year vii, issue xliiioctober -november december...

YEAR VII, ISSUE XLIII

Øºð ºÎºÔºòÆÜ

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2015

PUBLICATION OF ST. GARABED ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF THE DESERT

OUR CHURCH

DER (REV. FR.) KRIKOR ZAKARYAN, PARISH PRIEST

PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 38-905 MONTEREY AVE • RANCHO MIRAGE • CA 92270 • PHONE (760) 773-2155 • FAX (760) 773-2755 • E-MAIL: [email protected] • WWW.ACOD.ORG

BLESSING OF THE HOLY CHRISM (MURON)

The Holy Chrism has been

established by God on Mt. Sinai when God

spoke to Moses (Exodus 30:22-33).

From the time of the first

Catholicos of All Armenians, St. Gregory the

Illuminator (4th century) the right to bless

the Holy Chrism (or Muron) has been

reserved solely for the consecrated head of

the Church, the Catholicos of All Armenians.

The ingredients for the Holy Chrism

symbolize the perfection of virtues of our

Lord Jesus Christ. The main element which

makes up the foundation of the Holy Chrism

is pure, virgin olive oil, to which are

combined balsam, and 40 kinds of fragrant

incense, flowers, sweet aromatic plants,

roots and floral extracts, as well as different

oil and leaf extracts.

The ingredients for the Holy Chrism

each have their designated and precise

quantities and measurements. The majority

of which are brought to Armenia from

countries in the East.

The chosen amounts are crushed,

ground and mixed with the olive oil, white

wine, rose water, and other floral essences

by the members of the Brotherhood of Holy

Etchmiadzin, with their offerings of prayer

and incense. Before it is cooked, the

Catholicos of All Armenians blesses all of the

ingredients for the Holy Chrism.

So as to protect the sweet scents

of the combined ingredients, the lid of the

cauldron is sealed with uncooked dough,

and the entire assemblage is boiled in water

in yet another larger cauldron.

With prayers and hymns, the

cauldron containing the mixture is heated

and steamed for three days and nights. This

is all conducted in an atmosphere of

prayerful, humble and reverent participation

of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Forty days prior to the blessing of

the Holy Chrism, the covered cauldron is

placed on the Main Altar of the Mother

Cathedral, so it can receive the prayers,

psalms and hymns of everyday life.

Upon the day of the blessing, the

Bishops of the Church elevate to the Altar

the Armenian Church’s traditional holy

relics: the Geghart - the lance that pierced

the side of Christ, the relic from the life

giving Cross of Christ, and the Holy Right

hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator, with

which the newly blessed Chrism is

sanctified, and with which the gathered

faithful masses are blessed.

Hymns dedicated to the blessing

of the Holy Chrism are sung. Upon

completion of the readings, the caldron is

unsealed, and the Catholicos adds the Holy

Chrism from the previous blessing

ceremony; old adding to the new,

continuing the unbroken chain of Holy

Chrism from the time of St. Gregory the

Illuminator. The mixture is then blessed and

stirred with the traditional holy relics, with

prayers, blessings and hymns sung with each

one in succession. Upon completion of the

ceremony the faithful come forward to kiss

and to touch the cauldron with cloth.

The grace bestowing sweet-

scented oil is received by all the dioceses

and churches from the Pontificate of All

Armenians. From ancient times, this has

served to preserve the authority of the

Catholicosate of All Armenians, as an

exceptional covenant with the Armenian

faithful. The Holy Chrism is used during the

Sacrament of Baptism and Chrismation,

Ordination of Clergy, Consecration of

Bishops, Final Rites of Clergyman, Blessing of

the Water Service, and Consecration of

new Churches.

This unique Church celebration and

blessing is performed once every seven

years since the time of Gregory the

Illuminator, as well as on historical

milestones.

By “coincidence” the blessing of

the Muron this year falls on the Centennial

of the Armenian Genocide.

