News

VEMKAR, the Eastern Diocese’s new educational initiative, will hold another “Live Session” based on its pilot module, Christ as Healer.

In keeping with Vemkar’s outreach to every segment and demographic of the Armenian Church community, the upcoming session will be geared towards young children. Fr. Tavit Boyajian will lead a sing-a-long for pre-school and elementary-aged children, on Saturday, September 19, at 11 a.m. EDT. Fr. Tavit has composed many delightful songs that teach children about the Christian faith and Armenian Church spirituality. Click on the following links to register for the event, and to view an informative flyer.

Additional online discussions are scheduled for the weeks to come. Connect with the VEMKAR.us website for information—and to explore more than 60 multimedia resources that will enrich your appreciation of “Christ as Healer.”

The Eastern Diocese’s “Sacred Music Festival”—a two-day celebration of Armenian Church music—will run Friday evening through Saturday, October 23-24. Altar servers and choir members from across the Diocese are encouraged to attend the festival, which will be held this year as an online gathering over the Zoom video conference platform.

As conceived by the Diocese’s Sacred Music Council, the “Sacred Music Festival” will feature instructional workshops with musical experts, educational seminars, and recitals of liturgical music. It is open to choral and instrumental musicians—indeed to all who love Armenian liturgical music, and wish to elevate their understanding and improve their performance. View a flyer by clicking here, which includes information and a link to online registration.

To download the complete festival schedule with a list of presenters, click here.

The Eastern Diocese’s Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center will cosponsor an online colloquium titled Ecology And Ecumenicity: Facing Division And Imagining Reconciliation In The Care Of Our Common Home, on Friday, Sep. 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. EDT, on the Zoom video conference platform. The event organized by the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute. Among the panelists is Zohrab Center director Dr. Christopher Sheklian, discussing Armenian Christian perspectives on the environment. The event is part of the center’s series on environmental topics. Click on the following links to read more, and to register for the event. Some advanced set-up required.

The Cultural Committee of Sts. Sahag & Mesrob Church (Providence, RI) will hold a very special edition of in its online series, “Armenian Cultural Hour” on Friday, Sep. 11, at 7:30 p.m. This week’s program will feature a rarely performed sacred composition by Gomidas Vartabed, in its U.S. debut: his “Berlin Badarak,” which Gomidas composed in 1899, in German, as his thesis at the Berlin Conservatory. Harutyun Topikyan will conduct the Yerevan State Chamber Choir, and make intrroductory remarks. Click the link to watch the livestream on the parish Facebook page (accessible even if you don’t have a personal Facebook account). Click the following links to view a flyer, and to learn about past and future programs in the committee’s Knar newsletter.