Vartanantz Day Activities Planned for Thursday, Feb. 19, at NYC's St. Vartan Cathedral
02 February 2009
Fr. Haigazoun Najarian and Dr. Arthur Kubikian will be the main speakers
Participants in this year’s Sts. Vartanantz Day observance at New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral will enjoy an evening of inspiring words and soulful music during the commemoration, which will take place on Thursday, February 19, 2009.
The day’s events have been organized under the auspices of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, with the participation of the Knights and Daughters of Vartan Mid-Atlantic Region.
Beginning at 6:00 p.m., a Festal Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the St. Vartan Cathedral. The St. Vartan Cathedral Choir, under the direction of Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, will sing the sacred music.
The Vartanantz activities will continue at 7:30 p.m., with dinner in Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium of the Diocesan complex. This will be followed by a program featuring remarks and a special perfor¬mance.
The Very Rev. Fr. Haigazoun Najarian, Vicar of the Diocese, and Dr. Arthur Kubikian will be the two main speakers for the event.
“The importance of Vartanantz is its uniqueness in being the first battle in which a people fought to defend their Christian faith,” said Dr. Kubikian. “The historian Yeghishe [who documented the Vartanantz war] might say that the Armenian nation survived because of its link with the spiritual, its yearning for the eternal, through the teachings of the Armenian Church.”
He added: “There are still many challenges facing the Armenian nation—in the diaspora and the republic, but also at the family and personal levels. What is asked of us—as privileged Armenian-Americans—is to inspire a new generation to undertake a path of united service in the spirit of the Vartanank.”
The evening will also feature a special musical program by the “Shnorhali Chorale,” a vocal ensemble from the Holy Martyrs Armenian Church of Bayside, N.Y.
The donation for the Thursday, February 19 Vartanantz dinner and program is $25 for adults; $10 for children under twelve. The Divine Liturgy and the subsequent activities will be held at the Diocesan Complex, 630 Second Avenue (corner of 34th Street) in New York City. For additional information, call the Diocesan Center at (212) 686-0710.
