Our Lady of Armenia Choir’s trip to Strasbourg
Summer Camp 2022
SUMMER CAMP 2022
- I Group – June 23-july 2
- II Group – July 04 -July 13
- III Group – July 15 – July 25
- IV Group – July 27 – August 06
- V Group – August 08 – August 20
St. Sargis
On the occasion of St. Sargis Day, a Holy Immortal Liturgy was served in the Our Lady of Armenia Chapel for the young people from the five Armenian Catholic communities of Ashotsk.
The meeting continued around the dinner table in the hall of the “Diramayr Vocational School”. After that, a seminar-discussion was held headed by Father Hovsep Galstyan.
The meeting ended with a variety of exciting games.
Children’s birthday parties
The Our Lady of Armenia Center solemnly celebrates the birthdays of the Center’s students. We cordially congratulate our students, wish them shining eyes, smiles and carefree childhood.
THE PEOPLE OF ARTSAKH IN THE OUR LADY OF ARMENIA SUMMER CAMP
At the end of September, Armenia faced the harsh reality of a war in Artsakh with the invasion of Turkish-Azerbaijani forces. Attacks to civilian territories forced the people to find refuge in Armenia.
With the financial assistance of Alecco and Annie Bezikian and the organizational efforts of Hagop Ladoyan, head of “Us Against Drugs”, the Our Lady of Armenia Summer Camp opened its hospitable doors to 30 families (120 people) including the elderly, mothers and children of different ages. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and several individual benefactors helped the Sisters provide for the different needs of the displaced people.
During their stay, 36 people were baptised into the faith in the Apostolic Church of Kecharis in Tsakhkadzor. The sacred duties of Godfather and Godmother were assumed by Shahan (Chief Editor of “Azdak” daily) and Gohar Gandaharian.
After the ceasefire, several families returned to their dilapidated home in Artsakh. The Sisters of the Our Lady of Armenia Summer Camp continue to support those displaced people of Artsakh regions occupied by Azerbaijan until a solution is found for their future residency issues.
THE CEREMONY OF HOLY BAPTISM
On November 17, 23 refugees were baptized at the Apostolic Church of St. Hakob in Gyumri. The godfathers were the members of the Gyumri Rotary Club, who provided also financial assistance to each baptized person.
THE “COME AND SEE” PROGRAM
From August 15 to September 13, within the framework of the “COME AND SEE” program of the Armenian Sisters of Immaculate Conception, a pleasant 5 day stays were organized for the children of the villages of Sizavet, Ghazanchi, Sepasar of Shirak region and Tashir.
The gatherings were organized on the occasion of the feasts of the Assumption and the Birth of Our Lady, the feast of the Holy Cross, for which the children were prepared with spiritual encounters and prayers.
The program’s purpose was to take the children away from their daily environments, since the OLA Summer Camp was cancelled because of the pandemic. The children were hosted at the Our Lady of Armenia Center, where they had also the opportunity to get acquainted with the daily life and mission of the Sisters.
The spiritual direction was provided by Father Hovsep and the Sisters. The children played a variety of exciting games, participated in music lessons, visited the different departments of the Diramayr Vocational School, prepared meals and desserts under the guidance of the chief cook and head of the Culinary Arts Department, Mrs. Arpenik Mikaelyan. They had a meeting with Mrs. Catherine, a French clinical psychologist, working at the Center, who answered their various questions of interest, followed personal hygiene and first aid classes with the Center’s Physician Susanna Margaryan, and visited Gyumri Museum of National Architecture and Urban Life.
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
During these difficult days of Covid-19 pandemic, the Our Lady of Armenia Center, with the assistance of SOAR (The Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief), the Armenian Caritas, UMAF, Gyumri Rotary Club, Hilton Fund, Famiglia Insieme and private benefactor Anna Kazanjian, the Sisters were able to provide regular food packages, medicine, hygiene and health supplies, clothes, shoes and other necessary materials to the families of its students, the beneficiaries of the Nadine Basmadjian Day-Care Center for the Elderly and Gyumri’s extremely needy families (about 250). The Sisters express their sincere and deepest gratitude to all the sponsors, for their God-pleasing and humanitarian help.
The specified carousel is trashed.
March 8
On March 8, the students of the Center surprised the members of Nadine Basmadjian Day-Care Center for the Elderly with songs and dances, as well as humorous anecdotes of Gyumri.
St. Vardanants Day
On February 21, the Centre celebrated St. Vardanants Day, dedicated to the memory of General Vardan and his 1036 soldiers, who died in the Battle of Avarayr on May 26, 451.
The event began with the speech of General Vardan, followed by literary and musical pieces prepared by the students of the Center.