Images by Catholicosate of Cilicia, Varky Kaprielian and Edmund Nasr
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church community was energized and mobilized in anticipation of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I’s recent pontifical visit to Providence. The organizing committee prepared for months to ensure that everything would be in perfect order for his arrival and to show His Holiness how much it meant to the community that he began his tour of eastern region parishes in Rhode Island. By all accounts, the four-day visit fulfilled all expectations.
His Holiness was accompanied throughout his visit by H.E. Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khatcherian, Very Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, director of the Information and Communication Department and Very Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aprahamian, officer of the Middle Eastern section of the Ecumenical and Inter-religious Relations Department, as well as the chairman of the Prelacy Executive Council Col. Aram Sarafian.
Spiritual leadership
Over the course of the weekend, the church was filled with the faithful for two services celebrated by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I.
Friday night, October 4, began with His Holiness’ arrival by police escort to the church, located on Broadway in Providence. Community members lined the sidewalk in front of the church and gathered inside the sanctuary awaiting his arrival. The buzz grew as everyone excitedly milled about until Catholicos Aram I arrived amid lights and sirens, a drone above to capture the moment, and a throng of faithful eager to catch the first glimpse.
Joy was evident on everyone’s faces as His Holiness and his pontifical delegation were met by church pastor, Rev. Fr. Kapriel Nazarian. Cousins Leila and Sareen Khatchadourian, dressed in traditional Armenian attire, presented His Holiness with the traditional bread and salt for the welcoming hrashapar ceremony. The bread was a work of art, presented in the form of a cross.
Catholicos Aram I ceremoniously released white doves outside the church prior to the procession toward the sanctuary. Jasper Bedrosian, Kenneth Bogosian, Aram Madoian and Michael Toumasian served as canopy bearers for His Holiness and escorted him into the church.
Following welcoming remarks from Archbishop Tanielian, His Holiness offered his first message to the congregation, centered on the church and community, the essence of which was reinforced throughout his visit. “You are a community, and that community is the church…a special community, the community of faith, and Jesus Christ is at the center and is the sustaining power of the church,” His Holiness said. “Being Christian implies participating in community life…The church has a mission. The archbishop, the pastor, all the committees and organizations are committed to one mission: taking the church to the people.”
The evening concluded with achahampouyr, when community members greeted His Holiness and received his blessings.
Sunday featured the highly-anticipated pontifical divine liturgy, which was the first in the church’s 84-year history. His Holiness was assisted by Archbishop Tanielian and Archbishop Khatcherian and entered the church surrounded by his pontifical delegation and many members of the clergy from across New England. The church was filled with the faithful who had traveled from surrounding states for this historic service.
The sounds of the choir, led by director Debra Pjojian and organist Raffi Rachdouni, filled the church as His Holiness celebrated badarak. Many of those in attendance expressed how uplifted they felt after the service and how meaningful it was to have Catholicos celebrate a pontifical divine liturgy in Sts. Vartanantz Church for the very first time.
During his sermon, His Holiness centered his message on the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Emphasizing that God is the creator and sustainer of life and that life is a gift from God, Catholicos said, “This is the core of the Christian faith.” He went on to say that we must live our lives in faithful obedience to God. “We must renew our life having Jesus Christ as the center and source of life — the purpose, the meaning of our life,” His Holiness said.
Community engagement
In addition to the church services, which also included an ecumenical service with the Orthodox clergy of Rhode Island on Monday, Catholicos had a weekend full of visits, meetings and events.
Saturday was a full day of activity, beginning with a special visit with renowned Judge Frank Caprio. When Judge Caprio learned that His Holiness was going to be in Providence, he requested an audience with the Catholicos, who promptly agreed. They had a meaningful exchange, including prayerful blessings for the judge, who has been battling pancreatic cancer.
The Armenian Weekly had the honor of conversing with Catholicos, who was gracious enough to discuss the current state of the Diaspora, particularly following his recent annual declarations of 2022 and 2023 as the “Years of the Diaspora” followed by 2024 as the “Year of Human Resources Development.” His Holiness stressed that the reconstruction and revitalization of the Diaspora is a complex process, affected by the challenges and uncertainties in our communities. The process must include all organizations in every sphere of our church and community life.
“The reorganization of the Armenian Diaspora is no longer an option. This is my firm conviction,” His Holiness said. “We need a new agenda — the kind of agenda which is responsive to the emerging realities, to the challenges, to the crises that we face both in the Diaspora and in each community. We need a dynamic approach…in a sense, a wake-up call about the need to engage in this process of restructuring, reconfiguration and revitalization of our Diaspora communities.”
