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    New Saints: Canonizing the Victims of the Armenian Genocide
    New Saints: Canonizing the Victims of the Armenian Genocide
    New Saints: Canonizing the Victims of the Armenian Genocide
    Ebook111 pages1 hour

    New Saints: Canonizing the Victims of the Armenian Genocide

    By Rev. Dr. Abel Manoukian

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    The present volume introduces the development of Canonization
    in the Armenian Church Tradition and professes strongly to canonize the Armenian Martyrs on the eve of the 100th Anniversary of 1915 Genocide Commemoration.

    How will this joint canonization be conveyed with
    regards to the massive number of genocide victims? Will
    it be done through individualization or by the following
    decree: "All those who died for their Christian faith." It is
    important for the Armenian Church to take the latter
    approach, for it is only God who knows, as He is the one
    who sanctifies either a person or a collective, for their
    sacrifice and testimony of faith.

    Of course, it would have been better if our Church
    had, many years ago, taken the necessary steps of enlightening
    our people as to why we needed to sanctify our martyrs, why their canonization is valuable to us
    now and to future generations as well.

    Let this booklet be a small offering in fulfilling what
    this prospect essentially lacks.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBooks on Demand
    Release dateApr 21, 2015
    ISBN9783738690545
    New Saints: Canonizing the Victims of the Armenian Genocide
    Author

    Rev. Dr. Abel Manoukian

    Rev. Dr. Abel Hratch Manoukian was born in Beirut, Lebanon. In 1973, he was admitted to the Theological Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia, graduating in 1979 with high honors. In 1987, he received his Master of Theology from the University of Vienna, Austria and in 1993, his Doctor of Theology from the same university. From 1989 to 1991, he was the founder and director of the Center for Christian Education in Holy Etchmiadzin and Yerevan. From 1992 to 1994, he was the Pastor of the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Toronto and Vicar General of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada. In 1994-1995, he was the Director of the Center for Christian Studies and Theology of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada in Montreal. From 1995 up until 2011, he was the Parish Priest of the Armenian Community in Switzerland. He has served the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church and communities in Austria, Canada, Armenia and Switzerland for more than 32 years. Presently, he is very active in Armenian social and cultural projects. Rev. Dr. Abel Manoukian speaks several languages and has authored over 30 books and numerous scholarly articles published in five languages. The Author writes his works in Western and Eastern Armenian, German and English. The present volume introduces the development of Canonization in the Armenian Church Tradition and professes strongly to canonize the Armenian Martyrs on the eve of the 100th Anniversary of 1915 Genocide Commemoration.

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      Book preview

      New Saints - Rev. Dr. Abel Manoukian

      This book is dedicated to the memory of

      the 1,500,000 victims of the Armenian Genocide

      on the eve of the 100th Anniversary Commemoration

      This publication is sponsored by

      Dr. Mihran and Mrs. Armik Yeromian.

      Many thanks for their kind and generous donation.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Author’s Note

      Preface

      Individual and Collective Sainthood in the Church The Countless Armenian Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide

      Foreword

      Introduction

      The Perfect Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide for the Canonization of Martyrs

      Who Should Canonize the Armenian Genocide Martyrs?

      Komitas Vardapet, a Symbolic Figure of the Armenian Intellectuals Martyrs of the Genocide

      Saints in the Church Tradition

      Saints in the Armenian Church Tradition

      The Last Saints

      600 Years without Saints

      The Spiritual and Moral Imperative of the New Times

      Do We Need New Saints?

      Demand for Canonization of the Genocide Martyrs and His Holiness Vasken I

      Canonization of the Genocide Martyrs as Timeless Spiritual and Moral Imperative for Armenians

      The Creation of a Canonization Committee

      Collective Canonization of Martyrs in the Armenian Tradition

      Canonization in the Armenian Church Tradition

      The Debate

      Calendar and Ritual Issues

      In Sacred Relationship with the Genocide Martyrs

      Index

      AUTHOR'S NOTE

      This book should have been published a year ago, as it was a project we had planned. But due to certain circumstances and unforeseen delays, its publication now coincides with the revision of the decision regarding sanctification.

      Deliberations, which are recapped in this booklet, date back to 2005, when the question of canonizing the victims of the Armenian Genocide was being discussed within national and clerical circles. At the time, a publication entitled Did the Armenian Church stop having Saints? was printed in Eastern and Western Armenian, as well as in French.

      We are extremely overjoyed that the Catholicos of each Armenian See has in their decree reflected on the joint decision of sanctification on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and an official canonization ceremony will take place for our countless Armenian martyrs on April 23, 2015.

      How will this joint canonization be conveyed with regards to the massive number of genocide victims? Will it be done through individualization or by the following decree: All those who died for their Christian faith. It is important for the Armenian Church to take the latter approach, for it is only God who knows, as He is the one who sanctifies either a person or a collective, for their sacrifice and testimony of faith.

      Of course, it would have been better if our Church had, many years ago, taken the necessary steps of enlightening our people as to why we needed to sanctify our martyrs, why their canonization is valuable to us now and to future generations as well.

      Let this booklet be a small offering in fulfilling what this prospect essentially lacks.

      Let the great testimony of faith from our countless Armenian martyrs be a luminous example to us so along with the Apostle Paul, we may say: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

      Let us remain in the communion of our martyred saints; let us be worthy of their ray of light, of that life that overcomes death.

      Acknowledgements

      I express my profound gratitude to all those friends and colleagues who helped me complete this project. In particular, I would like to thank: Nathalie Yeguenian, Dania Ohanian, Dr. Iso Baumer, Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian, Jirair Tutunjian, Papken Topjian, Thomas Flügge, Heinrich and Gerold Evanzin, and my dear friend and brother in Christ for their great assistance with the English translation, and for their part in the proof-reading of this edition.

      I owe as well my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Mihran and Mrs. Armik Yeromian for their kind and generous donation which made possible the publication of this volume.

      I should also like to extend my sincere thanks to my publisher Mr. Yeprem Tokjian for the meticulous care that he provided at each phase of the production of this publication.

      Fr. Abel Manoukian

      PREFACE

      On the 75th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, in a joint Communiqué issued on April 29, 1989 for the occasion, Their Holiness Vasken I Catholicos of All Armenians and Karekin II Catholicos of Cilicia propose[d] that the preparatory activities continue for the canonization of [the Genocide] victims. Indeed, the idea of

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