Clergy Corner
WE HAVE LOST A BRAVE MAN, A TALENTED JOURNALIST
By Archbishop Khajag Barsamian

On Sunday, January 21, 2007, Armenian Churches around the globe held requiem services to mourn the loss of Hrant Dink, a pioneering Armenian journalist gunned down in Istanbul on Friday, January 19, 2007.

Click here for remarks made by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), during a requiem service held in New York City's St. Vartan Cathedral.

(Click here for more)

Words to Live By
Love Your Enemy
 "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Matthew 5:43-48

Love For Enemies
 "But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again. And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.  "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."
Luke 6:27-36

Saints to Know
St. Vahan Koghtnatzi
As a young child, Vahan was taken into custody with many other children of Armenian nobility who had been killed because of their Christian belief. He was taken to Damascus where he was taught, together with other children, the Islamic faith.

Click here for more on St. Vahan.

Are You Serious?
Crossed Out:
A British Airways employee at Heathrow Airport has been put on unpaid leave for refusing to cover up the cross that she wears, which is less than two centimeters wide. Meanwhile, the College of William and Mary removed the cross that has been in its chapel for 307 years in order to make the chapel less "faith-specific"
(Chicago Sun-Times, October 30).
Source: CHRISTIAN CENTURY November 28, 2006

Upcoming Events
February 9, 2007
St. Leon Church, of Fair Lawn, NJ, ACYOA Jrs. Annual Valentine's Day Dance

February 17, 2007
Poon Paregentan Dance hosted by the St. John the Baptist Church in Greenfield, WI

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 the St. John Church of Southfield, MI

May 25 – 28, 2007
Hye M'rtsoom at the St. James Church of 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 -– TBD

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 -- A FRESH START

A new year generally implies a fresh start, which is exactly what many young adults experienced January 3-6 at the St. Nersess Post-High Winter Conference. Twenty-eight young adults from around the Diocese spent a few days and nights thinking deeper about their faith before embarking upon another semester of college. I was glad to be a part of the staff and spend time getting to know the participants.

Below the participants gathered for a group photo with Archbishop Khajag Barsamian during his visit.

After leaving the conference and getting a good night's rest, I drove up to New Britain, CT, on Sunday, January 7, 2007, to participate in the Church and Home Kickoff at the Church of the Holy Ressurection. I had an opportunity to speak to more than one hundred parishioners at a luncheon in which the parish's ACYOA members served their community.

On January 20, 41 teens from the NY/NJ area came together for an all-day retreat hosted by the ACYOA Juniors of the St. Leon Church. It was the first of several retreats that I will be leading this winter and spring entitled "If being a Christian was a crime…would you be convicted?" Below is a group photo.

I've just returned from Syracuse, NY, where I attended the annual American Camping Association Conference. Here at the Diocesan Center we're in the midst of preparing for the 2007 summer camp season.  I was at the conference with our St. Vartan Camp camp director, Rev. Fr. Krikor A. Sabounjian, the Diocese's college ministry facilitator, Julie Hoplamazian, and the newest member of our Diocesan staff, Lydia Kukjian. Lydia will be serving as the camp office coordinator and handing most of the registration, CIT and staff applications, and recruitment of staff. In addition, I am working closely with the Hye Camp director, V. Rev. Fr. Aren Jebejian, and the Hye Camp co-chairs, Kenarr Chiodo and Emily Rabjohns.

We are now busy getting brochure mailings out and opening up on-line registration. On-line registration for St. Vartan campers will begin February 15, 2007. Registration for Hye Camp will begin in March. Please remember that CIT's and staff must request an application and may not register on-line.

In closing, I want to thank each of you for helping me increase our distribution list for HYE-mail. I hope you find this month's HYE-mail interesting, and look forward to your suggestions for upcoming issues.

Be well,
Jenni

IN YOUR WORDS
As most of you already know, on Friday, January 19th, the Armenian people lost a very special leader in Hrant Dink. Hrant Dink was an Armenian journalist who grew up in Turkey. He was the editor of Agos, an Armenian- and Turkish-language newspaper that was revered in the Armenian community in Istanbul. He was shot to death on the street in front of the offices of Agos in Istanbul in broad daylight.

Hrant Dink was a powerful leader of the Armenian community in Turkey. I have many family members in Turkey, and through my experiences with them I know that most Armenians in Turkey are afraid to speak their mind about Armenian issues, especially the Genocide, because of fear of persecution from the Turkish government. Hrant Dink was not afraid to speak out even though he was heavily persecuted by the government of Turkey. He was convicted of "insulting the Turkish state" for pleading with Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide and received many threats from the government and ordinary Turks alike. Although the Turkish government has created a culture of fear among their Armenian minority, Hrant Dink spoke out, and for that he was martyred.

The night of his murder thousands of Armenians -- and many Turks who believe in truth and freedom -- marched in the street and gathered in front of the Agos office in protest. They chanted, "We are all Hrant Dink. We are all Armenian" in Turkish and Armenian. Maybe now the Turkish government will no longer be able to silence their own minorities. Maybe now the Armenians of Turkey are too fed up to be afraid.

Armenians worldwide are morning the loss of a powerful figure in our community. It is up to all of us to do whatever we can to grow stronger as a community in the face of this tragedy.

Sevan Ohanian
Sevan is the ACYOA Seniors Chairman of the St. Mary Church of Washington, DC. He recently spent several months in Armenia participating in the Birthright Armenia program.

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