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The United States Ambassador to Armenia, John A. Heffern, who during the past several weeks has been in the United States visiting major Armenian American communities on the west and east coasts, was hosted by Archbishop Oshagan and the Prelacy at a Town Hall Meeting on Sunday evening, December 16, at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral. The Ambassador was accompanied by his wife Libby and Jeffrey Paretchan, USAID Armenia Public Private Alliance Specialist and Diaspora Outreach Coordinator.

The Ambassador and his entourage first came to the Prelacy offices where they were welcomed and had a private meeting with the Prelate and members of the Religious and Executive Council. After enjoying dinner at the Prelacy, the guests and hosts made their way to St. Illuminator’s Cathedral where a large group of community leaders had gathered for the Town Hall Meeting.

Archbishop Oshagan opened the meeting with a prayer and asked everyone to remain standing for a minute of silence in remembrance of the tragic loss of lives in Newtown, Connecticut.

Stephen Hagopian, chairman of the Executive Council, served as the Master of Ceremonies and introduced Ambassador Heffern. The Ambassador has been a career Senior Foreign Service officer since 1982 and has served in various embassies. Most recently he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at USNATO in Brussels, Belgium. He was nominated to serve as the United States Ambassador to Armenia in May 2011, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September 2011.

Ambassador Heffern presented the Embassy’s mission in Armenia with a slide-show presentation. He explained that the Embassy’s primary goal is to help Armenia succeed as a democratic, prosperous, and secure country. He showed the various projects and endeavors undertaken by the Embassy to achieve these goals. He emphasized the U.S.’s dedication to Armenia by noting that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has visited Armenia twice, while previously a span of 18-years passed without a high-level visit. On the Genocide issue, the Ambassador stated that the “characterization of those events is a policy decision that is made by the President.” He also noted that the Armenian Remembrance Day message issued by President Obama on April 24, 2012, was a very strong statement where he honored “the memory of the 1.5 million Armenians who were brutally massacred or marched to their deaths in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.”

An extended and lively question and answer period followed Mr. Heffern’s presentation. Issues explored included the Genocide issue, the status of Nagorno Karabakh, the business climate in Armenia, the upcoming elections and questions of corruption and fraud, Diaspora and Armenia relations, life outside of the capital city Yerevan, emigration issues, and the incarceration of political opponents. The Q&A period that went one-half hour beyond the allotted one hour, continued individually during the reception that followed hosted by the Cathedral.

The last of a four-part program on the Eucharist (Soorp Badarak) was held last night at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City, under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor. The program was cosponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) and the Cathedral. The speaker of the series was AREC’s director Dn. Shant Kazanjian.

Dn. Shant first discussed what biblical vision of worship is, highlighting its basic assumptions, contents, vocabulary, images and symbolic language. He then presented the origin and history of the Soorp Badarak, the central act of Christian worship, as well as its two-part structure – the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The bulk of the program was to walk the participants through the service, step-by-step, facilitated by a Badarak video and a detailed outline of the Badarak cross-referenced to the Prelacy’s Badarak book, explaining various elements, prayers and chants, as well as liturgical actions and symbols.

St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York received a donation of $10,000 from Mr. Andreias Marderosian of Flushing, New York, in memory of his wife Lucia Marderosian. Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the Cathedral, accepted the gift and announced that the funds will be used for the Cathedral’s Sunday and Saturday schools to augment religious and Armenian educational programs.

In 2007, a donation of $30,000 was made by the Marderosian family to the Cathedral and the Day School. Der Mesrob expressed thanks to Mr. Marderosian and said this generous donation “will help us educate young generations of Armenian Americans. The survival of the Armenian Church and community depends on individuals like Mr. Marderosian who have strong ties to the Armenian Church and heritage.”

Fundraising efforts to benefit the Armenian community in Syria are continuing. Funds raised through the Fund for Syrian Armenian Relief are being transferred to the special fund that has been established in Lebanon by the Catholicosate of Cilicia to help the community, especially to keep the schools open, and to provide humanitarian aid to families who have been displaced or injured because of the ongoing civil strife.

A fundraising luncheon organized by the New York Mayr Chapter of the Armenian Relief Society took place at the Byblos Restaurant in New York last Sunday with more than one hundred in attendance. Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, attended and encouraged everyone to pray for the safety of the Armenian community in Syria and to make generous donations to help the community.

Requiem Services for Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian on the 9th anniversary of his passing took place last Sunday at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral. Archbishop Oshagan presided over the Liturgy and Requiem, and Bishop Anoushavan delivered the Sermon.

Bishop Anoushavan and Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, visited the residents of the Armenian Home in Flushing, New York, last Sunday, November 25, on the occasion of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Members of the St. Illuminator’s “Huyser” Ensemble entertained the residents, staff and guests with Armenian songs.

St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City has been collecting food and clothing for New York City residents affected by Hurricane Sandy. Last Wednesday, on the eve of Thanksgiving, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the Cathedral, and members of his family joined volunteers from the American Red Cross to deliver and distribute food to needy families.

The first of a four-part program on the Eucharist (Soorp Badarak) took place last night at St. Illuminator’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in New York City, under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor, cosponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) and the Cathedral. The speaker of the series is Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of AREC. The evening began with a meal fellowship (from 6:30-7:30 pm) followed by the lecture (7:30-8:45 pm). The next session will take place on Wednesday, December 5, 2012.

For information and registration, please visit www.armenianprelacy.org or call (212) 689-7810 (Prelacy) or (212) 689-5880 (Cathedral).