Reiterating his message from the previous evening, Catholicos Aram I said, “The church is the community. The church is the mission. So, whatever the church does should be in line with the concerns and expectations of the community. We need to preserve our core values as a church, as a community, as a culture — the core values that ensure our identity.”
His Holiness offered the Armenian language as an example of the contrasting needs in different communities, underscoring that in the Middle East, speaking Armenian is central to Armenian identity. In the United States, however, speaking Armenian may not be as much of a priority, so “it is important to define our Armenianness.”
Catholicos then proceeded to visit with the youngest of the Mourad Armenian School students, who were awestruck by His Holiness and eager to share what they have learned about the Armenian language and culture, as co-principals Lala Attarian and June Mangassarian looked on, illustrating the importance of maintaining our core values, as mentioned by Catholicos, and defining our Armenian identity. His Holiness’ delight in interacting with the youngsters was evident in the big smiles all around.
Continuing with the youth, His Holiness engaged in a forum with the young people of the community, including Armenian and Sunday school students, Salt and Light youth ministry participants and members of the AYF and Homenetmen, all of whom gathered in the church for a conversation with Catholicos. The group greeted His Holiness by singing the pontifical anthem, “I Veh Partzants,” accompanied on the organ by Rachdouni.
Then, the forum was opened for questions for the young people.
Anahid asked if there was a set structure for the Divine Liturgy and why sometimes there are differences between church services. Catholicos responded that the Armenian church is one family with “the same prayers. We have the same hymns. We have the same music. But sometimes there are some very minor changes in terms of music. Different singers can take different approaches, for instance.”
Shahen asked how the church is helping the displaced children of Artsakh. Catholicos responded that while we lost Artsakh, it is a temporary loss, and we should work to ensure that the Armenian people return to their homeland. “In the meantime, we need to meet the social, educational and other needs of the people of Artsakh, including the young generation,” His Holiness said. One step that is being taken on the Catholicosate level is to bring several students displaced from Artsakh to the theological seminary in Antelias for their studies.
Daron asked why the Catholicos’ hat is so pointy, which resulted in lots of laughter. His Holiness was ready with a story from about 200 years ago, when the Greek patriarch asked the Armenian patriarch the same question: “Why is your hat shaped like the dome of the church, whereas ours is flat?” The Armenian patriarch’s response has gone down in history: the Armenians were more clever with their design, because Satan can rest on the flat one more easily, which he cannot do on the Armenian one.
Sareen then asked what His Holiness expects from the youth in preserving the Armenian identity. Catholicos responded that we all express our Armenian identity in different ways. While there are diversities and distinctions, there are also commonalities; for instance, we are all members of the church, and by participating in the life of the church we express our identity. It is important for us to know our shared history, which creates a sense of belonging. “We are Armenians. We belong to the Armenian church. We belong to the Armenian community, and we have our values and traditions. We need to preserve our identity by strengthening our sense of belonging,” he said.
Anna Marie questioned whether the Summer Youth Academy in Antelias will return considering the wonderful experiences of the attendees, several of whom were in attendance for the forum. Catholicos responded that it is part of the agenda when the situation in Lebanon allows, as it is an important program to encourage the youth to participate in the life of the church and the community, which are one and the same. “We are one inseparable whole,” he said.
Garo asked if it is important to emphasize our nationalistic and Christian values given our nation’s current situation and how the church and organizations can work together to raise funds for various needs. His Holiness responded that our core values are the same — Hai Tahd, the Armenian Cause — and while the methodologies and strategies of organizations and communities may differ, we must act together when there is an existential threat. “There must be cohesiveness within our diversity to preserve the inviolability of certain ideals and the integrity of our homeland,” Catholicos said.
Following a luncheon prepared by the church’s Men’s Club and Ladies’ Guild, His Holiness met with representatives of the church organizations. Rev. Fr. Nazarian introduced the group with praise as the core group that provides support to him and the church in its mission.
Catholicos addressed the group, beginning with admiration for the concept of “the church as a family” evident in Providence. He explained that the church has two dimensions, the incoming and outgoing. The incoming is the liturgy and the tenets of the church, and the outgoing is the actions of the church, which are people-oriented.
In response to the question of how to resonate hope, which is the Rhode Island state motto, Catholicos responded, “The Armenian church should be the church of today without losing its past. We have to bring the Armenian church to this world by making the church relevant, reliable, credible, engaged in the life of our people and responsive to the emerging realities, the concerns, and the expectations and challenges of our people. We cannot confine our church within the limits of history. The church is not a museum. The church is a mission.” Through renewal and dedication to bringing the church to people in all walks of life, “we must make our church a church of the 21st century — we must make the church attractive,” His Holiness said.
