Armenian Church of Bangladesh

Looking Forward, Remembering Our Past

Spotlight On Our Heritage Co-ordinator + Researcher

We are thrilled to introduce the creator behind our social media presence, the passionate and dedicated researcher, Liz Chater! Her tireless pursuit of understanding the history of the Armenian communities in the Indian subcontinent, through genealogy research, has yielded remarkable insights and discoveries.

 

Liz is a pilar in the preservation of Armenian history and has long been fascinated by the stories of our ancestors in the subcontinent and the intricate webs of familial connections that span across generations. Her journey into the world of genealogy began 20+ years ago, driven by a deep-seated curiosity and a desire to uncover the hidden narratives that shape our identities.

 

Liz Chater’s work stands as a beacon of curiosity, dedication, and expertise that impacts far beyond the realm of genealogy. By uncovering and preserving Armenian’s shared histories, her work contributes to a greater understanding of ourselves and our footprint in the world. The research serves as a nexus between past and present, enriching our collective knowledge and fostering a sense of belonging and identity for the future. Her unwavering commitment to uncovering the stories of our ancestors and preserving our shared heritage serves as an inspiration to us all.

St. Paul Coptic Medical Services team: L-R: Dr Mina Tharwat, Dr Basm Abid, Ms Marina Adwr and Dr Mena Safwat

Armanitola Free Medical Camp

St. Paul Coptic Medical Services team: L-R: Dr Mina Tharwat, Dr Basm Abid, Ms Marina Adwr and Dr Mena Safwat

St. Paul Coptic Medical Services team: L-R: Dr Mina Tharwat, Dr Basm Abid, Ms Marina Adwr and Dr Mena Safwat

 

The Armenian Apostolic Church of the Holy Resurrection and the St. Paul Coptic Medical Services, an Egyptian Charitable Organization, collaborated to offer essential medical help and guidance today, February 1st.  Local families who live in the area around the Armenian Church Dhaka were welcomed by the visiting doctors.  Conditions that were treated were varied and included some dermatology, gynaecology and general medical issues.

 

We are very grateful to our friends from the Coptic Church Medical Service for giving up their time to hold this very essential service, and extend our warmest appreciation and thanks to the participating medical team, Dr Mina Tharwat, Dr Basm Abid, Ms Marina Adwr and  Dr Mena Safwat.

 

Armenian Church Dhaka, Armanitola Free Medical Camp

The Armenian Church Dhaka and the Egyptian Copic Church will be offering a free medical camp tomorrow, 1st February 2024. This one-day program  is an important event for the local community and we look forward to welcoming everyone who seeks medical help and advice.

 

On this occasion we are very fortunate to have Dr Basm Adib, Dr Mina Tharwat, Ms Marian Adwr and Dr Mena Safwat respectively, assisting with medical issues.

Christmas Mass 2024

A Christmas Mass was held by The Church of Bangladesh hosted at the Armenian Church Dhaka on Friday 12th January 2024. Once again this year, the church was full of worshippers and additional seating was used to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend. Afterwards we were delighted to serve refreshments.

The service was conducted by Reverend Simson Mazumdar and assisted by Brother Guillaume respectively.

Our staff were on hand to help make the occasion go smoothly and we think they particularly excelled themselves with the beautiful lighting effect displayed. It is always good to see so many come to church for the Christmas service and our thanks are extended to both Rev Simson and Brother Guillaume for taking the service.

Christmas Service 2024

Armenian Church Dhaka

We are delighted to announce there will be a Christmas Mass conducted at the Armenian Church, Dhaka today Friday 12th January 2024 between 4pm and 6pm.

Please note this is NOT an Armenian service.

At the invitation of our Warden, the service will be undertaken by the Church of Bangladesh led by Reverend Simson Mazumdar and assisted by Brother Guillaume respectively.

Venue: Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, Armanitola, Dhaka 1100
Date: 12th January 2024
Time: 4pm – 6pm

Online Lecture 31st May 2023 – The Armenian Community + History in Dhaka and Sir Catchick Paul Chater

Online Lecture 31 May 2023

Online Lecture 31 May 2023

On Wednesday 31st May 2023 an online lecture was hosted by the Armenian Diocese of Australia. The topics were ‘The Armenian and History of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection in Dhaka’ AND ‘Sir Catchick Paul Chater, The Greatest Armenian Hong Kong Has Ever Seen.’

The speakers were Julieta Arslanian, Board Member of the Armenian Apostolic Church Dhaka and Liz Chater, Heritage Co-Ordinator for the Armenian Church Dhaka and Armenian Family History Researcher.

A short history of the Armenian community in Bangladesh was given. Reference was made to some of the early leading Armenians in Dhaka. There was also mention of Armenians who lived in the city as early as 1714. We also covered the opening of the Pogose School in Dhaka, the founder’s family connection to the Armenian College & Philanthropic Academy in Calcutta. There’s an update on our future plans for the Armenian Church in Dhaka and how we are implementing a number of ideas to secure a strong permanent place for the church in Bangladesh. Our food program strategy, along with our education plans to work with NGOs to help the underprivileged children in Dhaka was covered.

And as if there wasn’t interesting enough there was a fascinating presentation on Sir Catchick Paul Chater covering his early years in Kolkata and Hong Kong, his plans to develop Hong Kong into a leading commercial port in Asia, to his pastimes and passions and his lasting legacies that many benefit from today.

