With affection and gratitude, the Eastern Diocese acknowledges the departure of a longtime staff member, and the institutional milestone it represents.
After four decades of service to the Eastern Diocese, Elise Antreassian tendered her resignation from the Diocesan staff last month. Elise has been synonymous with Christian Education in the Armenian Church for a third of the Diocese’s entire history. Over the years, that effort in our Diocese has gone forward under many names (most memorably, perhaps, the DRE, or Department of Religious Education). But Elise’s guiding hand, her high standards of quality, and her passion to implant a love of Christ in the hearts of our children and faithful, have been threads weaving through every incarnation.
As all who know Elise can attest, her work has been a true vocation: a calling from the Lord. Among countless contributions in her field, she revolutionized the Sunday School program, not merely in the sphere of our Diocese and its parishes, but in the worldwide Armenian Church. Indeed, many Orthodox Christian traditions have imitated the resources produced through her imagination, effort, and faith.
She was also a pioneer in educational conferences—chief among them the Mardigian Institute—that brought together teachers, superintendents, and all who sought to enrich their knowledge in the company of like-minded faithful.
She focused particular attention on the vital importance of spiritual growth, within individuals and within the community, through countless retreats, leadership seminars, and “Walk Thru the Bible” gatherings. The “Superintendent Summits” Elise led, and the “Conversation Clusters” that took place virtually during the pandemic, involving clergy and lay Christian educators, kept that endeavor alive and growing.
“Elise has been an inspiration to me since I first met her in the 1970s,” recalled Diocesan Primate Bishop Daniel. “Her unreserved love for Christ the Savior inspired me and contributed to my discovery of my vocation to serve the Armenian Church as a priest. She excelled at challenging people to grow in the relationship with God, and I know that many would credit her with having helped them on their way to a fuller, more real experience of the presence of the Savior in their lives. I am one of them.
“She built a true family of men and women that were, like her, committed to guiding children and adults closer to the Lord. She nourished them by her own faith and love, so that they became a real family of Christian educators for our Diocese. They remain a beacon of hope in our Diocese and parishes.”
A Ground-Breaking Effort
The Bishop added: “Our Diocese’s Sunday School Curriculum, first published in the 1980s, and continuously revised over the decades since, was ground-breaking not only in the Armenian Church, but in all of the world’s Orthodox churches. I saw this at first hand during a World Council of Churches conference in Cyprus, in the late 1990s. Its topic was ‘Christian Education in the Orthodox Churches,’ and I presented the Diocese’s curriculum to the attendees—who were simply stunned by the accomplishment. Credit for that, and so much more, goes to Elise and her longtime co-worker in the Lord’s vineyard, Nancy Basmajian, as well as the dozens of men and women who contributed to its success.”
Like the Primate, the thousands of people who have worked with Elise—fellow staffers, clergy, faithful in the parishes, and others—cherish her for her wonderful human qualities. She has been a warmhearted, encouraging colleague and friend to us all, and her presence on the Diocesan staff will be sorely missed, both institutionally and personally.
Per Elise’s wishes, her final day on staff was February 28. Going forward, Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, the Diocesan Director of Ministries, will address any inquiries regarding Sunday Schools among the parishes.
In the meantime, on behalf of the entire Diocese, we express our deepest gratitude to Elise Antreassian, and our fondest good wishes for the future. May Elise and her beautiful family receive all of God’s abundant blessings in the days and years to come.
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