St. Vartan Armenian Church of Mississauga

P.O. Box 53010, 5100 Erin Mills Parkway, Mississauga, Ontario L5M 5A7

Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan, Pastor

Telephone (905) 549-2711 stvartan@cogeco.ca

Brief Biography of Our Catholicos in Etchmiadzin

His Holiness KAREKIN II was born in 1951 in the village of Voskehat, near Etchmiadzin, and baptized Ktrij Nersissian.

He entered the seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1965, graduating with honors in 1971. For a year after graduation he taught at the seminary. He was ordained as a deacon in 1970 and a monk (celibate priest) in 1972, at which time he received the priestly name Karekin. Shortly thereafter, His Holiness Vasken I (Catholicos of All Armenians, 1956-1994) sent the new priest to Vienna to study theology. In 1975, Fr. Nersissian moved to Germany, where he studied and graduated from Bonn University while serving as pastor to the local Armenian community. Following a brief return to Armenia, he enrolled in postgraduate studies at the Russian Orthodox Academy in Zagorsk, Russia, from which he graduated in 1979.

In March 1980, he entered the service of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese, the Armenian Church's most populous diocesan jurisdiction, which incorporates the capital, Yerevan, and the vicinity of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Appointed head of that diocese in June 1983, he was elevated to the rank of Bishop on October 23rd of that year, by the hand of His Holiness Vasken I. Catholicos Vasken granted him the title of Archbishop in November 1992.

He was elected the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians on October 27, 1999, when more than 450 delegates from Armenian Church jurisdictions around the world met in a National Ecclesiastical Assembly at Holy Etchmiadzin, the Church's Mother See, located in the Republic of Armenia. As the 132nd in a continuous line of Catholicoi dating back to the Fourth Century, Catholicos Karekin II presides over the Supreme Spiritual Council (the Armenian Church's governing college of bishops), and is the chief shepherd of the world's 7 million Armenian Apostolic Christians.

He has been notable for using technology, especially television broadcasts, as a tool of evangelism and outreach.

November 20, 2005

Today’s service features Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Preacher and Celebrant @ 1 p.m. Sunday School @ 1:30 p.m. with teacher Ani Altounian. The children will be learning about angels.

“Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must be done with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

Welcome to St. Vartan Armenian Church

If you are a newcomer to St. Vartan, it is a pleasure to welcome you to our Badarak this afternoon. Thank you for making time in your busy schedule to be with us. We believe that you will sense God’s Spirit among us as we worship today.

Requiem services can be requested for the next church service by calling Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan by Friday, Dec. 2, 2005.

How will you spend eternity?

Smoking or Nonsmoking?

Friday Nights Are St. Vartan Youth or Family Nights

Twice a month, St. Vartan Armenian Church will be holding evening service and Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. on Friday nights. They will be followed by youth/family activities, all to take place at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church at 1541 Oakhill Drive, Oakville. We invite you and your family to participate. Dates to mark on your calendar: Nov. 25, Dec. 9 and 23.

Tavloo and Board Games Night Friday, Nov. 25

Join us on Friday, Nov. 25 for a night of board games and tavloo at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church hall. Everyone’s welcome. Bring your favourite board games and tavloo board with you to challenge your friends. Games begin after the evening service and Bible study. Hope to see you there!

When Do We Kneel During the Divine Liturgy?

Kneeling in church is one way of expressing piety during the service. People kneel to pray to God and express the awe and respect they feel in their hearts. In places like Holy Etchmiadzin and Jerusalem, one can often see old people participating in the entire Divine Liturgy on their knees. However, in most of our churches, neither the celebrant nor the congregation kneel during the celebration of the Soorp Badarak, except:

■ when the chalice is brought to the celebrant at the Great Entrance

■ after Hayr Mer at the Inclination

■ when Der Voghormya is chanted at the Fraction

■ at Communion when the celebrant and his attendants kneel, holding a cloth

■ at Confession.

Are You New to St. Vartan Armenian Church?

At St. Vartan, we understand how being a newcomer can be a bit intimidating. It is our goal to do all we can to make your time with us comfortable and enjoyable. Immediately following the service today we have planned a coffee hour and we invite you to join us in the parish hall. We’re glad you’re here and we hope to see you again. Our next service is Sunday, Dec. 4 at 1 p.m.