Øºð ºÎºÔºòÆÜ OUR CHURCH

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

I hope that you have had an enjoyable summer. Your Parish Council met regularly over the summer, and we are now starting to prepare for the many fall activities at the Church. Jacci Tutunjian, our recording secretary, has resigned from the Council, for personal reasons. Ani Markarian will be replacing Jacci for the remainder of this year. We thank Jacci for her time on the Parish Council for the past several years and look forward to her continued support of the Church. Surpazan visited the desert in August, to attend a dinner meeting with the Parish Council and Der Krikor. It was a very enjoyable and productive evening. Surpazan was supportive and positive with all the decisions and plans our Council is making to move forward, and encouraging in our efforts to improve our financial condition. Archbishop Derderian will be returning to St. Garabed’s on October 11, 2015, to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and enjoy a special luncheon afterwards. He is looking forward to meeting everyone at the luncheon, where he will have a

reserved seat at each table so he can have the chance to personally meet and visit everyone who attends. This is a great opportunity to have one-on-one time with Hi Eminence. We hope that you can all attend this special day. This year’s Grape Blessing held on August 16th, had our biggest attendance at Church this summer. Thank you for your support and generous donations for Grape Blessing. We had a few more unexpected expenses during the summer. It was necessary to replace the large commercial kitchen freezer and have also ordered a new exterior door for the social hall. Plumbing and air conditioning repairs were also needed. We have hired of a new gardener and have done a major clean up of the property to bring the Church grounds back to beauty. The kitchen certification is almost complete. This was an additional cost, but we are excited about the potential extra income that can be derived from being able to advertise and rent out our hall and kitchen once certified. The refinancing of our existing loan is due to be finalized very soon. The

lower payments will be a big advantage and savings for us each month. I would like to thank our Ladies Society for their support. They are the backbone of our Church, helping with Sunday refreshments, baking and holding many successful fundraising events throughout the year. We have a great group of Ladies and I urge all who can and would like to join the Ladies Society to do so. We have a fun time too! The Festival Committee has been meeting for the past months, and planning our annual Armenian Festival, which will be held on November 14th and 15th. We need sponsors, vendors and your HELP to make this event a success. Please respond to our mailers. We are looking forward to another successful Festival, with your support. I am very grateful for my hard working Parish Council members. They are very positive and committed to serving our Church and community. We look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming events.

I pray peace and good health to all

Respectfully, Mary Vartanian, Parish Council Chairlady

SURPAZAN VISITS THE PARISH COUNCIL

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian came out to the desert at the end of August, to meet with the new Parish Council and Der Krikor. Carolon Nigosian prepared a delicious dinner, which was held in our social hall. Surpazan commented on how beautiful the newly decorated hall is and enjoyed the relaxed setting of our dinner and meeting. The meeting was very productive as we discussed our financial hurdles and set goals for a continued growth of this community. He was very encouraged by the many activities that the Parish Council has implemented and immediately suggested several of his own ideas for future events in the desert. He is looking forward to visiting again on October 11th, where he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and enjoy a lunch with our parishioners. He would like to meet each and every one of you on that day.


OKTOBERFEST The long-standing German folk-festival tradition of Oktoberfest was celebrated at St. Garabed’s Armenian Apostolic Church of the Desert on Friday night, September 15th. Over 140 people attended this family oriented, fun and “festive” evening, which was a huge success! Authentic German sausage, sauerkraut, potato salad and desserts were a highlight of the evening. A selection of refreshing beers, games and contests, and the lively “Oom pah pah” musician added fun and entertainment to the night! The children had fun in taking their turns at breaking the candy filled pumpkin piñata.

The Parish Council would like to thank all those who attended and supported the Oktoberfest fundraising event. Many generous donations were received that night, as well as other donations received from those who were not able to attend. The Church was able to raise approximately $3,000.00 to help towards the operating expenses of the Church. Your support is very much appreciated.

These types of relaxed and casual events are a great opportunity for friends and families to come together for a fun evening. The Parish Council is encouraged by the support of this type of event and plans to continue in the planning of similar events for everyone to enjoy.

As we head into the Fall season, our calendar of events is very full. We hope that you will all attend and support the upcoming Armenian Cultural Festival which will be held on November 14th and 15th. This is our main fundraising event of the year, where we can celebrate with the community and enjoy our Armenian culture, foods, music and heritage.

Thank you for your continued support.

Raymond G. Arlen

Patrick Bedrosian

Khatchig Avakian

Norayr and Anoush Avakian

Khatchig Barsamian & Parents

Manuelian Family Parents

Hasmig Barsamian & Children

Shake Gihanian

Maggie, Isabelle & Maro Gihanian

Dr. Greg Warner & Family

Set Assatourian

Mery & Yousef Keshishian

IN MEMORY

ST. GARABED’S FAMILY

We are saddened to announce the untimely passing of beloved church member

Anghel Angelo on August 1st, 2015.

