NEWS

On January 10 2021, the Benedictine Sisters from Wołów, who are the heiresses of the Benedictine Sisters from Lviv gave the Foundation of the Culture and Heritage of Polish Armenians consecutive extremely valuable gift. These are the remaining 4 portraits of the Lviv Benedictine abbesses and the image of the Mother of God with the child. The portraits present the first abbess Marianna Nersewiczówna and three other abbess nuns Anna Ludwika Krzysztofowiczówna, Kajetana Rozalia Sarkisiewiczówna and Janina Alojza Janowiczówna. These four paintings complement the collection of 11 existing and preserved portraits of the abbesses of the Primate Benedictine convent from Lviv. Previously, we received 7 paintings from the sisters from Wołów, which have already undergone specialist research and conservation, thanks to that they regained their former splendor and retained all traces of the passage of time since their creation.
The handing over of these portraits is a historic event for the Foundation.
We obtain therefore one of the most valuable artifacts of the bygone era, commemorating the convent of the Armenian Benedictines and at the same time a unique collection of paintings, giving an overview of the changes in the painting of that time.

The agreement and the respective protocol were signed by Sister Maria Danuta Trybula, Superior of the Co

nvent and Maria Ohanowicz-Tarasiuk, President of the Board of the Foundation. Mrs Romana Obrocka, a frequent visitor to this place, also participated in the act of handing over of the paintings.
During the meeting, Sister Maria showed us a beautiful reliquary with the remains of Saint Rypsina and Saint Benedict, and the original crosier that can be seen in the three latest portraits of the abbesses . We also had the opportunity to visit the convent chapel.

We would like to express our sincere thanks once again to the Sisters for their wonderful gift for the Foundation. Thanks to this decision, these portraits, priceless for the history of the Benedictine convent, will be saved from degradation caused by the passage of time and will regain their former glory.

Dear readers, friends and donors,

There have been many changes in the Foundation at the beginning of this year.

We will resign from the services of the former bank. Currently it is exclusively BNP Paribas – account number where payments for statutory purposes can be made is; 35 1600 1462 1890 8960 3000 0001

Another fundamental change is that in the 15th year of its activity, the Foundation moves to a new premises
that meets our needs and expectations.
Our new address is; ul. Świętojerska 12, 00-236 Warszawa (12, Swietojerska str., 00-236 Warsaw)
– near tourist routes – Nowe Miasto (New Town), 150 m from Freta Street.

The new headquarters is located on the ground floor with an entrance directly from the street. The space at our disposal will allow us to devote it partially for the generally available exhibitions of our museum and archives.

It is apparent that the implementation of these wonderful plans will be dependent on obtaining the necessary resources. However, we are full of optimism that everything will turn out to be successful. We believe that in a few months we will be able to host our friends, supporters, people interested in our collections and tourists visiting Warsaw.

Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) was established in Egypt in 1906
as non –profit organization. With the advent of World War II, the headquarters of the organization moved to New York. European headquarters of AGBU are in Brussels.
Recently, this organization has been particularly active in helping the victims of the August explosion in Beirut.
A last month catastrophic explosion at the Beirut port took the lives of many men , women and children. A lot of people were injured. It destroyed and damaged many living compounds as well as destroyed many businesses.
The AGBU’s many years of experience in providing humanitarian aid helped
in urgent organization of immediate aid for Lebanon, where, as we know,
a large Armenian Diaspora lives.
The AGBU 2020 Relief Fund for Lebanon has been established- to the Aid of Thousands. Staff and volunteers are working around the clock to deliver urgent need throughout hardest hit areas. Mobilization of volunteers was carried out as far as task force , hotline, welcome center, clean-up are concerned. Other ranges of activities concerned home repairs and reconstruction ; assessments, funding, rebuild for 500+ homes (reconstruction has already begun).
Food Support Programs: monthly food provisions for 5,000+Armenians as well as prepared meals helping non-Armenians.
Medical Aid and Counseling: dispensaries providing medical aid to Armenians and some non-Armenians, support programs, trauma counseling for youth.

