E-Mail 'Armenians Celebrate Mass in China for First Time in Decades' To A Friend

Email a copy of 'Armenians Celebrate Mass in China for First Time in Decades' to a friend

* Required Field






Separate multiple entries with a comma. Maximum 5 entries.



Separate multiple entries with a comma. Maximum 5 entries.


E-Mail Image Verification

Loading ... Loading ...

12 Comments

  1. I was hoping to see Khatchig in the photo when I read the headline! I was also thrilled to see Lara Setrakian Aslanian and her husband Henri! I do hope that Lara had the opportunity to sing during mass.
    She made her guests weep during her wedding ceremony when she sang in our sacred church at Geghart in memory of her grandmother. Thank you for helping resurrect a community and bringing church and faith back to our people in China. You all continue to inspire us!

  2. I am glad to see my old friend Hagop Apikian in the pictures. In the early 80’s we were living in Hong Kong. We got married within weeks of each other and brought our wives to Hong Kong in November 1986. He from Beirut, mine from Baghdad. We had a wedding party with all the Armenians, at Vartan Keshishian’s restaurant, Omar Khayyam.

    • YES ASHOD MY FRIEND IT WAS THE GOOD OLD DAYS, RIP VARTAN OMAR KHAYYAM WAS THE FIRST ARMOLEBANESE RESTAURANT IN HONG KONG

  5. Armenian had Church in Guangzhou China since 12th century, the church get fire on 14 century , one Armenian women ” Amera ” re- build the church in here account.

  6. congratulations to the Armenian Community in China. They are getting stronger and more numerous every year!
    I saw some familiar faces, including the Maxians, ( hello Baron Hagop- the famous Jack Max and family!)
    Also nice to see Henri Arslanian and Lara. Wish I was in China to attend!
    A Happy season’s greetings to you all!

    Zareh Amadouni

  7. Good to see this taking place. My sincere congratulations to our compatriotd in China.I however think it is an exaggeration that this was the first Armenian Mass held in China in decades.

    What about the Mass held in 2005 by the Archbishop’s predecessor Archbishop Baliozian of blessed memory who conducted the service with the blessings of The Catholicos Karekin II? The Mass was conducted at St. Andrew’s church Kowloon which was built and paid for by the most successful Armenian China has ever seen, Sir Paul Chater. I’m sure you do not mean to belittle Archibishop Baliozian’s Mass of 2005 but your headline does sideline him and his representation of the Catholicos at that occasion. Very few of you, if any were in China in 2005 and if you were you would know that the service you held in Guangzhou last week was the first one held in 9 years, not decades.

    Best,
    Karen Mkrtchyan.
    New Delhi, India

    • “Dear Karen – thank you for your comment. Just to clarify, this was indeed the first Armenian Mass in Mainland China for many decades. Hong Kong, which is also where the Mass you mentioned took place, regularly has Armenian Mass celebrated. However, holding Mass in Mainland China is very different than in Hong Kong for reasons that I am sure you are familiar with, thus the significant nature of this event. The community actually opened an Armenian Centre in Hong Kong in 2013 with the presence of His Holiness Karekin II. Armenian Mass as well as many other Armenian events, including in relation to Sir Paul Chater, are regularly held there. Although the community has been growing tremendously in recent years (with around 500 Armenians now across China), many of us have been living in China for longer, including myself since 1984 in Hong Kong and for the last 7 years in China. You can find out more about the community and the various activities organized on the Armenian Community in China website: http://www.chinahay.com or on our Facebook group””

  8. Thank you, Vahe. I had actually spotted Khatchig immediately, knowing that he probably had played a significant role in bringing the community together for the first time in a decade. I meant to write, ” I was hoping to see Khatchig in the picture, and I did!”

    More than ever, the voice of the Diaspora needs to be loud and clear…that we embrace our faith and heritage no matter where we live, and how few our numbers are.
    December 14, 2014 will remain a special day for the Armenians in China. A heartfelt thank you to all the organizers.

  10. Mr Mkrtchyan,

    Clearly the headline is referring to The People’s Republic Of China, aka Mainland China.

    Of course no one is belittling anyone, nor are they ignorant of activities in Hong Kong. The Catholicos Karekin II himself attended the opening of the Jack & Julie Maxian Hong Kong Armenian Centre in Kowloon just one year before. Many of us living here in HK have been here for many years if not decades. Clearly this event was different and special.

    Regardless of the tone of your comment, I’m sure you aren’t trying to belittle the significance of what by all accounts was the first Armenian Badarak ever held in the PRC since it was established in 1949.

Comments are closed.