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Primate Celebrant at St. Paul Armenian Church in Fresno – Organist Ben Krikorian Honored for 50 Years of Service – Hundreds Attend Annual Fall Banquet

On Sunday November 16, 2014 St. Paul Armenian Church held its annual fall banquet.  The morning started off with the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese.  St. Paul was not only honored with the presence of the Diocesan Primate, but doubly honored to have the Khachadourian Choir from Los Angeles.

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Published on Nov 19, 2014 by Communications Department
Primate Celebrant at St. Paul Armenian Church in Fresno – Organist Ben Krikorian Honored for 50 Years of Service – Hundreds Attend Annual Fall Banquet
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On Sunday November 16, 2014 St. Paul Armenian Church held its annual fall banquet.  The morning started off with the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese.  St. Paul was not only honored with the presence of the Diocesan Primate, but doubly honored to have the Khachadourian Choir from Los Angeles.
It had been many years since the parishioners of St. Paul have enjoyed the Gomidas melodies of the Divine Liturgy.  The Khachadourian Choir, conducted by Deacon Stepan Gozumian, filled the church with the beautiful melodies of Gomidas Vartabed. The spiritually enriching service was a most fitting tribute to the beloved Vartabed of the Armenian Apostolic Church, considering the upcoming Centennial Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Following his sermon, the Primate welcomed Rev. Fr. Yessai Bedros to St. Paul. A traditional installation ceremony of the new priest was officiated by His Eminence.
Archbishop Derderian gave his blessings to Father Yessai and Yeretzgin Varteni and wished them continued strength in their mission in the service to the Armenian Church in Fresno.
Following the Divine Liturgy, a banquet was held in the Haig Berberian hall with over 370 people in attendance.
The banquet started off with the St. Paul Sunday school presenting prayers of the Armenian Church, along with the St. Paul Saturday School who sang a medley of Armenian songs.  Lucy Tashjian, on behalf of the Choir Association of the Western Diocese, presented a 50 years of service award to Ben Krikorian for his years of selfless service as the organist of St. Paul Armenian Church.  Ben offered his gratitude to everyone.  The honoree then introduced Father Yessai. The Pastor of the host parish thanked the Primate for his inspirational message as well as his pastoral guidance and support. Father Yessai was humbled to be granted the opportunity to serve the flock of Christ and noted how happy he and his family are in Fresno. He expressed his gratitude to the community for welcoming him into the St. Paul family. The Pastor spoke on the love that Jesus had for His disciples and said that should serve as an example for us, to love one another.  Father Yessai then welcomed the Primate to the podium for his remarks.  His Eminence noted that the day marked a new journey for St. Paul Armenian Church.  He expressed no doubt that this will be an historic day at St. Paul.
He spoke that the presence of God is with us, and noted the feeling of a spiritual transformation in St. Paul. He noted that the numbers in the Church are important but not as important as the spiritual growth of the church. Archbishop Derderian also spoke on the importance of keeping our Christian identity.  He reported on the great spiritual reawaking in our homeland, as he had just returned from the Synod of Bishops meeting in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. He challenged us to remember the message of the Gospel (Luke 9:46-48) to become like a child in our faith. The Armenian Church is the mission of our lives. This is the legacy that we have inherited from our forefathers. He stressed the importance of leading our children to the Motherland Armenia. One pilgrimage to Armenia can transform our youth for a lifetime.  He spoke about the upcoming 100th anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.  He stressed the importance of keeping the memory of our martyrs alive.  Faith moved mountains, Christ was not just speaking about a mountain, but the mountain of the human being. The spiritual rebirth is upon us with the 100th anniversary of the Genocide.
The Primate then presented a Khatchkar to Ben Krikorian in honor of his 50 years of service.
This year’s annual fall banquet marked one of the largest attendances in recent history.  It was a fun filled afternoon with Der Hayr leading the banquet in toasts honoring individuals and organizations within the St. Paul family, along with spontaneous songs by Der Hayr, various parishioners and our own Yeretsgin Varteni who sang “Sari siroun yar”.
The dual celebration of Father Yessai’s installation along with the recognition of Ben Krikorian’s 50 years of service gave everyone a great reason to come together as one St. Paul family.

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