Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, arrived in Boston, the second city to be visited during the Pontifical Visit to the Eastern Diocese, in the evening of October 5th. Upon arrival His Holiness attended the first of many events to be held over three days, starting with several youth activities.

On Friday night, October 5, His Holiness was received by more than 300 Armenian men and women, primarily between the ages of 18 and 45, who gathered at One Exchange Place to greet their Pontiff.

Ms. Alexis Demirjian welcomed His Holiness to the event and commenced the evening’s activities. The performances presented included the singing of both US and Armenian national anthems, remarks by young Boston professionals Christhopher Tashjian and Ani Bagdasarian, a musical performance of traditional Armenian music by David Gevorkian and Martin Haroutunian, and a dramatic poetry recital in both English and Armenian by Ani Nalbandian. The Sayat Nova Dance Company of Boston also gave a command performance.

In his remarks to the assembled crowds, the Armenian Pontiff expressed his gratitude for the exceptional enthusiasm with which he was greeted, saying, "If it were not for the presence of your wonderful Primate, Archbishop Khajag sitting before me, I would have thought that I was in Yerevan. Your enthusiasm and demonstration of spirit have inspired me and given me great joy. You are a credit to your parents and your priests who have helped form you as faithful sons and daughters of our beloved Church." The Catholicos underlined the importance of practicing the Armenian Christian faith by inviting all Armenians to celebrate their faith regularly. "On Sunday, when we celebrate the Divine Liturgy with you, we give testimony to the Christian heritage and faith our fathers and mothers passed down to us for more than 1,700 years. Draw close to God, love your Church, be faithful Americans and never forget your Armenian Christian identity - bringing it home as part of your daily lives," he said.

The following day started with a Children’s Hrashapar service at St. James Armenian Church in Watertown, where Vehapar visited with young Sunday school children. Following the service, he attended a luncheon event with members of the Armenian Church Youth Organization where His Holiness had the opportunity to spend time speaking with and answering questions of the younger generation of faithful.

Following the Youth Events, His Holiness visited the Armenian Home for the Aged and conducted a Home Blessing Service. Following the service His Holiness toured the facility and visited with and blessed the residents.

In the evening, His Holiness was honored by a crowd of more than 350 at a banquet at the Fairmont Copley Hotel in downtown Boston. The evening’s master of ceremonies, Donald Tellalian introduced a succession of dignitaries and speakers who included, amongst others, His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston, His Eminence Sйan Cardinal O’Malley of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, and Mr. James Kalustian, Vice President, Fair Isaac Corporation and treasurer of the Eastern Diocesan Council. Mr. Kalustian is the National Chairman of the 2007 Pontifical Visit Committee and was joined on the dais by Mr. Haig Deranian, Chairman of the New England Regional Committee for the 2007 Pontifical Visit.

His Holiness Karekin II addressed the audience with a spiritually uplifting message reminding the gathered faithful of their true inheritance, "Our country and history bear witness to God's care and preservation. Following the Great Flood, God re-established human life at the base of Mount Ararat, and in that same sacred place, he sealed and oath with the righteous patriarch Noah - the first oath between God and man. And later, God graced our people once again with the descent of the Only Begotten Son and founded His house of prayer on Armenian soil for his chosen nation - the first Christian nation."

On Sunday, October 7th, His Holiness celebrated a Pontifical Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Cambridge.

In his remarks to the gathered faithful, the Catholicos said in part, "The family is the smallest unit of the Church, whose peaceful tranquility and love ascend up to God in heaven as sweet perfume. The family is the sacred reality of human life established by God with His divine blessing, as a place for welfare and prosperity. In the paradise of Eden, God created humanity as a family, blessed the union of our earliest parents, Adam and Eve, and confirmed the continuity of His creation, saying "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it". The Garden of Eden was presented to the newly created family of man as his home, and commanded him to cultivate and care for it.

The Only Begotten Son of God also selected the sacred hearth of the family to realize his plan of salvation, and led (Catholicos of All Armenians) Khrimian Hayrik, our Pontiff of blessed memory, to present the following beautiful description about the family: "Home and family is the land and borders of a tiny kingdom, on whose noble thrones are seated the parents - the father as king and the mother as queen, and they govern their subjects - their children. In this palace and realm, there are no police, no weapons, no violence and no scepter. Rather, paternal and maternal tenderness is the instructor and counsel - the living example of the parents."

