FROM CHRIS EDLING: AN ARMENIAN PRIEST AND AN EPISCOPAL SEMINARIAN WALK INTO A ZOOM ROOM

One year ago, when I was serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Armenia, an English teacher friend at my appointed university told me there was someone I needed to meet. The teacher knew I was starting seminary in the fall and one of her adult students was Father Vardan Hayrapetyan, a priest in the Armenian Apostolic Church, who was preparing for a church assignment in the USA. After class one day, we met for a chat and became fast friends.

Having now completed four months of training in New York and New Jersey, Father Vardan joined me on Zoom one night to discuss the Armenian Church, the nature of time, and his perspectives on life in America.

Chris: Can you describe how you and I met last year?

Fr. Vardan: Well, it wasn’t a coincidence, because I don’t believe in coincidences! I was studying English and my teacher asked if I can meet someone from the USA who is important for her. At that time, I was already ordered to serve in the USA, and it was a great meeting because you were the first person I met from the Episcopal Church. It was also great because you had previously spent time [as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer] in the southern region of Armenia near Goris, far from the capital city of Yerevan. I served eight years in the Armenian army as a chaplain, including time in Goris, so it was meaningful to me that you served there, too.

Chris: Why did you become a priest?

Fr. Vardan: It was 2005. I was preparing to go to military academy, because in my family it was common to become a military officer, when one of my classmates invited me to a church service. Being there felt like getting a hug, and in an instant I understood that the church is my home. 20 years later, here I am, still in church.

Chris: The Armenian Apostolic Church has a distinctive, ancient tradition, but many non-Armenian people may be unfamiliar with it. What are some things you’d want people to know about the Armenian Church?

Fr. Vardan: Many people may know that our Church is one of the first Christian churches in the world, but the most interesting thing for me is that, historically, we are a Church surrounded by enemies. In countries like France or the UK, this is not true, and for people in the USA, it may be hard to understand what it’s like to have neighbors who want to kill you, take your land and your faith. Armenia recently lost Artsakh, part of our homeland where there are ancient monasteries, so you see we are still fighting to keep our faith.

Chris: What Biblical story do you especially love, and why?

Fr. Vardan: Right now, for my country, I appreciate the battle between David and Goliath, because I hope a new David comes to my country to fight our Goliath.

Chris: Many mainline churches in the USA face challenges today. What challenges does the Armenian Church face, and how do you imagine the Church will deal with them?

Fr. Vardan: The situation right now between the Armenian government and the Armenian Church is very tough. We already have a lot of enemies outside Armenia; we don’t need problems inside Armenia. I hope, with God’s blessing, we will go out from this dark period.

Chris: As a seminarian, I’m learning how different denominations and faith traditions can enrich each other. What do you think other churches can learn from the Armenian Church?

Fr. Vardan: From the Armenian Church, we can learn how to coexist with other religions. An example would be our Patriarchate in Jerusalem. There are four quarters in the Old City—Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Armenian—so from this experience, we have learned how to live in peace with others.

Chris: You came from Armenia to New York earlier this year. What are some interesting things you have observed about religion in the USA?

Fr. Vardan: I like the religious freedom you have here, and the relations between different faiths is good. For example, April 24 was Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, and representatives from the Assyrian Church, a Jewish rabbi, and a Unitarian minister attended our commemoration in White Plains. It is good to see historical and cultural events gather all religions together.

Chris: Aside from religion, what other interesting things have you observed about American life?

Fr. Vardan: One great surprise for me is that people here commonly measure the distance from one point to another, not in kilometers or miles, but in time—like, it is 30 minutes from this town to that town. That is good, because the greatest gift from God to us is time. It is the one thing which is given freely to us but cannot be recovered. For example, consider YouTube: would you say it is “free”? At the bottom of each video is a number that shows the time, but this time is actually the cost of watching the video, so it is not really “free.” When I served as a chaplain in the army, I learned how short life is. Nobody who was killed in those battles had written on their schedule, “Today, I am going to die.” So, I came to understand how time is an expensive, even priceless gift.

Chris: If someone wants to learn more about the Armenian Church, what would you advise them to do?

Fr. Vardan: You can read a lot of documents and books, but if you really want to learn, you have to come to our church or meet with our clergy to understand how they think. You can read a lot of books about the Empire State Building, for example, but you can’t really understand what the building feels like, or the view from the top, unless you go there.

Mr. Chris Edling is an MDiv student at The General Theological Seminary and a postulant for holy orders in the Diocese of New York. Since September 2024, he has been an intern at Saint Mary the Virgin. He is also an associate professor at New York University and teaches in their Expository Writing Program.