Regarding the youth, Catholicos said, “We must engage in dialogue with the young generation. We have to listen. There needs to be some sort of rapprochement between the church and the young generation, because they are living in a society which is in constant and radical change. We cannot ignore these changes that are taking place around us. We need to constantly organize and reorganize, activate and reactivate the life and the mission of our church.”
Then the sister organization representatives met with His Holiness, including the Providence ARF, ARS, Hamazkayin, AYF and Homenetmen. Catholicos commented that he saw mostly the same faces representing the church and the sister organizations, noting that the church and the organizations essentially have the same mission and agenda, perhaps with a different order of priority. He emphasized the need for organizations to work together to build community with the clear objective that we are one nation, one homeland.
When asked what steps we can take spiritually and mentally to overcome the loss of Artsakh and regain strength to work to get it back, His Holiness said, “Artsakh is not a lost case. Today, Artsakh is occupied by Azerbaijan. But we cannot lose the sense of history, which testifies to the belonging of Artsakh. This must be an important part of the agenda of the Armenian Cause, and we have to work along these lines.” He mentioned that the issues surrounding Artsakh are a priority on the agenda of a forum of scholars that the Catholicosate has established in Antelias.
His Holiness concluded the day’s activities with a visit to the Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island (AHARI) in Providence. Board chair Martha Jamgochian provided a tour of the museum’s current exhibits and explained the mission of AHARI to His Holiness, who expressed appreciation for AHARI’s work.
Political advocacy
Much of His Holiness’ time was spent meeting with leaders in the community. This continued on Monday as Catholicos met with Rhode Island’s congressional delegation. His Holiness conversed with Senator Jack Reed and Congressmen Gabe Amo and Seth Magaziner, along with RI Treasurer James Diossa, State Senator David P. Tikoian, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and Providence Councilwoman Ana Vargas. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse sent his regrets due to illness.
ANCA Eastern Region Board member Steve Mesrobian introduced the members of Congress to His Holiness saying, “We have the only delegation in the United States — two senators and two congressmen — who fully support our issues.”
Mesrobian explained that the Rhode Island ANC has consistently worked to build and maintain relationships with the politicians in the state. “We don’t just reach out to them when we need something. We try to support them right from the beginning when they start in politics,” Mesrobian said. “They’ve all been great friends and supporters of our community, and we deeply appreciate it.”
ANC-RI co-chair Steve Elmasian went on to explain that Rhode Island is the only state in which the Armenian flag flies on the State House, in the Senate and House chambers, and at every city and town hall on April 24 each year, a significant accomplishment and source of pride for the community.
His Holiness began by saying that he believes Armenian issues and U.S. issues are the same. “This is a country where a lot of people, irrespective of their religion, ethnicity and culture, live together,” he said. “It is this sense of togetherness sustained by common American values and ideals that make these communities integral parts of one American nation.”
Catholicos expressed sincere thanks to the congressional delegation for all they have done for Armenian issues, with assurances that our community would continue to work for the betterment of the United States and the international community. He encouraged more Armenian representation in government, both locally and nationally.
His Holiness addressed concerns related to the current conditions in Lebanon, stating his belief that Lebanon will survive with the help of the United States, as it faces the repercussions of others’ interests and agendas in the country. He explained that Armenians are a major community in Lebanon, having political representation in the government.
Senator Reed, who chairs the Senate Committee on Armed Services, expressed appreciation for the blessing of Catholicos’ visit to Rhode Island and praised the state’s Armenian community. He spoke about his travels to Armenia and Artsakh, reiterating that the U.S. is now sending its army to Armenia to train its troops, which is a first step to help resist further incursions. He went on to address the situation in Lebanon, stating that the U.S. goal is to prevent escalation and work toward a ceasefire. “We need a ceasefire in the region, and we’re as frustrated as you are, Your Holiness. This might be a time for prayer,” Reed said, to which Catholicos responded, “According to the Christian faith, we need to translate prayer into action. We pray, and you act.”
Congressman Magaziner reiterated the delegation’s relationship with the Rhode Island Armenian community, stating that they have meetings and conversations weekly to discuss current issues and concerns. “Rhode Island was founded originally as the first place in the Western world where people of any religion could live freely, and ever since those early days, we have been a refuge for people,” Magaziner explained. “Given everything that the Armenian people have been through and the many atrocities and times of turmoil, it’s no surprise that the Armenian community has found a welcoming place in Rhode Island. We recognize that we have a responsibility to continue to be a place of refuge for everyone, but also that we have a responsibility, as the senator [Reed] said, to promote peace elsewhere in the world, and that means standing firmly with the Armenian people to help them defend themselves.”
