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Deacons-in-Training at St. Nersess

7/1/2005

"This is a week full of excitement. You immediately make new friends and throughout the whole week you grow closer to them. At the end, you don't want to leave. Besides the classes, Bible Study and chapel services, you have free time to learn more about each other. The fun never ends and I don't even think one month would be enough for us to be together."

This is how one particpant of this year's Deacons Training Program said he would describe the program to someone who had never attended. The Program concluded last Sunday. Sixteen teenage boys participated in the week-long experience, which is designed to train them to serve competently as altar servers and deacons.

The program was directed by V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan. He was assisted by V. Rev. Fr. Narek Berberian, Pastor of St. David Armenian Church (Boca Raton, FL) and Rev. Fr. Sahak Kaishian of Milwaukee, WI. All three are St. Nersess alumni.

Participants came from Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Ontario, New Jersey, Connecticut and New York.

Assisting as counselors and instructors were Deacon Sarkis Altunian of St. Sarkis Armenian Church (Dallas, TX), Deacon Chris Kesici of St. Stepanos Armenian Church (Elberon, NJ) and Sub-deacon Peter Hanoian of Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church (Providence, RI).

As in past years, those new to the holy altar focused their time and energy mastering the chants and rituals of the Divine Liturgy (Badarak). Patient yet exacting, Frs. Nareg and Sahak worked with the beginners, teaching them to chant the hymns and litanies according to the traditional melodies and with proper pronunciation. Students learned the procedures for vesting the priest at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. They also practiced the techniques and patterns for censing during the Liturgy (poorvar).

"I learned that the Badarak isn't just a boring, long ceremony, but it has a meaning and the music is sung for a reason and has a beauty to it," said one 15-year old future deacon.

Some of the participants already came to the Deacons' program with significant liturgical experience under their belts. Some returned to St. Nersess for their fifth or sixth consecutive year. These advanced students devoted themselves to a special workshop on the hymns and rituals of Holy Thursday.

"The Thursday before Easter has some of the most stirring and beautiful sharagans and rituals in the entire tradition of the Armenian Church," said Fr. Daniel, who worked with the advanced students. "The chants of the Washing of the Feet service (Vodnluva) and of the late-night vigil known as Khavaroom (Darkness) are musically demanding. Our young deacons worked very hard to learn this beautiful repertoire," he said. "I think their pastors will be pleased when Holy Week comes around next year."

In addition to the complete musical notation for these services, each student received an audio CD containing a recording of all of the hymns."Now that I have the music and the CD I can go over the chants syllable by syllable. This is a dream come true," said Mark Berberian, an 18-year old altar server from St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church (Chicago, IL).

A highlight of this year's program was the visit of His Eminence Abp. Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese. Khajag Srpazan joined the altar servers for dinner and fielded questions from them. A wide-ranging open discussion ensued which touched on topics as diverse as Srpazan's own childhood and calling to the ministry, Holy Week in the Armenian Church, and the requirements for ordination to the diaconate and the priesthood.

Toward the end of his visit, the Archbishop pulled out a beautiful golden hand-cross containing a tiny relic of the true cross on which Jesus was crucified.

Earlier in the week, in an engaging presentation, Fr. Daniel had narrated the history of the discovery of the cross of Christ by Empress Helena in the early fourth century, and the construction of the three major basilicas in Jerusalem, where Armenians have had a continuous presence until today. Together with Hayr Nareg and Der Sahak, Hayr Daniel had taught the deacons the ancient ceremony of Venerating the Holy Cross, which is accompanied by the hymn,Khachi ko Krisdos (We fall down before your Holy Cross, O Lord). This ceremony is conducted several times during Holy Week and on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in September.

Before he left, Khajag Srpazan presided over the ceremony of the Veneration of the Cross in the Seminary chapel. The deacons sang the hymns they had learned. Then, two-by-two, they approached the relic of the true cross and kissed it, a sign of our faith in the life-giving power of Christ's crucifixion, and of his love for each of us.

Another feature of this year's program was daily Armenian language instruction using the state-of-the-art "Discover Armenian" interactive CD program. This extraordinary program makes learning Armenian fun. It begins with a highly effective tutorial on reading Armenian and includes lessons in conversation, reading, grammar, music, history and culture. The entire program is equivalent to two years of college-level Armenian language instruction.

A generous grant by Dr. Sarkis Kechejian of Dallas, Texas, allowed the Seminary to purchase ten laptop computers to be used by participants of the St. Nersess Summer Conferences for the "Discover Armenian" program. One participant said that the highlight of the week for him was to acquire "bare-bones proficiency in written Armenian." (See the full report on the Seminary's new Armenian Language Lab, to be posted on this site shortly).

A mid-week excursion to St. Vartan Cathedral in New York provided a welcome diversion. Participants saw the Cathedral, baptistery, vestry and Diocesan offices, and shopped in the book and gift shop. Later the group drove back upstate, spending the evening at Rye Playland, a local amusement park. There, the bumper cars seemed to be the major attraction, particularly when the entire group and the staff took over the bumper cars (and continuously accelerated toward Fr. Daniel!).

The Deacons' Training Program concluded on Sunday with the Divine Liturgy, celebrated by Fr. Sahak Kaishian. "This was probably the only Armenian sanctuary in the world where the Feast ofVartavar (Transfiguration of the Lord) was celebrated by a congregation whose median age was 17!,"said Fr. Sahak.

"This was one of the greatest weeks of my life," said one 16-year old as he was leaving the Seminary on Sunday afternoon. "There were so many people that got along so well. It was "fun and edifying", " he said, quoting Fr. Daniel's oft-heard mantra.

18-year old Hagop Keverian, who serves at the altar of Holy Trinity Armenian Church (Cambridge, MA), and who was returning for his fifth consecutive Deacons' program at St. Nersess, chose to sum up the program in an itemized list:

1. It is a very well-organized program.
2. I love the program.
3. I love the people who run the program.
4. It is an experience you will never forget.
5. People come and teach from all over the world.
6. You meet new people every time you come.
7. You have a very fun time.
8. You can learn almost anything about the church and about God.
9. It is not a camp, it is a seminary.
10. This is a place where your whole life can be changed.

This week, the first of three High School Conferences was set to begin at the Seminary.

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Scenes from Last Week's Deacons' Training Program

Deacons-in-Training at St. Nersess

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Scenes from Last Week's Deacons' Training Program

Deacons-in-Training at St. Nersess

Archives

Categories

Directions to the Seminary

Armonk Campus486 Bedford RoadArmonk, NY 10504

Contact Us

Armonk Campus
486 Bedford Road
Armonk, NY 10504