Prelacy honors Dagdigians at St. Gregory Church anniversary

by Tom Vartabedian

Published: Tuesday November 17, 2009

John and Violet Dagdigian are honored with distinguished service awards from the Armenian Prelacy during a 39th anniversary celebration of St. Gregory Church of North Andover, MA. They are joined in photo by Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, vicar general, and John Kulungian, chairman, Board of Trustees.

North Andover, Mass. - Modest as they are, John and Violet Dagdigian would have preferred choice seats to a Red Sox game as opposed to a hotter seat during a 39th anniversary celebration of St. Gregory Church.

Both were presented with distinguished service awards by the Armenian Prelacy for their tireless efforts over the past four decades.

Making the presentation Nov. 15 was Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, vicar general, who commended the two for setting an example for others.

Violet edited the church bulletin Aghavni for more than a decade before moving aside this year. She has sung in the choir and been active with the Guild; she assists at Avak luncheons and remains the church's avid photographer.

Husband John served three terms as chair of the Board of Trustees, serves on the building committee, remains a "John-of-all-trades" when it comes to maintenance projects, and launched a church recycling program this summer.

They were joined in the celebration by some 100 guests, which included members of their family and closest friends.

The Dagdigians are known as passionate Red Sox fans who seldom miss a game on television, even during conflicting occasions. They prefer the background as opposed to being a center of attention.

"They've gone above the call of duty," lauded John Kulungian, board chair. "You can always count on them whenever there's a project to be done."

The bishop's visit turned into a busy weekend affair in which he conducted Bible Study Friday night and officiated at a wedding ceremony on Saturday.

As usual, he was impressed with the spirit of this Merrimack Valley community as well as the number of schoolchildren enrolled in Armenian and Sunday School, who benefited from his sermon.

"There's always a warm spirit of fellowship," he told the congregation. "It may be a small community but the mission is huge in view of the death of its pastor."

The loss of Der Vartan Kassabian earlier this year still lingers inside the church as members continue to cope with his loss.

The event also included a surprise celebration of the 50th wedding anniversary of Deacon Ara Shrestinian and wife Ginny.

As emcee, Mr. Kulungian pointed to the renovation of Jaffarian Hall and the erection of a courtyard as vital signs of progress. He outlined spiritual and parish growth as being positive elements inside the church, along with financial stability and community projects such as the House of Hope, which turned into a memorial tribute to Der Vartan.

"Looking ahead to the 40th anniversary next year, we thank everyone for their part in moving our church ahead," he said.