Mailing List Being Updated - Make Sure You’re On It

Please fill out the mailing list forms you can find on clipboards at the doors of the church today. The Parish Council needs to update its mailing list and doesn’t want to miss anyone in future mailings. If you would like to receive church news by email, please let us know.

Snowball Fun

Now, Aren’t You Glad You Were There?

Over 250 partyers from the Golden Horseshoe area filled the Novotel Hotel’s Paris Ball Room last night, to dine and then dance to the catchy music of Nostalgia. The Montreal band played everyone’s favourites and kept the dance floor full of revellers.

“Let It Snow,” Ball Committee members Maggie Satouri, Alina Armenian, Bercuhi Agopyan, Heranush Hamblin, Mary Zada, Cyril Tahtadjian and Ani Shalvardjian are to be thanked for a job well done.

All donations, including booklet ads, will receive a tax receipt from St. Vartan Armenian Church. We thank you for helping to make the evening a memorable one for everyone.

Saturday, Dec. 10

Celebrating 1600 Years of the Armenian Alphabet With Lecturer Dr. Abraham Terian of St. Nersess

Dr. Abraham Terian, Academic Dean and Professor of Armenian Patristics at New York’s St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, will be speaking about the Armenian alphabet on Saturday, Dec. 10 at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church at 1541 Oakhill Drive in Oakville. The evening lecture will begin at 8 p.m. and will be in the English language. Everyone is welcome.

The lecture is in honour of the 1600th anniversary of the Armenian alphabet, which was invented in 405 A.D. by the learned cleric Mesrob Mashdots. Having an alphabet laid the foundations for our Armenian cultural heritage and national identity. The Bible was soon translated into Armenian and monasteries became centres of education. The thinking of Armenia’s early great minds was preserved, thanks to the new alphabet.

Dr. Terian is the author of the newly-released book, Patriotism and Piety inArmenian Christianity: The Early Panegyrics on St. Gregory. He is also the Academic Dean at St. Nersess, and editor of the St. Nersess Theological Review. Recently, he became the first recipient of the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in the Humanities award with an appointment at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2006.

Meet St. Vartan’s Leaders

This is the fourth in a series of articles introducing you to our church leaders. This week, we introduce you to St. Vartan’s Parish Council Member Ani Shalvardjian.

When did you start attending St. Vartan Armenian Church?

Berge and I were one of the founding families invited to that first meeting with Srpazan Hovnan Derderian that started up St. Vartan.

How long have you served on the Parish Council?

I have served 8 months, and it is my first time on the Parish Council.

Why did you choose to serve on the Parish Council?

I put my name forward because I felt I could contribute to my church at this time. I felt I had the time and skills that would benefit my church.

What are your goals this year as a member of the Parish Council?

I would like to see lots of interesting activities, including religious education, for our faithful and especially for our youth. As well, I would like to see a committee formed to visit and care for the elderly, sick and needy/hurting in our community. The Bible encourages us to be part of a church community and support one another. I would like to build a church with love and unity, as St. Paul advises us in his letters.

What do you like most about St. Vartan?

I like the feeling of being a family—the love and closeness between our members means the most to me.

What would you like to see improved?

I would like to see more people participating, taking on responsibilities and making great ideas happen. I’d like to see goal setting by the parish council and its ministries. When you have goals, you have something to strive for and work towards. As well, I would like to see more Christian education for all ages.

Tell us about the work you do outside of the Church.

I work for the marketing and communications department of a global company.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I like to read good books. I like to learn new things, and, you know, everybody has something interesting to share. I like to bake and cook. I like to go for walks. I like to spend time with my girlfriends and go on holidays with my family.

Tell us about your family.

My husband and I have been married for 21 years. We have three children: Taline, 18; Karina, 16; and Aren, 10.

Anything else you want to share?

There is a lot of work to be done in the church and I have found the work stretches you and develops new skills that you weren’t fully aware of—perhaps this is the quiet work of God. I would encourage you to share your gifts with our community and see what I mean. We are blessed with many talented and loving people in our church.

Our next Badarak will be Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005 at 1 p.m. at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church. We hope to see you then.