Category Archives: Armenian Church
St. David Armenian Church Youth Reorganize, Community Lay Leaders Participate in Religious Education Program
ST. DAVID ARMENIAN CHURCH YOUTH REORGANIZE, COMMUNITY LAY LEADERS PARTICIPATE IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM
Boca Raton, FL – On Sunday, September 11, 2011, the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) Jrs. and Srs. gathered at St. David Armenian Church to reorganize the chapter and elect new officers. The meeting was presided by the Very Rev. Dr. Nareg Berberian, Pastor.
Fr. Nareg introduced FLArmenians Contributor George Macarian as the new Youth Advisor of the ACYOA Chapter at St. David Armenian Church.
Currently, there are over 20 ACYOA members. George Macarian explained that through his leadership, many programs and activities will be organized for them with the assistance of a new ACYOA Executive Board. There will be religious, educational, and social activities for them. During the meeting, five new officers were elected in the executive board.
St. David ACYOA Jrs. & Srs.
Florida Armenians would like to congratulate the newly elected officers and wish all the members a very successful year. We also congratulate George Macarian who recently graduated from the University of Florida, and has moved back to Boca Raton. He will be a great asset to the St. David chapter as a Youth Advisor and a liaison to the ACYOA Central Council.
In addition, the Diocesan Assembly has declared the upcoming year as “The Year of Lay Ministry.” Very Rev. Dr. Nareg Berberian has initiated a Religious Education Program for the lay leadership of our Church, so that the participants will closely study the faith, history and theology of the Armenian Church.
This seven week course is designed to enhance the knowledge of our lay leaders in the faith and theology of the Armenian Apostolic Church, while fulfilling their role as “Lay Ministers” of St. David Armenian Church. Participants will meet regularly every Thursday through October and further attendance from the community is highly encouraged.
The Religious Education Program will offer the following themes: The Sacraments of the Armenian Church, the Apostolicity of the Armenian Church, the Divine Liturgy, the Understanding of the Holy Trinity, the Theology of Death and Dying, the Holy Bible, and Contemporary issues the Armenian Church faces today.
St. David Armenian Church Lay Leaders
On Thursday, September 15, 2011, from 7:00 – 9:00p.m., more than 25 Lay Leaders participated in the first lecture series. Fr. Nareg spoke eloquently about the sacraments of the Armenian Church and its impact in our lives. He emphasized that the sacraments of the Church are the means to enter into the vineyard of the Lord and enhance our faith by maintaining its divine mystery in our lives. “Since we are offered to the altar of God during our baptism, we are called for the first time to become lay ministers of the Church and live through faith, hope and love,” stated Fr. Nareg.
In his remarks to the participants, Fr. Nareg noted, “To be a successful and effective lay minister, it is prerequisite to gain knowledge of the basic teachings of our Church so you may be able to identify yourself with the history and faith that you are called upon to serve as a representative of your church community. Without that basic knowledge, a lay minister will fail in his/her ministry.”
The participants were captured by the theme and fully engaged in a theological discussion. Carol Norigian, Diocesan Delegate and Chair of the Women’s Guild reflected, “As I continue to study about our Church, my faith and my service in the Armenian Church will strengthen, and I will appreciate the theology and the ancient tradition passed onto us through the generations.”
St. David Armenian Church Religious Education Program
On Sunday, September 18, 2011, the Diocesan theme was introduced to the parishioners of our Church. Fr. Nareg delivered a sermon based on Jesus’ word, “Follow me.” He focused on three points: 1) The Call comes from Christ; 2) The Call is simple; and 3) The Call is transformative. Being an active parish in our Diocese, St. David Armenian Church will continue to follow the directives sent by the Diocese to strengthen the lay leadership of the Church through educational and outreach programs.
The next course in the Religious Education Program will discuss the Divine Liturgy (Holy Badarak) of the Armenian Church, on Thursday, September 29, 2011.
Recently, our Pastor published his first handbook entitled, “Walking Through the Armenian Faith and History: An Instructional Handbook,” which will be unveiled in February 2012.
