The St. George Church of Harford, Conn., celebrated its 60th consecration anniversary on Sunday, November 10, 2013. Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian visited the parish on the occasion, celebrating the Divine Liturgy and presiding over a requiem service for the parish’s founders, aided throughout by the parish pastor, the Rev. Fr. Gomidas Zohrabian.
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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
November 18, 2013
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Hartford’s St. GeorgeCchurch Celebrates 60 Years
The St. George Church of Harford, Conn., celebrated its 60th consecration anniversary on Sunday, November 10, 2013. Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian visited the parish on the occasion, celebrating the Divine Liturgy and presiding over a requiem service for the parish’s founders, aided throughout by the parish pastor, the Rev. Fr. Gomidas Zohrabian.
To conclude the service, the Primate led the congregation in a veneration prayer for the “Relic of St. Vartan the Brave”—a gift to the Eastern Diocese from His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, in honor of the 45th anniversary of New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral—which the Primate has been bringing with him on his parish visits.
In the course of the celebration, Archbishop Barsamian bestowed a special blessing and words of encouragement on the talented members of the St. George Junior Choir: Victoria and Inna Abalyan, Alexander Demircan, Melanie and Taline Norsigian, Veronica Sardaryan, and Angel Zohrabian.
An anniversary banquet followed services at the local Manchester Country Club: a lovely setting overlooking a golf course and lake. More than 100 people came out to express their love and dedication to St. George Church.
Amid the festive atmosphere, there was a solemn moment when the St. George “Parishioner of the Year Award” was presented posthumously to Julie Tashjian, a vital and inspiring presence in the parish and Diocese for many years, and a former Connecticut Secretary of State, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. The award was accepted with gratitude and humility by Julie Tashjian’s husband, Jack.
Others were also honored during the banquet. Young parishioner Sara DerAprahamian received the St. George “Outstanding Service Award.” Five longtime members were acknowledged by the Primate: Siran Mardirosian received a Diocesan Certificate of Appreciation; and Helene DerAprahamian, Zabelle Harutunian, Edward Bagdigian, and Haige Garabedian received the Diocese’s “St. Vartan Award.” All of the recipients, as well as some of their family members, thanked the Primate for his kind gesture.
The banquet program included vocal selections by the Sunday School and Armenian School students: “Mer Hairenik” and “Erevan-Erebuni.” There was also a dance performance by the parish youth group, trained by the Vanoush Khanamirian Dance Academy of Hartford, under the artistic director and choreographer Tomas Harutyunyan.
Among the day’s speakers, parish council chair Michael DeCorleto delivered an inspirational message in which he shared his own spiritual journey. He reminded the audience of the power of prayer, and exhorted them to continue to sustain the church.
Parish pastor Fr. Gomidas Zohrabian expressed his heartfelt congratulations to all the members of the community. “We should remember the remarkable faith of our forefathers who responded to the call of Jesus Christ and had a divine vision to build a house of worship,” he said. “We praise our forefathers who made tremendous sacrifices to erect this wonderful sanctuary of St. George, which offers spiritual nourishment, cultural heritage, and social activities. We have come a long way and achieved this great milestone through their sacrifices and dedication.”
Archbishop Barsamian likewise congratulated the parishioners and Fr. Gomidas on the 60th anniversary, paid tribute to the parish forefathers, and expressed his gratitude to see the church continuing with the involvement and commitment of the parishioners. He talked about the role of the church youth under the spiritual guidance of Fr. Zohrabian. After his words of gratitude the Primate offered a benediction to conclude the banquet.
The parish’s 60th anniversary banquet committee included Cynthia Messikian, Virginia Wasynczuk, and Melanie Brown, as well as the photographer Mark Harutunian.
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Photos attached.
Photo 1: Archbishop Barsamian blesses members of the St. George Junior Choir.
Photo 2: Altar servers and choir members pose for a group photo with Archbishop Barsamian and Fr. Zohrabian in the church sanctuary.
Photo 3: Sunday School and Armenian School students, as well as members of the parish dance ensemble, perform at the anniversary banquet.
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