There will be a special Service of Remembrance for Pope Francis held tomorrow, Saturday April 26th 2025. It will be conducted by Father Ellias at 10.00a.m. at the Armenian Church, Dhaka.
Author: Armenian Church Bangladesh Page 1 of 5
On Friday April 25th 2025 our church hosted a late Easter Mass conducted by The Church of Bangladesh. The service was led by Fr. Sai Pime, Fr. Simson Mazumder & Fr. Srijon with the support by Brother Guillaume respectively. It was very well attended, and afterwards everyone was offered some light refreshments.
There will be an Easter Service held at the Armenian Church, Dhaka on Friday 25th April 2025 between 5pm and 6pm. The service will be conducted by Fr. Sai Pime, Fr. Simson Mazumder & Fr. Srijon with the support by Brother Guillaume respectively. Everyone is welcome to attend and refreshments will be served 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 Father Sai Prime.
Venue: Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, Armanitola, Dhaka 1100
Date: 25th April 2025
Time: 5pm
Refreshments will be served after the service.
A very moving Christmas Mass was held by The Church of Bangladesh hosted at the Armenian Church Dhaka on Friday 10th January 2025. 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 Martin Adhikari 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 Adhikari and Brother Guillaume for taking the service.
Armenian Church, Dhaka
We are delighted to announce there will be a Christmas Mass conducted at the Armenian Church, Dhaka on Friday 10th January 2025 at 5pm.
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 Brother Guillaume.
Venue: Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, Armanitola, Dhaka 1100
Date: 10th January 2025
Time: 5pm
Refreshments will be served after the service.
There are many Armenians from Asia who were involved in WW1 and WW2, but we’d like to tell you about Noel Dudley Mackertich, an unexpected hero of WW2. We haven’t featured him before in our heritage project, but his flying career during WW2 is worthy of recognition. He was born in Dhaka 25 December 1921 to Armenian parents, Haik, a jute merchant, and Anna Mackertich. Noel was a remarkable man, heroic, brave and tenacious.
Noel Dudley Mackertich circ1964
But first, he travelled to England in August 1939 as a 17 year old student, living with his maternal grandmother Elizabeth Gordon-Napier in Nottingham. For family history buffs, she had changed her name by deed-poll in 1936 to Gordon-Napier from her married surname of Nahapiet.
Noel was studying at Edinburgh University when he became a member of their Air Squadron. By 1941 he had signed up to join the war effort and chose to become a pilot with the Royal Air Force. He, along with other new recruits from Edinburgh University Air Squadron sailed from England via Canada to Detroit and then travelled on to Florida where he embarked on 6 months pilot training at the British Flying Training School at Clewiston. Incredibly, a photograph exists of all the students of his course, and we are grateful to #5 British Flying School Clewiston for sharing their archive.[1]
Course 3 at the British Flying Training School, Clewiston, Florida. Refer to the legend for Noel Mackertich. Image courtesy of #5 British Flying School Clewiston, link at bottom.
Upon completion he returned to England and joined the 277 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve air/sea rescue service flying the Walrus Amphibian Aircraft. He was involved in a number of dangerous rescue operations, but one that gained him the Distinguished Flying Cross in July 1944, was nothing short of miraculous. At the age of just 22 years, the London Gazette notice recognised his bravery: “in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy. A most resolute courageous and skilful pilot, he had completed a large number of sorties involving air and sea rescue operations.”
Notice in the London Gazette of the Distinguished Flying Cross conferred on Flight Lt. Noel Mackertich in 1944.
One of those rescue missions was truly audacious. “Under the noses of the Germans, not a mile off enemy held Dieppe, a Walrus amphibian pilot, Noel Mackertich, came down on a rough sea, picked up a ditched Norwegian wing commander, and got away safely after taxi-ing nearly three miles.”
Walrus Amphibious Aircraft similar to the one flown by Noel Mackertich on rescue missions.
Image courtesy of https://naval-aviation.com/ww2/uk/supermarine-walrus.php
For this act of bravery, Flight Lieutenant Noel Mackertich D.F.C., was presented with the Norwegian award of St. Olav Medal, with oak leaves, from a grateful nation.
This was the third time the wing commander had been saved by the same squadron of Air Sea Rescue Service.
This weekend in the UK is Remembrance Sunday, there is always a two minute silence at 11am (GMT) and services are conducted around the country in cities, towns, villages and local memorial areas to remember those who fought and died in past conflicts. Although Noel survived his time in WW2, and went on to live a normal civilian life, completing his studies at Edinburgh University in 1948/49 and going on to married twice, firstly to Edna Broadhurst in 1950 and secondly as a widower in 1992. We take this opportunity to remember him and all the other Armenians from Asia who fought in these conflicts and sacrificed so much.
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[1] http://www.5bfts.org.uk/Default.aspx
We pause today to remember All Souls’ Day. Each year, our caretaking team at the Armenian Church Dhaka takes time to light a candle for each of the souls buried in our grounds. We are sure you’ll agree the candles and nightlight makes the whole area look magical.
With reverence and respect we continue to honor their lives; always remembered, never forgotten.
Our ancestors.
Our heritage.
Our history.
The Arslanian Family
We often cover family history stories here on our social platforms and our website. In our efforts to help keep Armenian history alive, we are deeply committed to preserving heritage narratives from all walks of life. Today, we have the privilege of recounting the Arslanian family history as told by a recent article published by the Hadjin Museum, Armenia. Their journey from historic Armenia to Argentina and to present day Los Angeles is, like so many other Armenian stories, a remarkable one of survival. Our Warden, Armen Arslanian and his family are proud of their roots and the strength their ancestors demonstrated in the struggle of survival. We are fortunate enough to be able to share this story with you here. To read about it, use this link to go directly to the article.
Our thanks to the Hadjin Museum and the Arslanian family.
Armenian Church Dhaka
We are delighted to announce there will be a Mass conducted on Friday, June, 28th 2024 at the Armenian Church, Dhaka.
Please note this is not an Armenian service.
At the invitation of our Warden, the service will be performed by Father Elias Palma, CSC, Director of Holy Cross Family Ministries Bangladesh.
Time: 10.00am – 1.30p.m.
Date; June 28, 2024
Location: Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, Armanitola, Dhaka 1100
Celebrant: Father Elias Palma CSC
Everyone is welcome.
Armanitola Free Medical Camp
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, May 16th 2024. 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, a total of 93 patients were treated.
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, once again, extend our warmest appreciation and thanks to the participating medical team, Dr Abanob Gad, Neurologist; Dr Mina Tharwat, Gynaecologist; Dr Aghapy Yohana, General physician; and Dr Mina Safwat, Laboratory consultant.
