As has become tradition, every year the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western U.S. Central Committee welcomes new members, who after completing a novitiate program take their oath to serve the Armenian people and the Homeland.
Such a ceremony took place on Sunday, July 31 at Dickranian Hall at Ferrahian High School, where seven individuals joined the ARF ranks. A novitiate program had taken place in the weeks preceding the Sunday ceremony with the participation of nine people, however two of them were out of the state and will take their oath upon their return.
The ARF oath was officiated by Shahen Aghababian, a member of the San Francisco Kristapor chapter and a veteran of the first Artsakh War.
After administering the oath, Aghababian welcomed the new members, emphasizing that they have opted to join the party at an extremely challenging time for the Armenian Nation, adding that it is facing tough challenges that develop ARF members into dedicated activists of the Armenian Cause.
He also pointed out that the oath they took was to uphold the ARF Program, which is the ideological credo of the organization, on which all actions of the ARF are based. The ARF Program, Aghababian said, provides a roadmap of advancing justice for the Armenian Nation and ensures that the service provided to the people is equitable and in the larger national interests.
Aghababian also stressed that joining the ARF means a commitment to work for the just aspirations of the Armenian people and is not an accolade, but rather a call to action.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the ARF-D Western U.S. Central Committee was Vahan Bezdikian, who after welcoming the new members to the large family of the ARF in the region, explained that while their journey will be fraught with challenges, the service provided to the community, the homeland and the nation is fulfilling and critically important.
In recent weeks, two individuals joined ARF ranks in Fresno, becoming members of the local Soghomon Tehlirian chapter. Another three individuals joined the ranks earlier, becoming members of the West San Fernando Valley Rosdom chapter.
At the conclusion of the ceremony the new members received the English version of the ARF Album-Atlas, as well as a book commemorating Rosdom, one of the three founders of the ARF.
After the ceremony, the new members joined their families and relatives, as well as hundreds of community members, and attended a special evening commemorating the Lisbon 5 at Ferrahian’s Avedissian Hall.
