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Palm Sunday was celebrated with great festivity and excitement. Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered the Sermon with the assistance of Deacons Shant Kazanjian, Hagop Haddad, Ryan, Sub Deacon Dikran Kabarajian and Choirmaster, Deacon Kevork Hadjian.

Godfather of Tranpatseg ceremony was Haroutiun Tashchyan, the son of Mr. & Mrs. Armen and Marianna Tashchyan.

“Project I – International Rhythms” presented on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at St. Illuminator’s John Pashalian hall, truly was full of “international” rhythms with lots of Spanish guitar music as well as English, Italian and of course Armenian music. The program also included a guest performance by international singer/songwriter Monica Lofgren (Sweden) and by many rising new talents.

We had the privilege of having amongst us Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Pastor of St. Illuminator’s Armenian Cathedral, Rev. Fr. Abraham Malkhasyan, Pastor of the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs as well as many representatives of different Armenian organizations.

The cozy atmosphere created by the performers specially with the funny jokes and friendly comments made by the group’s director Harout Barsoumian, made the audience feel like at home and led them into interacting with the performers more, which was the case with the encore “Volare” where they sang along with joy. Everyone was also amazed with the way the hall and the stage were set up and decorated, and of course the delicious food on the tables.

“International Rhythms” was the first of a series of small projects that will lead the group to their upcoming big show in the fall of this year, so keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming projects and shows from “Huyser”!

Here are some beautiful comments made by the attendees of “Project I”
– “My thanks to all of you for a great performance. You all were amazing!!! I really enjoyed the concert. Again, thank you for the incredible concert.”
– “It was the best event ever.”
– “You were all amazing…all talented too…Abrik..Vartskernit gadar”
– “Nice event… excellent entertainment… like to see more…”
– “Dear Harout, we really enjoyed the concert. Thank you”
– “Guys your concert was a great one, glad we could come, wish you all success.”

We would like to thank all of the attendees and supporters of our group, without whom we could not succeed.

37 eight graders from Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School in Los Angeles, California, accompanied by the principal of the school, Dr. Alina Dorian and three teachers, visited the St. Illuminator’s Cathedral on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 during the class trip to New York and Washington DC.

Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian gave them a tour and spoke about the history of the Cathedral and answered to students many questions. At the end of the visit students received souvenir Armenian crosses from Rev. Lakissian.

On Wednesday, March 20, the six-part Prelacy Lenten Program concluded. The lecturer was Maggie Kouyoumdjian, Sts. Vartanantz Sunday School Director of Ridgefield, New Jersey, who spoke on “Lessons from Famous Mothers from the Bible.”

Mrs. Kouyoumdjian focused on eight famous mothers in the Bible, starting with Eve, the mother of all living, to Mary, Mother-of-God (Asdvadzadzin). She briefly highlighted the characteristics of each of the eight mothers and their role in God’s plan of salvation. Then, reflecting on the mothers’ role today, she said, beyond nurturing their children physically, emotionally and intellectually, Armenian mothers need to pass on the glorious riches of our Christian faith and heritage to their children and grandchildren. Concluding, she spoke about how her grandmother and especially her mother were influential Christian witnesses in her life.

On behalf of H. E. Archbishop Oshagan, Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, who facilitated the six-part Lenten program, thanked everyone for their participation – including the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG) and the Ladies Guild of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, and the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) – and wished them a very blessed Holy Week journey to Easter, reminding them to participate in the coming Holy Week services.

The Lenten program is sponsored by the Prelacy’s Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC), the Prelacy Ladies Guild (PLG), and the Ladies’ Guild of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral.

On Saturday, March 9, Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) director Dn. Shant Kazanjian conducted a 4-hour seminar for Sunday School teachers from New York and New Jersey. The event was hosted by St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City and began with a Sunrise Service (Arevakal) at the church led by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian (pastor of the Cathedral) and Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoian (pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield, New Jersey), assisted by deacons Shant Kazanjian and Vahan Kouyoumdjian, M.D. The seminar explored the Eucharist (Soorp Badarak), beginning with a historical and scriptural overview of the liturgy (in general and Armenian) followed by an exploration into each part. Dn. Shant used a video of a typical service to analyze and explain what is done during each part and its meaning.

On Sunday, March 3, St. Illuminator’s Cathedral Ladies Guild hosted a Mid-Lenten (Michink) luncheon in Pashalian Hall following the Divine Liturgy. Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General of the Prelacy, presided and blessed the table.

Welcoming remarks were offered by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, pastor. Meline Najarian, chair of the Ladies Guild, introduced the keynote speaker Hourig Papazian-Sahagian who spoke about the history of the Cathedral and its century-old spiritual, cultural, educational, and humanitarian service to the community.