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

Armenian Church News 09 July 2019 Volume 5, Issue 18

Celebrations in the Holy Trinity Church of Manchester

On the 6th and 7th of July, Bishop Hovakim Manukyan visited the Holy Trinity church of Manchester, and celebrated a mass for the Armenian community residing in Greater Manchester. At the conclusion of the service, the students of The Armenian Sunday school of Manchester held a special end-of-year concert, which included a range of performances of traditional Armenian song and dance. Following the concert, the faithful of the parish provided food and drink for all those in attendance. The Primate extends his sincere thanks and blessings to the teachers, students, parents and the many faithful that made such a memorable event possible.

The Armenian Church Youth Organisation World pilgrimage in Artsakh

On the 4th July, the Armenian Church Youth Organisation World commenced its pilgrimage to Artsakh, where more than 250 young people from , Artsakh and the Diaspora participated, including representatives from Great Britain: Sira Avanesova, Narineh Gholian, Vanouhi Petrosyan. The motto for the trip was "Towards Holy Etchmiadzin, Towards Sacred Artsakh" under which Armenian youth and their leading clergymen took part in the pilgrimage.

The youth registered in the yard of St. Anna Church, wore similar t-shirts and travelled from the capital of to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to get the patriarchal blessing of the Catholicos of all Amrenians before the long journey. Between July 4-7, young people visited: , Shushi, Dadivank, Gandzasar, as well as many other historical and cultural sites of Armenia and Artsakh. Liberated Artsakh has become a pilgrimage site for the new generation of youth. A real highlight was a liturgy in the Holy Saviour Cathedral of Ghazanchetsots in Shoushi. Armenian Church News | 2

In addition to the pilgrimage, the youth also held public conferences on spiritual-national, business, sports, culture and social issues in order to unite the pan- Armenian youth potential for implementing revolutionary new programs in Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora.

Armenian Summer Festival

The annual Armenian Summer Festival returns on the 14th of July. The festival serves as a celebration of our great nation’s faith and culture and bringing together the Armenian community for a day of festivities. Back for its 9th year, the festival will include a host of Armenian food options sourced from local vendors in London. A number of acts will perform on the day also, namely performances from renowned Armenian Pop star Sofi Mkheyan as well as traditional Armenian dance from The Akhtamar Dance group. For the first time this year, the summer Festival welcomes dancers from VKD dance school in Los Angeles, who will be sure to put on a performance not to miss. The event will once again be held at North Acton Playing Fields, located at 16 Westfields Rd, London W3 0AX. All are welcome to this special event and tickets are available at just £2 online at www.asflondon.co.uk, tickets will also be available at the event. Armenian Church News | 3

In Memoriam of Dr. Arman Kirakossian

It is with deep sadness and regret, we inform you of the passing of Dr Arman Kirakossian on the 6th of July 2019. In his 60 years of life, the Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom’s countless achievements serve as a reminder to all, of his strong work in furthering the international understanding of Armenian diplomacy and his literature focusing on spreading awareness of the Armenian Genocide. Those lucky enough to know Arman personally will fondly remember his intellect, and his dedication to the various causes he applied himself to: “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Rev.4;13). Dr Kirakossian’s avid work and notable contributions to the community will be missed greatly. Our prayers remain with his wife and son throughout this testing time. The Primate offers his heartfelt sympathy and the deepest condolences to all who knew Dr Kirakossian.

On July 7th there were special prayer services which took place in loving memory of the late ambassador in all Armenian Churches throughout the UK. The Primate presided over the prayer in the Holy Trinity Church in Manchester.

Parliamentary Prayer breakfast in the House of Lords

On the 2nd of July, His Grace attended the Parliamentary Prayer breakfast, chaired by Baroness Sherlock. The National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast is an annual recognition of the contribution that Christianity makes to the national life of the UK. It is held in Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament with the kind permission of Black Rod, the Speaker and the Lord Speaker. The breakfast was a congregation of over 700 Christian faithful, who gather each year to debate, enhance and develop a united Christian stance against key issues faced by government. This year’s breakfast centred on the theme of ‘Building unity in a world of difference’. The talk highlighted the increasing differences in such a diverse society, and the specific need and duty for the Church to combat such issues. Throughout the breakfast, Bishop Hovakim was able to convey his opinions on a number of key issues with the primary aim of creating alignment with the various views of other fellow Christian leaders, building unity together with other factions of the Christian faith.

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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: info@.ie; 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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