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IN MEMORIAM: HIS BEATITUDE ARCHBISHOP TORKOM MANOOGIAN

Reflections of Archbishop Khajag Barsamian

On Monday, October 22, 2012, the funeral service was performed for His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, of blessed memory, the late 96th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, and former Primate of the Eastern Diocese, who passed away on October 12. On the prior evening, the casket was carried in a procession from the Jaffa Gate to Sts. James Armenian Cathedral, where the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Monday morning. The Patriarch was subsequently interred at the Holy Savior Monastery at the Zion Gate.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558

October 22, 2012


Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Diocesan Primate, has been in Jerusalem this week, to pay his final respects to Patriarch Torkom. What follows is his reflection on the Patriarch’s life and ministry.
IN THE HOLY CITY OF JERUSALEM TODAY—after a procession through the streets once walked by Jesus Christ, and having observed the ancient rituals of the Armenian Church—we laid to rest the mortal remains of the 96th Armenian Patriarch: His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian.
It has been a day to reflect on history: the history of Jerusalem itself; the history of the Armenian Patriarchate; and the history of a single man’s life, spent in humble, devoted service to our church, our people, and our risen Lord.
One moment of history I envision happened almost a half-century ago. It was 1968, and His Holiness Vasken I, the late, great Catholicos of All Armenians, was departing from America, having recently consecrated St. Vartan Cathedral in New York. In a parting statement to the community, Vasken Vehapar had this to say:
“We convey our affection to Archbishop Torkom, who is a youthful and energetic asset, a ray of hope for you and for us. We see that his task is difficult: a heavy responsibility weighs upon his shoulders. Help him, gather round him—hand in hand, clergy and laymen alike—so that in an atmosphere of solidarity and a spirit of unity you may accomplish even greater things than you have thus far.”
Vehapar spoke to the Armenians of America as a proud father giving encouragement to his children. And chief among those children was the talented arajnort of the Diocese: Torkom Srpazan.
In the years—the long years—that followed, that relationship grew, and became deeper. To Vasken Vehapar, Torkom Srpazan was like the son whom a father relies on to uphold the family honor and name. And Torkom Srpazan was more than a son to the Catholicos: he was his close advisor, his loyal champion in the field, his strong right arm who always lifted up the Catholicos and the dignity of our church.
I personally saw this relationship expressed again and again: during the Karabagh crisis; at the time of the earthquake; and in countless moments behind the scenes.
I recall these matters because they show that Torkom Srpazan, throughout his ministry, was not merely a talented priest, or an energetic primate, or a distinguished patriarch. He was one of the very few churchmen of his generation to carry the weight of our church on his shoulders.
To be sure, he shared that weight with others. But even in that small group of indispensible figures, Torkom Manoogian was the one who stood out: who shined; and who seemed to combine all the grace and dignity of the Armenian past, with all our fondest hopes and aspirations for the future.
He came out of the deserts of Baghdad: a boy with the name of Avedis. And when he chose to answer our Lord’s call to become a priest, it was indeed a medz avedis for an Armenian Church which bore the fresh scars of the Genocide.
From the positions of authority he occupied—whether at St. Vartan Cathedral, or the Throne of St. James—Torkom Srpazan was a man of towering stature in religious and national life. He was a fixture in ecumenical and interfaith circles, who built enduring relationships, and friendships, with his fellow religious leaders.
To thousands of people across our Diocese—not only in our parishes, but in the surrounding society—Torkom Srpazan was the compassionate face of the Armenian Church of America: vigorous, spiritual, always impressive.
His was the beautiful, poetic voice of our people—advocating forcefully for our rights and aspirations, while always exemplifying the great Armenian civilization that had bestowed works of profound art and spirituality on world culture.
Above all, Archbishop Torkom insisted on the dignity of the Church, as the foremost institution of the Armenian nation: the greatest expression of our national genius. It was through the church, he reminded us, that the Armenians had produced a Vartan, a Nersess Shnorhali, a Krikor Naregetsi, a Gomidas Vartabed.
Now today, we bury Torkom Srpazan alongside figures of similar stature: the Armenian Patriarch’s of ages past. We remember his name with theirs: Koushagian, Tourian—all the way back to Abraham the Chain-bearer. And we affirm that, surely, this is the company in which Patriarch Torkom belongs for all eternity.
Now, in death, they are all together—along with our other great figures like Gomidas, and Vasken Vehapar, and others too numerous to name. From the perspective of the world, they are all together in history. But to us as followers of the risen Christ, they are alive, and merely sleeping; waiting for the day when they will join in that heavenly chorus of the saints—to which Torkom Manoogian aspired his entire life, and where his strong, powerful, inspirational voice will be heard once again.
Today we cherish and bless his memory, and express gratitude to God, as we pray for the soul of His devoted, princely servant. Amen.

Editor:

Below please find the link to the New York Timesobituary for Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, which ran on Friday, October 19. 
PublicRelations [publicrelations@armeniandiocese.org]

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