The Sacred Music Council (SMC) has officially announced its 2025 Boyajian Young Choir Directors Program (BYCDP) to take place at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary from Monday, July 7 to Wednesday, July 9. The Rev. Fr. Hovhan Khoja-Eynatyan will act as the Program Coordinator for the 2025 BYCDP.
This Saturday starts the most important week in the Armenian Church liturgical calendar, a period dense with unique services and ceremonies that chronicle the final week of Jesus Christ’s ministry, and lead us to his resurrection.
Holy Week signals the end of the Lenten period of separation, and a return to the full life of the church. The coming Holy Week will go forward in the Eastern Diocese with in-person worship as well as the online broadcast of services.
April 7 is the fixed date for the Armenian Church’s celebration of the “Annunciation to the Virgin Mary”
This week the second of three Lenten Retreats for Clergy of the Eastern Diocese took place, this time for pastors of the Diocese’s Midwest region. Pastors from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio gathered from March 31 to April 2 at the Conference Center of the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL.
Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan presided over retreat, which began with a presentation focusing on the “The Spirituality of the Preacher.” On the second day of the retreat, Archbishop Haigazoun Najarian, former Primate of Australia, presented three thought-provoking lectures on the priest as preacher, baptizer, pastor, and administrator. Of particular interest was his presentation of church canons related directly to the character, work, and mission of the priest.
The 13 participating clergy spent the second evening of the retreat visiting Chicago’s St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, where they prayed the Peace Hour, reflected on a meditation led by the Primate, and joined in a Lenten meal lovingly prepared by parish members.
The third and final Clergy Lenten Retreat will take place April 7-9 in Long Branch, NJ, for the clergy of the Mid-Atlantic region.
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