Vrej-Armen Artinian Is Canadian Strong

In most every major Armenian community throughout the world, there is usually one catalyst—the individual who keeps the embers of life burning and promotes the very ideals of our heritage.

Such an individual is Vrej-Armen Artinian, whether it’s at his home front in Montreal or the many missions he has undertaken in the world beyond.

At age 74, his zest for life is hardly waning. If anything, it continues to glow with passion.

I first met the man back in my late teenaged years as a student at the Mekhitarist Monastery in Vienna. I had been sent there by my late pastor, Father Luke Arakelian, along with two others from Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church in Cambridge.

A priest gave me his name and we corresponded for 25 years before finally meeting in Montreal, where he had settled from his home in Cairo, Egypt. Since then, we have continued a friendship for the ages, together through marriage, childbirth, writing careers, and our always-active Armenian lives.

In short, if we looked into the mirror, one would see the other. Not only are we the same age, our birthdays are a day apart.

We’ve traveled through Armenia together, corresponded feverishly for the ethnic press, visited one another in each other’s homes with our families, and addressed genocide gatherings. Time has not diluted our friendship, only strengthened it for the respect and homage we still maintain for one another.

You may know his daughter, Araz, who produced a film titled, “The Genocide in Me,” which gained universal appeal about a decade ago. These days she’s happily married in California with two children and has published nine posters as teaching tools for children (animals, fruits, colors, etc.) in Armenian, French, and English. And she’s just beginning.

Another daughter, Lorig, is involved with school in Canada, presiding over the Parents’ Committee and Educational Council. His wife, Nazig, maintains an active role in her endeavors. There is no rest for the weary in any part of this family—a true role model of goodness and devotion, if you will.

Vrej-Armen’s fourth book was released last October; it is a travelogue that narrates this author’s life. Like the other three, an immediate impact was made.

It’s been a true “labor of love” these past 4 years, having rewritten it 17 times, with 200 pictures, using his articles, diaries, and letters he’s written since age 13. A presentation he made in California drew avid response.

At a time when our precious history could be lost or forgotten, missionaries like Vrej-Armen are doing their role to protect it. His main project was an exhibition celebrating the 1,050^th anniversary of Ani, our City of 1,001 Churches.

It was organized by Gamar (“arch” in Armenian), a committee of Armenian architects and engineers, in collaboration with four Armenian cultural organizations in Montreal.

The exposition featured 65 panels (16”x32”) with a general overview of various churches and monuments, paying specific attention to the architecture of that period. The panels were shown in not one, but three languages. Some 1,400 visitors a month were struck by the display.

Being an architect himself, he considered it his duty to preserve the memory of such an important occasion when others paid little or no attention to Armenia’s last capital before the 20^th century. The idea germinated in Hamazkayin, another important link to Vrej-Armen’s ongoing list of priorities.

Much as I’ve been a columnist over these past 50 years, so has Vrej-Armen. He continues to write his weekly columns in Horizon, much the same way he did for Houssaper in Egypt—long-hand with pencil and eraser. He served as editor of Horizon for a decade, having written since Day 1 for this journal.

His work has been published in every major publication in the diaspora, including the Hairenik; he diligently served the AYF and Gomideh; was on the Hamazkayin Central Executive from 1998-2006; and is a founder of the Sourp Hagop Armenian School of Montreal.

That’s just the Armenian side. His professional world has seen articles in all the leading architectural journals about various design issues. The beat simply goes on like a generator.

The Mesrob Mashtots Medal he received from the Cilician Catholicossate for services rendered in Armenian education and culture was truly a fitting tribute to this individual.

One might conclude that he’s so busy with an internal life that there is no room for outside interests. False! Like any juggling act, a ball may drop but any good slight-of-hand artist maintains his balance. His craft!

For an encore, the Artinian juggernaut tends to repeat the Ani exhibition in different parts of Montreal, even America, during the Armenian Genocide Centennial next year.

Like any true crusader, the work never stops!

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Tom Vartabedian

Tom Vartabedian is a retired journalist with the Haverhill Gazette, where he spent 40 years as an award-winning writer and photographer. He has volunteered his services for the past 46 years as a columnist and correspondent with the Armenian Weekly, where his pet project was the publication of a special issue of the AYF Olympics each September.

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