Volume 3, Issue 7 25th March 2017 Armenian Church News Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland Inauguration at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem In this issue: Inauguration at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem St. Sarkis Parish Church Assembly Meeting Oriental Orthodox- Catholic Forum Meeting Southwark Cathedral Evening Service On 22nd March the renovated Edicule of Jesus’ tomb was opened in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Church leaders. The service was presided over by the Patriarchs of Jerusalem. The Edicule was renovated through the donations of the Greek, Armenian and Catholic Churches. During the inauguration, The Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II sent a delegation and His Grace Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian, the Head of the External Protocol Department of the Mother See, read the message of His Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Holiness. Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland Please click on the following link to watch the YouTube Video, highlighting events: His Grace Bishop Hovakim https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TVkI5TVTFgY&ebc=ANyPxKqKl7fdUDY3C Manukyan, Primate NH4ls7hPYrFK5nOdeXXEg_yuYCB5jmtmoLkw5AubE-v53g- vKCQksLPAiUWZF7JH-dsgkEysZVE5JuEMw Diocesan Office Tel. 0208 127 8364 primatesoffice@ Armenian Church News St. Sarkis Church Parish Assembly Meeting The 2017 St. Sarkis Parish Assembly (PA) took place on Sunday, 19th March, after the standing-room-only normal Sunday service at the Church. The parishioners were treated to a Lenten lunch at the Gulbenkian hall before the PA meeting. After the opening prayer by our Primate, His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, and a short welcome speech by sitting assembly chair Mr Armenag Topalian, the meeting was declared quorate as there were 39 parishioners present. The meeting proceeded to approve, without any amendments, the 2016 PA minutes and then to elect the assembly chairman and secretary. Mr Armenag Topalian and Mr Antony Abajian were duly elected respectively as chair and secretary. The next item on the agenda was Reports. The Pastor, Revd. Shnork Baghdasarian presented his report listing his multi -faceted work for the church community which, among others, included Church Services, visits to homes, hospitals, prisons and cemeteries, Youth Ministry (visiting Sunday school monthly) Christian education and Counselling. The parish council (PC) chairman, Mr Bagrat Nazarian, then presented his report to the meeting which enumerated the steady progress that had been made during the year on some of the main objectives that the PC had set itself. He stated that both membership and finances had increased, substantially so in the case of the latter. However, unfortunately the PC had only 4 members which made it quite difficult to do more than the basic minimum. Therefore, there was a need for additional new members to enable the PC to work more 2 effectively. Armenian Church News With respect to this, he stated that the PC intended to use its improved financial position to appoint a Youth Programme Director and Admin Officer who would develop the Church’s relations with the youth as well as help our pastor in the administration of the office. He praised the Pastor’s hard and dedicated work in all areas. He also highly commended the dedication of St. Sarkis Ladies Committee in developing a lively liturgical fellowship every Sunday at the Gulbenkian hall. The PC treasurer then presented his report and accounts, during which he spoke of the substantial progress that had been achieved in bringing the accounts to audit standard; switching to Metro Bank; as well as outlining the substantial increase in our finances and a significant improvement of membership. He advised the parish to be wary of general economic uncertainty in the near future due to Brexit, which might well have a negative effect on parish finances in a number of ways. Ms Sosi Yeretsian of the Audit Committee then made a presentation made several good suggestions and recommendations for improving PC’s book-keeping. Item 6 on the PA agenda was the Election of additional officers to the PC during which the 4 candidates were unanimously approved. Hence the PC consists of the following 8 members: Alan Simonian, James Harland, Zaghgoosh Matusian, Bagrat Nazarian, Karine Gevorkian, Khachik Panosian, Anais Heghoyan and Arman Harutiunian. The PA also discussed the two other motions regarding the future Diocesan Constitution and Diocesan organisational arrangements. The meeting ended with the concluding prayer. 