Clergy Corner
BAPTISM IN A SHACK
By Bishop Sebouh Tchouljian

Two years after the 1988 earthquake a man in Gyumri, Armenia invited me to perform a baptism in his house. I went with him. His house was a little shack (In Armenia they call such shacks "domik") made out of sheet metal, 6 meters deep and 3 meters wide. There were four iron beds and the mattresses were covered with very thin blankets. There was nothing at all enticing there, not even a sink, let alone a bathroom.

The family consisted of husband and wife and four small children, two of whom were twins. The godfather was also present. Under these conditions, I baptized the little children, four of them. This abode was in such a wretched state that one could hardly call it a home. The poor family was in a terrible state, yet they were determined to have the baptism service in that shack so that their "home" would also receive a blessing and assume vitality through God's grace. So great was their faith.
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Words to Live By
 "God's household is the church of the Living God, the pillar and the foundation of the truth."
1 Timothy 3:15

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

"And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
Acts 5:42

On the Calendar
Presentation of the Lord to the Temple after Forty Days (Dyarnuntaratch)
Dyarnuntamtch is the commemoration of the Lord's "coming" or presentation to the Temple after forty days. Jewish law required that forty days after the birth of a child, every mother present herself to the Temple, to offer a sacrifice and to be purified, taking with her the newborn baby to be blessed by the priest. Moreover, another law required that a first-born child be offered to the service of the Temple.

When, however, the entire tribe of the Levites devoted itself to the service of the Temple, parents were required to pay a ransom to the Levites for their first born. Mary met that requirement of the law upon the completion of the forty-day period after the Nativity.

Other churches use, in reference to the Mother of God, the terms, Presentation or Purification of the Holy Virgin; however, in reference to Christ, we say, Forty-day Presentation to the Temple

Something to Think About
Two Wolves
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

Ask yourself, which wolf are you feeding?

Upcoming Events
March 2-4, 2007
ACYOA Srs. National Young Adult Leadership Conference
in Stony Point, NY

March 9-11, 2007
ACYOA Jrs. New England Regional Retreat in NH

March 17, 2007
NY/CT ACYOA Jrs. Day-long Retreat at St. Nersess Armenian
Seminary

March 24-25, 2007
MI/OH ACYOA Retreat and Lock-in hosted by St. John Armenian
Church in Southfield, MI

May 25 – 28, 2007
Hye M'rtsoom Watertown, MA

May 24 – 28, 2007
ACYOA Srs. General Assembly and National Sports Weekend in
Southfield, MI

2007 St. Vartan Camp
Staff training: June 20 - June 24
Session A: June 24 - July 7
Session B: July 8 - 21
Session C: July 22 - August 4

2007 Hye Camp -- July 29-August 4

ACYOA ASP
Trip to Armenia for ages 18 – 28, July 5 – 28, 2007

2007 St. Nersess Summer Conferences
June 11-16, 2007: Post High School A
June 25 - July 3, 2007: Deacons' Training and Liturgical Music
July 6-14, 2007: High School A
July 17-25, 2007: High School B

If you have an upcoming event you want posted in HYE-mail, e-mail me at: jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org.

Welcome back to HYE-mail, a monthly e-newsletter of the ACYOA Juniors sent out to young Armenian Orthodox Christian teens throughout the Eastern Diocese to help keep you connected to the Armenian Church. Thank you for helping us continue to grow. If you know of anyone that might want to receive HYE-mail, let me know. I welcome your thoughts and ideas for upcoming HYE-mails. Please feel free to contact me.
-- Jennifer E. Morris, Youth Outreach Coordinator

JENNI'S JOURNAL -- BLESSED HOME LIFE

This month I have been busy traveling from Boca Raton to Dallas for Regional Parish Meetings to talk about our Diocesan theme of "Church and Home: One in Spirit." In HYE-mail this month, the Clergy Corner and the Did You Know sections both focus on the Home Blessing Service. I hope you will find the information interesting and that it encourages you to ask yourself, "Has my home been blessed?" Talk to your parents and find some time in your busy schedules to invite your parish priest over so you can bring the Armenian Church into your home.

