The morning of January 25 started off with a chill as the freezing winds cascaded between the skyscrapers of New York. Yet even the harsh winter winds couldn’t dampen the youthful warmth and energy that was present in Eastern Diocese’s mother cathedral, as the second annual “Children’s Day at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral” was held in earnest.
Beginning with a short service led by Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, the inside of the cathedral was packed with more than 210 children from Diocesan parishes and Armenian schools across the tri-state area, and from neighboring areas as far away as Philadelphia. Attendance represented a significant increase over the large number of participants at last year’s event.
The young faithful, ranging from 3rd to 8th graders, arrived ready to make new friendships, and lend their eager hands to a special community service project.
“These Armenian youth are the hands of Christ in action. They spread God’s love through acts of kindness to those in need,” said Bishop Mesrop. “This is what community is all about: coming together to make a difference, and sharing faith, hope, and love with the world.”
Assisting Bishop Mesrop during the service and throughout the day were Cathedral Vicar Fr. Davit Karamyan, Fr. Mesrob Hovsepyan (of St. Gregory the Enlightener Church, White Plains, NY), and Fr. Armash Bagdasarian (of St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church, Wynnewood, PA).
The Lesson of Kindness
Following the service, a luncheon was held in the Diocesan Center’s Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium, where multiple tables were lined with ingredients for making sandwiches, snacks, and drinks—all intended to be packed into bags for the city’s vulnerable residents.
While enjoying lunch and working on the service project, the children listened to a motivational talk by the day’s Master of Ceremonies, Chris Sarafian, Director of Outreach at New Jersey’s Hovnanian School.
“What we do today is something that we should be doing all over,” he said. “When you leave here today, remember that it’s not only about what we’re doing today; it’s about how we change our lives, and how we can do things in the future that will help other people.”
Aram Sethian, an investment analyst at One68 Global Capital, served as the guest speaker at this year’s Children’s Day. In his talk, he mentioned that while charitable acts can sometimes be done from a distance, an important aspect of charity is personal involvement—and that’s an objective children should focus on.
“That’s the lesson behind today’s event,” Aram Sethian explained. “We learn that we’re in an advantaged place, that we’re lucky to be here, that we have things that a lot of people would enjoy. In doing these acts of kindness, these acts of charity, you learn how to conduct yourself and how to carry yourself in the future.”
“The sandwich you’re making today will have a bigger impact on you, as you learn the lesson of kindness,” he said. “By making kindness a habit, you learn how to engage your Christian spirit, and become the Armenian Christians that we want you to grow into.”
The children prepared more than 200 bags of food for distribution at the Sant’Egidio shelter, which has a longtime partnership with the Diocese. Each contained a ham or turkey and cheese sandwich, a water bottle, clementine oranges, cheese sticks, applesauce, granola bars and assorted snacks, the elements to make hot cocoa, hand-sanitizing wipes and large body wipes, and a toothbrush with toothpaste.
Each bag was decorated with inspirational artwork, Bible verses and words of encouragement, all conceived and created by the children.
After the bags were filled and group photographs were taken with the children, clergy, and committee members, community service certificates were awarded to the participants to conclude the ceremonies.
All items and food, including everything served at the luncheon, were graciously donated by community members and businesses. Inserra Supermarkets (ShopRite of New Milford, NJ) continues to be a generous sponsor of Armenian cultural and church events.
Giving Back, Helping Others
Adults who attended the event were so inspired by the energy of the children that they jumped in to help with the outreach activity and food service. In addition, a number of teenaged chaperones were on hand to help the youngest students pack the bags and make sandwiches.
The Children’s Day event was co-chaired by Maria Stepanian and Talia Jebejian Bouldoukian, who dedicated their efforts to the memory of a beloved family member: Joyce Sulahian, who passed away a year ago.
“Joyce was a champion of the youth,” explained Maria, “organizing numerous activities for young people during her many years of assisting the late Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, former Primate of the Eastern Diocese. As a longtime Manhattan resident, Joyce would have been thrilled to see so many young Armenians gathering in her beloved cathedral to help the city’s most vulnerable residents.
“During our own formative years as children, we attended countless events at the Diocese,” Talia recalled, “and wanted to bring back the same sense of wonder and joy that comes from being in the cathedral and connecting with peers on such a meaningful endeavor. We are proud to honor Joyce’s memory in this way today.”
Other members of the Children’s Day organizing committee included Armenuhi Bagdasarian, Maral Beylerian, Melanie Bourghol, Souzi Kasaryan, Nazig Kirokian, Noushig Ohanian, Lori Saganda, and Yn. Alla Terzyan. These were virtually the same committee members who had worked on last year’s event—and who wholeheartedly volunteered their time once again after receiving such positive feedback from parents in 2024. Again this year, parents of participating children were overjoyed to see how happy and fulfilled their children were when they came home.
Click here to view a gallery of photos from this year’s Children’s Day.
“Children’s Day at St. Vartan Cathedral” is part of the Eastern Diocese’s ongoing “Acts of Kindness” Program. St. Vartan Cathedral, located on Second Avenue at 34th Street in New York City, is the headquarters of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.
By John Cermak-O’Brien