AGBU’s Run for Lebanon
Within the action Lebanon AGBU also proposed the organization of 10 K Global Run on October 25 this year.
The principal premises for this event are as follows;
AGBU 10 K GLOBAL RUN , Marketing and Promotions – September
/Some details from AGBU Brussels websites are quoted below in the text/
Phase 1
RECRUIT▪Globalemailblastandsocialmediacampaign▪Chapters/YPs/Partners use marketing materials to encourage sign-ups (email blasts and social media campaigns -ongoing)▪Chapters/YPs/Partnersactively recruit local runners/fundraisers▪Runners (Fundraisers) startsoliciting personal network for donations
Phase 2
D O N A T I O N S Global and Europe recruiting continues as needed▪Globalemail blast and social media campaign encouraging donations▪
Chapters/YPs/Partnersencourage local donors to support efforts of local runners/fundraisers▪Chapters/YPs/ Partnersencourage their runners to fundraise actively throughout this period and to cheer on their efforts.
RUN – Runners are invited to run/walk on their own and at their own pace on October 25,2020 where ever in the world they are.
CELEBRATE – All are invited to take part in the post-run celebrations on October 25th
Organizers suggest to take advantage of the posts texts in media ,such as;
Suggestion 1:We need you to help raise funds for Lebanon. Anyone can participate. Walk, Run, or Jog! Sign up to help feed those in need.
Suggestion 2:Help us feed those most in need in Lebanon. You can raise funds by joining the 10K Global Run. It’s easy -walk, jog, run. Anyone can participate.
Suggestion 3:Walk, jog or run to raise funds for Lebanon relief. You can make a difference by joining our 10K Global Run
As for the banners or flags used during the event, the organizers propose to use specific graphic solutions which are available on the websites of AGBU BRUSSELS.
In general, the event is described in detail on the internet and if you are willing to participate, you will need to refer to the details placed there.

TVP Gdansk_panoramaGdansk_minister J.Selin
On June 2 last year, a fire broke out in the attic of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Fortunately, it did not harm the main part of the Church, but it seriously damaged the eastern roof truss. The church, one of the oldest in Gdansk, needed immediate renovation. The authorities of Gdańsk and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage came with help. Currently, the renovation is coming to an end.
According to TVP Gdansk in the program on 26/9, Jaroslaw Sellin, Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage, visited the Church. By the way, he was here together with Minister Piotr Glinski right after this unfortunate event. The parish parson, priest Cezary Annusewicz, once again made a huge effort to rebuild the Church of Saints Peter and Paul

The title of the material that appeared on the TVP3 Gdansk website is;
“Church of Saint Peter and Paul recovers its splendor after the fire”.

“GOLDEN AGE OF JAGIELLONS” – it is a virtual exhibition prepared on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the birth of King Sigismund II Augustus. It was implemented by the National Institue of Ossolinskis’ in Wroclaw from the collections of the National Institute of Ossolinskis’, the National Museum in Krakow, the Lviv National Library of Ukraine named after W.Stefanyk, Foundation of Culture and Heritage of Polish Armenians and private collections. The curator of the exhibition is dr Dorota Sidorowicz- Mulak , and the descriptions to the armenikas presented at the exhibition were prepared by dr Andrzej A. Zieba.
We invite you to see these unique exhibits, take advantage of educational games and interactive texts and listen to a concert of vocal music from the Jagiellonian era.

The exhibition is available under address; www.zlotaepoka.ossolineum.pl

Armenika from the collections of the Foundation are available in the section Society and Economy ….:armenika (Spoleczenstwo i Gospoda ….:armenika).

The Organization Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) – its headquarters are in Brussels – has launched the initiative Humanitarian Energy Relief Fund in order to support thousands of Armenians in the whole world affected by the pandemic COVID 19 and most exposed to morbidity. You may join this action of help; www.agbugiving.org/reliefefforts/

Nicolas Tavitian, director of AGBU Europe describes the GORIZ program in this way;
“As recent events in Armenia have shown the history is still being created and Armenians in the world perspective could be a good example of a brave nation deciding of the shape of its future. (…) Armenian nation requires a new generation of effective leaders to be able to face together new challenges. (…) “
Tavitian underlines that everybody of ourselves can have own contribution to the Global Armenian Nation . The Program as such is destined for the group composed of 15 men and 15 women who are to start on the six-month Development of Leadership journey. This journey will be composed of lectures, experimental workshops and activities referring to social relations.
Within the Program GORIZ AGBU Europe organizes the open live Seminar “Leading the Self, Others and Organizations’’ on the 4th of July 2020 at 15.00 hrs. Registration; www.leadership.am The seminar will be conducted by Armen Ovanesoff, chief director of Accenture, The link to this event is; https://www.facebook.com/events/626986528173120/

24th April 1915

The murders of the Armenian people began on the 24th of April 1915. Most of Armenian intelligentsia were arrested and killed. The further step was deportation of Armenian Community from subsequent regions of Turkey to Mesopotamia and Syria.
It was connected with many weeks forced marches through wilderness and deserts. During these marches deportees were robbed ,tortured and murdered. In total over one million of Armenians were deprived of life. To this day, Turkey refuses to recognize these mass murders as genocide.

