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Tom Vartabedian

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.
Tom Vartabedian

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4 Comments

  1. Dear Mr. Vartabedian:

    Your post brought back wonderful memories of my childhood. I never had the honor of meeting or serving Cardinal Aghaganian, I had been lucky to have received my first communion from His Excellency Mesrop Abp. Habozian, the Abbott General of the Vienna Mekhitarists and a fellow Garnetsi like my Mom’s side of the family when he was visiting Istanbul. I have also had the privilege of meeting Most Rev. Sahag Kogian, who was the priest in Boston before Father Luke when he was the Patriarchal Vicar and had visited Istanbul. I knew Father Luke only through the phone when I had contacted him in 1970 while I was at graduate school in Wisconsin, to purchase his Armenian Conversation Course (on 33 1/3 records) for my nieces.
    May God bless their souls.
    Thank you for reviving those wonderful memories

  2. Wow, such a warm memory to share with you. I was about 6 yrs old, and Father Luke was a dear best friend who played with me– Fr. Lionel Kilergian (sp) (Father Kevon) brought his to this country , and to our house when he first arrived. I remember being introduced to the cardinal, and I even had a private audience with him ( because I didn’t know why I should be in line with all those people and kiss the ring; no one had explained any of this to me. He told Father Luke and my parents to bring me to a small room after. The Cardinal was kind and wonderful. He told me to never do anything I didn’t understand just because someone told me to. And he talked to me. On tha very busy day he took the time. And all these years later, that still impacts my life.

  3. My dad came here from Istanbul in 1959 and lived in the Watertown rectory. I have so many fond memories of Fr. Luke and Fr. George. My parents were married by Fr. Luke. He was a legend..

  4. When I was at St. Basil’s Seminary In Methuen, MA, in 1964, Fr. Luke came during Unity Octave week in Jan to celebrate Armenian Liturgy, which none of us had ever attended. Of course, it was all in Armenian and with no English translation! Afterwards, I asked him why it wasn’t in English. Really BIG mistake! “English? ENGLISH?!!! God gave
    us Armenian! If they want English, they can go to the American church!!!”

    Years later, I was in Rome for the beatification of Mother (now Saint) Rafqa ar-Rayess,a Maronite Lebanese nun. Prior to the beatification, there was a concert of Church music by a choir of Maronite monks. One of the pieces was an Armenian hymn to theMother of God. It was the first time I had heard Armenian Church music properly. I have heard it a few times since, once in FL when Abp. Manoogian was visiting.

    I have felt for years that it is the most beautiful Church music in the world!!!

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