I had a very rewarding experience when I traveled to Upstate New York this past Wednesday and served at a local soup kitchen with the ACYOA Juniors of Watervliet, NY. Later that evening, I was invited to speak to the parishioners at the conclusion of their Lenten Service. Some of the questions Der Stepanos asked me to speak about were:

1. What did you give up during Lent? Why did you give it up?

2. What is your favorite part of the Badarak (Divine Liturgy) and why?

3. What is your favorite Bible passage and why?

4. What is one practice or tradition that best exemplifies your faith in the home?

5. Write a creative prayer which should include the following: family, those in need, Thanksgiving, and a wish/hope for the people in our communities.

Take a moment and think about how you would answer these questions. I would love to hear your thoughts and share them with your peers for next month’s HYE-mail.

There are several upcoming retreats during the month of March. Check out the Upcoming Events section below to find one that may be near your parish. Just click on the event to view a flyer with more information.

Also, visit our HYE-mail web space to see photos from my recent trips. Just click here.

Be well,
Jenni

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that in conjunction with this year's Diocesan theme of "Church and Home: One in Spirit," Archbishop Khajag Barsamian is encouraging families throughout the Diocese to have their homes blessed? Click here to find out about this sacred tradition of the Armenian Church, and why your family should invite your parish pastor to your home for a Home Blessing.

SAINTS TO KNOW
Sts. Vartanantz
Every year, on the Thursday preceding Great Lent, Armenians throughout the world celebrate the anniversary of an important event in their history—the religious war waged between pagan Persia and Christian Armenia in the year 451 A.D. The hero of this war was St. Vartan the Brave. All those who gave their lives in this war are called collectively, the Vartanians.

The cause of the battle was religious. Armenia, which proclaimed Christianity as its state religion in 301 A.D. lived peacefully, first under its own kings, and then under Persian rule. She developed her culture with great zeal during the first half of the fifth century. During this period, the Bible was translated into Armenian and Christianity flourished in the country.

After becoming Christians, Armenians began to show signs of alienation from the Persians. In order to force the Armenians to revert back to the Persian religion, the king of Persia decreed that all Christians under his rule should abandon their new religion and accept Mazdeism, which was the worship of the sun and fire. The Armenians, in a mass meeting of the clergy and ruling princes, gave a bold answer to this royal decree insisting that they had not the slightest intention of denying their Christian faith. The Persians countered this boldness with a heavy hand. They sent a huge army of some 220,000 strong to Armenia to crush the resistance and to convert the country to paganism by force.

In 451 A.D., on the field of Avarayr, near Mount Ararat, a band of 66,000 semi-trained and poorly-equipped Armenian fighters, under the leadership of Vartan Mamigonian, their Commander-in-Chief, stood waiting for the invading army of Persians. In this battle, Vartan and his comrades suffered a military defeat but in reality the victory was theirs. They lost the battle but in the end attained their aim for which they were fighting. The Persians eventually stopped the scheme of converting the country to their religion when they realized how steadfast the Armenians were in their faith and convictions. Their defeat became a moral victory. As a result of such battles in our history and the fine spirit which the Vartanians displayed, the Christian religion has survived in Armenia throughout centuries and under most trying circumstances. We are the proud heirs of this unconquerable spirit.

IN YOUR WORDS
While in Dallas earlier this month, I asked the ACYOA members I met with to write down what the Armenian Church is to them. Below are some of their responses.

"The Armenian Church to me is the center of tradition and from that stems faith. The Armenian Church is the birth of Christianity."

"The Armenian Church is a place where I can be myself with people LIKE me. It is my heritage: my past, my present and my future. The Armenian Church represents everything I believe in as an Armenian Christian."

"The Armenian Church is…beautiful, tradition, ancient, my childhood, my future, and my Christian faith."

"The Armenian Church is a place to gather and share not only our faith, but our Armenian culture and language."

Ask yourself…What is the Armenian Church to you?

CAMP STAFF AND CITS NEEDED
On-line registration is now open for St. Vartan Camp. Click here for more or for your parents to register on-line. Registration for Midwest Hye Camp will be available later this spring.

If you want to apply to be a counselor-in-training, open to 16 and 17 year olds, you should request an application by e-mailing me, click here.

We also need staff for St. Vartan Camp. If you have any questions or are interested in spending working at camp, click here.
 

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