Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland

Armenian Church News 26 OCTOBER 2019 Volume 5, Issue 24

The main message of the evening was participation of Restoring the Mother Cathedral every Armenian around the world -- to take part in the restoration of this most significant Armenian holy place for many generations to come through their donations. The Primate Bishop Hovakim Manoukian in his opening remarks emphasised that more than the amount of a donation, what is more meaningful is the commitment that members of the British Armenian community make to take part in this historically significant restoration project. He said, “we are all called to secure the physical structure of the

The extensive restoration of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was discussed at a special gathering on 25th October at St Yeghiche Church, featuring Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the chair of the renovation and fundraising committee. Soprano Sevan Habib, accompanied by Jacqueline Karanfilian on the organ, performed a selection of beautiful and heart-warming Armenian songs, which added solemnity to the occasion. “’Etchmiadzin’ literally means ‘the only Begotten descended’”, point out the evening’s MC Shakeh Major Tchilingirian in her introductory remarks, and said, “as such, the Etchmiadzin Mother Cathedral is the holiest place Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin for the coming centuries and for the Armenian nation, because it is the very spot where to pass on our legacy to generation to come.” Christ instructed St. Gregory the Illuminator to build the Archbishop Hovan Derderian, the Primate of the Western first Armenian church.” She underlined that “beyond the Diocese in the United States, who is leading the fundraising physical edifice, Etchmiadzin is a symbol of the Armenian efforts, provided details about the restoration project, about Christian values that we have upheld as a nation for which a short documentary film was shown. He explained centuries.” the international efforts throughout the dioceses of the Armenian church to make sure that all Armenians take part in this national project. Archbishop Hovan pointed out that Armenian Church News | 2 the fundraising is carried out by an independent committee and all accounts will be audited professionally and presented K Tahta Armenian Community to the public. He said the names of all donors from around the world are being centrally recorded and will be published Sunday School's celebration of in a special book about this historic renovation. the Feast of Holy Translators

K Tahta Armenian Community Sunday School celebrated the Feast of Holy Translators (Սրբ Թարգմանչաց տօն) on 20th October. The creation of the Armenian alphabet in 405AD was a significant historical event, a vital turning point in the Armenian history as the small nation gained a distinct diversity that still holds strong today.

The Cathedral of Echmiadzin, the birthplace of Armenian Christianity, has been undergoing extensive and much- needed major renovations for the last few years. The Cathedral was built in the early 4th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over the 1700 years of its long history, the Mother Cathedral of the Armenians has attracted countless pilgrims and visitors from around the world and continues to attract thousands of visitors every Children in all year groups participated in the event, as year. senior students researched and presented the role and At the conclusion of the evening, Bishop Hovakim thanked significance of the Holy Translators for the preservation of Abp Hovnan Derderian for coming from LA to London and the Armenian identity in religion, culture, traditions, and extended His gratitude to Mr Viken Haladjian for helping to literature. Also, the younger pupils recited Armenian organise this event, Sévan Habib and Jacqueline Karanfilian authors' poems and songs. for the concert of the spiritual songs and Shakeh Major Tchilingirian, the MC of the day. He thanked all those who attended, donated and committed to help.

Donations large or small can be made securely through the Friends of Etchmiadzin, a UK registered charity, via the following account number: Acc No: 27895718, Sort code: 50-30-10, BIC: NWBK GB 2L, IBAN: GB20 NWBK 5030 1027 8957 18 or by sending your cheques/donations payable to: “Friends of Etchmiadzin” to the Bishop’s House, 27 Haven Green, London W5 2N. Reference your donation as “Renovation”. All donations will be acknowledged in a special book, which will be published by the international committee when the renovations are concluded. https://armenianchurch.org.uk/?p=5828

His Grace Bishop Manukyan attended the event and was

warmly welcomed by the school community. At the end of

the event the Primate extended His blessings to the teachers and students of the school. He also offered for the school to Armenian Church News | 3 hold their traditional celebrations of Holy Translators and Vartanants at St. Yeghiche Church in London. Armenian Bibles & Sacred 20th October, Sunday Within the coming weeks, ACT UK will The Primate celebrated Holy Badarak and preached at St purchase a quantity of Bibles in Armenian to continue to distribute to the faithful Bibles during the Baptisms and Weddings in all the Churches in UK and Ireland.

Sarkis Church in London. While preaching, The Primate reminded us of The Golden Rule of Christianity which is found in Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” he invited the faithful to remain so in the face of testing times at the hands of others and always acting as if you expect the same is the key to a harmonious life. In addition, The Primate continued delivering the message of Also, we are currently in the process of The Gospel by explaining its teaching that we must overcome pride and envy which we all to often surrender to publishing a brilliant book called “The book in everyday life in order to achieve Salvation. Sacred Armenia.” The book is based on the diary of a pilgrim illustrated by photos, which together demonstrate the rich, historical, and Publicizing your business in our spiritual Christian culture and heritage of newsletter Armenia as a Biblical country.

