Chicago and Wisconsin Armenian Communities Are Helping Each Other and Armenia during the Pandemic

Meanwhile, Ms. Petrosyan, in her capacity as youth director, has been working with Evanston’s ACYOA Junior Chapter (the 13-18 age group). The chapter has been meeting online for discussions as a youth group, and even begun to read short stories by Armenian authors and discussing them. Dr. Artin Goncu of the University of Chicago, an educator and psychologist who specializes in youth and infants, joined one of the online discussions last week to talk with the group about what youth are going through during the pandemic. But the youth aren’t just keeping in touch with each other – they are reaching out and under the guidance of Ms. Petrosyan and Fr. Hovhan, they are making phone calls to elderly parishioners, just so they have someone to talk with. Ms. Petrosyan calls and talks to them as well, and she also keeps in contact with the parents so that they know who their kids are talking to on the phone. Ms. Petrosyan has also been continuing to print out the church bulletin and mailing it to elderly members who don’t use email or social media.

Just an hour north in Wisconsin, the tight knit Armenian community of Racine is also dealing with the virus. Like Der Hovhan, Fr. Avedis Kalayjian of St. Mesrob Armenian Church (affiliated with the Eastern Diocese) is not livestreaming the Badarak, though he is continuing to celebrate the liturgy on behalf of his congregants. However, Der Avedis has been doing zoom conferences with his parish three times a week. He does a session on Sunday afternoon discussing the Divine Liturgy, a Bible study on Wednesdays, and prayer time on Fridays. The parish’s flagship event, their summer Armenian Fest, has been postponed until the fall, conditions permitting. Local food banks are hard up, and since some of the parishes that normally provide labor are not able to do so, St. Mesrob’s has been stepping up to help out the broader Racine community. Der Avedis has made all parishioners aware that they have a team of volunteers ready to meet their needs in regards to shopping and other assistance. Der Avedis tells us that everyone seems to be respecting the lockdown, and that while community members were displaying a lot of anxiety at first, frustration has now begun to set in.

Fr. Tavit Boyajian of Sts. Joachim and Anne in Palos Heights, Illinois, pastors a small parish that serves the south side suburbs of Chicago as well as some parishioners from Indiana. Like the others, he has not been livestreaming the Badarak, though two or three are coming together on Sundays to celebrate the liturgy. Instead he has been giving messages and homilies by video and producing videos for kids.

His plan as the weeks go on is to do more children’s videos and teach them some Christian songs. This has been a longtime passion project for Der Hayr, who feels that simple songs explaining the teachings of Christianity, performed in English, are an important educational tool that we as Armenians in America are in need of in order to teach the faith to the next generation. He has written several of these songs himself and is working on a book of songs with Ms. Elise Antreassian of the Eastern Diocese staff.

Der Tavit, who has always been focused on the well-being of our children, feels concerned about the fact that diocesan camps, Hye Camp and St. Vartan Camp, have to be cancelled. Most children from the Midwest attend Hye Camp, and so Der Tavit is hopeful that some of its programming will be offered in an online format.

Sts. Joachim and Anne has been offering a weekly bible study via Zoom, and Der Tavit has been making a lot of phone calls. “Much longer phone calls,” he says, with obvious concern in his voice. Parish council also met via a conference call. In this small, tight-knit community, “we’d never done that before.” Like all the other communities in the region, their flagship event is their annual picnic, and that’s been pushed back as well. But, parishioners have been supporting one another, Der Hayr said.

The ACYOA Seniors belonging to the parish have joined the national “Diving Deep” web conferences and Der Tavit has also joined some of these. He also noted that the Primate, Bishop Daniel Findikyan has been having conference calls with the clergy periodically. Der Tavit reflected that “It’s sad that there’s this disease, but thank God people are being careful, and being loving by wearing masks and reaching out via zoom and social media.” Der Hayr has been calling everyone in the parish, and the church is available to help anyone who needs anything, he says.

As for the future? “People will be a bit apprehensive to gather in groups, so a transition back to a full parish is incremental.” Fr. Tavit, while deeply affected emotionally by what is going on, has been able to see the good that shines through the pain and suffering. In an ACYOA Zoom conference, the subject turned to the masks that many states are requiring people to wear when going into public places. The masks were an unnerving sight to many of the 20-somethings in the discussion group. Der Tavit, who was also on the call, offered his feelings about the subject. “When I see a mask, I see love.”

Finally, we spoke to Fr. Andreas Garabedian, pastor of St. Gregory Armenian Church in Chicago. A young, newly ordained priest who has been a Der Hayr for less than a year, Der Andreas is a native of Vancouver and was educated both at the Jerusalem Convent and at St. Nersess in New York. His dynamic leadership has brought new energy to this small, family-like parish, which is proud to be the only Armenian Church within the city limits of Chicago, and the oldest organized Armenian Orthodox parish in the Midwest.

The church has offered help to parishioners, for example to those who are unable to go shopping. The parish’s resources are limited, but the offer stands – though the pandemic as a whole is going to have a financial impact on the parish, as it loses a source of income from the regular Sunday collection plate. Der Andreas has been calling parishioners individually, and has done visitations in emergency situations, although unfortunately he is unable to visit church members in the hospitals. However, he is prepared and trained to offer chaplaincy services there when called upon. He shared that he had done several visitations one Sunday by driving to peoples’ houses, standing outside and talking to them. Der Andreas has also been doing ecumenical things online; for example, responding to a query from the Roman Catholic Church about the Orthodox Church’s response to COVID-19 in regard to yielding to state and governmental authorities.

However, the youthful Der Andreas’ focus has mostly been on online resources. Badarak is being livestreamed and Der Hayr has recently started an online Bible study on Wednesday evenings. He wants to continue this online resource even after the pandemic is over.

Der Andreas hosted a Facebook Live session answering any questions about the Armenian Orthodox Church and Faith that are posed to him. He says, “We don’t often take advantage….people follow [the online resources] from all over the world…It’s showing the unity of how we are doing the same worship toward the same God regardless of where we are geographically.” “The understanding of a parish church has changed,” added the deeply traditional, yet forward-thinking young clergyman.

Fr. Andreas has parishioners that log onto their computers, and, for example, watch the Badarak livestreamed from St. John’s in Detroit, then watch him celebrate Badarak in Chicago. Armenians are increasingly becoming connected with parishes in other geographic areas. This is nothing new for young people who are no strangers to social media, but in many ways it’s new territory for the church and especially older members. Yet in many cases they are the ones who really need these resources. “There are people who are elderly and can’t drive,” Der Andreas said.

The ACYOA Seniors of St. Gregory have not been quiet either. Many of their members, along with other young people from the Chicago area, have been continuing their popular “Theology on Tap” monthly meetings via Zoom, led by Der Andreas. ACYOA members, twin sisters Cindy (co-chair of the group) and Maria Panthier have also been promoting the efforts of Ayo to raise funds for COVID relief efforts in Armenia, via the group’s Instagram account. Ayo has been reporting positive results from their work being done in Armenia, and the indefagitable “retired” Der Yeprem is continuing to promote the group and to appear on their Instagram Live feed.

Der Andreas brought to our attention a unique service that he had participated in, an online zhamerkoutiun in multiple locations at once, through Zoom conference. Organized by the St. Nersess Alumni Board chairperson Ms. Arpi Nakashian of the Diocese in New York, the Zoom zhamerkoutiun was participated in by alumni of the seminary from all over the United States, showing the integration of the Armenian community across the country in their response to the current situation. Der Andreas thinks that this will continue throughout the time of coronavirus. “Everyone is trying to find an innovative way of doing something.”