Congressman Amo expressed a great kinship with the Armenian people as the son of two West African immigrants. He is a first generation American and said that he carries the resilience of his Armenian friends and neighbors with him to Congress. “You may not have an Armenian member by blood in the delegation, but you certainly do by great association and commitment to the cause,” Amo said. He expressed his desire for His Holiness to return to Lebanon safely and reiterated the need to work for a ceasefire. “We’re prayerful and focused on action to achieve that in the region,” he concluded.
Celebrating His Holiness Catholicos Aram I
Sunday evening was dedicated to a celebration banquet in honor of Catholicos’ pontifical visit, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island.
The evening began with the American and Armenian national anthems sung by Taleen Donoyan, followed by the invocation by Catholicos.
Seated at the head table were His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, H.E. Archbishop Tanielian, H.E. Archbishop Khatcherian, Bishop of Providence Richard G. Henning, Archpriest Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian, Rev. Fr. Nazarian and Yn. Debra, Prelacy Executive Council chairman Col. Sarafian, Sts. Vartanantz Church Board of Trustees chair Levon Attarian and organizing committee co-chairs Alice Simonian Buratti and Archdeacon Hagop Khatchadourian, who also served as emcee.
Along with the speaking program, which included welcoming remarks and words of appreciation from Bishop Henning, Archdeacon Khatchadourian, Simonian Buratti, Attarian and Col. Sarafian, official citations in honor of His Holiness were read from the RI State Senate, presented by Sen. Tikoian, and the City of Providence. Throughout the evening, there were several musical interludes presented for everyone’s enjoyment by Taleen Donoyan, Lorie Simonian, Joanne Mouradjian and Raffi and Bethany Rachdouni.
A particular highlight of the evening was the surprise presentation by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the St. Mesrob Mashdots medal upon Maggie Nalbandian and the Knight of Cilicia medal upon Archdeacon Khatchadourian. Both Nalbandian, who was introduced by Rev. Fr. Nazarian, and Khatchadourian, introduced by Archpriest Fr. Baghsarian, have exemplified service to the community through decades of commitment to the church in a variety of ways — notably, Nalbandian with the Mourad Armenian School and Khatchadourian on the altar. Both received standing ovations in appreciation for their many years of humble service.
In his heartfelt remarks in honor and gratitude to His Holiness, Rev. Fr. Nazarian said, “From the moment you arrived, your visit to us has been absolutely inspirational. The message that you have embodied every time when speaking with us as groups, as a whole community, in your message Friday evening, and in your beautiful sermon today, what I saw in all of that was the constant reminder and strengthening of the three eternals of faith, hope and love. But, that came not only in your words, but in every interaction you’ve had with anybody in our community.”
Col. Sarafian offered his thanks on behalf of the Prelacy Executive Council. “We are grateful that even during times as challenging as today, Vehapar continues to visit our parishes and share his wisdom in order to rejuvenate our communities and our faith,” Sarafian said. “It is no accident that Providence was chosen as the inaugural city on this pontifical visit. Rhode Island may be one of the smallest states by geographic area, but it is one of our most important communities in the eastern United States. It is rich in its proud Armenian traditions and faith and deep commitment to the Armenian church and nation,” he concluded to appreciative applause.
H.E. Archbishop Tanielian then warmly introduced and welcomed the words of Catholicos, saying, “I hope we will all enrich and embellish our lives with Vehapar’s wisdom.”
His Holiness imparted his final message to the community, expressing his joy and sincere appreciation for its warm reception. “The aim of these pontifical visits is to have a better understanding of the community. And in order to do that, the Catholicos is called to engage in dialogue with the community — with all members of the community,” His Holiness said. “Not only to talk, but also to listen. Not only to challenge, but also to be challenged. Not only to inspire, but also to be inspired. Indeed, this is the very purpose of my visit as Catholicos. And I can say that after this visit, I have a better understanding of your community.”
Catholicos went on to say that the community, which is a big family, is based on shared principles and Armenian Christian values. “Our togetherness strengthens our family. Our togetherness ensures the integrity, the identity of our family,” he said. “We need to constantly build and rebuild ourselves as one, integrated, inseparable Christian family.”
His Holiness said that while we live in the United States, we must not forget our roots as Armenians. “We are faithful, obedient citizens of this great country. And we participate and bring our own contributions to the greatness of this country. At the same time, we are Armenian. We have to be proud of our Armenianness, and we have to be very faithful and obedient to what makes us Armenian Christians,” His Holiness concluded.
The evening ended with everyone’s heartfelt singing of Giligia and the pontifical anthem.
Additional photos from H.H. Catholicos Aram I’s visit to Rhode Island are available on the Sts. Vartanantz Church website.
Pauline Getzoyan
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What an incredibly well-written article! Bravo, Pauline