The St. James Armenian Apostolic Church of Los Angeles
celebrated its 72nd Annual Name Day on December 15. The congregation was
honored by the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of
the Western Diocese, as the celebrant of the Divine Liturgy. On this special occasion during church
services, Archbishop Derderian presented Encyclicals and the St. Nerses
Shnorhali Medals from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, to Stephani Goshtigian, Dn. Greg Akarakian and Dn. Danny
Akarakian.
“Today we are
celebrating the lives of distinguished members of the church who have been
diligently serving God and the parish of St. James,” stated the Primate, “and
we congratulate them for their many years of rendered and dedicated service to
the Armenian Apostolic Church.”
In keeping with tradition, a Special Requiem Service was
conducted as a memorial tribute to departed friends and relatives. This service is in remembrance of the names
appearing on the monument erected in their memory on church grounds. Archbishop Derderian presided over the
special services offering prayers for the souls of the many deceased
parishioners and clergy. Fr. Haroutioun
Tachejian, Parish Priest, read the over one hundred names of those we remember
with love and pride for their commitment to St. James.
Following church services a Gala Banquet was held in John
Gogian Hall, which was festively decorated for the Christmas Season with a
beautifully decorated large Christmas Tree on the stage and small live
decorated Christmas Trees on each table as the centerpiece. Robert Barsam, Chair of the Banquet and the
Master of Ceremonies, welcomed everyone and introduced our talented Choir
Director, Manik Manukyan, to sing both the American and Armenian National
Anthems. Her beautiful renditions were
followed by the Church School students leading the audience in the Pledge of
Allegiance. His Eminence Archbishop
Derderian delivered the Invocation.
Lily Balian, Chair of the Parish Council, welcomed
everyone and in her remarks reflected on the more than seven decades of
the progress, growth and development of
St. James, stating “We have benefitted from the experience of the past and their
legacy serves as an inspiration for our continued success in the future.”
The program
opened with the Church School
students performing “A Tribute to His
Eminence,” beginning with their Armenian dancing and then delighting and
surprising the audience by singing in Armenian the beautiful song “Yerepuni.”
They were accompanied on the piano by Kathy Terzian. Archbishop Derderian presented the gift of a
silver cross to each of the students.
During lunch guests were entertained by a video
presentation prepared by Gladys Saroyan, showcasing the many events and
activities held during the year and capturing the participation and involvement
of all the church organizations and its members.
Guests thoroughly enjoyed the musical program performed
by Manik Manukyan and Raffi Kerbabian singing both in Armenian and
English. They were an amazing duet as
they sang “Sunrise Sunset” and then dazzled the audience with the famous score
from the opera “La Traviata.” They were
accompanied by pianist Gayane Asatryan.
The highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of
the Hye Spirit Awards by His Eminence Archbishop Derderian to Aroussiak and
Kevork Antabian, Anne Mills and Shahe Adourian
in recognition of their years of
unselfish service and devotion to St. James and its parishioners. His Eminence presented each recipient with a
Certificate containing different passages from the Bible praising them for
their faith and loyal support through the years. Each recipient expressed their
thanks and appreciation for receiving this special award.
The Primate also presented specially designed crosses to
Manik Manukyan, Choir Director of St. James and Jean Barsam, benefactor and
donor, as an expression of his thanks and appreciation for their continued
service to the church and the Western Diocese.
Robert Barsam then invited each of the church
organizations to make their annual financial presentations to the Parish
Council. Closing remarks were delivered
by Fr. Haroutioun Tachejian, who congratulated the Gontag and Hye Spirit Award
recipients for their awards and spoke eloquently of their contributions and
commitment to the lord, our church, and our continued heritage. The closing Benediction and farewell remarks
were delivered by Archbishop Derderian.
Attendees received a commemorative booklet containing full
biographies of the awardees and their accomplishments, as well as messages of
congratulations from families and friends - a keepsake of memorable afternoon.
******************************************
Upcoming Events
DEC
22
Episcopal Celebration of the Divine Liturgy - St. Peter,
Van Nuys - Dec. 22, 2013
St. Peter Armenian Church, 10:00am
DEC
22
Christmas Reception for University and College ASA
Students
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