PARISH PRAYERS

We pray for the people and clergy of our sister parish, the Church of All Saints, Margaret Street, London, and for the Church of Pakistan in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Peter, J.B., Pat, Jennifer, Allen, Claudia, Melvin, Vicki, Bella, Valdez, Helen, Fanny, Brendon, Nadia, Christian, Carol, Ken, Dennis, Giovanna, Mary, Yuri, Penny, Priya, Christopher, Wally, Donald, Ronald, Jose, Behnam, Russell, Duncan, Robert, Sandy, Orham, Lexi, Georgia, Desarae, David, Claudia, Nettie, Chrissy, Tony, Sharon, Rick, Jan, June, Carlos, Liduvina, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, and Robert; Suzanne Elizabeth and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; and Jay and Stephen, priests.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, especially Carla, Amy, Stephen, and Harrison, and for those whose year’s mind is on July 20: John Morgan Mulford (1874), Marshall Stewart Allen (1885), Adeline Woodruff (1887), Louis Stalins Van Epps (1891), and Frank Doring (1931).

AROUND THE PARISH

Summer donations for Neighbors in Need . . . Thanks to generous cash donations, we are able to purchase toiletries and underwear for our guests. Our clothing room depends on your gifts of lightly-used clothing. Right now, our biggest needs are shoes (sneakers, sandals and other practical shoes, but not high heels), jeans and khakis. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information. Note that the August Drop-by day will be on August 22 and not on the third Friday (August 15).

Cookie donations needed for September . . . During the summer months, we have lemonade and cookies at Coffee Hour and are looking for cookie donors. All the Sundays in September are currently available for donation. Please get in touch with Father Sammy Wood if you are able to help with a Sunday in September.

Chris Howatt performs in Hamilton Park . . . If you should happen to find your way to Weehawken’s scenic Hamilton Park this Sunday, July 20, our parish administrator and chorister Chris Howatt will be offering a free performance as part of the Township’s Summer Park series. Chris will be joined by soprano Adara Bryan and music director Mark Janas in a program of current and past Broadway and Pop favorites. The concert begins at 5:30 PM and is free—bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Hamilton Park is located on JFK Boulevard East and Duer Avenue in Weehawken.

Summer Reading . . . We are excited to announce that Dr. James Como will teach the first block of Adult Formation in the fall, a five-week class on C.S. Lewis. We begin on September 21, though we thought that some might want to use the summer to work through the reading list. Please click here for the reading list and for more details.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . Mark your calendars for Friday, August 15, at 6:00 PM, when the full choir returns for our Solemn Mass on the Assumption. Father John Shirley will be the preacher.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Deacon Formation Program (Inquirer's Zoom) . . . On Tuesday, July 22, at 7:00 PM via Zoom, Archdeacon Denise LaVetty will offer an informal talk about the three-year deacon formation curriculum, followed by Q&A. Please email Archdeacon LaVetty at dlavetty@dioceseny.org to register and to receive the Zoom link.

Companions of the Community at the Crossing . . . The Companions is a new initiative from the Community at the Crossing for over 35-year-olds to deepen spiritual formation and foster intergeneration exchange. Companions commit to the Community's Rule of Life and, with the guidance of leadership, adapt its five pillars to their daily rhythms. This practice draws inspiration from ancient monastic traditions, especially Benedictine life. The program is structured around the first-year members’ program, which is over a duration of 10 months. The dates for the 2025-26 year are September 21, 2025 to May 24, 2026. Click here to learn more or email Sister Hannah Spiers at companions.catc@stjohndivine.org. Father Matt Jacobson is on the advisory board for the Community at the Crossing and is one of the directors of the Companions program. He would also be happy to discuss it with those who are interested.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT SOLEMN MASS ON THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The organ prelude today will be two of the several organ settings composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) of the chorale melody found in many modern English language hymnals with the English text “Blessed Jesus, at thy word” (Hymnal 1982 #440). The first of these two chorale preludes begins as a rich harmonization of the unadorned chorale melody. In its fifth phrase Bach introduces melodic ornamentation, but he returns to the style of the opening for the sixth and final phrase. In contrast, BWV 731 has an ornamented soprano melody throughout. These two chorale settings, by virtue of common key of G Major, relative brevity and character of treatment, are well suited to being performed together.

On most Sundays, the music of the Ordinary of the Mass at Saint Mary’s is the work of a single composer or drawn from a single source. This Sunday, however, the setting is a composite from three different places and times.

