATION OF PRIESTS AT ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR MOTHER CHURCH IN YEREVAN

On February 4, 2024, an ordination service took place at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Yerevan under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. During the Divine Liturgy, the celebrant, His Grace Bishop Oshagan ordained consecrated 11 deacons with Holy Chrism (Muron), and named them as follows. Dn. Artak Ghevondyan was renamed Father Komitas; Dn. Davit Hayrapetyan was renamed Father Vardan; Dn. Davit Hayrapetyan was…

Read more

COOKING WITH JUSTIN

Justin Aprahamian, a winner of the James Beard Award and owner of the prestigious Sanford’s Restaurant in Milwaukee, treated some 40 members and friends of St. John Armenian Church of Milwaukee were to a culinary class. Justin demonstrated the preparation of Armenian Spiced Pumpkin Soup adorned with toasted pumpkin seeds and caramelized pumpkin. He fastidiously explained the importance of taking the time to layer the ingredients to create the rich flavors embodied in the soup.

Read more

ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS CELEBRATED AT ST. JOHN

St. John the Baptist Armenian Church celebrated the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord (“Armenian Christmas”) on January 7, in keeping with the community’s longstanding custom of observing the holiday on the Sunday closest to January 6. In his Nativity homily, St. John’s parish priest, Rev. Fr. Guregh Hambardzumyan, spoke of the mystery of the Incarnation: Why did God become human? One answer is that through his birth in Bethlehem, Jesus, the Son of God, lowered Himself to …

Read more

THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II ON THE NEW YEAR:2024

On this New Year’s Eve, from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, we bring our pontifical love and best wishes to you all. The New Year is the borderline of the days that have become history and the hopeful future.
We welcome the dominical year of 2024 with deep concerns, filled with the relentless pain of immense losses in our hearts. We experienced a challenging year, but relying on the Lord, we look to the future of our nation with hope and optimism. In the face …

Read more

BISHOP MESROP CELEBRATES ST. JOHN’S ANNIVERSARY

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan intended to celebrate St. John the Baptist Armenian Church’s 80th anniversary in fall 2022 but was still recovering from serious injuries sustained in a car crash. On Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, Bishop Mesrop, fully recovered after five surgeries, presided over the parish’s 81st anniversary liturgy and banquet. In his sermon, Bishop Mesrop linked St. John’s commemoration with the 125th anniversary of the Armenian Diocese in North America. The two events are inseparable, …

Read more

“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.”

Read more

MILWAUKEE ARMENIAN FEST BREAKS RECORDS

Attendance and attention grew steadily over the years with many returning customers (many wanting to reconnect with their roots) and always new faces as Milwaukee Armenian Fest found new marketing tools through social media as well as legacy media. Food was always and remains central to the festival, with an affordable menu of shish kebob dinners, lahmajouns, boregs, hummus, paklava, kadiyif and more. But in the ‘90s the role of the festival as a one-day embassy of all things Armenian became important. The number of people gathered at this year’s Milwaukee Armenian Fest (July 16) had already grown large at the advertised opening time. By 11 a.m., festivalgoers were already lined up from inside the church hall and out the door, waiting deep ..

Read more

ANNOUNCING THE NEW DIOCESAN COUNCIL OFFICERS & MEMBERS

The newly-elected Diocesan Council met at the Diocesan Center in New York on Friday, May 19, 2023, with Diocesan Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan presiding. During the May 19 meeting, the new council elected its Executive Committee (or “Tivan”). The new council and its officers are: Click on headline above to read more…

Read more