On Sunday, August 14, 2016, the St. Stepanos Armenian Church parish celebrated The Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God and presented the Mother and Woman of the Year award.

Rev. Fr. Daniel Karadjian celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the assistance of deacons, altar servers, and our wonderful choir. Upon the conclusion of the Liturgy, the Ceremony of the Blessing of the Grapes took place. The Armenian Church conducts this blessing as a symbolic gesture for blessing the first harvest of the year, in accordance with the Old Testament.

Parishioners gathered at Hovnanian Hall for a luncheon, prepared by Yn. Mariam and her assistants, to celebrate this holiday and to honor the 2015 Mother and Woman of the Year: Mrs. Maral Karakashian. During the luncheon, Mr. John Haytaian provided attendees with Mrs. Karakashian’s biography, outlining her lifelong and extensive involvement with parish life in the 40 Martyrs Armenian Church of Aleppo, Syria, Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church of Ridgefield, and St. Mary / St. Stepanos parish of Elberon.

Dn. Ara Karakashian, Maral’s son, spoke of her volunteerism and dedication to all that she does. Representing the Parish Council, Chairman Artur Aghazanyan expressed appreciation to Mrs. Karakashian for her many years of service.

Der Hayr shared stories of interacting with Maral since his arrival in our parish. He presented her with a beautiful plaque as a memento for this occasion.

The program concluded with Mrs. Karakashian expressing her gratitude to her family and the entire community for its support of her initiatives within this parish