With the 85th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide approaching, the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America is sponsoring a series of commemo-ra-tive activities to remember the martyrs of 1915, and to pay tribute to the survival of the Armenian people.

The entire Armenian American community should take note that His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the Diocesan Primate, has designated April 24, 2000 as a solemn day of remembrance and religious obligation. In consideration of the special sanctity of the occasion, Archbishop Barsamian has asked that all Armenians observe Martyrs Day by taking off from work or school, in order to participate in religious services.

For the Diocese’s New York-area commemoration, an organizing committee of young professionals has planned various liturgical and cultural events, to bring together the members of the Armenian community, and to promote a greater awareness of the Genocide in the society at large. A rundown of these events follows.

On the morning of Monday, April 24, the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York City. It will close with a special ceremony dedicating a new "Martyrs Chapel" in the sanctuary. A relic unearthed at Deir el-Zor—a bone-fragment of an Armenian martyr—will be interred over one of the cathedral’s votive candle arrays, along with an identifying plaque and khatchkar. The morning’s services will conclude with the blessing and distribution of madagh, which will be organized by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan.

In the evening of Monday, April 24, an interfaith memorial service and program will begin promptly at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in New York City. Serving as Master of Ceremonies during the program will be the Honorable Robert Morgenthau, the great-grandson of the late Ambassador Henry Morgenthau III, American ambassador to Turkey during the Genocide period.

The St. Patrick’s Cathedral event will begin with an interfaith memorial service. Eighty-five Armenian children--symbolizing the 85 years since the Genocide--will march in procession around the perimeter of the cathedral, followed by various bishops, rabbis and clergymen from the ecumenical community. The requiem service will feature singing by opera star Lucine Amara, as well as adult and children’s choirs, comprised of choraliers from the New York-area parishes, the Hovnanian School and the Holy Martyrs School, all under the direction of Prof. Khoren Meikhanedjian. Organ virtuoso Berj Zamkochian will also play during the service.

Naturally, an important aspect of the April 24 event will be the opportunity it provides to honor the living survivors of the Genocide—a number of whom will participate in the St. Patrick’s Cathedral service and deliver brief testimonies of their experiences 85 years ago.

Please note that free bus transportation will be available from area parishes to St. Patrick’s in New York City. For details, contact your local parish office by April 4.

Other Events to Follow

The April 24 events will inaugurate two other commemorative activities in the tri-state area. First, on Sunday, April 30, the Sushi Armenian Dance Ensemble will perform at the Bergen County Technical School Auditorium beginning at 4:00 p.m.

A week later, on Monday, May 8, the American PEN Center (the country’s premier literary organization) will hold a reading at the New York Public Library, in the Celeste Bartos Room. Celebrated Armenian and non-Armenian writers such as Diana Der Hovanessian, Peter Balakian, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Pinsky, Rose Styron and Agha Shahid Ali have agreed to read from the writings of Armenian authors martyred during the Genocide. (A listing of martyred Armenian writers appears on the www.april24.org website—see below.)

In organizing these activities, the Diocesan committee members have been greatly encouraged by the various organizations and members of the non-Armenian community, all of whom have been eager to participate. The ultimate success of the events, however, will be measured by the attendance of the members of the Armenian community.

Further information and updates to the schedule of the Year 2000 Genocide commemoration are being posted on the committee’s website; its address is www.april24.org (please note that "april24" should be typed as one word). Infor-mation is also available by calling the Diocesan Center at (212) 686-0710.