On Sunday September 23, I had the pleasure of attending St. Vartan Armenian Church. All of us from Toronto – my children, parents, aunt, and in-laws – drove to Mississauga that day to participate in the mass and listen to the program organized in memory of H.H. Karekin I, the late Catholicos of All Armenians.
I very much enjoyed listening to mass and Der Myron’s sermon in St. Vartan’s warm, cozy, almost familial environment. As much as we enjoy going to Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Toronto nearly every Sunday, there is something uniquely quaint and intimate about St. Vartan and I’m very thankful to Der Myron for inviting our family that day.
I’ve always felt honoured to be the niece of H.H. Karekin I. To me and my brother, he was “Vehapar Amo” and we always looked forward to his visits to Toronto. Yes, he was a great spiritual leader, a great orator, a great theologian, and a great writer but he was also a loving, warm, and very fun uncle. I have so many personal memories which are sacred to me and which I will share with my children as they grow. It was very moving to see him again in the videos presented after the mass – to hear his voice, to see the intensity and conviction in his face, and listen to snippets of his always-profound speeches.
My family is blessed to have numerous videos, pictures, and a complete collection of H.H. Karekin I’s published books. We were so pleased to hear that the parish of St. Vartan is committed to putting all of H.H. Karekin I’s video resources in one place – on St. Vartan’s website. My husband and I are more than happy to help Der Myron with this endeavor by transferring all the VHS videos we have to a digital format. A special thank you to Der Myron and the St. Vartan parish members for organizing the September 23 presentation and for committing to the video initiative. It was a very memorable day. (Taline Moushian)
