paul chaderjian

--> by Paul Chaderjian Armenian Reporter editorial Thanksgiving 2008 As we take time to reflect and express our gratitude this Thanksgiving week, we are first grateful that you have made the Armenian Reporter a part of your Armenian experience. We are also grateful that we have learned from our forebears the idea of hope: that what we want individually and collectively will come to be and that circumstances and situations will always evolve to serve the greater good. We are grateful that generations of our ancestors had been hopeful and allowed us to pass this foundation of our identity to the next generation of Armenian-Americans. This four-letter word, hope, is an easy yet powerful concept that has kept our people on track through good times and bad, through blessings and catastrophes, poverty and prosperity, through oppression and persecution, foreign rule and independence; and for having hope, we are grateful. Hope is the attitude that has made us...

Holy Armenian treasure in Saidabad was once abandoned by Paul Chaderjian Saidabad, India - The Service of Calling ceremony for Deacon Harutyun Hambardzumyan, who was ordained by Catholicos Karekin II as Father Avedis on Saturday, November 15, took place a day before at the Holy Virgin Mary Church in Saidabad. The Saidabad church sits on 12 acres of land in a remote suburb of the city of Hyderabad, where no Armenian lives. It was once abandoned and a former chairperson of the Armenian Community Council of India wanted to give it away until the Indian-Armenian community and the Armenian Church intervened. "The Saidabad church is hours and hours away from Kolkata," said pastor of the Armenian Church in India, Very Rev. Fr. Oshagan Gulgulian. "But after you come here, you receive a spiritual fulfillment." Fr. Gulgulian then quoted poet Vahan Tekeyan's, "the Armenian Church is the birthplace of my soul," to explain the spiritual renewal pilgrims ex...

Karekin II ordains local deacon into priesthood by Paul Chaderjian   Published: Wednesday November 19, 2008   Kolkata, India - Avedis - or good news - was the word resonating at the historic celebration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth in Kolkata on Saturday, November 15. Avedis - a word used in the Armenian Church to congratulate congregants on holidays like Christmas and Easter - was also the new name chosen by Catholicos Karekin II for Deacon Harutyun Hambardzumyan, who was ordained into the priesthood. The moving ordination and liturgical services were performed in front of an illuminated, vibrantly alive, gold-and-silver altar lit with candles. The powerful and precise 26-member choir of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin provided the live soundtrack of the service from the balcony. In the pews stood a diverse audience of congregants from all corners of the world, who had come on a pilgrimage from ...

by Paul Chaderjian Chennai, India - The bells of the Armenian Church in India's fourth-largest city rang once again on Sunday, November 9, after decades of silence. Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, came to Chennai from Holy Etchmiadzin to reconsecrate the newly renovated Soorp Asdvadzadzin or St. Mary Mother of God Church. Chennai - formerly known as Madras - is approximately 850 miles from Kolkata and on the southeastern coast of India and the Bay of Bengal. This city, created by the British in the 18th century, was once home to a vibrant Armenian community. Part of the legacy of the Armenian merchants who once thrived in India is a set of foundations that support Armenian community and church activities in the country. It's not known whether any Armenians live in Chennai now. Erma Aghajanyan and Parthic Rathanam, a husband and wife now living in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, attended the reconsecration service Sunday. They said that they were planning to buy an apa...

The sermon of Karekin II at St. Mary’s Published: Wednesday November 12, 2008 Chennai, India - We heard earlier today in the gospel that a house that's built on sand does not stand the test of time, but a house built on a strong foundation withstands all trials and storms. For 300 years, this house of the Lord has stood steadfast and unshaken. It is built on the rock and faith of our fathers. It is that same faith today that has restored this church. We commend the Armenian Community Council of India and Rev. Fr. Oshagan Vartabed Gulgulian for their devoted and vigilant work, which has restored and ornamented this church and made it vibrant once again. We hope that this newly reconsecrated church once again will fulfill its mission in Madras, to the residents of the Armenian community in India, as well as Armenian visitors who come to India. We hope to soon assign a permanent priest to Madras following the completion of construction work, so that the doors will ...

by Paul Chaderjian The Armenian Reporter Agra - A diverse group of Armenians have gathered for a group picture in front of one of the most beautiful structures in the world - the Taj Mahal. They are trekking through some of the most remote areas of what were part of some of the greatest empires and kingdoms of days past. Among the travelers is Armen Aroyan, 65, an electronic engineer from Southern California, who has led more than 60 tours to Historic Armenia since 1991. "I've always heard about the past glory of the Indian-Armenian community," he says. "I have heard that the first Armenian periodical came out in Madras by someone named Shmavonyan. It was called Aztarar and was published about 200 years ago." Mr. Aroyan says that he is fascinating with the idea that the local Armenian community was so strong and with an advanced Armenian culture that the community could produce a periodical. "I was always fascinated by the churches they had her...

Celebration marks 300th anniversary of St. Nazareth Armenian Church   By Paul Chaderjian Armenian Reporter  Published: Friday November 07, 2008 RAJDANI EXPRESS TRAIN FROM NEW DELHI TO KOLKATA, India, Nov. 7  - After jetting across the Pacific and Atlantic, boarding planes in Australia and Austria, enduring layovers in Hong Kong and Dubai, hundreds of Armenians from all over the world are gathering this week in Kolkata, the historic former seat of the Mogul and British rulers of these regions and home and focal point of the once-thriving Armenian communities in Northeast India. On this Thursday into a Friday morning, one group participating in this multinational pilgrimage is on a 16-hour, cramped train ride into Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta. The group's mission it to join others from around the world in celebrating the 300th anniversary of the founding of the St. Nazareth Armenian Church of Kolkata. Joining the pilgrims to Kolkata will be Karekin II...