The first of four scheduled clergy Lenten retreats took place on Wednesday, February 24. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s retreats are being held virtually for a relatively short period of three hours, as opposed to the two-day format of previous years. Participants in the first retreat hailed from parishes of the New England region, with Diocesan Primate Bishop Daniel presiding.
Serving as the retreat leader this year was a familiar figure in the Easter Diocese: Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, currently the dean of Holy Etchmiadzin’s Gevorgyan Seminary, who prior to that served in the Diocese for a number of years, culminating in his tenure as Vicar of St. Vartan Cathedral. His presentation, delivered remotely via the Internet, was built around the theme “The Path of Hope,” and featured pastoral responses to the past year’s pandemic crisis and the upheaval in the homeland.
In a pair of workshops, “Guarding our Thoughts” and “Knocking on the Door of our Hearts,” Fr. Parsamyan encouraged his clergy brothers to develop a practice of daily meditation in the tradition of the Armenian Church, involving a disciplined period of quiet time, heartfelt reflection on a Bible passage or prayer, and undistracted prayer and contemplation.
Similar retreats are scheduled for clergy of the various Diocesan regions, and will continue for the duration of Great Lent.