On 23rd of April in the Polish TV channel TVP Historia at 20.00 hrs was presented the film dedicated to the said topic. It is available online; ludobojstwo-ormian

Priest Professor Józef Naumowicz
Pastor of Armenian Catholics
gave us the following message;

On April 24, I urge you to celebrate in a special way the day of remembrance of the genocide of Armenians We cannot as every year gather at Khachkars in various centers in Poland (Kraków,Wroclaw, Gdansk, Warszawa, and others) in order to pray together, lay flowers, pay homage to the victims. We cannot walk through the streets of cities in memory marches with banners and Armenian flags in order to constantly remind everybody about this tragedy. However, we can cultivate this memory individually or in families. We can also pray for the victims of this slaughter, for peace and pray to the Armenian martyrs.

I wish to remind you that we have Holy Armenian martyrs.

• Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Mardin in Turkey Ignacy Maloyan was beatified in Vatican by the Pope John Paul II in 2001.He was killed of martyrs death. He was imprisoned and subjected to terrible torture. He refused to convert to Islam. He was sentenced to be shot. Before execution on 11th of June 1915 he rejected the offer to save his life for the price of renouncing his faith.’
• In August 2015 Flawian Michal Melki Syrian Catholic Bishop was beatified. He was murdered during the genocide of Armenians and Assyrians on 29th of August 1915 for refusing to convert to Islam. The solemn beatification took place in Lebanon. On behalf of the Pope Francis Cardinal Angelo Sodano was leading the Ceremony.
• On 23rd of April 2015 Armenian Apostolic Church canonized victims of the Genocide from the beginning of 20th Century recognizing them as martyrs. Taking into consideration the number of candidates for altars it was , as it seems to be, the biggest canonization in the history of Christianity ( 1,5 mln of martyrs ). This very canonization was carried out (then on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the tragic events – 24th of April 2015 ) by two Armenian Catholicoses Karekin II and Aram I. At the Ceremony were present representatives of other denominations and among them Roman Catholic and Armenian Catholic churches.
  24th of April was designated as the day of holy martyrs in the Apostolic liturgy calendar. They suffered martyr’s death for their faith and homeland during the genocide of Armenians. It is therefore the new saints memorial day.

Let the symbolic forget-me-not flower purple and blue be a sign of the tragedy and at the same time sign of fortitude, glory and faith of Armenian martyrs of years 1915-17 who were killed for their homeland and Christian faith.

On 24.IV I will be praying individually by the Khachkar at Ormianski Skwer (Warszawa Sadyba) and by the Khachkar near the Temple of God’s Providence (Warszawa-Wilanow).

Priest Józef Naumowicz

In the issue no 2 (58) of the quarterly Przegląd Wschodni (Eastern Review) you can find the text of Marcin Tyszka in which the author discusses the activities of the Armenian-Catholic Parish in Stanislawów. The full title of this article is “Before the destruction; From the history of the Armenian Catholic Parish in Stanisławów in the last years of its existence”. Marcin Tyszka using among others documents available in the Foundation of Culture and Heritage of Polish Armenians describes the most important events of the Parish life presenting its picture in the last years of independence and the period of occupation. He quotes the information about the constant church services and the celebrations related to the liturgical calendar. He quotes as well the coverage of major events like the coronation of the image of Gracious Lady in 1937 which appeared to be a unique celebration in the life of the Parish and Stanislawów city. In the presented text we also see how the years of occupation forced the Parish to reduced activities limited mostly to beseeching services and holy masses with the intentions “ for a happy return”. The author appreciates especially the great commitment of acting there priests despite a lot of difficulties which were taking place in connection with tragic times.
In the same number of Przeglad Wschodni (Eastern Review) Dariusz Maciak prepared a chronicle of the most important events from 2026-2018 that took place in centers in Poland associated with the celebration of the 650th anniversary of the granting of the privilege for Polish Armenians by King Casimir the Great in 1367.

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(Word from the editor)
Dear Readers.

We did not think that such a moment would ever come, and yet it came. Wherever you look there is only one valid topic – epidemic. The scale and speed of spreading of the virus are unheard of in the 21st century. There is an extremely difficult situation of individuals, enterprises, organizations and lastly countries and the whole world. There are uncertainty of tomorrow and hardships of quarantine. However, we know all this and we must somehow survive this difficult time. You also have to remember about the hard work of people on the front lines – doctors, nurses and rescuers.

We should think whether, in this situation, we cannot help anyone, even at a distance.  In the meantime, however, our editors continue their work hoping that the articles in “AWEDIS” will help at least for a moment to divert attention from what is outside the window and take time when we almost do not go outside. In our magazine as always there are many memories, biographies and a lot of history. There are as well coverage of events and presentation of new publications. We hope, and we believe you certainly do, that the situation will get improved as soon as possible and that life will soon return to normal. to download.

Editorial office