AGBU Armenia Newsletter (December 2010
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ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION AGBUAGBU ARMENIAARMENIA NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER Yerevan, Armenia IN THIS ISSUE ISSUE 11, DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011 ♦ AGBU President receives AGBU PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO ARMENIA RA citizen’s passport (p. 1) Berge Setrakian receives passport of a citizen of the Republic of Armenia ♦ AGBU President’s New Year message (p. 2) President of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), Berge Setrakian, ♦ Service of blessing at the paid a visit to Yerevan, Armenia, from January 27-30. As part of his visit Mr. Se- Mother See (p. 3) trakian had meetings with RA President Serzh Sargsyan, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sarg- ♦ Dr. Arshavir Gundjian retires from AGBU Central Board (p.3) syan, as well as vari- ous educational and ♦ Sinan Sinanian elected vice- cultural figures. He president of AGBU (p. 4) also received updates ♦ Joseph Oughourlian elected to on the current proc- the AGBU Central Board (p. 4) ess of implementation ♦ AGBU partnering with Eduardo of the Union’s pro- Eurnekian (p. 5) grams in Armenia. ♦ AGBU AVC winner of the On January 29, the e-content competition (p. 6) AGBU President was ♦ Delegation of “Luys” visited the received by RA Presi- AGBU Yerevan office (p. 7) dent Serzh Sargsyan. During the meeting ♦ AUA Digital Library of the parties discussed Armenian Literature (p. 7) the current and up- RA President Serzh Sargsyan presented AGBU President Berge Setrakian ♦ Peter Balakian in Armenia (p. 8) coming projects of the with a passport of a RA citizen ♦ APO tours in Europe (p. 9) AGBU, as well as possible future cooperation. President Sargsyan presented AGBU President Berge Setrakian with a passport of a citizen of the Republic of Armenia. ♦ Helping the orphanage children On the same day, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All in Gyumri (p. 9) Armenians, received Mr. Berge Setrakian at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. ♦ AGBU Yerevan Scouts visit the During the meeting the parties discussed a wide range of nation building activities of Nansen orphanage (p. 10) the AGBU in Armenian communities and the Homeland, and the cooperation be- ♦ AGBU Yerevan Scouts’ tween the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church and the AGBU. The progress of joint pro- New Year events (p. 10) jects between the Armenian Church and the AGBU were also discussed. Welcoming the visit of the AGBU President to the spiritual center of Armenians, His Holiness ♦ AGBU Diaspora Youth programs in Armenia (p. 11) expressed his appreciation to Mr. Berge Setrakian and to the members of the AGBU for their devotion and support to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. His Holiness ♦ AGBU Director Emeritus Barry stated that due to their endeavors, the Mother See has become more prosperous Zorthian passes away (p.12) and is able to implement numerous educational and social programs. The Pontiff of All Armenians stressed the importance of collaboration between the AGBU and the Armenian Dioceses worldwide, for the maintenance of the Armenian identity and for Armenian and Chris- tian education. His Holiness extended his gratitude to Mr. Setrakian and his wife Mrs. Vera Setrakian, through whose generous contribution the renovation and reconstruction of the Old Pontifical Residence is currently underway. The AGBU President briefed His Holiness on numerous projects of the Union includ- ing the construction of the AGBU center in Yerevan, expressing his confidence that it would contribute to the expansion of the Union’s activities. Mr. Setrakian also talked about the condition of the Diaspora com- munities and the established cooperation between the AGBU and various Diocesan headquarters. On behalf of the AGBU members, Mr. Setrakian expressed filial Mr. Setrakian received by His Holiness Karekin II love towards the Armenian Church and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. For the video material please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfX9a1iXzAY Page 1 AGBU ARMENIA NEWSLETTER ISSUE 11, DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011 AGBU PRESIDENT MR. BERGE SETRAKIAN’S NEW YEAR MESSAGE As we begin the year 2011 with hopeful anticipa- tion and a resolute stand to face the many chal- lenges these eventful and exciting times bring to us, I would like to convey to the members, bene- factors, donors, and friends of the Armenian Gen- eral Benevolent Union my best wishes for a peaceful, happy, healthy, and successful New Year. I am pleased to assert that the year 2010 was another benchmark for AGBU’s prominent service and contributions to our nation, through the nu- merous and multifaceted initiatives of our chap- ters, the achievements of our schools with hun- dreds of our graduates moving to higher educa- tion, the many and expanding activities of our Young Professionals worldwide, and our ongoing AGBU President Mr. Berge Setrakian humanitarian, social, cultural, youth and educational programs and new projects in the Diaspora, Armenia and Karabakh. The past