Sunday School and Armenian School educators from across the Eastern Diocese met from August 15 to 17 for this year’s Mardigian Institute Teachers’ Symposium.
The event—organized by the Diocesan Ministries Department, through its Children and Family Ministries and Armenian Language Ministry programs—was a greatly anticipated revival of the in-person, summertime teacher-training programs that the Eastern Diocese had pioneered in the decades prior to the pandemic.
Some 34 teachers and four instructors gathered in the beautiful setting of Graymoor Retreat Facility in Garrison, NY, for two days of educational workshops to inspire their vital efforts in local parish Sunday and Armenian schools. The attendees represented 15 parishes from seven states, and came from as far away as Dallas and Detroit.
Sessions were built around the theme, “The Gift of Faith-Giving: Culture and Church United,” and featured instructional talks, hands-on projects, tours of the bucolic surroundings in upstate New York, and meaningful conversations on the deep connections uniting faith, culture, and teaching.
Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan joined the teachers on Saturday, to offer words of encouragement and gratitude for their quiet yet powerful ministry. As he reflected: “Week after week, you plant seeds of faith in the hearts of our children—seeds that God will water and grow for a lifetime.”
Not Just Activities, But an Identity
Instructors included Fr. Garabed Kochakian (longtime Diocesan clergyman, author, and art historian); Yn. Hasmik Ajamian and Dn. Hovhannes Khosdeghian (of the Diocesan Ministries Department); and Presvytera Eleni Christakos (of the Greek Orthodox Church).
With warmth and conviction, Presvytera Eleni Christakos spoke on “Faith in the Life of the Orthodox Christian”—reminding listeners that worship and service are not merely activities the faithful do, but the very heart of their identity as the Body of Christ. To be Christian is to live in communion with God, and to extend that communion through love and service to others.
She shared the moving story of St. Martin, who cut his cloak in half to clothe a beggar on a freezing night. That simple act of mercy became a revelation of Christ’s presence. Presvytera Eleni used this story to remind teachers that their ministry, though often quiet and unseen, is also a holy offering. Every lesson prepared, every prayer said with a child, every moment of encouragement given to a student is an act of service to the Lord.
Her words left the participants inspired, reminded that their vocation is not merely to teach lessons, but to form disciples: to help children recognize Christ in worship, in service, and in one another, so that they too may grow into the fullness of life in Him.
In his session, Deacon Hovhannes Khosdeghian invited participants to step outside the walls of the classroom and into the classroom of God’s creation. With a spirit of wonder, he reminded teachers that the natural world itself is a living icon; each flower, stone, and mountain whispering of the Creator’s presence.
Through nature walks and quiet reflection, teachers discovered that faith is written into the very fabric of creation. They saw how flowers bloom even through cracks in the hardest stone, a testimony that God’s grace breaks through even in the most difficult circumstances. They noticed how silence is not empty, but alive with the presence of God—reminding us that stillness allows the heart to listen.
As the teachers walked in creation, they were reminded that their calling is much like tending a garden: planting seeds of faith, nurturing them with care, and trusting God to bring forth the growth. In this way, their ministry is a living partnership with the Creator, who continues to reveal His grace through both the beauty of the earth and the faith of His people.
In a talk titled, “Jacob’s Ladder: Teaching Between Heaven and Earth,” Yeretzgin Hasmik Ajamian reflected on the profound way that faith and culture are woven together, forming the rungs of a ladder that leads us upward toward the Kingdom of God. Each step, she explained, is built through prayer, knowledge, and the treasures of our sacred tradition—offered not only for ourselves but for the generations that come after us.
She reminded the teachers that the Armenian alphabet itself was born out of holy inspiration, created by St. Mesrob Mashdots with the burning desire to spread God’s Word to the Armenian people in their own tongue. Our language, Yn. Hasmik noted, is not only a means of communication, but a prayer itself, sanctified by the voices of countless saints and martyrs who recited the Hayr Mer and hymns of salvation in Armenian. In every letter and word, we carry their faith and sacrifice.
She invited the teachers to see their Sunday and Armenian school classrooms in a new light: not as ordinary rooms, but as holy spaces, where heaven and earth meet; where every lesson, every prayer, and every word of Armenian faith and culture is a rung lifting children closer to God.
Uplifted, Encouraged, and Strengthened
Fr. Garabed Kochakian shared his passion for nurturing faith in the youngest members of the church by introducing two powerful resources: Little Saints and Living the Divine Liturgy. Both are designed to draw children and families into deeper engagement with worship, parish life, and the living faith of the Armenian Church.
Little Saints is a ministry for children from baptism through age four, helping families connect with one another and begin forming their children’s faith at home and in church. Through simple prayers, songs, and blessings, even the youngest learn that they belong to God and are loved by their parish family.
Living the Divine Liturgy invites families to enter more deeply into the mystery of the badarak. Rather than experiencing the liturgy as something distant, children are guided to recognize its beauty and meaning. By participating more actively, they come to see the liturgy as the heartbeat of their spiritual lives, while families continue the conversation at home and apply its lessons in daily life.
Reflecting on Christ’s words, “Let the little children come to me…” (Mt 19:14), Fr. Garabed emphasized that children are not future members of the church, but are the church today. When families worship together—praying and receiving Holy Communion side by side—their faith is strengthened, individually and communally.
He reminded teachers that welcoming children into worship is welcoming Christ Himself. Every opportunity to involve them in prayer, liturgy, and programs like Little Saints and Living the Divine Liturgy is an opportunity to deepen their faith and build up the Armenian Church.
In addition to the formal training sessions, the teachers also worshipped together in the retreat house chapel, and traveled to St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City for Sunday’s badarak on the Feast of the Holy Assumption.
As the symposium drew to a close, the message was clear: Sunday School teachers are more than educators. They are faith-givers, culture-bearers, and builders of the future. Participants left uplifted, encouraged to continue their ministry with renewed vision, and strengthened by the reminder that God is present in every classroom, every hymn, and every lesson shared with children.
Click the following link to view photos and video clips of the Mardigian Institute Teachers’ Symposium.