We were pleased to have more then seventy five people with us for lunch as well as a musical program by Julia Pogosova, Maria Amiryan and Sarkis Chorbajian.

A moment of silence was observed in recognition of the April 24th Genocide, and St. Sarkis was open all day on April 25th for those who wanted to light candles.

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The evening included a program of remarks, recitations, and musical interludes. The church’s bell choir, under the direction of Scott Rauschenberg, performed a selection of Armenian hymns. Musical performances were also given by Vardges Vardanyan, Lexi Arbajian, and Daniel Zalinov.

Anni Kastorian recited a poem by Baruyr Sevag, and the entire community took part in a sing-along of popular Armenian songs. The banquet culminated in a special cake-cutting ceremony led by parish council chair Hagop Sarkissian.

More than 100 people attended the gathering, including local ecumenical leaders representing the Greek Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and United Methodist churches.

“It was a festive and joyful atmosphere,” Mr. Sarkissian said.

On Sunday, Archbishop Barsamian celebrated the Divine Liturgy and performed a blessing of Madagh service.

In his sermon, the Primate spoke about St. Sarkis the Warrior—the saint after whom the Charlotte church is named and whose feast day was observed on February 19.

St. Sarkis was a Roman soldier who embraced Christianity, and facing persecution for his faith, found refuge in Armenia with his son, Mardiros. Sarkis and Mardiros were later martyred in Persia, and their relics were recovered and brought to Armenia by Mesrob Mashdots.

“This church should symbolize everything that St. Sarkis found, when he came as a refugee to Armenia,” Archbishop Barsamian said. “For he found in our sacred land a welcoming home. A sanctuary of safety and acceptance. A place where he and his child could live in peace—and where their good works would always be remembered.”

The Primate also had a message for the parish’s young generation: “To God looking down on you, each of you is a knight in shining armor: defending the good, fighting against evil, protecting the weak and helpless,” he said. “Wearing the armor of God—and above all, having Christ in your heart—makes you a hero.”

A requiem service was held in memory of the deceased benefactor and parishioners of St. Sarkis Church. A blessing of madagh followed the Divine Liturgy. The madagh was donated by Sergey Mouradkhanian.

Later in the afternoon, parishioners had the opportunity to speak with Archbishop Barsamian during an informal fellowship hour.

“It was a very successful visit by the Primate,” Mr. Sarkissian said. “Everyone was happy to see him.”

The Armenian community of Charlotte began to form in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Lena Kupelian Neau, the current parish council secretary, was instrumental in bringing together Armenian families in the region, and helping organize a community that eventually became a mission parish of the Eastern Diocese.

Others active in the parish’s early efforts include Roland Telfayan; Arthur, Puzant, and Paul Yessayan; and Hagop and Zaven Touloukian. Many other individuals and families also stepped forward to volunteer their time and resources.

In March 2000, the parish purchased a property in Charlotte and began planning the construction of a new house of worship. The late Sarkis Acopian of Easton, Pa., and his wife, Bobbye Acopian, generously pledged more than $2 million to the building project in memory of Mr. Acopian’s mother, Dr. Arax Acopian.

Four years later, a cornerstone-blessing was held, and in July 2005, Archbishop Barsamian traveled to Charlotte to consecrate the newly-built St. Sarkis Church.

In addition to the bell choir, the parish has a number of active organizations including ACYOA Juniors and Seniors chapters, a Women’s Guild chapter, and Sunday and Armenian Schools.

Hagop Sarkissian says the community is now focusing on bringing a permanent pastor to St. Sarkis Church. A stewardship campaign is underway as part of this effort.

Committee members organizing last weekend’s celebration include: Lena Kupelian Neau, Pierre Arbajian, Donna Loutigian, Anni Kastorian, Charles Diman, Hagop Sarkissian, Astghik Vardanian Hensley, and Diane Gulkasian Tudor.

Source: www.armenianchurch.net

We thank party organizers Sylvie Yessayan and Diane Tudor and all those who assisted in the execution of this event.

The generous donation of Zaven and Ray Touloukian made it possible to have a second stained glass window for the Church, thus making the Sanctuary more mystical and beautiful.  Zaven and Ray are no strangers in the Charlotte community.  Years ago their generous donation tipped the balance for the purchase of the land where St. Sarkis Church was later constructed.  And a few years ago, again with their generous donation, the first stained glass window was constructed.

This second new window had its theme the “Crucifixion” and was beautifully designed and constructed, under the watchful eyes of the building manager, Charlie Diman, and with the step by step design, manufacturing monitoring of Zaven and Ray to have the final product not only a simple stained glass window but a work of art. This was dedicated to the memory of Sarkis and Zarouhi Touloukian, the parents of Zaven.

Sunday, September 12^th, Holy Badarak was celebrated by Fr. Daniel Findikyan, specially invited to Charlotte for the occasion.  The Church was full with parishioners and to the beautiful singing of the choir accompanied by the melodies of the organ, a heart filling and spiritually satisfying service was celebrated.

