On September 28-30, 2007, under the auspices of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, the 3rd annual Pan North American ACYO Retreat took place at the scenic Wesley Acres Retreat Centre in Bloomsfield, Ontario, Canada.
Since January 2007, the PNAAR Central Planning Committee has been planning and working diligently to prepare for this historic retreat, a first for our Canadian Diocese.
On Sunday morning, His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian presided over the Divine Liturgy celebration and conveyed the message of the day. His Eminence praised the role of our Youth in the life of the Armenian Church. He encouraged the participants in the PNAA Retreat to remain strong in their Christian faith and love for the Armenian Church.
| The weekend was filled with prayers, workshops, bible study, hot topic discussions, hugs, laughter, canoeing, hiking, questions, singing, karaoke, campfires and so much more, as ACYO members, Clergy and Diocesan Staff from the three North American Dioceses joined in fellowship and worship. |
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In the coming weeks, testimonials from the participants will appear as they share their stories. The PNAAR mission, which is “to promote Christian fellowship, to deepen understanding of our faith and spiritual growth and to worship together as Christian Armenians”, encompasses an integral and vital link for our Armenian youth and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The magnitude of a retreat like this takes collaboration on all levels. The following are people I would like to thank: Nancy Basmajian, ACYOA Executive Secretary, Eastern Diocese, who was an important guide for me as I navigated through the development of this retreat; Meher Torossian, Chair of the ACYOC Central Council and to all Central Councils for their devotedness; Raffi Orfali for assisting with the ACYOC website, Ara Graphics for all the printing material, Rita Odjaghian from Cabury’s for the chocolate gifts, Maral Deveci, who as Chair of the Administrative Committee, exemplified great initiative and dedication; the Parishes for encouraging their youth to participate and to all the wonderful and hard working committee members, for their commitment and dedication to this retreat from beginning to end.
The following are testimonials from some of our participants:
Dear Maida:
This past weekend with the Pan North American ACYO Retreat is one which I will long remember and cherish. Simply being with so many fine young people and seeing their interest and enthusiasm was itself a wonderful experience. Added to that was the warm hospitality and the many considerations extended to me by you and the various committee members. THANK YOU seems so inadequate an expression but one which is most appropriate. Thank you for everything. You, Father Myron and the committee members are to be most heartily congratulated for the outstanding job you did. It was quite obvious that what you did was a labor of love. I look forward to seeing you next year in Chicago. Please accept and extend my most sincere thanks to all of your committee members.
In His Name,
Rev. Fr. Vartan Archpriest Kasparian
St.Mary Armenian Apostolic Church of Yettem
California
October 4, 2007
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Thursday, October 04, 2007 PNAAR Letter
The 3rd annual Pan North American ACYO Retreat was held at Wesley Acres, Ontario, during the weekend of September 28-30th 2007; the theme chosen for this years retreat was “The Holy Altar – Gateway to Answers”.
My experience during this weekend affected me on several levels. First and Foremost, I had the opportunity to meet plenty of fellow Armenians from all across North America, including the Eastern and Western Diocese. Everyone got along great and we had a lot of fun with one another, not only during the workshops, but during all the activities that took place such as hiking, playing sports, and canoeing as well. The bond that was created over the weekend was remarkable, and one that will definitely be lasting.
Aside from the social aspect, I think I could speak on behalf of all the members involved that this retreat was not only educational, but affected each and every one of us on a spiritual level as well. Over the course of the weekend, members of the clergy and volunteers from each diocese arranged workshops; every one of these workshops was focused on a different topic regarding Christianity, whether it was about the holy altar and its symbolism, Christianity and our faith, or discussions about readings from the bible and what they mean to us, and how it affects our lives today. The responses and discussions that were sparked from these workshops were great. On a personal level, I learned a lot about Christianity and what the Holy Altar symbolizes, not only things I was unaware of, but also issues and objects that I was not aware of.
A lot of work and effort was put into the organization of PNAAR. A lot of thanks goes out to Maida Icliates, Chairperson of our Central Planning Committee, who took on this huge task voluntarily, and with the assistance of the organizing committee, a very successful weekend was put together. The goal of this retreat was not only to bring individuals together, but to learn more about ourselves and our faith on a different level; this goal was achieved with all the members involved in putting this weekend together, and I can honestly say that I am definitely looking forward to the next PNAA retreat which will be held in the Eastern Diocese, and hopefully, with more recognition, a larger group of youth will come to share this wonderful experience.
Sincerely,
Maral Deveci
Member of the Central Planning Committee
3rd Annual PNAAR
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The 3rd Annual ACYO Pan North American Youth Retreat.
As the Days were nearing I could not wait any longer for this special, and important weekend to get together with youth all over USA and Canada. Finally the day officially had arrived where I hardly slept the night before knowing that I will be seeing people that I met in the First ACYO PNAR in New York in September 2005 and to meet new people of course. The time had come to go to church to meet up with friends and meet new friends as I and others were anxiously waiting to board the bus and travel to Wesley Acres to get this wonderful and spiritual weekend started to create special bonds, to strengthen friendships, to reach out, to live together, to learn from one another, to learn about the Altar, and lots more.
When I was in New York in 2005 and Wesley Acres in 2007, I learned that no matter where we are from, no matter what we do, we are all in this together for 3 things, to be a WHOLE, to be ONE body and to be a happy ACYO Family, that does not include themselves to live up to a title that has no meaning, but to strive, to be there for the church, and the Armenian youth, to reach out to others, and openly welcome anyone regardless of peoples opinions, the person, or beliefs because we are all the same in the end. No one is better than the next person. All that is Different is ACYOC/ACYOA, but we still have the ACYO, Armenian Church Youth Organization. Always know that God has plans for us and he will help us through anything and everything.
It was such an honour, and such a wonderful experience to learn the gateway of the Armenian Altar. you know how they say "You learn something new everyday". I totally believe in that and its true you do learn something new each and every passing day. I just want to thank my brothers and sisters of the ACYO Family for taking the time out of your busy lives, and dedicating yourselves to travel all distances to be with us for a short and fast weekend, but a weekend that is and always will be memorable and discussed about for years to come. I thank all the priests and preachers for a job well done and enlightening us with your wonderful words at discussions, bible study and teaching us to believe, to be strong, and to live life the way its meant to be lived. Lastly I would like to thank my fellow Hardworking committee and to Maida Icliates for working so hard, and for giving her time to do this wonderful PNAR experience.
In my last words, never stop reaching out, never stop being you, never stop believing. Always be positive, happy and THINK AS ONE. NOT ONE HUNDRED even though you may not agree, but God will guide you through the right path. Until the next PNAR, All the best, have fun, take care, do your thing and hope to see you all and more next year in the Eastern Diocese in the US in 2008.
With Love and appreciation
TALIN ORFALI -- ACYOC TORONTO