Archbishop Hovnan Derderian April 2016 Primate s Easter Message

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1 The Voice Newsletter is published once a month by St. Vartan Armenian Church 650 Spruce Street, Oakland, CA , Phone (510) , Fax: (510) stvartanoakland@aol.com Website: The deadline for all articles is the fifteenth of each month. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan, Parish Priest and President of All Church Organizations Parish Council Chair: Barry Toomajian Parish Assembly Chair: Don Manoogian Choir Director: Artin Der Minassians Organist: A. Rodriguez ACYO Chair: Sevan Jindoian and Nataleine Jindoian Sunday School Superintendent: Janet Yeghissian Ladies Society Chair: Gail Kezerian, Caroline Arakelian and Lisa Manoogian Cultural Society Chair: Liz Ojakian Hokejosh: Nora Hanoian Newsletter Editors: Arlene Hovsepian and Rachel Harger Church Secretary: Rachel Harger Altar Flowers: Carole Chang Church Custodian: Wartkes Hagopian Divine Liturgy Service Sundays 10:30 a.m. Bible Readings April 3 John 1:1-17 April 10 John 3:1-12 April 17 John 5:24-30 April 24 John 7:14-24 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 Archbishop Hovnan Derderian April 2016 Primate s Easter Message But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:27) The pinnacle of every Christian s spirituality is the Victorious Resurrection of Christ, our Lord, an event which has revolutionized the course of history and has woven into the fabric of society the spirit of rebirth and the breath of new faith. Through Christ s Resurrection, the image of the Almighty God, which has been stained by sin, has been rekindled in the heart of humanity. In his message to the Corinthians, St. Paul, the Apostle, reflects on the power and glory of God. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle s message delivered in the first century applies to each of us today, for we too must nourish our souls by reliving Christ s Victorious Resurrection in our hearts. As the Great Lent concludes, let us reflect on the impact of the spiritual journey. We prayed, fasted, and engaged in God-pleasing deeds through almsgiving. What we gained in the process is the spiritual strength to greet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. From exclaiming Hosanna to proclaiming He is Risen, we have become the living testimony of the Resurrection of Christ, our Lord. Today, along with the myrrhbearing women, we proudly announce the greatest news in history: Christ is Risen from the Dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ! Christ s Resurrection draws us closer to God, requiring from us the commitment to lead a Christ-like life. In doing so, we continue to be engaged in fervent prayer, we renounce the sinful life and hence, the self-alienation from God. Those whose hearts are filled with the mystery of the Resurrection express it purely through a God-pleasing lifestyle. Undoubtedly, man, in essence, is sinful. However, as spiritual beings, we are able to reignite the spark of spirituality to elevate our lives to God, thus, transfiguring the course of our lives. Dear Faithful, Follow in the footsteps of Christ, our Lord and adopt the life of Christ as your own. Empower your lives through the Living Word of God, so that you may be renewed in Christ. The Gospel is the book of life. The source of the

