BAYSIDE, N.Y. — On Sunday, November 23, the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs in Bayside, Queens, celebrated a bountiful Thanksgiving Fellowship in honor of its pastor, Fr. Abraham Malkhasyan, marking the 15th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Some 200 parishioners and friends filled the church auditorium to celebrate the occasion and to express their love and appreciation for Fr. Abraham.
Joining in the Divine Liturgy and fellowship were Fr. Yeghishe Ksachikyan, pastor of St. James Church of Sacramento, CA, and Dn. Levon Altiparmakian, member of the Eastern Diocese’s Diocesan Council. In his heartfelt remarks, Fr. Yeghishe warmly recalled meeting Fr. Abraham years ago, when both were young deacons preparing for the sacred calling of the priesthood.
A generous Thanksgiving table was prepared by dedicated parishioners. Special thanks were extended to Ernest Karaev and his crew for barbequing, Siran Kilicyan for preparing the pilaf, and Tamar Kayserian for organizing the table. Deep gratitude was also expressed to Berjouhi Yagliyan for leading a successful bake sale, and to Lucy Krikorian and a devoted team of volunteers who baked and donated a wide assortment of sweet and savory Armenian treats.
During the luncheon, parish council chair Donna Sirounian offered remarks of appreciation, thanking Fr. Abraham for his 13 years of humble, dedicated service to Holy Martyrs. As a token of the council’s gratitude, Fr. Abraham was presented with the exquisite coffee table book: Khatchkar, featuring over a thousand images of Armenian cross-stones by renowned photographer Hrair Hawk Khatcherian.
The talented youth of Holy Martyrs warmed the hearts of all in attendance with a delightful cultural program. The Dzirani Dance Group opened with traditional Armenian dances, followed by enthusiastic recitations of Vahan Tekeyan’s poem “The Armenian Church” (Yegeghetzeen Haygagan) by students of both the Sunday School and the Holy Martyrs Armenian Day School. The Day School students continued with the poem Aypoopen Hayotz and joined the Language School students in a selection of Armenian songs.
Among the highlights of the day was second grader Felix Arutiunyan of the Saturday Language School, who eloquently recited Barouyr Sevag’s beloved poem Menk keech enk, payts Hye enk with poise and maturity beyond his years. The cultural program concluded with a beautiful solo performance of “Zepuryoori Nman” by Victoria Stepanian, a student of Yeretzgin Karine Malkhasyan.
