Mrs. Emma Tabibyan Sogoian Receives St. Gregory Medal from Catholicos Karekin II

On Sunday, November 11, Mrs. Emma Tabibyan Sogoian—a longtime member of St. John Church of Southfield, MI, and a generous supporter of Holy Etchmiadzin—was awarded the "St. Gregory Medal" and Pontifical Encyclical during a banquet at the church in Southfield.

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November 21, 2012

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Mrs. Emma Tabibyan Sogoian Receives St. Gregory Medal from Catholicos Karekin II

On Sunday, November 11, Mrs. Emma Tabibyan Sogoian—a longtime member of St. John Church of Southfield, MI, and a generous supporter of Holy Etchmiadzin—was awarded the "St. Gregory Medal" and Pontifical Encyclical during a banquet at the church in Southfield.

Mrs. Tabibyan Sogoian and her late husband Kalousd Karl Sogoian have supported a number of projects at Holy Etchmiadzin. Notable among these was her decision to donate 18 Armenian manuscripts to the Holy See of Etchmiadzin in 2007.

The couple first began collecting the manuscripts some 40 years ago, Mrs. Tabibyan Sogoian said. They were inspired by Bishop Paren Avedikian, who gave them a memorable tour of the manuscript collection at Holy Etchmiadzin.

In due course, they acquired close to 20 Armenian manuscripts, and received queries from museums interested in the collection. But Mrs. Tabibyan Sogoian said she was determined to donate the manuscripts to Holy Etchmiadzin. “It’s our treasure,” she said. “It has to stay with our church.”

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), presented Mrs. Tabibyan Sogoian with the "St. Gregory Medal" and Pontifical Encyclical earlier this month during a “Celebration of Service” banquet at St. John Church.

During the program, the community also honored other dedicated parishioners with the parish's "St. John the Forerunner Award" and the Diocese’s "St. Vartan Award."

Archbishop Barsamian recalled his first visit to the Sogoian home with Archbishop Shnork Kaloustian, the late Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. “I will never forget that visit,” Archbishop Barsamian said. “Immediately I felt the Armenian spirit and their love of the Armenian heritage.”

A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Mrs. Tabibyan Sogoian studied at the city’s St. Joseph German School before coming to the United States in 1955. She met Mr. Sogoian in Detroit, and the two married and settled in his native city.

They were active supporters of many Armenian causes, both in the United States and in Armenia. Among their many projects was the construction of St. Drtad Church in Vayk, Armenia.

“Karl was a remarkable person, who contributed to countless Armenian causes and was a champion of unity in the Armenian Church of America,” Archbishop Barsamian said. In 1999, His Holiness Karekin I, the late Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, presented Mr. Sogoian with the St. Gregory Medal and Pontifical Encyclical.

Today, Mrs. Tabibyan Sogoian continues the couple’s legacy. “She is a woman of vision, commitment, and sophistication,” the Primate said. “It was a joy for me to present her with the St. Gregory Medal and encyclical.”

PHOTO CAPTION:

Diocesan Primate Abp. Khajag Barsamian, Mrs. Emma Tabibyan Sogoian (recipient of the “St. Gregory Medal” and Encyclical), and Fr. Garabed Kochakian, pastor of the St. John Armenian Church, Southfield, MI, duing the parish’s “Celebration of Service” banquet.

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