3 Armenian Church News Ecumenical News Oriental Orthodox-Catholic Forum Meeting On 22nd March the Catholic Oriental Orthodox Forum met at St. Yeghiche Church, hosted by the Primate of the Armenian Church in the UK & Ireland, His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan. Attendees of the meeting included: Bishop Manukyan, Archbishop Kevin McDonald, Bishop Angelos, Archbishop Bernard Longley, Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, Bishop Paul Hendricks, Mgr. Keith Newton, Fr. Ninan George, Fr. Shnork Souin, Fr. Aphram and Canon John O’Toole Bishop Hovakim opened with a prayer and welcomed everybody to St Yeghiche Church. During the meeting, there was a presentation and discussion on bilateral interests. 4 Armenian Church News There was a presentation by Mr Paul Barber (Director of the Catholic Education Service), who spoke about Catholic Education Service. It was discussed that for the admissions to the Catholic schools at present, there are no national guidelines, although they are under consideration. Currently, it was stated that schools are being oversubscribed. The schools make the final decision with regards to admissions. The attendees discussed how there is a great need for both education and respect for the practices of our different traditions. The Eastern Catholic children in Catholic schools are sometimes wrongly encouraged to be Confirmed with their peers. A pastoral response has been to encourage them to receive catechesis with their peers and to go forward for a blessing when their peers are being Confirmed. Archbishop Bernard wondered whether another pastoral option might be for them to be a sponsor to one of their peers. The parties agreed upon a number of ways forward, to make progress in the area. A meeting was then planned to seek an official mandate for the Oriental Orthodox- Catholic dialogue and dates for future meetings were set. 5 Armenian Church News Ecumenical News Evening Service at Southwark Cathedral On 20th March, the Primate Hovakim Manukyan attended an ecumenical evening service at Southwark Cathedral. The service was presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The service was in honour of the delegation of the Church of Greece visiting London, led by His Holiness Hieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. After the Evensong, the Primate, Hovakim Manukyan, participated an official dinner at Lambeth Palace, in honour of the Greek delegate at the Nikaean Club. Community News Armenian Pavilion at London Book Fair His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan visited the Armenian Pavilion at the London Book Fair in Olympia last week. After a year’s sabbatical, the Armenian Pavilion returned to the London Book Fair, invigorated and in a different format. Publishers received their own separate entry, allowing them access to the wide range of media publicity provided by LBF. 6 For the third year the Pavilion was funded by Raffi and Alice Tanielian and by Nyree and Robert Osterbauer, who have been stalwart benefactors of the Pavilion. Armenian Church News This year the Pavilion featured the work of sixteen individual authors from the USA, UK and Lebanon, in addition to six publishers from Armenia (2), United Kingdom (2) and Lebanon (2). Noteworthy in this year’s stand are several new Diaspora authors with their first published books. They include: Davina Agasho with her first novel “From Terror to Kensington – A Journey”; Prof. Robert Iskenderian “M-Health – Fundamentals & Applicatoins” and Andrea Aviet “White Sorrow”. For the first time at the Pavilion, Vahe Berberian graced the shelves with his novel “In the Name of the Father and the Son”. Other notable first time exhibitors were Prof. Arda Ekmekji, Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Intercultural Studies and Archeology at Haigazian University, Samuel Armen with his latest work “Within a Diminishing Caricature” and Garin Hovannisian with “Family of Shadows”. Returning exhibitors included: Dana Walrath, Ken Janjigian, Douglas Kalajian, Gyaneh Khach, Daniel Melnick, Aline Ohanessian and also very early supporters: the producer of superb children’s books Nouneh Sarkissian, a wonderful novelist and historian Haig Tahta and excellent catographer Rouben Galichian. Also for the first time, Haigazian University Press exhibited several recent publications along with the Catholicosate of Cilicia Printing House. Important contributions were exhibited by The Gomidas Institute and also the Armenian Institute from England. Relevant to the core principle of the Pavilion is the positive feedback received from the exhibitors with potential success for the delegates from Armenia Ankyunakar and ARI Literary and Talent Agency. Fundamentally the Armenian Pavilion’s participation at the London Book Fair was successful for first and foremost adding Armenia to the list of participating countries and secondly, successfully amalgamating Diaspora and Armenia publishing organisations in a united structure at an international forum giving a voice to the unsung heroes – the writers and publishers who perpetuate the