Use this link to listen to the whole online presentation or use our LinkTree page in our Instagram bio and pick it up from there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe6-VpatRlk

We Remember – April 24th

 

April 24th marks the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide was the slaughter and deportation of Armenians by Ottoman Turks, which resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians and the deportation of hundreds of thousands from their native lands. The Armenian Church Bangladesh, commemorates and honors all those who lost their lives. 1.5 million souls will always be remembered by every Armenian around the world.

 

Memorial Image: Shant Kha – Flickr

Christmas Service 2023

A Christmas Mass was held by The Church of Bangladesh hosted at the Armenian Church Dhaka on Friday 6th January 2023. The church was full of worshippers and additional seating was used to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend. Afterwards we were delighted to serve refreshments.

The service was conducted by Reverend Simson Mazumdar and assisted by Brother Guillaume respectively.

Our staff were on hand to help make the occasion go smoothly and once again, we think they particularly excelled themselves with the beautiful lighting effect displayed. It is always good to see so many come to church for the Christmas service and our thanks are extended to both Rev Simson and Brother Guillaume for taking the service and ensuring it was conducted safely.

Christmas Service 6th January 2023

Armenian Church Dhaka Christmas 2022

 

We are delighted to announce there will be a Christmas Mass conducted at the Armenian Church, Dhaka on Friday 6th January 2023 between 4pm and 6pm. There will be refreshments afterwards.

 

Please note this is NOT an Armenian service.

 

At the invitation of our Warden, the service will be undertaken by the Church of Bangladesh led by Reverend Simson Mazumdar and assisted by Brother Guillaume respectively.

 

 

**IMPORTANT COVID-19 NOTICE** To enable everyone to participate safely, we must ask you to ensure there is always adequate spacing between all those attending. Visitors are also respectfully requested to wear masks. This is for your own health and safety, as well as our staff and those conducting the service.

 

Venue: Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, Armanitola, Dhaka 1100

Date:     6th January 2023

Time:     4pm – 6pm

FACE COVERINGS REQUIRED

 

 

 

 

 

 

3rd January 2023

 

Bangladesh Success in Dilijan

Our friends at UWC Dilijan have featured the students from Bangladesh in their latest newsletter.  We are delighted to read about their success and hope more students from Bangladesh go to study in Dilijan.  Read their story here.

One inspiring story from UWC Dilijan

Dilijan, 15 July 2022

Building bridges between Bangladesh and Armenia

At UWC  Dilijan we have had students from Bangladesh since 2016. Our first student was Anogh Zaman (UWCD’18), who graduated with a BA from Macalester College, Massachusetts, USA and is now a Student Programs Coordinator at Kofi Annan Institution for Global Citizenship.

From a single student in 2016 we now have four current students going into the second year and four incoming students as part of the new 2022-24 cohort. It makes the total number of Bangladeshi students and alumni sixteen, five female and eleven male. Those seeking admissions to UWC school, including UWC Dilijan apply via the UWC National Committee Bangladesh.

All our Bangladeshi students have been outstanding academically and also active participants in the school life, including as core members of the Student Council. (In the main picture L-R: UWCD’22 graduates Zarrin Mahdiyat Ali,  Ayman Asif,   and Shahib Uddin Prokhor.)

However, the most exciting moment came when Ayman Asif together with Brianna Renatte Titiheruw (UWCD’22, Indonesia) surprised us with a beautiful rendition of “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King.

This May, while at UWC Dilijan our Bangladeshi students gave a tour to Bangladesh-based Arsen Stepanyan, Team Leader, P4D, British Council who was visiting Armenia. Arsen was so taken with our Bangladeshi students that he volunteered to keep up the links and invited them to visit him in Dhaka over the summer, which they did in June, without delay. It was a convivial occasion where our past and present Bangladeshi students had a chance to meet Mr Rashel al Mamun, Bangladesh Country Manager, NATco, who is hoping to visit Armenia some time.

Meanwhile, having heard about the links between Armenia and Bangladesh via UWC Dilijan, the warden of the Armenian Church of Bangladesh in Dhaka, Mr Armen Arslanian, wanted to highlight them in a blog  on the church’s website. With the mission of “Looking Forward, Remembering Our Past”, the Armenian Church of Bangladesh has been serving its local community since 1781. Even though at this stage it hardly has any Armenians parishioners around, the church is a centre of activity for the population in its vicinity, from provision of food to healthcare.

L-R: Rashel al Mamun, Bangladesh Country Manager, NATco; Arsen Stepanyan, Team Leader, P4D, British Council; Taufiqul Abrar Khan, UWCD’23; Neehan Rashid, UWCD’23; Zuhair Mahmud, UWCD’23; Ayman Asif, UWCD’22: Zarrin Mahdiyat Ali, UWCD’22

As we are getting ready to embrace our new cohort in August, here is what Nazmus Sakib, one of the four incoming students from Bangladesh shared with us: “Being born in a terrain village of Bangladesh, I learned to love nature along with the people. But my curiosity to know the world and its people just increased as I grew older. I want to have a roller coaster ride in my lifespan through cross-culturalism and adventures…  I am really excited about my journey at UWC Dilijan and I hope to gain an experience of a lifetime from it.”

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