Clergy Corner Words to Live By Did You
Know?
A Story for Your Soul So on this particular cold and dreary day in 1996, I found myself walking to the Armenian Church, a modest stone edifice on the opulent boulevard rue Jean Goujon. I took a seat out of the way and under one of those beautiful stone archways. As the Der Hayr (priest) spoke and the service progressed, I saw an old woman, hunched over, walking up and down the aisle looking for a seat. Given the length of the Armenian Church service, I didn’t exactly want to give up my place, but I was 20 and she was 70. So when she came by, I spoke in Armenian and offered my seat. She took it without speaking and I stepped to the side under arch. From time to time I saw her looking at me. I found myself staring back. There was something soft and gentle in her dark eyes, deep and mindful. I watched her cross herself, sing, and cross herself again. I envied the comfort and security she seemed to feel in singing and lifting her hands to God. As the service drew to a close, she quietly spoke to me. “You are not from here are you?” she whispered. “How did you know?” I asked. “Because you spoke to me in Armenian. The young people here speak French. Where are you from?” “America. Florida,” I said rolling the “r” to make it sound more Armenian. Keeping her eyes on the service, she said, “I have family in Florida. Three brothers. Sarkis, Dikran and…..” “Ara,” I said. A lump rose in my throat. “Ara is my father.” Her strong, weathered countenance crumbled in tears. She raised her hands again. “Asdoodzo Kordzeh (God’s work). I have been looking for you father for 30 years,” she cried. “I knew you were someone special. I knew it in your face.” She was my “auntie,” a relative of my paternal grandfather widely dispersed family who had been part of the Armenian Diaspora across Iraq, Syria, America. She herself lived in Syria, and was only in Paris temporarily. But she happened to be there under that arch at the very moment I was. Overarching oceans and generations, the two of us connected. I thought I was in France to discover who I was, to collect stories for the future. Perhaps I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but then I didn’t need to- because an angel from the past, Arev Kasparian, found me and reunited our family. Upcoming Events
St. Vartan Camp If you have an upcoming event you want posted in HYE-mail, e-mail me at: jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org. Links |
| April 2006 JENNI'S JOURNAL -- LENT AND EASTER CELEBRATIONS April has been a great month! During this Lenten season I have enjoyed bringing ACYOA Juniors, together for a time of reflection, fellowship, and fun. This year we spent our time together exploring the question, “What Influences Today’s Teen Culture?” The four retreats and lock-ins were sponsored and led by Youth Outreach, and involved 72 young people between the ages of 13-18 from 13 different parishes. In the March HYE-mail, I wrote about the New Jersey and New England Regional Retreats. This month we had two more to finish up our Lenten Retreat series. Daron Bolat, our intern at the Diocesan Department of Youth and Education, led a regional lock-in for ACYOA Jrs. at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Chicago, IL, on April 1. Then the following weekend, I finished up the series in my home parish of St. John Armenian Church in Southfield, MI. I led the Detroit ACYOA Juniors in a retreat and lock-in beginning Friday evening and concluding Saturday afternoon (4/7-4/8). On Palm Sunday, I had the opportunity to witness the parish's new ACYOA Seniors Board installation and to speak with parishioners at a luncheon hosted by the ACYOA. It was a great weekend, but I enjoyed returning to New York City and getting back to work on camp preparations. Last week, I enjoyed worshipping at the Cathedral throughout Holy Week and seeing the pews full. I pray that each of you had a blessed Easter holiday surrounded by family and friends. Click here to see photos from my recent trips! Also, I welcome your thoughts and ideas for upcoming HYE-mails.
Please feel free to contact me
via e-mail. HONORING OUR PAST If you don't know much about the Genocide or just want to learn more, please click here for a short historical overview. IN YOUR WORDS The program proved to be extremely successful and all instructors
and students were invited back to participate in a more advanced
session during the summer of 2005. The students had several hours of
lessons each day, where topics ranged from vocal techniques to music
theory, however, the central focus was on choir direction. Each
student learned how to conduct a portion of the Armenian Badarak
and was given the opportunity to display what he or she learned at the
end of the week at
St. Peter's Armenian Church. The instructors and directors of the program executed their goal successfully and plan to continue doing it with new students every summer. The original group of students who participated in the first two sessions now have the opportunity to go to Armenia during the summer of 2006. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian has continually shown his support for this program and has even personally visited the students while they were being taught at the Ararat Center. Having been one of the few privileged students to attend this
workshop, I feel that it has truly broadened my base of knowledge in
Armenian studies and focuses on the Diocese's goal to "help the youth
carry the flame." With programs such as this one, the
Armenian-American youth can remain active in their culture and faith,
and will be able to pass their knowledge onto future generations to
keep their heritage alive and active. I encourage anyone who is
interested in attending future sessions to contact the directors of
this program to get more information on how you can join. It is truly
an experience I will never forget! However, as much fun as she has in participating in these school activities and dreaming about her future career, she can honestly say that she’s enjoyed the experiences within her Armenian culture more than anything else. Whether at camps, church, or choir conventions, like JCLDP, she has felt the closest and most comfortable with those that she can share more than just friendships, but her heritage and religion as well. She plans to make it a priority to keep her faith a major aspect of her life and hopes other Armenian youth take advantage of the amazing experiences she’s had in the past and hopes to have in the future. Do you have something to say? Are you willing to share your thoughts and ideas with your peers? I would love to have teens, like you, volunteer to share their thoughts and ideas. I am looking for short reflections, stories, vignettes, etc. to be published in next month's Hye-mail. E-mail me if you have an idea.
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