1996_03 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper March 1996

              Marchl996
Hye Sharzhoom
5
Fresno State students get opportunity to meet the Catholicos and receive a blessing.
Student Reaction
By Tina Attashian
Having the opportunity to
listen or actually meet His Holiness Karekin I was a first time
experience for many ofthe youth at
Fresno State. Talking to Fresno
State students, His Holiness' visit
created a lot of thoughts and emotions about Christianity. Vahan
Balekian, a junior at CSUF and
member of ASO stated," Karekin I
really changed my everyday views.
He left me realizing that knowing
about the Bible and is one thing and
living by it is another. Also, his
speech about the Word being in our
souls and that we need to bring it
out and pass it on to others was
inspiring and emotional." Other
students like Autumn Goodmon,
the vice-president of the Christian
Sorority on campus, Alpha Delta
Chi, agreed," I didn't really know
what to expect, but I was impressed
how well he spoke English. He was
able to touch the hearts of many
students, including myself."
Although His Holiness
touched the lives of many students
in a religious way, he approached
the topic of preserving the Armenian culture and encouraged many
of the youth, leaving them with
patriotic feelings. Raffy Khorozian,
presidentof ASO, said, "After hearing him at the youth rally he gave
me the determination and hope to
preserve and uphold Armenian
culture and tradition."      Crissi
Jelladian, vice-
president of ASO,
expressed    her
feelings as she explained, " It was
so encouraging
when His Holiness spoke of how
the Armenian culture is not only
knowing the language, but also
different things
like the food and
the      dancing.
Sometimes people
will judge how Armenian you are
by the fact of if you know the language, but as the Catholicos told
everyone, 'Justaslongasyourheart
and efforts are in the right place,
then you are just as Armenian as
anyone else!'"
During the
Catholicos' visit
he spread his enthusiasm about
unity among the
Armenian community. The
youth rally at St
Paul's Church
was an event that
the youth from
all different
churches attended. Manuel
Momjian, a
CSUF student
and ASO member at the rally
stated, " There
should not be a difference between
one Armenian and the other because of the church we attend, we
are all the same, we are all Armenians! It's great that tonight I can
look around and see many of the
youth from other churches in just
one. This is a step of unifying the
Armenians that we should have
taken a long time ago."    Anna
Yergat, also a Fresno State student,
added, "Just the Catholicos' presence helped bring the churches together. Afterlistening to Him speak
I know the two churches are going
to join together as one more often."
From talking to many of
the youth His Holiness Karekin I
came and left leaving a mark in all
those lives he had contact with.
Aznive Tchapadarian, vice-president of ASO, explained, " I was
surprised and impressed that someone of such high caliber was able to
communicate so effectively with
the youth and really reach out to all
of us. He left leaving us all something to think about."
Njdeh Gharibian, student, listens during lecture
Catholicos of All Armenians
Message for the Youth
By Karen Karabian
Fresno's Armenian youth
were united in one place at one
time. Children, as young as five,
gathered inside St. Paul's church
hall. They sat among older brothers and sisters, they sat beside my
fellow college classmates. We were
all drawn together for one reason
— to witness the Catholicos of
Armenia.
St, Paul's rally had already
begun and I impatientiy stood at
the door looking in. I scanned the
rows of chairs angled in a half circle,
desperate to find a vacant seat I
ventured into the room, I wanted to
maneuver between the rows of
chairs, race up toward the front like
a child, and break the bond which
held the audience captive. If only I
could touch his valiant robe or witness the intense faith in his eyes I
would somehow know more, be
more. I wavered back and forth
stretched up on my toes, hoping to
spot His Holiness above the heads
in front of me. But when I caught
my very first glimpse of Karekin I
disappointment fell over me.
I had envisioned a man
with powerful presence,aman with
flawless stature.   I wanted to be
overpowered by
a sense of greatness and prestige.
Why didn't the
Armenian
Catholicos, his
life a living sermon, move me?
Then he spoke.
It wasn't
the words, but the
grace and passion that came
forth from those
words. The
crowd was silenced and I was
reverent I saw
an invisible light
radiate through
him. Certainly
notagreatfeatfor
someone who has devoted his life
to fellowship with Christ. It was
obvious that it was not the merely
position that made him the leader
of the Armenian Church but his
true Christian heart that made him
the Catholicos of All Armenians.
Throughout the night a
few brave souls stood up and voiced
questions regarding race, religion,
faith, culture, and church service.
Brave seems accurate because I
would cower from the attentive gaze
of Karekin I and his entourage.
The thought of exchang-
Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, left, and Professor Barlow Der Mugredechian present His
Holiness with books donated by the community and Armenian Studies Program
ing words or facing that gracious
smile intimidated me. The
Catholicos does smile, unlike his
entourage, whom he referred to as
overprotective policemen. I was
charmed by his humor. Unfortunately, many of his punch lines
were in Armenian that I didn't understand. But the laughter that
swept the room was infectious and
I felt included in his anecdotes.
His commitment to connecting with Armenian youth was
so effortless it could only be genuine. And without a doubt, a con
nection was made. It wasn't as
though he was brought down to our
level of righteousness and understanding, but rather he honorably
elevated us up to his. At that point
I realized the realm of his greatness.
He spoke to us as a father,
a friend, and as a man, destined to
unify two worlds. He was not quick
to judge or reluctant to praise. I
agree that his hopes of reviving the
Armenian culture and passing on
tradition lie within the hands of the
youth. There was a definite charge
aimed at the Armenian youth to
keep our culture alive.
My classmate raised the
question of why we do not have
two church services— one in Armenian the other in English.
Karekin answered, "If we say the
Lord's Prayer in English in
America, French in Canada, and
Turkish in Turkey, then wheredoes
the Armenian language live? Once
the language is lost, you have destroyed a culture, and the only
people left who will preserve such
traditions."
The Catholicos had to concede to the clock and answer questions with hurried responses. One
could tell it left him incomplete. It
left us incomplete, as if we were
losing our only chance to hear this
man. The faith and morality he
preaches are not part of his job but
the whole of his life. His rare
honest virtue is inseparable from
who he is and all he has. I was
inspired by his unwavering devotion to the Lord.
He left behind a gold
cross. The word Etchmiadzin is
etched in Armenian on the back.
The cross when worn, unifies all
those in attendance, and it is a visible start in the effort to link the
Armenian church and the Armenian people around the world.