AT CARNEGIE HALL AND BEYOND, CATHOLICOS MARKS JUBILEE IN TRIBUTE TO SERVICE

The Eastern Prelacy welcomed His Holiness Catholicos Aram I in grand style, kicking off the celebration of the 30th anniversary of his enthronement with a concert by acclaimed soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian on Thursday, November 13, at Carnegie Hall in New York, with events marking the jubilee stretching through Divine Liturgy during which His Holiness delivered his pontifical message.  

Following the Divine Liturgy, a banquet held in Garden City, N.Y., wrapped up the tour of His Holiness through the East Coast. The delegation accompanying His Holiness included  Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy; His Eminence Archbishop Kegham, Prelate of the Western Prelacy; His Eminence Archbishop Papken, Prelate of Canada; His Eminence Archbishop Khoren, Pastor of St. Stephen’s Armenian Church in New Britain, Connecticut, and His Grace Bishop Dajad, Executive Director of the Catholicosate, joined by other clergy traveling with the Catholicos and clergy serving in the Eastern Prelacy.  

At Carnegie Hall on Thursday, Bayrakdarian offered a program of Armenian spiritual works, ancient folk melodies and classical songs, giving the jubilee a distinctly Armenian musical voice in one of the world’s most storied venues. Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, was among the dignitaries attending the concert, underscoring the ecumenical dimension of the anniversary At the conclusion of the performance, the Catholicos hosted Ms. Bayrakdarian at a reception, warmly congratulating her for her outstanding performance and her distinguished career. 

The focus shifted on Nov. 14 to Sts. Vartanantz Church in Ridgefield, N.J., where the Eastern Prelacy hosted a cultural evening dedicated to the jubilee. The keynote speakers, the Very Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian of St. Stephen’s Church in Watertown, Mass., and the Very Rev. Fr. Boghos Tinkjian of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Philadelphia and chairman of the Religious Council, reflected on the catholicos’s decades of ecumenical leadership and his role in Armenian communal life. A short video traced the milestones of his pontificate. 

A cultural program followed, with performances by the Arekag chorus, the dance group of the local Hamazkayin chapter, violinist Melisa Gohar Atoyan accompanied by pianist Margarita Fermadjian, and oud player Ara Dinkjian. Archbishop Anoushavan, prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, compared the Catholicos to a pilot steering the ship of the Holy See of Cilicia “through stormy waters to a safe haven.” 

In his message, delivered in Armenian and English, His Holiness framed the anniversary as both thanksgiving and examination. “Any celebration is essentially thanksgiving to God who is the Creator of our life, its sustainer and guider,” he said, adding that it is also “a call for critical self-assessment as well as a comprehensive evaluation of one’s public responsibility.” He said he could condense three decades of pontifical ministry into a single word—“service, service to God, to our church and people”—and emphasized that any achievements were collective, involving clergy, committees, and prelacies across the Catholicosate, particularly in the Diaspora. The evening ended with the hymn Giligia, a diasporan anthem. 

Earlier that day, the Catholicos presided over a conference of Eastern Prelacy clergy at the same church. After opening remarks by Rev. Fr. Hrant Kevorkian of St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn, Mich., Dr. Francis McAloon of Fordham University spoke about religious vocation and pastoral service amid the pressures of contemporary American life, followed by a question-and-answer session. 

Addressing the clergy, the Catholicos returned to his central theme. “The life of the ecclesiastic is essentially one of service,” he said, warning that without that orientation “his vocation ceases to be a true vocation and becomes a simple craft.” Education, he added, was vital but could never “become a priority at the expense of our spiritual service,” insisting that “diplomas have no value when they do not translate into service.” He then outlined practical steps for preparing new priests—part of his larger effort to ensure that the jubilee’s watchword does not remain a slogan but shapes the next generation of church leadership. 

On Sunday, November 16, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I presided over the Divine Liturgy and delivered his message at St. Sarkis Church in New York’s Douglaston neighborhood. The celebrant of the Divine Liturgy was His Eminence Archbishop Papken, Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, joined by clergy, representatives of community organizations, and a large congregation of faithful. Before the pontifical message, His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, offered words of welcome, expressing filial gratitude and describing the visit as historic, as the faithful gathered around their spiritual father in the context of the 30th anniversary of his enthronement. 

In his sermon, His Holiness focused on the imperative of following Christ, recalling the Lord’s words: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” He explained that to be a Christian means to consider Christ as the way of our life among all other paths. Later that day, a banquet in his honor brought together clergy, lay leaders, and guests for a program that included welcoming remarks by MC Richard Kanarian; musical selections by Anoush Barclay, Hooshere Bezdikian, and Karina Vartanian; remarks on behalf of the Steering Committee by co-chairperson Susan Chitjian-Erickson remarks from the Religious Council by Very Rev. Fr. Ardag Arabian, pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Worcester, Mass.; and remarks from the Executive Council by its chairman, Col. Aram Sarafian, along with greetings from Bishop Nektarios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Vatican at the U.N., and a video of “Highlights of 30 Years of Service of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I,” before the evening concluded with words of gratitude from Archbishop Anoushavan, the Catholicos’s message and benediction, and the singing of “Giligia.” 

We will continue our coverage in the next week.