By Florence Avakian
The year 1993 was a life-changing year for Hrair Hawk Khatcherian. That year, he was told that he had lung cancer and had only 10 days “to die.” Subjected to unbearably painful treatments in the hospital, he had placed on his hospital room wall a cross and photographs of Armenia and Artsakh.
Sandra Shahinian Leitner will be named the 2017 “Armenian Church Member of the Year” during the 115th Diocesan Assembly gala banquet in Palm Harbor, FL, on May 5. She has served the Armenian Church in a variety of capacities in her home parish of St. Leon Church of Fair Lawn, NJ, and on the Diocesan level. She is currently a Diocesan Trustee and board member of the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR).
On Saturday, March 25, some 700 people gathered at New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral for a remarkable musical event in remembrance of the late journalist Hrant Dink on the 10th anniversary of his assassination. The occasion also marked the 90th anniversary of the Constantinople Armenian Relief Society (CARS), which organized the concert and its related events.
In order to deepen their pastoral leadership capabilities, clergy of the Eastern Diocese have the opportunity to further their education at various institutions of learning in the United States.
From March 17 to 19, 2017, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, visited Holy Trinity Church of Cambridge, MA. He spent the weekend visiting with various members and parish groups.