At the end of the Badarak service, Fr. Findikyan did the special blessing ceremony of the new stained glass window, followed by the special ceremony for the feast of the ‘Exaltation of the Holy Cross’.

Fr. Findikyan, in his sermon, talked about the meaning and the importance of the cross, reflected on the history of St. Sarkis Church and the early years of the formation of this Parish where he played a very important and leadership role, and connected the dots to the present day.  He drove home the message of the importance of cherishing St. Sarkis Church and its parish, embracing the community for the progress and the glory of St. Sarkis Church Charlotte.

At the conclusion of the service, the Parish Council invited everyone to a luncheon at the ‘Acopian Hall’, organized in honor of the Touloukian family and to thank them for their continuous love and generosity of St. Sarkis Church.  This luncheon gave the opportunity to the parishioners to mingle and exchange their feelings for this beautiful day in the life of St. Sarkis Church, Charlotte.

The two-day ceremony began on Saturday evening, July 10. Dn. Leon knelt before the altar in a traditional calling service that symbolizes a deacon’s formal presentation to the Lord as a candidate for the priesthood.

On Sunday, July 11, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Archbishop Barsamian ordained Dn. Leon to the priesthood during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Also participating in the ordination service were the Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, the pastor of St. Mary Church, and the Rev. Fr. Vertanes Kalayjian, the long-serving former pastor of the community. Fr. Karapetyan and Fr. Kalayjian served as sponsoring priests at the ordination.

Archbishop Barsamian performed the “laying on of hands” ritual, which binds all priests of the Armenian Church into the “apostolic succession,” linking clergy through the generations back to Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew-who brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century-and back before them to Christ himself.

Archbishop Barsamian later consecrated Dn. Leon’s forehead and his hands with holy chrism (muron), and gave him the priestly name “Hovhan.” At the conclusion of the service, the newly ordained priest gave his first blessing to the faithful at St. Mary Church.

In his sermon, the Primate spoke about the Feast of the Transfiguration-one of the five major feast days of the Armenian Church which recalls Christ’s ascent up Mount Tabor with the disciples Peter, James, and John, where Christ was transfigured in a blinding white light and the voice of God affirmed Jesus as his Son.

“The disciples see our Lord transformed,” Archbishop Barsamian said. “And in doing so, the disciples are transformed as well-but in a different way. Peter, James, and John, after sharing this special moment with Jesus, go on to become the greatest supports in Christ’s ministry; the ones our Lord most relied on-and the ones from whom he expected the most.”

“Today, in this church, we have seen a similar kind of transformation-as mysterious in its way as the Transfiguration,” Archbishop Barsamian continued. “In this ordination, we have seen a man transformed. Today, the Holy Spirit entered into Dn. Leon Khoja-Eynatyan, and he became something new.”

The entire Parish Council hosted the ordination; chair Zakar Shahverdian served as godfather. A celebratory luncheon followed in the church hall.

Source: www.armenianchurch.net

Some 800 people gathered for the event, including Ambassador Garen Nazarian, Armenia’s representative to the United Nations, along with other dignitaries and diplomats from U.N. member nations.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, presided and officiated at the requiem service that began the evening.

The concert featured works by Komitas, Khachaturian, and others, as performed by pianist Karine Poghosyan, the Merlin Virtuosi string quartet, and the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir under the direction of Maestro Khoren Mekanejian.

Ms. Poghosyan received a standing ovation for her stirring performance of Khachaturian’s Piano Sonata (1961). “She made a jaw-dropping impression,” commented master pianist Sahan Arzruni of Ms. Poghosyan’s performance. “The three-movement Khachaturian Sonata—a rarely performed composition—is a real tour-de-force for the virtuoso pianist. Technically pristine, Ms. Poghosyan brought out the driven qualities of the outer movements, and the heart-rending beauty of the middle section.”

Soloists Vagharshak Ohanyan, Anahit Zakarian, Anoush Barclay, Hasmig Meikhanedjian, and Maro Partamian also moved the audience with their renderings of Armenian choral pieces, with the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir lending a beautifully balanced texture and precision of tone.

The event was sponsored through the generosity of the Edward and Grace Alexanian Fund. Floral crosses – donated by Adrienne Alexanian in memory of her parents and grandparents – were displayed on trees surrounding St. Vartan Cathedral.

The concert was organized by creative directors Karine Poghosyan and Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, and the Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral.

“We see such horrors even today”

In formal remarks to the audience after the concert, Armenia’s UN Ambassador Nazarian noted the importance of bringing to an end Turkey’s policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide, emphasizing the important role played by the international community and the diaspora in this effort.

He also stressed that it is important for the international community to be committed to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and other international treaties on human rights, and to press Turkey to respect the provisions of these documents.

