8:00 PM – 10:00 PM Thursday

A warm and welcoming dinner Hosted by the Ladies Auxilliary at St Aphraim Church.

The 49th Annual Syriac Orthodox Archdioceasan Convention

April 15, 2012

Dear Family, Fellow Parishioners of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Friends and Supporters:

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us for the 49^th Annual Syriac Orthodox Convention which will be hosted by St. Aphraim’s Church in Washington, D.C., on July 26-29, 2012. The weekend full of activities promises to fulfill your expectations, nourish your spiritual needs, reignite and deepen your appreciation for the cultural richness of the Syriac community in the diaspora, enrich your understanding of our Nation through tours and site seeing of the local historical attractions, and provide immense enjoyment to you and your family.

As you know, this is the first time in the history of our church that an annual convention will take place in our Nation’s Capital. As such, we have prepared a very exciting and unique weekend of spiritual and cultural activities.

All information regarding the Convention can be found at our website, www.syriacorthodoxconvention.com, where you can also make your reservations for all convention activities. For hotel reservations, please call or click on the link to the hotel.

Please see below information which will require your immediate attention and response.  As you know, conventions have become expensive undertakings. Our parish has made a (very) significant financial commitment to the hotel and for various activities, so your prompt consideration and response is essential.

Enclosed please find a schedule of events for the weekend, a registration sheet for the various activities, and a letter urging you to participate in the advertising journal through either your business or to offer your personal wishes or recognition for a member of your family or community. As a reminder, complimentary admission to all meals and convention functions will be provided to those priests whose parishes contribute a minimum of three (3) full ad pages.

1- Your first step is to reserve your room. The venue of the convention will be the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, located in Alexandria, VA, and is only 3 miles from our church and all the major sites of Washington, D.C. We have reserved a block of rooms with a guaranteed rate of $120 per night (Parking is $15 per day for in-and-out parking, or $20 for similar valet service). You may reserve your room by either calling the hotel at (703) 845-1010, directly on their website at http://www.syriacorthodoxconvention.com/index.php/category/hotel/, or through the link at our convention website.  Either way, please use our group code “STE” to reserve your room and guarantee the special rate. The room block will expire one month prior to the start of the convention, so you must reserve your room before June 26^th. Doing so afterward will guarantee neither a room if the hotel is full, nor the special rate.

2- Next, please use the registration form to indicate the number of attendees for each of the events in which you wish to participate.

• On Thursday evening, St. Aphraim’s Ladies Auxiliary will host a welcoming dinner, but we need to know for how many to plan.
• On Friday morning, the tour of Washington, D.C. will include the National Mall and all the Smithsonian Museums. (Minimum of 50 participants required).

• On Friday evening, the evening tour will take you to all the monuments, such as the Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR and Vietnam Memorial, which are especially terrific at night. (Minimum 50 participants required).
• On Friday evening, we have planned a party for our Youth which will include dinner and dancing. (Minimum of 60 participants required).
• On Saturday, we have made special reservations with the Capitol Visitors Center for a private tour of the Capitol Building and Congress for the first 200 people to register.
• On Saturday, we are planning a picnic at our church. The picnic will also include a lecture about the theme of the Convention and special activities for the kids.
• On Saturday evening, the Annual Gala promises to be as terrific as ever. To ensure fairness and provide the advance notice required by the hotel, we will provide seating priority in the order in which registrations are received, i.e. first come, first served. Reserve your seats and tables now to ensure best seating.
• On Sunday morning, we will celebrate the Holy Liturgy at the hotel, to be followed by a lunch.
• On Sunday evening, the 49^th Annual Convention wraps up with the traditional Urhoyan Night celebration.

As you can see from the above, we are excited, eager and proud to be hosting our brothers and sisters for the 49^th Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.  Planning for this convention began more than one year ago and continues until your arrival. We now look forward to having you join us to celebrate our union as Syriac Orthodox Christians at this momentous time for our community. We urge you to register and pay for your convention package as soon as possible to ease final logistical planning with the hotel and other service providers.

Finally, we are pleased to also announce that we will be conducting a raffle drawing that will occur during the convention. We ask you to please participate and encourage your parishes to join the raffle even if they are unable to be with us in July. Tickets will be mailed to all churches shortly.

Please do not hesitate to visit our website or call us with any questions you may have.   We look forward to welcoming you in Washington, D.C. in July.

Sincerely,

Raymond Dunia                                                                                                     Jay Ghazal

Convention Co-Chairman                                                                  Convention Co-Chairman

This is the 49th Syriac Convention theme.

Formal Gala

8:00pm Saturday, Grand Ballroom

The grand formal event of the weekend is sure to make memories for everyone. Dance to Suryoyo, Arabic, and Turkish music, and enjoy a full course meal.

The Divine Liturgy

10:00-12:30pm Sunday, Grand Ballroom

Join us in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel for Mass, starting promptly at 10:00 am.

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Urhoyan Night

7:30 PM – 1:00 AM Sunday

The evening will be filled with traditional Turkish, Arabic, and Suryoyo music!

To download the Convention Schedule Please Click here

To download the Events Prices and Registration Form Please Click here