A virtual prayer group that emerged out of the pandemic held its first in-person retreat in the weeks following Easter: the period of spiritual devotion known as Heenoonk (Eastertide) in the Armenian Church.
The “Vernadoon” virtual prayer group was born during the Advent season of 2020, as one of two such groups initiated by Yeretzgin Sirarpi Aivazian, wife of Fr. Arshen Aivazian. The groups were formed to gather men and women in prayer and contemplation of the Word of God, employing the Zoom online conference platform at a time when personal meetings were still difficult to convene. However the virtual format did open the possibility of drawing faithful people from parishes across the Diocese, to meet each other and share their spiritual convictions across geographical boundaries.
Since their founding, the two groups—one for young adults, and the other for more mature members—have held online sessions on a regular basis, using a modern technological tool to re-envision an ancient church practice. At the same time, the members forged meaningful personal relationships with each other through their prayerful experiences of encountering God’s Word together. It naturally led to a desire to meet in person, in a more traditional manner and setting.
That happened on April 28-29, when the Vernadoon Prayer Group came together for its inaugural retreat at the Shrine of St. Joseph, in Sterling, NJ. Led by Yn. Sirarpi, members from parishes around the Eastern Diocese came together to meditate on God’s word, pray, and seek the inspiration to help spread His Light.
The retreat took inspiration from the teachings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the early Christian movement, focusing on the power of solitude, silence, and prayer. Participants learned that by consciously setting aside time to withdraw from the noise and pressures of the world, they could better step back from the “compulsive self,” and invite the “new self” of Jesus Christ to transform their lives. This theme of the retreat was expressed by the Catholic monk and saint Thomas Merton, who said: “Let me seek then, the gift of silence and solitude, where everything I touch is turned into prayer.”
The retreat culminated in the celebration of Holy Badarak by Fr. Arshen Aivazian, where members reverently received the Body and Blood of Christ, and departed with peace.
“Through our retreat, we learned to stop, listen, reflect, pray, and share, allowing ourselves to see with new eyes and think with new minds,” said retreat participant Anahit Tevosyan, from St. Mary Church of Washington, DC. “We experienced what the mystical poet Henry Nouwen wrote in The Way of the Heart: ‘Somewhere we know that without silence, words lose their meaning; that without listening, speaking no longer heals…'”
Click here to view photos of the retreat.
The Vernadoon Prayer Group will continue to hold online sessions, and is open to all who would like to join. Those interested in doing so can e-mail Yn. Sirarpi Aivazian at sfaivazian@gmail.com to receive the Zoom invitation link.