“WE WILL CONTINUE OUR SUPPORT OF PRELACY ARMENIAN SCHOOLS IN SYRIA,”
STATED THE PRELATE
KEVORK BEDIKIAN’S “DIASPORA” BOOK PRESENTATION
On Thursday, September 14, 2023, a cultural program was held at St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church in Hollywood, under the auspices of H.G. Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Prelate of the Western Prelacy, in conjunction with the second year of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia’s declaration “Year of the Diaspora: Self-Examination and Reorganization.” The night’s master of ceremonies was Rev. Fr. Karekin Bedourian, and present at the program were H.E. Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian, Clergy, Executive Council members, and community members. On this occasion, writer Kevork Bedikian’s 10th volume of his book titled “Diaspora” was presented by Ms. Frida Hadjian.
H.E. Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian shared his heartfelt message on the “Year of the Diaspora: Self-Examination and Reorganization” declaration by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, sharing with the attendees who filled the church, His Holiness Aram I Catholicos’ thoughts on his declaration, while providing a historical perspective and examples.
In his closing remarks, H.G. Bishop Torkom Donoyan emphasized the importance of the Armenian Church and the significant role Armenian Schools play as the cornerstones of the Armenian diaspora. H.G. Bishop Donoyan conveyed that this dual foundation of church and school has delivered Christian education, shaped the Armenian identity, and instilled national values in our youth, to safeguard our existence within the diaspora. H.G. Bishop Donoyan stressed the importance of revitalizing Armenian communities within the diaspora, and on this occasion announced that the Western Prelacy will sponsor 50 Armenian Prelacy students in Allepo with scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year, and went ahead to congratulate Mr. Kevork Bedikian, the keynote speaker, organizers of the program and students in attendance.
The program was organized by the Board of Trustees of St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church and Allepo’s Karen Jeppe Association of Los Angeles. After the detailed book presentation “Diaspora” the author thanked the organizers, and shared with the audience his personal journey spanning from Aleppo to Los Angeles and touched upon his years of service in the field of education.
The cultural portion of the program included recitations and nationalistic songs performed by Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School students and led by their music teacher Mrs. Lusine Meliksetyan.
