Our Mission, About Our Name
and about the Editor of this Website
Mission
The mission of this website (along with the overall organization) is to help strengthen the relationship between God and human beings by helping the reader discover the variety of ways and situations in which God is present and active in his or her life's daily experiences, and giving the opportunity for that person to live a more fulfilling, happy and holy life.
The reason the Christian Faith gained in popularity and changed the course of human history is because the devout Christians actually knew and experienced how God changed their lives for the better. In order to bring God's presence and guidance in the everyday situations, every generation and culture needs those who highlight and bring to light the different ways God acts in the life of the person, family, community and even the whole of humanity. We believe we are amongst those who are called for this task for the current generation.
When we use the term 'spirituality,' we mean very specifically the presence, guidance and empowerment of God in the life of a human being, along with how that human being views his or her relationship with God. Thus, we try to help the reader see God's perspective and at the same time point out typical human responses to God's actions. In the process we hope to show how this relationship between God and us can grow and become more meaningful. Only in this way do we actually grow in the "image and likeness" of God as the Scriptures tell us. Furthermore, the spirituality presented here is based upon that of the Armenian Apostolic Church, with its spiritual center in Holy Etchmiadsin, Armenia. This Church was established in the first century by two Apostles of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (However, this does not mean that the Armenian Apostolic Church is responsible for or agrees with all the information and views presented here.)
All of the funds for maintaining this website and publishing the books and periodicals are possible, by the grace of God, through the generous tax deductible donations to 'Hope for the Family.' In order to assure the maximum use of these gifts, all the funds are used for publication purposes and none towards paying salaries.
How our name came about
The name of this website, 'Hope for the Family' came from the doctoral dissertation of the editor of this website, Rev. Fr. Stépanos Dingilian, Ph.D. whose penname is 'Dér Stépanos Dingilian.' The doctoral dissertation in the fields of Theology and Personality Development, analyzed how hope develops theologically and psychologically. Dr. Dér Stépanos concluded in this work that a significant portion of a person's hope for the future develops within the family environment, with both parents playing critical, very different and yet complementary roles. In fact, it has become apparent that the family model, both consciously and unconsciously is both the springboard of future hope as well as the embodiment of the final destination and fulfillment of a hopeful future. Since 'hope' and 'family' were so closely and inseparably tied and related, a periodical was initiated five years ago with the name of 'Hope for the Family.' More recently this website was established carrying the same name in order to electronically make this information available worldwide. All information in the electronic version as well as the printed version of the periodical is copyrighted.
About the editor of this website
Rev.
Fr. Stépanos Dingilian was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt to Hovhannes
and Kohar Dingilians.
He received his Bachelor of
Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the Ohio State University in 1975.
For the next twelve years he held engineering and management positions in
companies such as the Procter & Gamble Company, and industries such as the
Aerospace and Automotive. Eventually,
he established his own Engineering Consulting firm.
In
1987, he attended St. Nérséss Armenian Seminary and St. Vladimir's Orthodox
Seminary and received the Masters of Divinity degree in 1989. He conducted
his Clinical Pastoral Education at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital and New
York Hospital.
The
next two years he spent in Armenia, both teaching at the Seminary of Holy
Etchmiadsin and counseling victims of the major December 1988 Earthquake in
northern Armenia. This experience gave him the opportunity to deepen his
understanding of the faith and culture in Armenia, and most importantly of
Christian Spirituality.
He was married in 1990 in
Armenia. A year later he was ordained in Etchmiadsin into the Holy Order of
Priesthood of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
After
returning to the United States in 1991, he helped establish the parish of the
Armenian Church in La Verne and then became the pastor of the St. Mary Church in
Yettem, California.
After receiving his
doctorate from the School of Theology at Claremont in 1996, the family moved back to Southern California.
Currently, he and Yérétzgeen Mariam along with their three children,
Kayané, Arminé, and Hovanness live in Irvine, California.
Since
receiving his Ph.D. in Theology and Personality Development in 1996, Dr. Dér
Stépanos has been working to spiritually strengthen family and marital
relationships. Aside from his
practice, he has authored a book, A
Spiritual Journey Through The Holy Badarak, that helps the Armenian family
better understand the ways in which the Armenian Church Divine Liturgy enriches
the life of the faithful.
He has also published his second book entitled Miraculous Parenting:
Strengthening
the Parent-Teenager Relationship.
Rev.
Fr. Stépanos is a visiting priest in the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church,
and conducts special educational seminars and workshops with adults, parents,
teenagers and Sunday School teachers at various parishes of the Armenian Church.
If there are any questions and/or
comments about the information
here, please contact us immediately at drstepanos@aol.com.