[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 21, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE VERY REVEREND FATHER KOURKEN YARALIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 21, 1999

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute The Very 
Reverend Father Kourken Yaralian who passed away December 17th 1998.
  Born Garo Yaralian on July 9, 1931, in Kessab, Syria, Der Hayr 
received his primary education at Ousoomnasiratz Miatzyal Varjaran. At 
age 14, he entered the seminary in Antelias, Lebanon, where he received 
his secondary diploma. After graduation, he returned to Kessab and 
taught children at the same school he previously attended. From this 
point on, youth education would become a vital aspect of his priestly 
responsibilities throughout his life.
  In 1954, he returned to the seminary to enter the priesthood, and in 
1955 he married his only sweetheart, Anoush Hovsepian. On July 8, 1956, 
he was ordained Der Kourken.
  Der Kourken's first parish was St. Mary's in Beirut, and in 1959, the 
catholicos sent him to the United States to assist in the consecration 
and to become the first pastor of Sts. Vartanatz Armenian Church in 
Ridgefield, NJ. There he organized the church choir and established the 
Sunday School and Nareg Armenian Saturday School. Knowing the 
importance of assimilating into the American culture, he attended 
Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he furthered his English language 
skills. He was then accepted into the Master's program of Columbia 
University's Union Theological Seminary where he received his degree in 
Sacred Theology in 1963. During the Great Ecumenical movement, he was 
the first Armenian priest to receive membership in the World Council of 
Churches.
  After serving the Armenian community in New Jersey for nearly 8 
years, Der Kourken was asked to preside as pastor for the parish of 
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Fresno, and with Yeretzgin 
Anoush and their five children, he moved the family to California in 
1966.
  At Holy Trinity, Der Kourken raised funds and brought new 
parishioners that would secure the church's financial future. He then 
set out to meet and seek the support of his peers and colleagues from 
other faiths with the hope to establish cooperation and support between 
the major churches and temples in Fresno. Together these religious 
leaders wove the fabric of the community.
  Der Kourken continued to be active in the local and Armenian 
community, and with the Sisters of Saint Agnes Hospital, he established 
the first hospice program in the San Joaquin Valley. Responding to the 
needs of Vietnam and other veterans of war, he served as Chaplain of 
Veterans Hospital for several years and provided counseling services in 
the hospital's drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic.
  Der Kourken's influence extended into the political arena, supporting 
Armenian candidates for both local and State government offices. Of his 
many accolades, he was proud to be recognized by the Fresno County 
Board of Supervisors for his achievements in both civic and religious 
contributions to the Fresno Community at large.
  Of his major accomplishments, the one that gratified him most was the 
inception 22 years ago to establish the first Armenian Community Day 
School in the United States. He was recognized as the school's Founding 
Father.
  Always striving to better the Armenian community and to make the 
Armenian Church Services more accessible to the Church youth, Der Hayr 
devoted an immense effort in the translation, transliteration and final 
publications of The Sacred Music and Divine Liturgy of the Armenian 
Apostolic Church. The texts are now widely used in Armenian Churches 
throughout the U.S.
  Der Kourken also made major strides in promoting Armenian culture and 
religious music throughout the country. In 1984, in conjunction with 
the Music Department of San Francisco State University he initiated an 
accredited course in Armenian Church Music and Hymns, where he assisted 
in the music workshop instruction for the two semester course.
  In 1980, he established the first Armenian Church in Vancouver, BC; 
in 1984, the first Armenian Church in Salt Lake City; followed by the 
first Armenian Church in Boulder, CO, in 1985.
  Der Kourken passed away in his home Thursday, December 17, 1998.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to The Very Reverend Father 
Kourken Yaralian for his accomplishments and services to his community, 
the United States, and internationally. I urge my colleagues to join me 
in extending my condolences to the Yaralian family.

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