On Sunday, September 10, 2006, Holy Martyrs will once again host our annual Street Festival. As in the past three years, Oceania Street will be closed to traffic and transformed into a huge block party complete with Armenian delicacies, live music, dance performances, vendors, “attic treasures,” book-tique sales, drawings for prizes, and new and exciting rides and entertainment for the children. With over 1000 people in attendance last year, the committee is anticipating another successful festival. Please pray for beautiful weather! Anyone wishing to volunteer to help set-up, clean-up or cook during the festival, or if anyone wants to sponsor the event or a vendor table, please contact the church office and leave a message for Festival Chairman, Gregory Saraydarian or Vice Chairman, Peter Paternostro, Jr. The Festival Committee is looking forward to another fun-filled afternoon shared with our neighbors and Armenian family members. Spread the word to your friends and don’t miss the best Armenian Street Festival in the Diocese!

Another exciting community event in the planning stages is the Art Show Weekend, scheduled for October 20-22, 2006. The Art Show Planning Committee, under the co-chairmanship of Grace Kechian and Dr. Lynn Cetin, is an enthusiastic group of parishioners who are planning to transform Kalustyan Hall into an Armenian Art Gallery. Prepare to stroll through aisles of artwork and meet with artists, all with an Armenian connection. All items on display throughout the weekend will be available for purchase. A special book reading on Saturday evening, October 21, 2006 is also planned, as well as other surprises. An unforgettable cultural experience is guaranteed for this special weekend. Don’t miss it!

As we anticipate the coming of these two special events, a few more exciting bits of news are noteworthy to share with the parish. At the end of June 2006, the next-door house owned by the parish was successfully rented to an Armenian family. Please be courteous to our new neighbors as you park in front of their home and welcome them if you should see them outside.

In July we sadly said goodbye to Ruzanna Arsenian, our office secretary for the past 5½ years. We congratulate Ruzanna on her new job and new home in Nassau and thank her for her many years of hard work running our busy office, which was no easy task.  A special Farewell Fellowship was held in Ruzanna’s honor on Sunday, July 23, 2006 following Badarak. We wish her much success as she starts a new phase of her life!

As we said goodbye to Ruzanna, we welcomed Mariam Vakilian as our new office secretary. Mariam is not new to Holy Martyrs, as she, her husband Serge and daughters Talin and Hamaspur have been active members of our parish for many years. Mariam comes to the church office position with many years of experience working in the banking and finance fields. Mariam has a BS in Finance from Queens College and is very knowledgeable in accounting and computers. As an added bonus, Mariam and her family live within walking distance of Holy Martyrs. If you should call the office for any reason, please introduce yourself and welcome Mariam to our "administrative family."

 Never believe anyone who says that summer is a time to just “sit back and relax.”  In an active parish like Holy Martyrs, exciting things are always happening!  Whether it is planning for an event, rejoicing in someone’s success or welcoming new people, our doors are open all year round!  If you haven’t done so, please consider joining us for some “spiritual relaxation” on Sunday mornings during the remaining weeks of the summer.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars and join us for our exciting fall events! Spread the news!