Failure to recognize the Genocide “resulted in untold suffering for millions others during and after World War II,” Ambassador Nazarian said. To the audience, and especially to his colleagues in the diplomatic community, Ambassador Nazarian said he saw them all as a coalition “committed to education aimed at the eradication, once and for all, of racism, xenophobia, and the prevention of genocides.”

The ambassador affirmed that “Throughout their history, Armenians have experienced intolerance over and over again.” But genocide was not something that ended in the remote past: the events of 1915 find echoes in the news of today, and “we see such horrors even today in different parts of the world.”

Appealing to his diplomatic colleagues, he said: “Today the international community is not responsible for such crimes [of genocide]. But we are responsible for not recognizing that crime.”

Source: www.armenianchurch.net

THE ROMAN EMPIRE OF THE FIRST CENTURY was an entity of many glories: arguably mankind’s greatest political achievement to that time. Yet when we remember it today, we are transfixed by its cruelty and disregard for life; its mask of civility hiding a darker truth.

Ordinarily, this truth would have been left in the shadows of history. But something exposed it, illuminated it. What could have shined this light of truth?

The unexpected answer is this: The sufferings of an innocent person—and the miraculous event that followed. But most important of all, the source of both the miracle and the light was love: God’s love, embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.

Such thoughts seem deeply present among us this Easter. For this year we are reminded again of how another empire meted out suffering to innocent souls. As in our Lord’s case, for those innocents—our own parents and grandparents—their suffering was not an end, but rather a passage to something else: for the departed, enduring memory in our community; for the survivors, continued lives of goodness, kindness and, miraculously, love.

Now, ninety-five years after the Genocide, nearly all who endured it have been gathered to our Lord; the last precious survivors are those who witnessed the cataclysm as children or infants. But this is another point of contact with our Lord Jesus. For we cannot forget that he, too, was marked for extinction in his infancy. He too began life as the survivor of an attempt to wipe out an entire class of human beings. Such memories must have left their impression on him. Was our Lord’s tenderness towards children—so rare for that day—a reflection of the burdensome knowledge he carried, that infants in Bethlehem had died, while he had lived?

Throughout his ministry our Lord showed the greatest love for those who most acutely felt man’s essential neediness: our vulnerability to the abuses of the world; our in¬comple¬te¬ness without God. “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he preached in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1-16). “Blessed are the mourners, the meek, the pure in heart.” His blessings flowed to those who had felt the sting of persecution, and the absence of mercy; who craved peace, and hungered for the world to be set aright. A portrait emerges of those who are touched by God: not the powerful, but those aware of the illusion of human power; its tendency to turn against others, to reduce and dehumanize them.

Jesus did not utter these things out of some romantic idealization of defeat; nor out of commiseration, or pity. To the contrary, he taught that it is in the forge of such bitter experience that one could see the reality of the human condition, and the reality of God, with the greatest clarity. The experience of suffering and loss, bravely and faithfully endured, would be a beacon of truth, to illuminate mankind.

“You are the light of the world,” he told his careworn friends. “A city set on a hill cannot be hid; neither do men light a candle to cover it, but they put it on a candlestick—to give light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.”

In such words, Christ subtly anticipated the meaning of Easter: the uncanny miracle that drew life out of death, victory out of defeat, truth out of a deceitful world. Above all, it was a miracle of love: God’s love for mankind, his willingness to sacrifice his only Son on our behalf. When, in the hours prior to his own suffering, our Lord said, “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12), he was assuring us that he would always stand with those who testified to the truth through their affliction.

And so Christ stood with our elders who endured the Genocide: for they too have testified to the truth—against the powerful, the persecutors, the deniers of our own age. Their victory—the lives of love, grace, and dignity the survivors went on to lead—was of a piece with the Resurrection: not entirely a supernatural miracle, to be sure, but an affirmation of the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice. In the deepest sense, each of their million-and-more stories was a recapitulation, a memory, a revelation, of the story of Easter.

As we say farewell to that generation—both in public as a community, and in the most personal ways, as through the loss of a father—we should hail them in the loving manner of our Lord: “You were the light of the world: In life, you would not be hidden; and you brought light to everyone in our house.”

And we pray that from their rest in God’s kingdom, the souls of our heroic generation may reply to us: “Now you must be that light. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works—our good works—and glorify our Father in heaven.”

Let that thought be in our hearts, as on our lips we pronounce the Easter greeting that has always held such depth of meaning for our people:

Krisdos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnyal eh harootiunun Krisdosee!
Christ is risen from the dead! Blessed is the resurrection of Christ!

Source: www.armenianchurch.net

Source: www.armenianchurch.net

A “Mediterranean Dinner” was planned and executed by both parishes working together and we are happy to report it was a BIG success.  We served “319” dinners with the help of many volunteers. St. Sarkis is a small Parish and partnering with St. Vincent provided a successful fundraiser for both parishes.

The committee was chaired by Myrna Seropian along with Noelle Sarkissian, Lena Neau & Donna Loutigian.