Message of Fr. Vazken Movsesian,
parish priest of St. Andrew Armenian Church, Cupertino,
from the Nakhagoch Newsletter.
Electronic version archived on:
SAIN-- St. Andrew Information Network
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c. 1995 Fr. Vazken Movsesian
Address comments to: dervaz@sain.org
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This Christmas Climb Treasure Mountain

No, this message is not about a new attraction at Disneyland. There is a 
monastery in Karabagh called Gandzasar. Literally, the word Gandzasar 
means the "mountain of treasure." And it is certainly an appropriate title. 
There, you will find a church which has endured for centuries, the 
aggression of enemies. Today the quiet prayers of monks is a living 
testament to God's enduring care for His people. 
It was no wonder that a group of clergy and intellectuals have adopted 
this name, Gandzasar, for their monumental work. Four years ago, the 
Gandzasar Theological Center was formed and has operated ever since, 
under seemingly impossible conditions in Armenia. The center, which 
has 70 full and part time employees, is responsible for processing and 
disseminating the Armenian Church's spiritual treasures. Scholars and 
computer programmers work into the night, translating, formatting and 
providing Armenian manuscripts and hymns for our people.
Last month St. Andrew was host to the founder and president of the 
Center, Fr. Mesrop Aramyan. His primary reason for coming to our area 
was to establish relations with the electronic industry. We were also able 
to give him opportunity to network with local Armenian high-tech 
professionals. During his brief visit, we were made aware of Gandzasar's 
efforts and work.
Ninety percent of the Armenian Church's literature (theology, prayers, 
hymns, etc.), says Fr. Mesrop, is in the form of handwritten manuscripts. 
The importance of the Center's effort is that they are processing this 
literature and making it available to the public. To date, they have 
published 35 books, countless tracts and pamphlets. They are producing 
CD ROMs filled with Armenian Church literature and soon they will 
make the material available on the Internet.
Most striking about their efforts, is the level of commitment these 
engineers and scholars have for processing this information. Under 
relatively primitive circumstances, the Center is producing such a high 
quality of publications and material that they can easily compete in any 
market. Fr. Mesrop tells the story of how they have a mountain of car 
batteries stacked up to power their computers (because of undependable 
power supply). Their programmers and engineers have to dissect 
systems because they have no access to the latest programming tools. 
They have written entire operating systems in Armenian so to create 
better work environments. Just imagine where this talent can go if they 
had the means and resources we take for granted here in the States? Add 
to their limited resources, a hierarchy in the Armenian Church which 
can't recognize the value of this work, and we can only partially imagine 
the frustration level these devoted children of the Church endure. 
As we prepare for the Christmas season, the message we receive from 
Gandzasar is very timely. The Center's work comes as a reminder of our 
true mission in the Armenian Church: to Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus 
Christ to the people. In the early centuries, it was through speech, later it 
was by means of the pen, today it is with computers. The tools change, 
but the purpose never does. At Christmas, we celebrate the totality of 
Love, of a God who does not abandon His Creation, but nurtures it with 
an unconditional Love. Our Lord Jesus Christ is born at Christmas, 
penetrating the hearts and souls of His children with love and 
compassion. The message of Love is so powerful it demands that we 
proclaim it. 
The challenge before us is to never lose sight of our calling as a Church. 
We at St. Andrew are using all the resources within our means to do this 
work. The call is to all of us. Join the effort of your Church in any way 
you can. The more talent we have, the greater our work can be. 
At this Christmas Season I ask all of you for your prayers. Pray for the 
Gandzasar Center, pray also for the mission here at St. Andrew. Its all of 
us working together that make it work. May God bless you all.
--Fr. Vazken