While on the East Coast, Archbishop Asadourian also had the opportunity to participate in the July 11 ordination of the Rev. Fr. Hovhan Khoja-Eynatyan, at St. Mary Church of Washington, D.C., and to visit the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America in New York City, where he met with Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian.

Archbishop Asadourian is the general secretary of the Council of Christian Church Leaders of Iraq, which was established last February to address the growing safety concerns of Iraqi Christians and to facilitate dialogue with the country’s Muslim communities.  The council represents the 14 Christian traditions officially recognized by the Iraqi government in 1982, including Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant churches.

From July 12 to 15, the delegation visited Washington, D.C., meeting with members of Congress, as well as representative of the Heritage Foundation. They spoke about ways to safeguard the Christian communities of Iraq, which have come under threat amidst the sectarian violence of the country’s Muslim population.

About half of the estimated 1.2 million Christians living in Iraq prior to the start of the Iraq War in 2003 have left the country in the past seven years. And Christian families continue to leave Iraq in the face of attacks on clergy and lay people.

At the conclusion of the meetings in the nation’s capital, Archbishop Asadourian traveled to New York, where he met with Archbishop Barsamian and visited St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, his alma mater.

A native of Baghdad, Archbishop Asadourian has served as the Primate of Iraq’s Armenian Church Diocese since 1980. Today, the Iraq Diocese has jurisdiction over parishes in Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk, Mosul, Zedakho, Erbil, and Duhok, as well as the villages of Adzroog and Havresk. The Diocese runs Sunday Schools, a youth association, and other educational and cultural programs.

“The Armenian community of Iraq is a vibrant community dedicated to maintaining the message of our Lord, as well as the Armenian heritage,” Archbishop Asadourian said. At the same time, he added, Armenians, just like other Christian communities of Iraq, face a major challenge in ensuring future growth.

Archbishop Asadourian studied philosophy at Benediction University in Illinois and at Tulane University in Louisiana. He also earned a Master of Divinity degree from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in New Rochelle, N.Y., and a Ph.D. from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, Italy. 

He was ordained as a celibate priest in 1977 at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and was elevated to the ranks of bishop and archbishop in 1982 and 1993, respectively. Prior to his work in Iraq, he served briefly as a pastor in the Eastern Diocese.

Archbishop Asadourian has been active in a number of ecumenical organizations worldwide, including the World Council of Churches.  Last February he hosted the meeting that established the Council of Christian Church Leaders of Iraq at St. Garabed Armenian Church in Baghdad. 

Visit www.armenianchurch.net for more information.

The two-day ceremony began on Saturday evening, July 10. Dn. Leon knelt before the altar in a traditional calling service that symbolizes a deacon’s formal presentation to the Lord as a candidate for the priesthood.

On Sunday, July 11, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Archbishop Barsamian ordained Dn. Leon to the priesthood during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Also participating in the ordination service were the Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, the pastor of St. Mary Church, and the Rev. Fr. Vertanes Kalayjian, the long-serving former pastor of the community. Fr. Karapetyan and Fr. Kalayjian served as sponsoring priests at the ordination.

Archbishop Barsamian performed the “laying on of hands” ritual, which binds all priests of the Armenian Church into the “apostolic succession,” linking clergy through the generations back to Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew-who brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century-and back before them to Christ himself.

Archbishop Barsamian later consecrated Dn. Leon’s forehead and his hands with holy chrism (muron), and gave him the priestly name “Hovhan.” At the conclusion of the service, the newly ordained priest gave his first blessing to the faithful at St. Mary Church.

In his sermon, the Primate spoke about the Feast of the Transfiguration-one of the five major feast days of the Armenian Church which recalls Christ’s ascent up Mount Tabor with the disciples Peter, James, and John, where Christ was transfigured in a blinding white light and the voice of God affirmed Jesus as his Son.

“The disciples see our Lord transformed,” Archbishop Barsamian said. “And in doing so, the disciples are transformed as well-but in a different way. Peter, James, and John, after sharing this special moment with Jesus, go on to become the greatest supports in Christ’s ministry; the ones our Lord most relied on-and the ones from whom he expected the most.”

