Mar 5, 2012
Archbishop Oshagan and Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian with members of the New York Mayr Chapter of the Armenian Relief Society.
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.
Feb 24, 2012
Archbishop Oshagan leads the vespers service with Bishop Anoushavan, Rev. Father Mesrob Lakissian and Archdeacon Shant Kazanjian.
Archbishop Oshagan explains bible translations.
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.
Feb 6, 2012
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.
Jan 27, 2012
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.
Jan 20, 2012
Bishop Anoushavan and Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian with the participants including the AGBU Dance Ensemble.
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.