The Gloria is a metrical paraphrase translated into English from the German Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr as found in The Hymnal 1982 at #421. Both the German paraphrase and its chorale melody are credited to Nikolaus Decius (c.1490–1541). The present English translation is credited to The Reverend F. Bland Tucker (1895–1984). Father Tucker served on the Commission which produced The Hymnal 1940 and is represented by twenty-six hymn texts in The Hymnal 1982. Like many chorale melodies, Allein Gott exists both in duple and triple rhythmic forms. The stately duple rhythm version was included in The Hymnal 1940 at #303 with a harmonization by Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1849). However, the older and more dance-like triple rhythm form, with harmonization by Hieronymous Praetorius (c.1560–1629), was chosen for the metrical Gloria in The Hymnal 1982.

The Sanctus is from A Community Mass by Richard Proulx (1937–2010). Organist, composer, and conductor, Richard Proulx was one of the brightest lights in American Roman Catholic church music in the late twentieth century. He was also sought out internationally and ecumenically to compose, to consult, to teach, and to direct music programs. In addition to church music, his works include operas, orchestral music, and film scores. From 1980 to 1994 Richard Proulx directed a distinguished music program at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago during which time the Casavant choir organ and landmark four-manual Flentrop gallery organ were commissioned and installed. Proulx’s A Community Mass was composed in 1970 and quickly became a staple in Roman Catholic congregations. Its sturdy Sanctus, when sung by congregations, carries the text and its liturgical function powerfully.

The Agnus Dei is from John Merbecke’s Communion setting originally published in The booke of Common praier Noted of 1550. Merbecke (c.1510–c.1585) was known to have been a lay-clerk and organist at Saint George’s, Windsor, in 1541. Apart from an obscure Latin Mass and two motets composed in his earlier years, Merbecke’s lasting musical contribution is his collected plainsong settings of the 1550 Prayer Book, most likely the earliest musical setting of the English Ordinary. Merbecke’s settings for the Mass are scrupulously syllabic and free of melodic fancy but yet melodically graceful. Although his original notation and instruction clearly indicates notes of long and short duration, nineteen and early twentieth century editions of his music made all but final syllables of phrases equally short. The Hymnal 1982 edition has restored the original rhythms to Merbecke’s chant. His Agnus Dei is found at S 157.

During the administration of Communion, countertenor Eli Berman will sing a setting of Psalm 25:16-21 by Antonín Dvořák (1841–1901). In March 1894, while Dvořák was living in New York City, he composed a cycle of ten Biblical Songs, Opus 99, of which O Lord, have mercy is the eighth. These ten songs all derive their texts from the Psalter and were first published in Czech with English and German translations in 1895. Scored originally quite simply for piano and voice, Dvořák orchestrated only the first five of the songs in a manuscript which was published posthumously in 1914. These Biblical Songs are notable for their simplicity of means and effectiveness of expression. They are often performed as a cycle or in select groupings as well as being offered liturgically.

Eli Berman is a Brooklyn-based vocalist, composer, producer, and sound artist originally from Pittsburgh, PA. She has sung with the choir of Saint Mary’s since 2024 and has performed with the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys and C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective. Berman has appeared as a countertenor and baritone soloist in works by Tavener, Bach, and Eve Beglarian. She recently premiered a new opera by Max Abner at Atlantic Theater Company and recorded all parts of an AATTBB choral work by Shruthi Rajesekar. Berman’s original music weaves together choral traditions, extended vocal techniques, Jewish cantorial singing, and Appalachian ballads with experimental electronics. She performs and builds installations with custom “vocal feedback pipes”—amplified PVC and steel tubes rigged with animal hides, transducers, and effects pedals that transform her voice with resonant feedback. As a member of Kleztronica, a collective blending techno, klezmer, and Jewish liturgy, Berman produces club, ambient, and noise music entirely from processed samples of her voice. She has performed across North America and Europe at venues including Ars Nova, National Sawdust, Morgan Library & Museum, Banff Centre, Centro Cultural Ollin Yoliztli, Neues Nationalgalerie, Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm, and the Monastery of Saint Martin Pinario. Berman holds an MA in Digital Musics from Dartmouth College and a BA in Music from Princeton University, where she graduated summa cum laude and received the Edward T. Cone Memorial Prize. 

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Saint Mary’s is a vibrant Anglo-Catholic witness in the heart of NYC. With our identity in Christ and a preference for the poor, we are an inclusive, diverse community called to love God and each other for the life of the world.

This edition of The Angelus was written and edited by Father Matt Jacobson, except as noted. Father Matt is also responsible for formatting it on the parish website and distributing it via mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt, parish administrator, and parish volunteer, Clint Best. If you have an idea for an article that you would like to publish in an upcoming issue of The Angelus, Father Matt would be happy to discuss it with you.