March 29, 2026, was a special Palm Sunday at St. Thomas Armenian Church of Tenafly, NJ, as the parish was honored with the presence of Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, who celebrated the Divine Liturgy, delivered the homily, and presided over a celebratory banquet marking the 61st anniversary of the consecration of the church.
Several altar servers were elevated by Bishop Parsamyan on the Saturday preceding Palm Sunday. Three altar servers were elevated to the rank of sub-deacon—Paul “Boghos” Bourghol, Andrew “Antreas” Martaian and Saro Tovmasian—and one to the rank of tbir (acolyte)—Tavit Amirkhanian—in a solemn, time-honored ceremony.
Following the service the parish council and parish leaders hosted the Primate for dinner at a local restaurant.
Overflowing crowds attended the Palm Sunday church service, which culminated in the moving Turnpatsek (Opening the Doors) service led by Bishop Mesrop and St. Thomas pastor V. Rev. Fr. Papken Anoushian, assisted by Deacon Dr. Levon Capan.
After the service the capacity crowd filled the church’s Mekhjian Atrium to enjoy the 61st anniversary consecration banquet.
Parish Award Honorees
Mistress of Ceremonies Erna Kajayan invited the parish council to escort the honorees to the dais and ably moderated the program.
Fr. Papken opened the proceedings with prayers for the souls of the 5,000 soldiers who were martyred during the Artsakh war in 2020, in whose memory Gregory and Mary Ann Saraydarian had donated the banquet.
On behalf of the parish council, Dr. Levon Capan, gave a welcoming toast and recognized the Primate’s visit, the honorees, donors and the many volunteers.
A beautiful musical interlude was offered by special guest, mezzo-soprano Hasmik Mekanejian, who sang three beautiful songs, two in Armenian and one in English to the thunderous applause of the attendees.
The highlight of the program was the presentation of this year’s “St. Thomas Award” to two worthy recipients: Raffi Minassian and Raffi Jamgotchian. Fr. Papken read the inscription on the plaques and presented the award individually to each recipient. He thanked each person for their dedication to St. Thomas, recognized their devoted service by describing their hard work and activities in support of the church.
Hagop Jamgotchian gave a heartfelt address describing his father Raffi Jamgotchian’s background and dedication to the church. Both honorees extended their sincere appreciation and thanks for being selected as honorees.
A major fundraiser for St. Thomas on Palm Sunday is its Cake Sale, chaired this year by Paul and Diana Bourghol, who made a generous donation along with a multitude of parishioners. A substantial amount was raised for the church. A beautiful cake was ceremoniously cut and distributed to the attendees.
As Palm Sunday is ACYOA day, the St. Thomas ACYOA Juniors presented Fr. Anoushian with a donation check from their fundraising efforts. The youths also assisted in serving at the banquet.
Fr. Anoushian conveyed his thanks and gratitude to the numerous volunteers and generous donors Gregory and Mary Ann Saraydarian, who made the banquet possible, as well as to those who made significant donations towards the renovation projects Hayr Soorp is planning, especially the purchase and installation of the lightning rod.
In particular, he thanked Jack and Sylva Torosian for chairing and organizing the banquet so successfully, Paul and Diana Bourghol for the Cake Sale fundraiser, and he especially thanked Bishop Parsamyan for visiting St. Thomas again to participate in all the proceedings.
The Primate made the final address extending his heartfelt thank you to Fr. Papken, the parish council, and all the auxiliary organizations. He congratulated the parish on the anniversary of the consecration of the church, and was said he was happy to be part of the celebrations.
“I want you to remember, especially our young people, wherever you go in the world … you find an Armenian church and that’s your home,” he said. “You are never alone … that is legacy of our people, which they have left us through their faithfulness and now it’s up to us to continue.”
With Bishop Mesrop’s blessing over everyone, and his promise to “See you next year,” a beautiful day came to an end.
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