Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan visited St. Mary Church in Livingston, NJ, on Sunday, December 22, to join parishioners in an occasion of hope, progress, and memory.
The day began with the Primate celebrating the Divine Liturgy and delivering a sermon about the spirit of possibility and optimism inherent in the Christmas story. He was assisted by the church’s large complement of deacons, including a number of college-age altar servers who had returned to their home parish during Christmas break.
To conclude the service, Bishop Mesrop was led in procession to perform a blessing ceremony for the beautiful new addition to the church: a spacious and bright new entry foyer, surmounted by an elegant dome reflecting the design of the church’s main cupola, and accessed through a stunning new arched doorway.
The new entryway and its features are the gifts of several parish families: the Toufayan family; the Nersesian family (in honor of Ara and Lita Nersesian); and the Barmakian and Stepanian families (in memory of Bertha and Levon Barmakian).
During the luncheon that followed, Kristine Casali led the program, which included musical pieces from young parishioners Sevan Toufayan, Bedros Maldjian, and Mihran Maldjian.
In his remarks, Bishop Mesrop extolled the warmhearted atmosphere of the parish, reflecting that he frequently sees so many of its members in leadership positions in the community.
“Let the peace of Christ’s birth bless you all in the days to come,” he said. “And I join you in looking forward to many hopeful developments at St. Mary Church in the coming year.”