A Worthy Tribute
A Worthy Tribute
By George Macarian
FLArmenians Diocesan Contributor
When I recently joined Florida Armenians as a contributor, I was excited to learn what topics I was going to cover. Would I write about Genocide legislation on Capitol Hill, my favorite dolma recipe, or one of the many other topics pertaining to the Armenian Diaspora? However, the article I was asked to write wasn’t about any of those topics, but about something that was closer to my heart. It was about a recent tribute to a priest who not only founded what would eventually become the largest Armenian community in Florida, with St. David Armenian Apostolic Church in Boca Raton, but he also started a community where many youth had a place to embrace their Armenian culture, faith, education, social life, and continued involvement with the Church.
Recently, Archpriest Fr. Dr. Zaven Arzoumanian was honored for his literary accomplishments and his 60 years of dedicated service to the Armenian Church, at St. Leon Cathedral in Burbank, California. A distinguished historian, whose publications include a continuation of Patrirch Maghakia Ormanian’s Azgabadoum—a history of the Armenian Church, Fr. Arzoumanian’s ministry has brought faith and love to Christian Armenians all across North America. He has authored a dozen books and articles on the Armenian Church. Among his numerous accomplishments, the one that is most pertinent to the Florida Armenian community was his founding of St. David Armenian Church. This dream of constructing the first Armenian Church in Florida could not have been realized without his tireless dedication and support.
Daniel Arzoumanian went to the Seminary of Antelias at age 16, was ordained a celibate priest in 1954, and then went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to serve as a parish priest. He received his initial theological education in England, then in the United States, where he graduated from Columbia University with a Doctoral degree. He served as parish priest first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then in Montreal, Canada. He was then assigned as Founding Pastor of the Armenian Church of South Florida, later known as St. David Armenian Church, in 1984, where he found a new and emerging community of Armenian-Americans. At that time, there was no Armenian church in Florida, and Fr. Dr. Arzoumanian was leading his parish at a rented church in Ft. Lauderdale, while the new sanctuary was under construction. St. David Armenian Church was officially consecrated on March 27, 1988 by then Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, the current Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. Rev. Fr. Dr. Arzoumanian served the Armenian community of South Florida with distinction, honor and dedication for 18 years. From 2002-2005 he was called to serve as parish priest at St. Gregory Armenian Church in Pasadena, California. He is currently retired and resides in Glendale, California where he continues to write to this day.
As the center of the South Florida Armenian community, St. David’s provides a place for Armenians to pray, learn, and socialize. If not for its consecration, many Armenians, including myself, would not be as active in the Church as we are today. For this we are truly grateful to Archpriest Fr. Dr. Arzoumamian for his 60 years of dedication to our Church, his love and leadership in establishing the South Florida Armenian Community, and his devotion to our Lord.
George Macarian is a Sub-Deacon in the Armenian Apostolic Church and serves as Treasurer on the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) Central Council.
Feast of Assumption, Grand Reopening of St. David Sanctuary & The Blessing of Grapes
FEAST OF ASSUMPTION, GRAND REOPENING OF ST. DAVID SANCTUARY & THE BLESSING OF GRAPES
Boca Raton, FL – On Sunday, August 14, 2011, St. David Armenian Church reopened the sanctuary after a six-week and a half renovation. More than hundred people gathered in the morning for the celebration of the Feast of Assumption and to see the newly remodeled Sanctuary of our St. David Armenian Church. The Service started at the Church Hall with the participation of 15 young sub-deacons of our Church. At the end of the Service, Fr. Nareg along with the young altar servers and choir led the congregation to the entrance of the Church. The Opening of Gates ceremony “Ternpatsek” followed. As the doors of the sanctuary opened, 200 people stood in awe to see the newly remodeled St. David Sanctuary. Their eyes sparkled like precious gems and their spirits were energized as they stepped into the magnificent Sanctuary following the lead of our Pastor, the Very Rev. Fr. Nareg Berberian, altar servers and choir, singing “Voghormoutiamp ko tourn patz mez Der,” which means, “With your Mercy, open the door for us, O Lord.”
Fr. Nareg ascended on the Holy Altar with the altar servers to continue the Holy Badarak.
Prior to his sermon, Fr. Nareg said, “For the first time we are gathered in our magnificently renovated Sanctuary and Narthex on the celebration of the Feast of Assumption.