“Today, in this church, we have seen a similar kind of transformation-as mysterious in its way as the Transfiguration,” Archbishop Barsamian continued. “In this ordination, we have seen a man transformed. Today, the Holy Spirit entered into Dn. Leon Khoja-Eynatyan, and he became something new.”

The entire Parish Council hosted the ordination; chair Zakar Shahverdian served as godfather. A celebratory luncheon followed in the church hall.

Upon announcement of his re-election, clergy led a procession into the main meeting room, where parish delegates stood to welcome the Primate, as clergy approached Archbishop Barsamian one by one to offer their congratulations and to receive his blessing.

In his remarks to the Assembly delegates, Archbishop Barsamian outlined five areas where he would continue to concentrate attention as Primate. These include a more vigorous promotion of clerical vocations in the Diocese; the preparation and advancement of young adults into leadership positions within the church; and firmer management and development of the Diocese’s finances.

The Primate also reflected on his nearly 40 years of service as a priest in the Armenian Church, and said he is grateful to God for giving him the opportunity to serve the church for almost four decades.

Archbishop Barsamian then expressed his gratitude to the delegates, saying, “Today, once again, I thank you for your trust, and for asking me to continue my service in this Diocese as your Primate.”

This year’s election marked the 20th anniversary of Archbishop Barsamian’s original election at the 1990 Diocesan Assembly in Worcester, Mass. Prior to that, he served the Eastern Diocese as the grand sacristan of New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral and as Vicar General.

“It’s an honor to serve in this Diocese—the Diocese that began more than 110 years ago when our forefathers brought with them to this new world the ancient apostolic Armenian Christian tradition.” Archbishop Barsamian said. “I renew my commitment to continue, with each one of you clergy and lay leaders, to make the Armenian Church stronger in America.”

Archbishop Barsamian said it is his goal to continue preparing young men to serve as priests in the Armenian Church to ensure that in the near future all Diocesan parishes are served by full-time pastors.

Cultivating young lay leaders is likewise important, the Primate said, encouraging delegates to “continue supporting young adults so that they are invited to take leadership roles in our parishes and in our Diocese.”

Turning to education, Archbishop Barsamian said the Diocese would focus on developing more programs aimed at helping children and adults learn about their Christian heritage and the Armenian Church. He stressed the need to use emerging media tools and modern technologies to bolster outreach initiatives.

The Primate also said he would continue working with members of the Diocesan Council to improve the management of the Diocesan Center to better serve the parishes and faithful of the Eastern Diocese, and to ensure the financial stability of the Diocese.

Lastly, Archbishop Barsamian spoke about the Armenian Church on a global level, and mentioned ways the Eastern Diocese might participate in efforts to strengthen the church. He affirmed his commitment to continue pursuing the restoration of administrative unity in the Armenian Church in a brotherly fashion. He added that such unity “is beneficial for the entire Armenian Church, Armenian people, and the Armenian nation.”

Other candidates in this year’s election were the Very Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian, pastor of St. David Church of Boca Raton, Fla., and the Very Rev. Fr. Mamigon Kiledjian, pastor of St. Stepanos Church of Elberon, N.J.

Upon announcement of Archbishop Khajag Barsamian’s re-election, clergy led a procession into the main meeting room, where parish delegates stood to welcome the Primate.

Clergy and lay delegates welcome the Primate after his re-election at the Diocesan Assembly.

In his remarks to the Assembly delegates, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian outlined five areas where he would continue to concentrate attention as Primate.

The St. James Church of Evanston, Ill., hosted the gathering for 147 clergy and delegates representing the Eastern Diocese’s organized and mission parishes. Most of the meetings and events convened at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare Hotel, but St. James parishioners also organized activities for the visiting delegates and their families, including a bus tour of Chicago and a luncheon at the church.

“Everyone on the committee contributed in their own way to help make the Clergy Conference and the Diocesan Assembly memorable,” said Dr. Farsakian.

After the assembly adjourned on Saturday, May 1, delegates had the opportunity to take a tour of the Windy City, including stops at the Millennium Park and the Sears Tower and a ride along Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile shopping district.

In the evening, Diocesan Council chair Oscar Tatosian hosted a reception at his historic home. Guests had the opportunity to tour the Classical Revival style house which was completed in 1894.