"The Armenian Church News" has thousands of As with many Church activities, we rely on subscribers across the UK and abroad and acts as a the assistance of our community to further its platform to inform all members of the Armenian success. As such if you would like to donate community of all the happenings surrounding Armenia or think you can be of any assistance in aiding and The Church as well. It is also an opportunity for Armenian organisations and businesses to make the these projects please kindly readers aware of their presence. contact: [email protected] or Call: 07949810704. If you think more people in the community should know about your organisation and that it also meets the guidelines of the Diocese, please contact us. We look forward from hearing from you. For more information on suitability and fees/donations: [email protected] or Tell: 07949810704. Armenian Church News | 4

the discovery, the celebrations of the event can still be The Feast of the Discovery of vividly seen in the Armenian calendar, with four feasts being dedicated to the Holy Cross each year. the Holy Cross

On Sunday, October 27, the Armenian Church will celebrate the Discovery of the Holy Cross (Kyood Khach), which The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates the finding of the by Saint (Khachverats in Armenian) Helena, the mother of Byzantine Emperor Constantin the Great in 317AD. Perhaps the most notable of these feasts is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Khachverats in Armenian). It is considered as one of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church, and the most important of the four feasts of the Holy Cross as it highlights the differentiation of divinity of Jesus Christ. The feast is related to a chain of major historical events as well as religious ones. In 610 A. D, the Persian King Khosrov with a mammoth army behind him, successfully attacks and occupies a large portion of the . In 614 A.D encouraged by the success of the earlier conquest; the Persian army enters to claim complete control over the Empire. In this process Many people are killed and imprisoned. However, The Persians were still unsatisfied and enter the Church of Holy Sepulcher and take the Holy Cross displayed in the Church. After 14 long years, In 628 A. D., the Byzantine army led by the King Herakles finally recoups its power and successfully fights against the Persians to return the Holy Cross to its rightful place. The Armenian army regiment, led by Mzhezh Gnounie, supported the army and with The Lord’s help the Byzantine army wins the battle. The Holy Cross is solemnly brought to the Armenian town Karin, from where it is carried to Constantinople, and then – to Jerusalem. On the way the Holy Cross was raised for the people to see and worship.

The Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varaka Khach) According to tradition, in 327 AD Saint Helena arrives in Jerusalem with the aim to locate the Holy Cross of The Lord. On the Sunday nearest to September 28th (always two Shortly after, A Jewish man named Judas, helps the Empress weeks after the Exaltation) The Armenian Church celebrates to search the site where Christ was crucified in Golgotha. the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varaka Khach) After digging the site together, the wooden crosses of Christ commemorating the third century placement of an authentic and the two criminals crucified with him were found. relic of the cross in Armenian soil at Varagavank. This is a However, there was no way Lord’s Cross could be cross feast unique to the Armenian Church. According to differentiated from its counterparts at a glance. Here Saint Armenian tradition, the first one to "exalt" the Cross was the Helen shows the virtue of her faith to God and asks that the Apostle James of Jerusalem, the "Brother of the Lord" and remains of a young man be put on each of the crosses in turn this is celebrated with the feast also. to differentiate thee divine cross from the other two. In doing so, on one of the crosses the young man rises to life and thus Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross the Lord’s Cross is identified. After the awe of such a miracle the Jewish man, Judas converts to Christianity and The Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross or The later becomes Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem. After the Tabernacle feast in The Armenian Church is one of the four discovery of the Holy Cross, Saint Helena renovates the feasts of the Holy Cross. In May 351 A.D a miraculous event Holy buildings of Jerusalem and builds the Church of Holy appeared in the sky, about which the Church Father St. Resurrection of Golgotha and Holy Sepulchre as a place of Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, wrote about in a letter to the worship for the divine artefact. Though the majority of Emperor. St Cyril described in his letter a luminous cross Christian Armenians today don’t go to Jerusalem to worship radiating for hours in the sky which was so great that it Armenian Church News | 5 covered all land from Golgotha (located in the Church of Those who wish to attend please contact the Primates office the Holy Sepulcher) until the Mount of Olives, and was so via email at:[email protected] bright that all the inhabitants of Jerusalem witnessed it. As a result of such a miracle, many people went to the Holy Sepulcher to praise God and this is recognised in this feast.

