On Sunday, December 6, 2009 Holy Trinity Armenian Church was in a celebration mood. It was the 81st anniversary of our church and a year of many accomplishments to be proud of and a great occasion for all of us to rejoice.
His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, the Primate of the Canadian Diocese celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the assistance of Rev. Archpriest Zareh Zargarian, Rev. Fr. Myron Sarkissian and with the presence of Rev. Archpriest Sarkis Gulyan.
The choir participation conducted by Mr. Shahe Altounian added a great sense of warmth to the ceremony.
Following the Church Ceremony a special Anniversary Banquet organized by the parish council members and their spouses took place in “Magaros Artinian” Hall.The event started with the National Anthems of Canada and Armenia followed by Bishop Galstanian’s Grace. Masters of Ceremony Maral Deveci and Sevag Avakian, both from “Sassoun Dance Ensemble” of the church, started the program by introducing the guests of honor.
A delightful presentation by the church’s “Yeraz” Youth Choir was staged conducted by Meline Afyan. The singers performed three beautiful Armenian songs followed by Lynn Isnar, soloist, who enchanted the audience.
During lunch, a slide show was screened. Through the pictures, one could feel just how vibrant and amazing the volunteers have worked over the past 12 months. Over 300 committee members are actively involved in more than 35 committees, working side by side as a strong team. Witnessing the year’s activities highlighted as a slide show on a big screen was heartwarming and satisfying; it is clear how dedicated and eager everyone is to bring their best, to help the Holy Trinity Armenian Church become a house of prayer and safe haven for families & friends to gather, become united and enjoy life to its fullest.
Mr. John Satouri, Chairman of the Parish Council, welcomed the guests and gave a brief explanation about different projects the church has been involved during the last year.
He thanked our beloved pastor, Rev. Archpriest Zareh Zargarian for his skilled leadership and support, as well as parish council members for being in such harmony, working through different challenges.
As a tradition of anniversary, the church auxiliary committees presented their financial donations to the church treasurer, Mr. Ohan Ohanessian, in support of maintaining the church mission, implementing projects and contributing costly maintenance of the building. The donations were appreciated with great rounds of applause from the guests.
“Sassoun Dance Ensemble” of the church was up next. The energetic, smiling faced young group of dancers brought great joy and delight to the audience. They performed a number of Armenian folk dances, with their beautiful costumes and amazing choreography. The group’s instructor Mr. Joe Avakianand his assistant Sossi Avakian are invited by Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora, Mrs. Hranoush Hagopian to take part in “One Nation, One Culture” Festival in July 2010; they are the first Armenian dance group from Canada to take part in this amazing annual festival. The fundraising activities to assist them with this costly trip have started already.
The Chairman of Diocesan Council, Mr. Ara Boyajian addressed the guests with his encouraging words to the pastor, parish council and all faithful on this occasion.
Rev. Archpriest Zareh Zargarian was invited to the podium. He welcomed and appreciated the presence of the guests on this special celebration and thanked all members of the parish council for their services to the church throughout the year.
A special announcement was made by Fr. Zareh regarding the late benefactors Marietta & Beatrice Ambarian sisters who were impressed by the services rendered by the church, and had bequeathed their life-savings of $1,100,000 to Holy Trinity Armenian Church.
A special tribute to the Ambarian family was paid as a token of thankfulness of our parish.
After the words of gratitude to the late sisters, a slide show of the Ambarian family’s photos was projected. Also, an exhibition was held at church with the assistance of Hrant Ketenjian, displaying numerous art works and paintings of Franz Ambarian, the late brother of Marietta and Beatrice.
Fr. Zareh highly appreciated the assistance of Mr.& Mrs. Whitehorn & Mr. Berge Papazian, the lawyer, and Mrs. Sona Mutevelli for their care and support to the sisters.
Following the wishes of the late Ambarian sisters, a Scholarship Fund has been established in their memory to assist the less privileged Armenian students of music with their university tuitions.
On Sunday, December 13th after the Divine Liturgy, the pastor and the parish council members will visit the sisters’ grave at Holy Cross Cemetery and will conduct a requiem service for the departed souls of the entire Ambarian family.
Fr. Zareh expressed his gratitude to the volunteers of Holy Trinity who are donating the most important asset – their time – to help with numerous activities of this church.
Honour of merit and special plaques were presented to Mr. Paul Ishkanian, Mr. Masis Afaryan, Mr. Sarkis Sahagian and Mrs. Alvart Siraki as former members of parish council for their outstanding services to the Holy Trinity Armenian Church.
On the occasion of the church anniversary a very special award was given to Mrs. Diana Bogosyan for her 15 years of volunteer services to the church and the community.
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As a token of appreciation, she received an airplane ticket to Armenia, and a recognition award for her dedicated services over the years.
The church Custodian, Mr. Kandia received an appreciation plaque and a gift for his hard work and dedication to our church.
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The Youth recognition award went to:
Eliz Kaltakjian, the chairperson of Armenian Church Youth Organization of Canada & Dn. Haygaz Mirzoyan, for his services on the church altar.
The Woman and Man of the year awards went to the church secretary Ani Sarvarian for her devoted work at the office and various committees & Raymond Sarkissian for his enthusiastic services as the chairperson of “Seda Pederian” Bookstore.
Fr. Zareh expressed sincere gratitude to his lovely wife, Yeretsgin Naira, who has been a great support, true partner and mother in life. The parish council presented Yeretsgin Naira a bouquet of flowers as a token of appreciation.
At the end of his speech, on behalf of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church faithful, Fr. Zareh extended words of gratitude to His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, the primate, for his leadership and care and invited him for the closing remarks.
He was enthusiastically urging everyone to continue with their great work and wished for the other parishes in Canada to follow the example of Holy Trinity Armenian Church as a model of a success story.
The 81st Anniversary Luncheon ended with the hope for an even better year in 2010 for everyone and a brighter future for our church and our community.