The Memorial Service for Mr. Angelo was performed on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 11 am

by Fr. Krikor Zakaryan at St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of the Desert

Our deepest condolences to Mrs. Mary Angelo and her family and friends


LADIES SUMMER LUNCHEONS The Ladies Society takes a two-month hiatus from meeting

during the summer months. Even so, many of the ladies enjoy and still

want to get together for a casual and social afternoon. The August

luncheon was held at The Daily Grille Restaurant in Palm Desert. We

enjoyed a delicious lunch, in a private room of the restaurant. We met

some new ladies that afternoon, who have since joined and participated in

the Ladies Society meetings and activities.

THE BLESSING OF GRAPES/KHAGHOGH ORHNEK

On the day of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, on August 16, 2015, the blessing of grapes took place immediately after the Divine Liturgy. The ceremony is rich in symbolism and emphasizes the important role the Virgin Mary assumed in the revelation of God. The custom of blessing grapes, the first fruits of the harvest, can be traced back to Old Testament times, when farming was a common vocation that so much care and time was given to it. Of the vast variety of produce, grapes had a special place of honor and were

considered the "first fruits", because they were the first produce of harvest. …………………………………….………………………… Among the Israelites, as among many neighboring cultures, grapes were regarded as belonging in a special way to God since they were the first fruits. It was He who gave the gift of the whole harvest and to offer Him the first fruits was to acknowledge complete dependence on Him. Special services of thanksgiving were conducted by priests in the temple, a tradition that prevailed to the time of Christ. With the birth of Jesus, these dedications took on a new meaning. Jesus Christ was the first born (or first fruit) of Mary and, as such, was offered to God in the temple. (Luke 2:25-30)………………………… Armenian Church doctrine teaches that the Blessed Mother Mary has a primary place of honor because it was 'of' her and 'by' the Holy Spirit that God became incarnate (took human flesh). She is seen as the image of humanity fully obedient to God and ultimately sanctified by doing God's will. Therefore on the feast remembering her Dormition (falling asleep in Christ) and Assumption (ascending to heaven), we celebrate the Blessing of Grapes. Celebrated is the person of St. Mary, who gave birth to Jesus Christ, the first fruit. Christ gave His blood to us for eternal life and in remembrance we bless the grapes, the fruits of the earth.

We are saddened to announce the untimely passing of

Alfred Aghaian on August 15, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.

Alfred Aghaian is the late father of Parish Council Member Ani Markarian.

Our deepest condolences to Mrs. Ani Markarian and Mrs. Arsineh Herdmann

and their families and friends


LADIES SOCIETY NEWS

Dear Friends,,

After a hiatus of two months, the Ladies Society had their first fall meeting on September 9, 2015. We had great attendance, including four new members, Welcome to Hermineh, Hasmig, Alice K., and Arpie. Not only did they become members, but also they have been helping with various activities and fast becoming friends with all of us. After the meeting, a light lunch was served and Carolon taught us a new fun game that everyone enjoyed. Thank you to Sophia Miller, who arranged for our informal Ladies luncheon in August, at the Daily Grille Restaurant, in Palm Desert. Many of our ladies were there to enjoy each other’s company and a delicious lunch. Now that summer is over, there is so much going on! We started our baking days for the upcoming Festival in November. We also made some delicious choreg, which will now be available to sell after Church each week. We will also be taking orders for holiday pastries. If you are interested in ordering a tray of boreg or paklava for Thanksgiving or Christmas, please see the flyer herein and call to place your order. The Grandma's Treasures rummage sale will be held on the 9th and 10th of October. Baked goods will also be sold during those days. Surpazan will visit us on the 11th, for Church services and a lunch following. Our annual Armenian Festival is on November 14th and 15th, and we will have our annual Christmas Pot Luck on the 13th of December. Paula and Mardy have taken on a new project to put together our very own Ladies Society cookbook. They will be ask-ing for your delicious recipes soon. Please join us and get involved with the Ladies Society, as we do need help all of the time. Give of yourselves, help the church, and you will enjoy the camaraderie of some great women. Join us for our next general meeting on the 14th of October, at 10:30 a.m. and mark your calendars for our meetings that are held on the second Wednesday of each month.