Programmes continue at Bishop’s House

Children's club

Journey through the Bible

The Primate is launching weekly Bible studies in English (every Thursday, 7:30 pm) for the faithful of the community, who are in search of a deeper understanding of their faith and Christian fellowship. These are not academic discussions, but a journey of understanding together through the Bible. Currently, The Gospel of John is the focus where we explore his “ High Christology” as well as the countless The children's club met on the 12th of October at the lessons that can be drawn from his expansive teachings. Bishop's House. Led by Anna Henden, and assisted by Vanhouni Petrosyan, the classes focus on teaching children the through dancing, interactive games and other fun activities to keep the Children occupied during Armenian Church Trust UK the weekend. The club will recommence on Saturday AGM November 9th, at 2pm, those wishing to bring their children, please inform the primates office by contacting us via email at: [email protected] is a small £1 donation for those in attendance.

Art wellbeing for women

There are many clubs in the Armenian Community for Adults to participate in also.The Club Art wellbeing women, for example met at Bishop’s House on Saturday 12th October. The sessions are focused on art therapy sessions for females led by artist Anna Virabyan.Feel free to attend the The next session which will take place at Bishop’s ACT UK is the main centralised charity for the Armenian House at 1PM and kindly note there is a small donation fee Church in the UK and Ireland,serving the interest of the of £3 per person.In the absence of linguistics, The session Armenian communities to advance the Christian faith provides the opportunity for expression and empowerment throughout the British Isles.Besides this,The Central ethos through the different avenues of painting and art in general. of ACT UK as a charity is to provide absolute transparency Armenian Church News | 6 to the generous benefactors who make it possible.As such The Annual General meeting(AGM) is a chance to see how Armenian Book Club the funds are being used to help the Armenian Community develop.Please do join us for the AGM on December 2nd, Համայնքի ընթերցասէր անդամներուն համար, որոնք at 7:30 pm at the Bishop's House (27 Haven Green, W5 կը փափաքին կարդալ եւ միասնաբար քննարկել Հայ 2NZ). գրականութեան նմուշներ, Հայ Եկեղեցւոյ ու մշակոյթին առընչուած գործեր եւ այլ հետաքրքրական նիւթեր: Armenian Connections

Monthly after work informal gatherings for young professionals and community members at the Bishop’s Pilgrimage to Holy Land and House to network and catch up in a variety of ways.Whether it be listening to different lectures about history, politics, Jerusalem culture or learning about the latest developments in the Armenian world and a presentation by a guest speaker and Travel dates: 16th to 24th January 2020 then discussions,please save the following dates: (Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Dead See and other early Christian sites) ● 19th November, @ 7:30pm 'Tutundjian de The visit will include Armenian Christmas mass (Սուրբ Ծննդյան Պատարագ) in Vartavan 1730 - Bethlehem on January 19th as celebrated in 2019'. lecture by Dr. Old Calendar. Christian Tutundjian The cost per person: de Vartavan ● Double room sharing £1350 . ● 5th December, @ 7:30pm ● Single supplement Lecture by Baroness Cox £250. titled: " : Frontier of faith" Please kindly note that there will be a lot of walking. Those who are interested in taking can make Discussion Group their deposits of £250 to ACT UK accounts Contemporary Social & Ethical until the deadline of 1st November.

Issues ACT UK account number: 20573160 sort Discussion Group Contemporary Social & Ethical Issues, curated and led by Dr Hratch Tchilingirian.Dr Tchilingirian code: 30-94-65, REF: Jerusalem Discusses the contemporary social and ethical issues, which are of concern for young professionals and members of the Please contact Ms Hrachik Sarian via email: larger Armenian community. These evening gatherings will [email protected] or Tel: take place once a month, consisting of a 20-minute presentation on a given topic, followed by 50-60 minutes of 07949810704 for all inquiries related to the open discussion. The next Group will commence on the: Pilgrimage

22nd November, @ 7:30pm with a Lecture by Dr Hratch Tchillingerian on " Sexuality as reflected in the wedding service of the Armenian Church" Armenian Church News | 7

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Worship Services in the Armenian Churches

London: Services are held every Sunday st Manchester: Services are held on the 1 Sunday of the month.

For further details, please contact the parish nearest to you:

Holy Trinity Armenian Church St. Sarkis Church St. Yeghiche Church 229 Upper Brook Street Iverna Gardens 13b Cranley Gardens Manchester, M13 0FY Kensington, London, W8 6TP Kensington, London SW7 3BB Tel: 0161 273 1074 Tel: 020 7937 0152 Tel: 020 7373 8133 www.armenianchurchmanchester.org www.stsarkisparish.co.uk st www.styeghiche.org.uk 1 SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Birmingham: St. Peter Church, 208, High St, Walsall, WS3 3LA

Republic of Ireland

Dublin: [email protected]; Tel. +353 1 451 5087, www.armenians.ie

Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Kingdom & the Republic of Ireland His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate

Diocesan Office Tel. 0208 998 9210 [email protected] http://armeniandiocese.org.uk/

ACT UK Trustees Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Ayda Lundon, Viken Haladjian, Hovnan Hampartsoumian, Alan Simonian

Registered office address: Kemp House 152-160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX

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