year was also noted for AGBU’s 86th General Assembly in Buenos Aires, which highlighted our Ar- menia-centered expanding programs including the American University of Armenia, the Armenian Virtual Col- lege, various summer activities and our efforts at harnessing the potential of our youth to our Union’s mission of service. With the welcome emergence of newly organized diasporan communities and the establishment of new chapters, it is necessary for us to extend our resources to new constituencies. This implies enlisting the capabilities of our established western chapters calling on them to become self sufficient and contributing enti- ties to lend support to the organization’s global initiatives. Dozens of new graduates from our summer internship programs of New York, Paris, Yerevan and most re- cently Moscow joined the ranks of young professionals whose groups continue to expand especially in Europe where our district committee intensified its efforts in collaboration with our Nubarian Library and various political and scientific institutions to bring key Armenian issues to the forefront at international influential forums. Numerous networking corporate and social events were organized by the Young Professionals Groups. Their substantive contributions to programs in Armenia were noteworthy. Our various mentorship and social pro- grams have been expended to reach an ever increasing number of individuals. Our scholarship program, through its focus, supported hundreds of promising talents in performing arts, competitive scholarly and profes- sional endeavor, and among others, priesthood and public service. We shall continue deploying our resources more and more toward such initiatives that cultivate our future leadership and promote outstanding role models in our global communities. The Armenian Virtual College continued to expand its offerings and outreach with a growing enrollment and a diverse menu of language and cultural themes offered to schools and students in distant corners of the world. Guided by a clear mission, we have set our sight on the future and are diligently directing our efforts toward the youth and the fundamental historical tenets of our national existence – our Homeland, Living Culture, and our Mother Church. AGBU’s strong and illustrious path over the past decades inspires us to face the future with confidence. Let us all join hands to make the year 2011 a year of significance for our Great Union. With Best Wishes Berge Setrakian AGBU President January 1, 2011 Page 2 AGBU ARMENIA NEWSLETTER ISSUE 11, DECEMBER 2010-JANUARY 2011 SERVICE OF BLESSING AT THE MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN BERGE AND VERA SETRAKIAN SPONSOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE OLD PONTIFICAL RESIDENCE On December 27, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, presided over blessing service of the old Pontifical Residence for the commencement of its recon- struction and renovation. It was last reconstructed in 1958 during the reign of His Holiness Vasken I of blessed mem- ory. The old Pontifical Residence is being remodeled through the generosity of the benefactors of the Mother See, Mr. Berge Setrakian, President of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and his wife Mrs. Vera Setrakian. At the conclusion of the service, the Armenian Pon- tiff reflected on the scope of the reconstruction pro- ject. Layers and structures from different periods have been discovered, dating back to the 7-9th cen- turies and 12-13th centuries. His Holiness stated that they would be preserved intact, and the old Pontifical Residence would sustain its historical- architectural composition. After reconstruction the old Pontifical Residence will be opened as a Mu- seum. Dormitories would also be built in the south- Service of blessing at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin western part of the historical building. Following a joint prayer, His Grace Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian read the commemorative plaque in honor of the occasion which stated in part, "We extend our Pontifical appreciation to the Church-devoted and nation-loving chil- dren, who bring their assistance to the reconstruction and building activities of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – the sacred spiritual center of Armenia. May the Omnipotent God bless the benefactors and grant success to their Church-building and nation-devoted endeavors. Amen". His Holiness placed the commemoration plaque in the foun- dation of the building asking that God protect Holy Etchmiadzin, and grant zeal to the members of the Brotherhood to effectively continue their sacred mission with honor for the welfare of the Armenian nation. Present for the ceremony were His Eminence Archbishop Tatev Sargsian, His Grace Paren Avetikian, His Grace Bishop Arshak Khachatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See, His Grace Bishop Artak Tigranian, Dean of the Monaster- ies, His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukian, Director of the Inter Church Department of the Mother See, Members of the Brotherhood and government officials. DR. ARSHAVIR GUNDJIAN RETIRES FROM AGBU CENTRAL BOARD The AGBU Central Office announces the retirement of Dr.