Organized by the inter-denominational committee of Torontoand with the participation of Holy Trinity Armenian ApostolicChurch, St. Mary’s Apostolic Church, St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Church and the ArmenianEvangelical Church, the commemoration of the 94thanniversary of the Armenian Genocide took place on April 24, 2009, at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church.
Present at this commemoration were the pastors of the above mentioned churches,
Very Rev. Fr. Meghrig Parikian, Very Rev. Yeghia Kirejian, Rev. Archpriest Zareh Zargaria, Rev. Samuel Albarian, Rev. Yesai Sarmazian, Very Rev. Hayrig Hovhannisian, Rev. Archpriest Sarkis Gulian, guest speaker Rev. Krikor Aghabaloghlu, Mr. Hagop Janbazian, chair of the inter-denominational committee, Mr. Ara Boyajian, chair of the Diocesan Council, as well as representatives of churches, organizations, unions and a huge number of faithful.
Rev. Archpriest Zareh Zargarian welcomed the guests and the audience. After the communal rendition of the Lord’s Prayer, representatives from all the participating churches read sections from the Bible. The programme that followed comprised of songs, poems and recitations.
The keynote speaker of the day was Rev. Krikor Aghabaloghlu, pastor of the Armenian Evangelical churches of Istanbul.
Rev. Aghabaloghlu reflected upon his childhood days in Arapkir and the difficulties he faced as a Christian. He mentioned the fact that many Turks have embraced Christianity in recent years. In his message, he emphasized the importance of justice, faith and Jesus.
Very Rev. Meghrig Parikian made the closing remarks by thanking the keynote speaker and all those who participated in the commemoration. Later, a special requiem was held at the Genocide Memorial in memory of the 1.5 million martyrs of the Armenian nation.
The somber evening ended with a reception organized by the Holy Trinity Armenian Church Ladies Auxiliary.