On Sunday, May 2, delegates attended the Divine Liturgy at St. James Church, where the celebrant—Diocesan Legate Archbishop Vicken Aykazian—spoke on the importance of maintaining the Armenian Christian faith in a secular world. While most clergymen had departed to be at their home parishes on Sunday, a number remained and took part in the service, with the St. James altar servers and choir also participating.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian took the occasion to thank the host parish for a wonderful Diocesan Assembly.

A luncheon organized by the St. James Women’s Guild took place after church services. Deacon Levon Kirakosyan, the parish’s deacon-in-charge, expressed his gratitude to the local community for their commitment to the success of the Diocesan Assembly.

The executive committee for the parish included Rev. Dn. Levon Kirakosyan, Dr. Larry Farsakian, Vartan Paylan, Sevan Krikorian, Anna Marie Norehad, Oscar Tatosian and Sam Mikaelian. A number of people also served on the planning committee. The parish council, chaired by Deborah Der Asadourian, also played an important role in the assembly.

As part of the host parish’s hospitality, Diocesan delegates were taken on a tour of Chicago. Pictured is a group of delegates in the Windy City’s Millennium Park.

Dn. Levon Kirakosyan, the deacon-in-charge of Evanston’s St. James Church, addresses the crowd of visiting delegates during the annual awards banquet.

Chairing the Evanston host parish’s Assembly organizing committee was Dr. Larry Farsakian (at right), pictured here serving on the altar during the Divine Liturgy which concluded the annual Diocesan gathering.

The St. James Armenian Church of Evanston, Ill., hosted the event on Friday evening, April 30, at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2010 Diocesan awards. The “Armenian Church Member of the Year” was bestowed on Mr. Harry Toufayan, of the St. Mary parish of Livingston, N.J., for his lifelong dedication and benefaction to the Armenian Church.

A beautifully produced video presentation told the story of Mr. Toufayan’s journey from Egypt to America, his creation of the family business, the Toufayan Bakeries, and his family’s abiding legacy of service and contribution to the Armenian Church. In his remarks to the crowd, Mr. Toufayan called the evening a night that he and his wife Suzanne would treasure forever.

“We promise to continue helping the church in any way we can,” he said.

The Diocese’s “St. Vartan Award” went to Chicago physician Dr. John Wilhelm, for his efforts to improve the wellbeing of the disabled in Armenia—a mission that began in the aftermath of the 1988 earthquake, and has continued for two decades.

At the banquet last Friday, Dr. Wilhelm said, “I gratefully accept this acknowledgement of my work with the Armenian community which has benefited disabled children in Armenia.” He thanked Dr. Koloyan, an Armenia-based doctor who has collaborated with Dr. Wilhelm, for his persistence and vision and for helping build a center in Armenia that provides free orthopedic care to children in Armenia. Dr. Koloyan also spoke of the great humanitarian impulse that drives Dr. Wilhelm.

Drawing closer to the Armenian Church

A surprise farewell tribute was arranged for the Very Rev. Fr. Haigazoun Najarian the Diocesan Vicar General, who in June will be leaving the Diocese at the request of His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, to take up the role of Pontifical Legate of Central Europe and Sweden.

Diocesan Legate Archbishop Vicken Aykazian spoke about Fr. Najarian’s talents and contributions to the Armenian Church over the past decades. Letters addressed to Fr. Najarian congratulating him were read on behalf of Mr. Yervant Babayan, principal of the Vahan Tekeyan School in Beirut, Lebanon, where Fr. Najarian was a student; Archbishop Navasart Kjoyan, Primate of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese in Yerevan, and a former student of Fr. Najarian’s; and the Diocesan Staff.

The honoree thought back to when he had first entered the priesthood. “We had dreams and a vision for the Armenian Church and the Armenian people, and we dedicated our lives to it,” he said. He said he was a man of God and has served the Armenian people in whatever capacity he could. “I have served the Diocese as wholeheartedly as I could.”

In his benediction, Archbishop Barsamian touched upon each of the three people honored during the banquet and said “each has had a different life calling, but each of their callings has drawn them closer to the Armenian Church and the Armenian people.”

