NEW YORK — Distinguished church leaders from throughout New York City gathered at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral on Thursday evening, January 25, for the city’s annual “Prayer Service for Christian Unity.”
The Eastern Diocese hosted this year’s gathering as part of its celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan welcomed guests from more than a dozen Christian traditions — Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox — to the Diocese’s mother cathedral, which was enveloped in scaffolding as it undergoes an exterior restoration.
Inside, a spirit of warm collegiality prevailed among the clergy and faithful of various churches — many of them longtime friends of the Armenian cathedral, others visiting for the first time.
Bishop Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church delivered a powerful homily based on the theme for this year’s Unity service, drawn from the Gospel of Luke: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul; with all your strength, and all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Lk 10:27).
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, offered closing remarks and an uplifting benediction.
Among the other dignitaries in attendance were Archbishop Demetrios (Greek Orthodox Church), Archbishop Mor Dionysius John Kawak (Syriac Orthodox Church), Bishop David (Coptic Orthodox Church), Bishop Paul Egensteiner (Evangelical Lutheran Church), Fr. Chad Hatfield (representing Metropolitan Tikhon), Fr. Sahag Yemishian (representing Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian), Rev. Julie Hoplamazian (representing Bishop Matthew Heyd), Rev. Nicolas Kazarian (representing Archbishop Elpidophoros) — and other brothers and sisters from the broad range of Christian traditions in the metropolitan area.
