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Last Sunday all Prelacy parishes held a Requiem Service for deceased members of the Armenian Relief Society. His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan presided over the Liturgy and the Requiem Service at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City. During the fellowship hour that followed the services, Archbishop Oshagan praised the ARS’s service and dedication to the Armenian community.

The Prelacy’s Lenten program began Wednesday, February 22, the first in a series of six consecutive Wednesday evening programs at St. Illuminator’s Armenian Cathedral in New York City, with the overall theme of “The Book,” the Bible (Asdvadzashoonch). His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan, the Prelate, gave the keynote lecture entitled “Armenian Bible translations – yesterday and today.”

Archbishop Oshagan, a seasoned Bible translator, together with Archbishop Zareh of blessed memory have translated the entire New Testament and the Book of Psalms into western Armenian, which was published by the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in conjunction with the Bible Society of Lebanon (1993), a translation used in public readings in our churches, as well as in private devotion.

His Eminence first spoke about the ancient translations of the Bible, starting with the translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek, known as the Septuagint (sometime after 300BC), from which the Armenian translation of the Old Testament was made. After the invention of the Armenian alphabet, translating the Bible into Armenian was the very first thing our Church Fathers did, first from Syriac and then from Greek, he said. The Bible has been translated into over 2000 languages. The Armenian version is one of the earliest translations after the Syriac, Latin and Coptic. The Armenian translation is recognized as “the Queen of translations.”

His Eminence then turned his attention to modern Armenian translations, in both eastern and western Armenian dialects, translations made by Armenians and non-Armenians. He spoke about different schools of translation, their advantages and disadvantages, giving ample examples. The purpose of translating the Bible, then as now, is to make the Word of God available and understandable for the faithful, said Srpazan Hayr. A lively discussion ensued after Srpazan’s informative presentation.

The evening program also included Lenten Service and table fellowship. Next Wednesday, His Grace Bishop Anoushavan, Vicar General, will speak on “The Bible in our worship services.” For details about the upcoming programs, please click here.

The celebrated State Puppet Theater of Armenia performed at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York, on January 29. Two plays, “The Foolish Man” and “The Birthday Gift” were performed to a sold-out audience. Children of all ages, as well as their parents, enjoyed the talented cast, puppets, folk songs and dances. At the conclusion of the performance the audience joined the performers in song and dance. The event was organized jointly by Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society of New York, and St. Illuminator’s Cathedral.

At the invitation of Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor, and the Board of Trustees of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York, a three-hour seminar was held for the board members on Christian Basics, conducted by Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), yesterday evening, January 25.

Manhattan’s Florence Gould Hall was filled to capacity last Sunday for St. Illuminator’s Huyser Music Ensemble performance of “Heartbeat of Our Land.” The performance included a special presentation by the AGBU Antranig Dance Ensemble.

Huyser Music Ensemble fulfilled its promise of keeping Armenian music alive by giving a performance of a lifetime and kept the audience in joy, pride and tears. The performance earned standing ovations from an appreciative audience.

The PTO of St. Illuminator’s Day School in Woodside, New York, organized a book drive to benefit the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF). English-language books are in short supply and thanks to the PTO, students, and Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, books were collected and will be sent to the COAF schools.

Last Friday evening a reception in honor of all Armenian workers at the United Nations took place at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City. The reception was hosted by the Armenian Mission to the United Nations and St. Illuminator’s Cathedral.

Last Sunday St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City was filled with parishioners and friends to witness the ordination of Krikor Esayan to the Diaconate. Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian was the celebrant of the Divine Liturgy and ordination service. Assisting His Grace at the altar was Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of the Cathedral.

A Requiem Service on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the passing of His Eminence Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian took place following the Liturgy, in remembrance of the Prelacy’s former Prelate, who served from 1978 to 1998.

At the conclusion of the liturgy, ordination, and requiem services, the faithful were invited to gather in Pashalian Hall where a beautiful buffet luncheon prepared by St. Illuminator’s family of parishioners, was served in memory of Archbishop Mesrob, and in honor of the newly-ordained deacon, Krikor Esayan.

St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City conducted a special Sunday School dedication service last Sunday for all Sunday School teachers and students. The service, led by the Cathedral’s priest Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, and Deacon Shant Kazanjian, took place immediately after the Divine Liturgy. Deacon Kazanjian, who is the Director of the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council, spoke about the importance of Christian education and praised the efforts of the teachers and parents.