The Armenian Dance Company of Chicago provided the cultural portion of the evening. Welcoming remarks were made by Dr. Larry Farsakian, chairman of the 2010 Diocesan Assembly host committee, and remarks were made by Deacon Levon Kirakosyan, deacon-in-charge of the Evanston parish, as well as Deborah DerAsadourian, its parish council chair. A celebratory toast was made by Antranig Garibian, who chaired the 2010 Diocesan Assembly business sessions.

Abp. Barsamian presents Hratch Toufayan with the Diocese’s “Armenian Church Member of the Year” award for 2010, during the Diocesan Assembly Banquet in Chicago.

Dr. John Wilhelm received the Diocese’s “St. Vartan Award” for his distinguished service to improve life for the disabled in Armenia.

Fr. Haigazoun Najarian, the Diocesan Vicar General (center), was given a special tribute for his years of service to the Eastern Diocese. Abp. Khajag Barsamian (left) and Abp. Vicken Aykazian (right) recalled their long friendships with Fr. Najarian, who will be departing the Diocese in early summer to serve as the Pontifical Legate of Central Europe and Sweden.

Some 800 people gathered for the event, including Ambassador Garen Nazarian, Armenia’s representative to the United Nations, along with other dignitaries and diplomats from U.N. member nations.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, presided and officiated at the requiem service that began the evening.

The concert featured works by Komitas, Khachaturian, and others, as performed by pianist Karine Poghosyan, the Merlin Virtuosi string quartet, and the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir under the direction of Maestro Khoren Mekanejian.

Ms. Poghosyan received a standing ovation for her stirring performance of Khachaturian’s Piano Sonata (1961). “She made a jaw-dropping impression,” commented master pianist Sahan Arzruni of Ms. Poghosyan’s performance. “The three-movement Khachaturian Sonata—a rarely performed composition—is a real tour-de-force for the virtuoso pianist. Technically pristine, Ms. Poghosyan brought out the driven qualities of the outer movements, and the heart-rending beauty of the middle section.”

Soloists Vagharshak Ohanyan, Anahit Zakarian, Anoush Barclay, Hasmig Meikhanedjian, and Maro Partamian also moved the audience with their renderings of Armenian choral pieces, with the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir lending a beautifully balanced texture and precision of tone.

The event was sponsored through the generosity of the Edward and Grace Alexanian Fund. Floral crosses – donated by Adrienne Alexanian in memory of her parents and grandparents – were displayed on trees surrounding St. Vartan Cathedral.

The concert was organized by creative directors Karine Poghosyan and Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, and the Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral.

“We see such horrors even today”

In formal remarks to the audience after the concert, Armenia’s UN Ambassador Nazarian noted the importance of bringing to an end Turkey’s policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide, emphasizing the important role played by the international community and the diaspora in this effort.

He also stressed that it is important for the international community to be committed to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and other international treaties on human rights, and to press Turkey to respect the provisions of these documents.

Failure to recognize the Genocide “resulted in untold suffering for millions others during and after World War II,” Ambassador Nazarian said. To the audience, and especially to his colleagues in the diplomatic community, Ambassador Nazarian said he saw them all as a coalition “committed to education aimed at the eradication, once and for all, of racism, xenophobia, and the prevention of genocides.”

The ambassador affirmed that “Throughout their history, Armenians have experienced intolerance over and over again.” But genocide was not something that ended in the remote past: the events of 1915 find echoes in the news of today, and “we see such horrors even today in different parts of the world.”

Appealing to his diplomatic colleagues, he said: “Today the international community is not responsible for such crimes [of genocide]. But we are responsible for not recognizing that crime.”

THE ROMAN EMPIRE OF THE FIRST CENTURY was an entity of many glories: arguably mankind’s greatest political achievement to that time. Yet when we remember it today, we are transfixed by its cruelty and disregard for life; its mask of civility hiding a darker truth.

Ordinarily, this truth would have been left in the shadows of history. But something exposed it, illuminated it. What could have shined this light of truth?

The unexpected answer is this: The sufferings of an innocent person—and the miraculous event that followed. But most important of all, the source of both the miracle and the light was love: God’s love, embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.