“As you are marveling at the beauty of our sanctuary, I am certain that the founding fathers of our community are rejoicing with you from heaven. This Church was built by their vision for the enrichment of our faith and culture. They successfully passed their vision to our present generation. Today, it is your responsibility to continue enriching their vision. It is the duty of every Armenian to take part in this project through his/her donation. This is your Church. This Church offers you spiritual, cultural, educational, and social programs. Without this Church, we have no identity and with no identity we are lost in the vastness of this world. There are thousands of Churches in South Florida. We are identified as an Armenian by our own Church. When we say, “I am a member of St. David Armenian Church,” we are identifying where we come from, to whom we belong, who we are and what we are.
“It is not enough to be proud of your heritage and faith. You must be active by sharing your talents and gifts. Being a visiting church attendee is not enough. We have more than 10 thousand Armenians in our county. A sense of belonging must grow among our people.
“Look at the beauty of this Church. As we entered the Church for the first time, we sang “Ourakh Ler,” hymn, which means, “Rejoice O Holy Church.” God is rejoicing today for beautifying His house. Is there anything more rewarding than this? This is the pride of the Church. The next generation will be grateful for the beautification of our sanctuary. Now, we have a clean, neat and bright Church, free of mildew and humidity odor. It is my hope that our present visionaries will be great role models for our youth who understand the Church is a place of worship and fellowship.
“I thank Sita Ohanessian who donated $42,000 towards this project in memory of her parents, Ohannes and Sirpouhi Ohanessian. I thank some of our parishioners for financially supporting this major undertaking. I am certain that we will offset all the expenses through the generosity of our parishioners.
“I am grateful to our Parish Council Chairman, Armen Melkonian, who oversaw this project on a daily basis spending days and nights and even providing food for the workers. He was instrumental in selecting these beautiful tiles, the marble and the medallions. He has great taste in modeling designs. It is a pleasure to work with Armen. We have the same vision, same dedication, same taste, same thinking, and strangely enough we share the same birthday. Armen is a wonderful leader and a great chairman.
“During his chairmanship, we have accomplished major constructions and renovations:
1. The Mardigian Chuch Hall was installed with faux marble;
2. A New Khatchkar was installed;
3. A New pavement was installed in front of the Church entrance;
4. A New Church sign was installed; and
5. The Sanctuary and the Narthex were installed with faux marble.
“All these changes happened within a few years.
“I am also grateful to Andrew Merjian, a member of the Parish Council, who is responsible for building the two beautiful candle boxes. Andrew spent countless hours in helping with this project. He is also responsible for installing the new wainscot panels in the Narthex. We are fortunate to have him in our Council.
“One candle box already has a sponsor. They are Drs. Andy and Rosemary Mencia. The other candle box is waiting for sponsorship.
“I am grateful to the members of the Women’s Guild headed by Carol Norigian and the members of Choir headed by Nina Stapan. They spent many hours cleaning the sanctuary. George Stapan and Andrew Merjian painted the wainscot panels in the Narthex.
“I thank Hagop Alikhanian who worked very hard during the renovation. He is a great man.
“There are more people who are worthy of recognition and will be mentioned during the luncheon.
“We truly have wonderful Parish Council members and parishioners who are always ready to help the Church and its mission,”
Then a sermon was delivered. Fr. Nareg spoke about the greatness of Mary in the New Testament and in Church history, in particular in the life of the Armenian people. He emphasized that Mary revolutionized the role of womanhood in the society. Following the sermon, the Blessing of Grapes ceremony followed. With a great enthusiasm, people gathered at the Mardigian Church Hall for a special luncheon to celebrate both the Feast of Assumption and the grand reopening of our Sanctuary.
Armen Melkonian, the chairman of the Parish Council, raised the cup of wine and gave a toast to the people and said, “Thank you for your support and encouragement. We truly are fortunate to have such a beautiful sanctuary. We are thankful to Fr. Nareg for his vision, guidance and leadership in our Parish. We are grateful to a Parish Council member, Andrew Merjian for making two candle boxes in the sanctuary which was designed with marble, and for installing the decorative wainscot in the Narthex of the Church.”
At the conclusion of the program, Fr. Nareg thanked the chairman of the Parish Council, Armen Melkonian, for closely overseeing and sharing his input in the project.
Florida Armenians 