His Holiness concluded his sermon with, "At this cherished moment, we express our words of appreciation to the authorities of the United States and its charitable people, for all expressions of goodness that the Armenian Church and her faithful enjoy here in America. We pray that Almighty God keep this hospitable country vibrant and in tranquility, and the entire world in prosperity and peace. We wish you all spiritual strength and might, so that you keep your Christian faith and your Holy Church unshaken, steadfast and flourishing in this blessed land of America .

Let our Holy Eucharist - our Divine Liturgy of today become our appeal of thanksgiving to God for his boundless goodness toward our Armenian people and our Apostolic Mother Church .

May our Lord in heaven increase the Christian faith, hope and love in each of us every day, so that men may see our works of faith and praise God, our Father in heaven."

In the afternoon of the 7th, His Holiness and Pontifical entourage visited the Armenian Library Museum of America in Watertown (ALMA), where he was given a tour to view their extensive collection of Armenian artifacts.

On October 8th, the day’s events commenced with an Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast, where His Holiness was joined by leaders of the Massachusetts Council of Churches and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis in Boston. He was welcomed to the event by Cardinal Seбn P. O’Malley who affirmed his recognition of the Armenia Genocide of 1915.

At the breakfast, Catholicos Karekin II was presented a copy of resolution passed by the Massachusetts Council of Churches unequivocally recognizing the reality of the genocide of the Armenian people waged by the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1923. The resolution was passed by the council’s board of directors earlier in the week and publicly released to coincide with the Catholicos’s visit to Boston, said Rev. Jack Johnson, the council’s executive director.

In his own remarks, the Catholicos thanked the cardinal and Rev. Johnson. "We extend our thanks for this event. We pray that God will keep our churches unified in this matter."

"Unity is an important theme in the Armenian Church, His Holiness remarked, "We believe in unity in the essentials and freedom in the non-essentials." Above all there must be unity with the Gospel and man must never disunite from the Word of God, he said. "As a nation and people we have witnessed the evils of this disunity."

At the conclusion of his remarks, Catholicos Karekin presented Cardinal O’Malley with a pectoral cross.

Following the Prayer Breakfast, His Holiness visited the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston to pay his respects, lay a wreath and pray for the victims of the Jewish Holocaust. The Catholicos of All Armenians was joined by: Reb Moshe Waldoks, Spiritual Leader of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline , Massachusetts ; the New England Regional Director of the ADL, Mr. Andrew Tarsay; and His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).

His Holiness began his visit to the Holocaust Memorial by laying flowers at a shrine dedicated to the memory of Holocaust victims. Together with Reb Waldoks he offered prayers for those who perished and petitioned that such crimes against humanity never again be perpetrated on any people. Both religious leaders expressed their concern that recognition, condemnation and prevention of such atrocities must be unequivocal, especially for the people of Darfur who are currently enduring a genocide.

In the afternoon of the 8th, His Holiness traveled to the Armenian Church of Hye Pointe in Haverhill/Lawrence and conducted the Service for Blessing the Foundation. Sixteen "Godfathers" placed consecrated stones, bearing the image of a cross and washed with water and wine, in the foundation of the new church. The two existing parish communities of Haverhill and Lawrence are merging into one large parish, which will be served by the newly constructed sanctuary. In his remarks, His Holiness congratulated the parish on the accomplishment of their dreams, and praised the combined efforts of the two parishes. "We render thanks and glory to God for giving us faithful benefactors, who reinforce our Holy Apostolic Church and brighten the faith of the Armenians," stated the Pontiff of All Armenians on the occasion of building the new church.

The final event of His Holiness’ Pontifical visit to Boston was a farewell dinner with members of the local Parish Councils, Diocesan Delegates, and Pontifical Visit Committee Members at the Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge. His Holiness thanked those present for their hard work and efforts and congratulated them on the successful events that were held. He exhorted them to remain faithful and dedicated in their service to the Armenian Church and her faithful, and encouraged them to visit their homeland and the center of the Armenian faith, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.