Dr. Raffy Hovanessian Named "Armenian Church Member of the Year"

Dr. Raffy Hovanessian's ties to the Armenian Church formed early on, when he was a young boy growing up in the heart of Aleppo's Christian quarter. "Religion has always been a part of our life," he said. "We cherished the idea of the church being a second home to us." This spiritual upbringing would nourish the young man as he left his hometown for medical school in Beirut, and then took on the even bigger challenge of pursuing a career in the United States.

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PRESS OFFICE

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)

630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Contact: Chris Zakian 

Tel: (212) 686-0710

E-mail: chrisz@armeniandiocese.org

Website: www.armenianchurch-ed.net

April 21, 2014

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A MISSIONARY FOR OUR TIME

Dr. Raffy Hovanessian Named "Armenian Church Member of the Year"

Dr. Raffy Hovanessian's ties to the Armenian Church formed early on, when he was a young boy growing up in the heart of Aleppo's Christian quarter. "Religion has always been a part of our life," he said. "We cherished the idea of the church being a second home to us."

This spiritual upbringing would nourish the young man as he left his hometown for medical school in Beirut, and then took on the even bigger challenge of pursuing a career in the United States. As he went on to become a respected internist, establish his own practice, and raise a family, Dr. Hovanessian never forgot those early lessons learned in Aleppo.

"If you are firm in your faith, there's nothing you can't withstand," he said. "All my steps, I feel, have been guided by God."

Dr. Hovanessian will be honored as the 2014 "Armenian Church Member of the Year" by the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America at its 112th annual assembly in New York City. The award will be bestowed during the gala banquet on Friday evening, May 2, at Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium of the Diocesan Complex in New York. 

The oldest of six siblings, he was born to Arakel and Dirouhi Hovanessian, both survivors of the Armenian Genocide who had settled in Jerusalem. At the outset of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the family relocated to Aleppo, where the young Raffy attended Sunday School and went with his family to church on Sundays.

He describes his father as a pious and hard-working man, who having lost his family in the Genocide, had the courage to start anew in a foreign land. He ran a shoe-repair shop in Aleppo, while his wife worked as a nurse and midwife. His parents' quiet devotion gave rise to their son's love of heritage, and impressed on him the importance of helping others in need.

Raffy began to teach Sunday School in Aleppo, and attended college there before moving to Lebanon to begin medical studies at the American University of Beirut. His classes further encouraged his faith in God—"As you study the human body," he said, "you see the marvel that God has created"—and he dreamed of following in the footsteps of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the German physician and missionary whose writings about his work in Africa deeply inspired the young student. Had circumstances unfolded in a different way, Raffy would have become a missionary in the remote corners of the world. Instead, that spirit of caring, concern, and service translated into a lifetime of work in the Armenian community and the broader society.

While still in medical school, Raffy noticed the absence of a student Christian association on campus. The problem irked him for some years, and after graduation he approached a local clergyman about the possibility of establishing such an organization. The group—which was founded in 1963, and is active to this day—led to the beginning of a lifelong friendship between the young doctor and the priest who helped him, the Very Rev. Fr. Karekin Sarkissian—the future Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin I.

"In 1995 when he became the Catholicos of All Armenians, we were all elated," Dr. Hovanessian recalled. "He was always a good teacher, and I learned from him every moment that I spent with him."

Two years later, Bishop Sarkissian officiated at his friend's wedding in Beirut. Dr. Hovanessian met his future bride, Vicki Shoghag, at church on Sts. Vartanantz Day, and sensed in her the same drive to reach out to others that he felt in himself. The couple moved to the United States so he could continue his medical education. Dr. Hovanessian began sub-specialization at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, and later continued his work at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland.

Conflict in the Middle East prevented the Hovanessians from returning to Beirut, and they decided to settle permanently in the United States. But here, too, a crisis was brewing, and at the height of the Vietnam War, Dr. Hovanessian was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as chief of the army hospital at Fort Knox, Ky.

Throughout their early years in the United States, the Hovanessians did their best to keep connected to their faith and culture. But it was not until they settled in northwest Indiana that the family became anchored in the local Armenian community—the Sts. Joachim and Anne Church of Palos Heights, Ill.

"The parishioners were very receptive and kind to us," Mrs. Hovanessian recalled. "It was a small community, but everyone contributed."