2 light radiating from the Gospel is the divine love of God. The Gospel of Christ our Lord inspires humanity with the Victorious Resurrection, the sole purpose of the Christian Faith. Christ is Risen from the Dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ! On Easter Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of Victory over death. The journey of our nation is similar to that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, carrying His cross on the path to Golgotha. However, what seemed to be a woeful path for the Son of God, became a sign of victory. The lives of our martyred ancestors became victorious ones as well. To us as Christian Armenians, the Church, the Motherland, our Christian Land, our spiritual values, the school and the sanctity of the family are divine gifts of God cherished by all in the depths of our hearts. May the Victorious Resurrection of Christ, become the revelation of God s power and glory in our lives. Christ is Risen from the Dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ! Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate Easter 2016 Upcoming Events Sunday, April 3 Merelotz Sunday 10:30 am Sunday, April 3 Baghdassarian's Armenian Genocide art project After Church Services Sunday, April 3 ACYO at Sky High Trampoline Park, Concord 2 pm Saturday, April 9 ACYO Mt. Davidson Cross Cleanup Sunday, April 10 Choir Rehearsal 1 pm Saturday, April 16 The Road Home Cultural Show 7 pm Sunday, April 17 Choir Rehearsal 1 pm Sunday, April 24 Mt. Davidson Cross Armenian Genocide Commemoration Saturday, April 30 Family Night 5:30 pm Friday, May 13 Men s Night 6 pm Easter Yughakin It is customary in the Armenian Church to provide Yughakin, especially around the feasts of Christmas and Easter. This practice dates as far back as the time of Moses in the Old Testament. Yughakin in Armenian means "price of oil". Each local church community would donate money specially earmarked towards the purchase of oil, which in turn would keep the lanterns burning and ultimately the doors of the Church open. At this season of Christ's resurrection let us remember and continue the custom of Yughakin, so we can keep our "oil-burning lanterns" always burning and our doors always open at St. Vartan. Please be generous to the Church in observing this ancient Armenian custom. Home Blessing The Home Blessing Service is one of the most ancient and revered traditions of the Armenian Church. The three necessary items to conduct this service are: water, bread, and salt. For the traditional Easter Home Blessing, please call Der Hayr for an appointment at or the church office at stvartanoakland@aol.com. Requiem Service A requiem will be said for the souls of the departed on Merelotz Sunday, April 3. If you would like to have the names of your departed loved ones included, please contact the church office by March 31 at stvartanoakland@aol.com or A Reflection on the Lord s Prayer The Lord's Prayer, often referred to as "The Hayr Mer" (Our Father) in the Armenian tradition, is the prayer taught to us by Christ, our Lord, the Son of God. The prayer has been handed down to us by the Apostles. The Lord's Prayer teaches us about the relationship between God and man and about all the necessary ingredients which we ought to know about God. The Lord's prayer calls on us to humbly surrender ourselves to God. Through this prayer we offer ourselves to God, in exalting God and confessing our sins, but above all, asking God's mercy upon us. Thus, when we live a life graced with prayer, we then obviously are living a God-pleasing life, despite the fact that we are weak in our human nature and inclined to fail and fall into temptations. Children who recite the words of the Lord's prayer undoubtedly feel and live in the depths of their hearts the very presence of God, and the fear of God inspires them with wisdom. For the adults, the same prayer calms the turbulence of our inner spiritual life and strengthens us in our faith. It guides us to live a Christ-like life. And each time we recite the Lord's prayer we lift up our spiritual life to a new level of faith and, come closer to God. Hye Camp Camper and staff applications are available at Camp dates are: Week 1: July 10-July 16 Week 3: July 24-July 30 Week 2: July 17-July 23 Week 4: July 31-August 6 Family Day at the campgrounds is scheduled for April 30, Family Day is free to attend. Hye Camp also needs adults 18 and older to apply to be counselors and program staff.

3 St. Vartan Church Parish Council gratefully acknowledges the following donations: Priest Discretionary Fund Edward and Armineh Jamgotchian The Voice Newsletter Howard and Rose Marie Atamian In Memory Nai Kang Chang Lillian Mardikian, Harold and Bonnie Koojoolian (The St. Vartan Voice Newsletter) Nazaret Berberian Lillian Mardikian Tom Bardakian Harry and Carol Dokouzian (The St. Vartan Voice Newsletter) ENDOWMENT FUND In Memory Nai Kang Chang Richard and Judy Sharafian Mildred Barsamian Shirin Jack and Barbara Bousian Cultural Committee Presented Dawn Anahid MacKeen s The Hundred Year Walk An Armenian Odyssey On March 6, 2016, the St. Vartan Cultural Committee, UC Berkeley Armenian Studies Program, AGBU-Silicon Valley, and the Institute of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies at UC Berkeley invited Dawn Anahid MacKeen to review her recently published book The Hundred Year Walk An Armenian Odyssey. The audience listened to Ms. MacKeen talk about her journey researching and writing the book. The book is based upon her grandfather Stepan Miskjian s first-hand account of what he experienced during the Armenian genocide, his deportation into Armenian internment camps, and how he managed to escape. Her grandfather s journals inspired her to retrace his steps, and she set out alone to Turkey and Syria, shadowing her resourceful, resilient grandfather across a landscape still rife with tension. The Hundred Year Walk An Armenian Odyssey is an epic tale of one man s courage in the face of genocide and his granddaughter s quest to tell his story. We were honored to have Ms. MacKeen with us to share this amazing journey. Dawn MacKeen is an awardwinning journalist who spent nearly a decade researching and writing her grandfather s story. Previously, she covered health and social issues for Salon, SmartMoney, and Newsday, where her investigative series on assisted living facilities poor care helped prompt legislative reform. Her work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Elle, the Sunday Times Magazine (London), the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. She lives in Southern California.