Such thoughts seem deeply present among us this Easter. For this year we are reminded again of how another empire meted out suffering to innocent souls. As in our Lord’s case, for those innocents—our own parents and grandparents—their suffering was not an end, but rather a passage to something else: for the departed, enduring memory in our community; for the survivors, continued lives of goodness, kindness and, miraculously, love.

Now, ninety-five years after the Genocide, nearly all who endured it have been gathered to our Lord; the last precious survivors are those who witnessed the cataclysm as children or infants. But this is another point of contact with our Lord Jesus. For we cannot forget that he, too, was marked for extinction in his infancy. He too began life as the survivor of an attempt to wipe out an entire class of human beings. Such memories must have left their impression on him. Was our Lord’s tenderness towards children—so rare for that day—a reflection of the burdensome knowledge he carried, that infants in Bethlehem had died, while he had lived?

Throughout his ministry our Lord showed the greatest love for those who most acutely felt man’s essential neediness: our vulnerability to the abuses of the world; our in¬comple¬te¬ness without God. “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he preached in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1-16). “Blessed are the mourners, the meek, the pure in heart.” His blessings flowed to those who had felt the sting of persecution, and the absence of mercy; who craved peace, and hungered for the world to be set aright. A portrait emerges of those who are touched by God: not the powerful, but those aware of the illusion of human power; its tendency to turn against others, to reduce and dehumanize them.

Jesus did not utter these things out of some romantic idealization of defeat; nor out of commiseration, or pity. To the contrary, he taught that it is in the forge of such bitter experience that one could see the reality of the human condition, and the reality of God, with the greatest clarity. The experience of suffering and loss, bravely and faithfully endured, would be a beacon of truth, to illuminate mankind.

“You are the light of the world,” he told his careworn friends. “A city set on a hill cannot be hid; neither do men light a candle to cover it, but they put it on a candlestick—to give light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.”

In such words, Christ subtly anticipated the meaning of Easter: the uncanny miracle that drew life out of death, victory out of defeat, truth out of a deceitful world. Above all, it was a miracle of love: God’s love for mankind, his willingness to sacrifice his only Son on our behalf. When, in the hours prior to his own suffering, our Lord said, “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12), he was assuring us that he would always stand with those who testified to the truth through their affliction.

And so Christ stood with our elders who endured the Genocide: for they too have testified to the truth—against the powerful, the persecutors, the deniers of our own age. Their victory—the lives of love, grace, and dignity the survivors went on to lead—was of a piece with the Resurrection: not entirely a supernatural miracle, to be sure, but an affirmation of the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice. In the deepest sense, each of their million-and-more stories was a recapitulation, a memory, a revelation, of the story of Easter.

As we say farewell to that generation—both in public as a community, and in the most personal ways, as through the loss of a father—we should hail them in the loving manner of our Lord: “You were the light of the world: In life, you would not be hidden; and you brought light to everyone in our house.”

And we pray that from their rest in God’s kingdom, the souls of our heroic generation may reply to us: “Now you must be that light. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works—our good works—and glorify our Father in heaven.”

Let that thought be in our hearts, as on our lips we pronounce the Easter greeting that has always held such depth of meaning for our people:

Krisdos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnyal eh harootiunun Krisdosee!
Christ is risen from the dead! Blessed is the resurrection of Christ!

We are asking all our parishes to contribute to the relief of this disaster. Our Diocese and its humanitarian aid organization, the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), will be contributing to the effort to assist the earthquake victims, working through the National Council of Churches.

Individuals and parishes can make checks out to the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (please write “Haitian Earthquake Relief” in the memo). All funds collected should be sent to the Diocesan Center (630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016) no later than Friday, January 22. Individuals can also CONTRIBUTE NOW through our Diocesan website. Click here to read more.

Above all, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, asks everyone to include the people of Haiti in your prayers; to ask our Lord to bestow peace on the victims and consolation on their families; and to strengthen the rescue workers as they perform their compassionate work.

Other recipients of this year’s Unity of Orthodox Peoples Award include Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev and filmmaker Emir Kusturica. Now in its tenth year, the program was established by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, who led the Russian Orthodox Church until his passing in 2008.