At the time of their arrival, the parish was in the process of building a new house of worship, and the Hovanessians were instrumental in the completion of the project. The newly built Hovanessian Cultural Hall, named in their honor, was used for worship services until the sanctuary was completed and consecrated in 1983. That year, Sts. Joachim and Anne Church hosted the Diocesan Assembly, and Dr. Hovanessian chaired the organizing committee. Dr. Hovanessian also served as the Diocesan delegate from the parish for two decades.

As the decade progressed, the Hovanessians' service extended beyond the Midwest to aid the people of Armenia in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Spitak and Gyumri. The couple still recalls hearing the terrible news on the radio as they drove home on the evening of December 7, 1988.

"Both of us are children of Genocide survivors. My family grew up poor, and I know what it means for people to be in need," Dr. Hovanessian said. "There was no way we could sit on the sidelines and do nothing."

Mobilizing the Chicago-area relief effort, Mrs. Hovanessian raised $1.6 million through the Chicago chapter of the Armenian General Benevolent Union. In addition, she raised money for fuel and helped collect rice and bulgur to send to the homeland at the start of the Nagorno-Karabagh war, and shipped $1 million in clothing to help struggling families.

An ardent art collector, Mrs. Hovanessian was also inspired to help Armenian artists. Impressed with their tenacity in the face of hardship, she has worked to promote their work abroad through shows and exhibitions. Dr. Hovanessian, meanwhile, organized medical help to the young republic, sending money and equipment, and helping to bring Armenia's doctors to the United States for training.

In 1993, Catholicos Vasken I bestowed the "St. Nersess Shnorhali" medal on Dr. Hovanessian. The following year his story was entered into the Congressional Record by Congressman Peter Visclosky.

In 1995, and again in 1999, Dr. Hovanessian traveled to Holy Etchmiadzin, where he served as the vice chair of the National Ecclesiastical Council during the elections of Catholicos Karekin I and Catholicos Karekin II. "It was unbelievable to be part of those elections," he said. "It was doubly exciting because we had an independent Armenia, something we could not have imagined only a decade earlier."

At the Diocesan level, Dr. Hovanessian served on the boards of directors of the Armenian Church Endowment Fund and St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and was a member of the Diocesan Council for 16 years. Mrs. Hovanessian has organized art exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York, showcasing the Armenian heritage to a global audience. Thanks to her fundraising efforts in the mid-1990s, St. Nersess Seminary was able to establish a $1 million endowment.

The Hovanessians said they have been inspired by the leadership of Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian. "Khajag Srpazan has always been close to our family," Dr. Hovanessian said, "and we have always admired his spiritual character."

Outside the Armenian Church, the Hovanessians have been active in the AGBU, Knights of Vartan, National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, Armenian Missionary Association, and the Armenian Assembly of America, among other organizations. They are both recipients of the "Ellis Island Medal of Honor," which is bestowed on individuals whose achievements have benefited their communities and helped build bridges between their ethnic groups and the broader society.

Today Dr. Hovanessian continues to serve on the St. Nersess Seminary board, and is also on the Diocesan Board of Trustees. Looking back on a life filled with accomplishment, he said he is most proud of his family—his children Armen, Ani, and Aileen—and his grandchildren. Together with Mrs. Hovanessian, he has instilled in them a love of the Armenian culture and faith.

"Everything I have been able to accomplish for my people and for the church, we have done by working together," Dr. Hovanessian said of his wife. "I have been blessed with her friendship and her unwavering support."

Of all the lessons life has taught him, one of the earliest he learned has made the most lasting impact. "With faith anything is possible," Dr. Hovanessian insists. "I have no regrets. I feel that my life has been fulfilled, and I am grateful to God for His abundant blessings."

The Eastern Diocese is proud to name Dr. Raffy Hovanessian as its 2014 "Armenian Church Member of the Year." He will be presented with the award at the 112th Diocesan Assembly in New York City. The presentation will be made during the assembly's gala banquet on Friday evening, May 2, starting at 7 p.m., at Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium of the Diocesan Complex. For information on the banquet, contact Lorraine Marootian at (201) 560-1482. 

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Photo attached: Dr. Raffy Hovanessian and Mrs. Vicki Shoghag Hovanessian.

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