Sincerely,

Alice Safoyan, Ladies Society Chairwoman

The Parish Council has completed all the

necessary improvements required to get our

commercial kitchen certified for public use.

We are awaiting the final inspection.

We would like to thank and

congratulate Diane "Mardy"

Couvillion, who has completed the

coursework and passed the exam in

order to be the designated person in

charge of our kitchen safety.


ARMENIAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL

The 8th annual Armenian Cultural Festival is set for November 14th and 15th, 2015. We are so excited to be planning another great festival where we can celebrate our Armenian heritage on our beautiful Church grounds. The Festival committee has secured a wonderful Armenian dance group who will perform two shows each day at

1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. DJ Rex will be back again this year to play continuous Armenian music for all to enjoy. We will have several new Vendors this year, as well as some of our previous favorites. The variety of entertainment and activities are sure to make this year’s Festival one of the best. We know that the traditional Armenian foods prepared during the Festival are the number one reason that so many people attend. The Ladies Society has already started preparing the delicious pastries that are so popular. Of course, we will also be serving our delicious beef and chicken shish kebab and lamb chops dinners, as well as kuftas, yalangi, and lahmajoon for all to enjoy. Your support of the Festival is extremely important to its success. We hope that you will consider becoming a Sponsor, purchasing some raffle tickets, attending, and helping as a volunteer on that weekend. Please look for more information in this newsletter on how you can help and support the Festival, or call the Church office at (760) 773-2155. We look forward to seeing all of your at this year’s

Armenian Cultural Festival .

OUR MOST SINCERE GRATITUDE TO ALL

HELPERS WHO WORK HARD TO MAKE OUR

FESTIVAL SUCCESSFUL


ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN

OUR BULLETIN

BUSINESS CARD SIZE $25 / ISSUE

2 BUSINESS CARDS SIZE $45 / ISSUE

HALF PAGE $75 / ISSUE

FULL PAGE $125 / ISSUE

Christmas Services Shedule

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 , 2015

WESTERN CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION 8 pm

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

AUTHENTIC CHRISTMAS EVE LITURGY 6:30 pm

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016

AUTHENTIC CHRISTMAS DAY LITURGY 11 am

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2016

BAPTISM OF OUR LORD/WATER BLESSING 11 am

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2016

MEMORIAL SUNDAY/REQUIEMS SUNDAY 11 am

UPCOMING DECEMBER - JANUARY 2016

Virgin Mary’s Name Sake $1000 or More John Aslanian

Eugenia Genofkian

General Fund $1000 or More $3000 Anonymous John & Alice Ipjan

Lorraine Peters Wilson

General Fund $500 or More Mary Bedrosian

Genral Fund $100 or More

Jim & Debbie Avakian Cat City Auto Collision Center

Shirley Chuchian Aida Sarafian Mary Swajian

In Memory of Mary Aslanian Anoush Chamlian

Martin & Julie Krupoff Pete & Jeanette Parnagian

Henry & Nora Sahagian

In Memory of Anghel Angelo Luciano & Kristina Fabbio

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS


SPONSORS PAGE

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SAINT GARABED

ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF THE DESERT

38-900 VISTA DUNES ROAD

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA 92270

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U. S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT No. 27

PALM DESERT, CA

The “Øºð ºÎºÔºòÆÜ / OUR CHURCH” newsletter is a publication of

St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of the Desert

PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 38-905 MONTEREY AVENUE • RANCHO MIRAGE • CA 92270

MAILING ADDRESS: 38-900 VISTA DUNES RD • RANCHO MIRAGE • CA 92270

PHONE (760) 773-2155 • FAX (760) 773-2755 • E-MAIL: [email protected] • WWW. AACOD.ORG

Editor Der (Rev. Fr.) Krikor Zakaryan

Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian

Parish Priest/President of all Parish Organizations Der (Rev. Fr.) Krikor Zakaryan

Parish Council Chair, Mary Vartanian • Vice-Chair, Alice Safoyan • Treasurer, Carolon Nigosian • Assistant Trasurer, Gary Funtas

Recording Secretary, Ani Markarian • Corresponding Secretary, Ginny Kelekian • Membership, Mary Swajian

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year vii, issue xliiioctober -november december...

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