To Our Beloved Church Members,

2004 is behind us. The history of this past year cannot now be changed, whether what was done was permanent or transient, whether what happened was pleasing or upsetting, interesting or unimportant. Of course each one of us would prefer to re-live some of the events of last year and, if possible, change some of our decisions, or take a different route. Yet certainly there were some developments in 2004 that were pleasing and crowned with success.

In any case, now it is all history. It is not possible to change any of it. This is how the history of men, families, and nations comes about.

NEW TIMES: NEW RESPONSIBILITIES
What place will you occupy in the memory of your children? Will some part of this not become clear in 2005? I wonder what will happen in the New Year. Everything will start anew in one sense or another. A further chapter of history will be written in the New Year and in reality, it is us who will write it. As individuals or collectively with others, everyone will play a role in its formation. Everything that happened last year that saddened us or that we wished, if it were only possible, to straighten out, might be rectified by new decisions which we will take in the year before us. I wonder what sort of path we will trace in the pages of history?

REALITIES
As is the case in every birthday celebration, it is also true in New Year festivities that we are reminded of the reality of the passing of yet another year. Whether we desire it or not, time moves on. The numbered days of our lives are like that too. How happy are those who mature and gain wisdom of life with each passing day! St. Paul wrote, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen istemporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” (2 Cor 4:16-18, NRSV)

1600 YEARS OF HONOUR
At the beginning of the fifth century Catholicos Sahag Bartev, the Armenian King Vramshabuh, and the hieromonk Mesrob Mashdots joined efforts to find the most appropriate letters for our beautiful tongue in order to communicate these spiritual truths to our people. Thus, in 2005, we will celebrate the 1600th anniversary of the appearance of the Armenian alphabet.

This event, in addition to its spiritual dimensions, has been a revolution for the splendid Armenian Culture. It strengthened the Armenian Church and laid the foundation for Armenian Literature. Following the outstanding contributions of the Holy Translators (Srpots Tarkmanchats Vartabedats), foreign prophets, disciples, teachers and philosophers began to speak Armenian with our people. The Armenian tongue and its texts, together with the light of our faith, are today’s guarantors of the existence of our people. Indeed, every single one of the Armenian people should feel proud of and praise our 2,500 year written history and 1,600 year literature. It is also the most natural human right today for every person of Armenian roots to take every opportunity and make use of all of the possibilities of this age to learn the faith of our ancestors and our language.

ST. MESROB IN ISTANBUL
St. Mesrob Mashdots, the ingenious founder of Armenian writing and literature, was born in the village of Hatsegats, province of Mush, and was buried in the village of Oshagan, in the region of Arakadzodn. After creating the alphabet, Father Mesrob came to Istanbul with Bishop Kint of Tercan. They appeared before Patriarch Atticos and Emperor Theodos II, asking permission to teach the new alphabet to the Armenians living west of the Euphrates River. St. Mesrob, who was granted his wish, at the same time acquired the Holy Bible in its Septuagint version. It was thus possible to revise the Ar