4 ACYO Update On February 27 the St.Vartan ACYO welcomed the ACYO-WD Central Council and Bay Area Churches as we hosted the Northern Regional Meeting. We discussed upcoming diocesan-wide events, strengths and growth opportunities for our chapter, and enjoyed a cheeseburger lunch. The St. Vartan ACYO is a very active youth organization for young people age 12 and over. On March 16, the new St. Vartan Parish Council was installed during Divine Liturgy. The council includes: Vartkes Avakian, Marlene Tolegian, Nazaret Jindoian, Edward Jamgotchian, Fr. Hovel Ohanyan, Barry Toomajian, Hagop Hakimian, Dicko Shahvekilian, Arto Jagjian, Liz Ojakian, and Nellie Azizian. Not pictured: Stuart Arakelian, Harout Hagopian. St. Vartan Church had the inaugural event for the new Men s Group on Thursday, February 25. The men met in the John Marukain Hall and enjoyed tavloo, and pizza. The next Men s Group event on May 13, features barbecued hamburgers. Fr. Hovel, Evelyn Boyd, Barbara Morjig and Adrienne Baker represented St. Vartan Church Ladies Society at the World Day of Prayer on Saturday, March 5 at Calvary Armenian Church. The Best Advice Prayer: God answers kne ers. Insomnia Cure: If you can t sleep, try counting your blessings. Cosmetic Surgery: Come in and have your faith lifted. Nutrition: The best vitamin for a Christian is B1. Bay Area Armenian clergy welcomed Very Rev. Fr. Barouyr Shernezian, the new priest at St. Gregory Armenian Church in SF.

5 All Men are Invited to Men s Night Hamburger Barbecue Friday, May 13 6 pm John Marukian Church Hall Fun, Games, Fellowship Spring Family Night Saturday, April 30, 5:30 John Marukian Church Hall Bring your own Tavloo board or favorite board game. Catch up with old friends; meet new people. Bring a Dish to Share: A-G: Appetizer/Side Dish H-P: Main Dish R-Z Dessert Have old purses you don t know what to do with?? Bought too much soap or lotion last month and ran out of storage space?? St. Vartan ACYO has the perfect solution for you, which combines philanthropy with helping you clean out your closets! Please bring donations of gently used purses and handbags to our collection box in the hall entrance. In addition, we are collecting feminine hygiene products, other (compact) toiletries, and non-perishable snack items! We will be creating care packages in each purse and distributing them to homeless and disadvantaged women around the Bay Area. We thank you for all your help! For additional information please contact StVartanACYO@gmail.com. You Are Invited to Participate in Art Event at St. Vartan on April 3 Be part of UC Berkeley artist Tara Baghdassarian's Armenian Genocide art project on April 3 at St. Vartan church after church services. Baghdassarian will be casting the faces of fellow Armenians the descendants of genocide survivors. She will also document the stories passed down of people s ancestors who survived the atrocities. Baghdassarian encourages as many people as possible to participate, so to truly capture stories and faces across many generations. Her piece will be on exhibition at UC Berkeley's Worth Ryder Gallery from April 27-May 17. If you have any inquiries, contact her at: tbaghdassarian@berkeley.edu.

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