St. Vartan
Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan, Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711 stvartan@cogeco.ca
Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varaka Khach)
Unique to the Armenian Church, this feast celebrates the burial, in the 3rd century, of an authentic relic of the cross by the nun Hripsime. Hripsime buried the relic to protect it from the soldiers of Emperor Constantine who were pursuing her.
Centuries later, a monk by the name of Todik
had a dream of a church with 12 pillars on
The Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak is celebrated on the nearest Sunday to Sept. 28, always two weeks after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Holy Cross is recognized as the symbol of salvation for all Christians and there are three important feast days associated with the cross. September 11, we celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Two special events are remembered during the Feast of the
Exaltation of the Cross. One is the re-discovery of the True Cross by
Queen Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine) in the 4th century. The
other occurred in the early 6th century, after the True Cross had been carried
away following the Persian conquest of
Armenians consider themselves a khachagir (or cross-bearing) nation. Over the centuries, Armenians have borne Christ’s cross with faith, hope and love, seeing it as the symbol of salvation and victory over death. It appears on the domes and walls of our churches, on our altars, in our homes—even erupting out of the Armenian landscape as stone khachkars. Imagine the impact this sign must have had on the minds of our ancestors. Everywhere they turned, the sign of the cross confronted them, a reminder of their Christian faith.
Today’s service features Rev. Archpriest Fr. Sarkis Gulian, Preacher and
Celebrant @
“For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Their future is eternal destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and all they think about is this life here on earth.” Philippians 3:17-19
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
News Stories and Photos Now Available on St. Vartan Website: www.stvartan.ca
St. Vartan has its own newsy
website now, thanks to parishioner and volunteer webmaster John Donelian of
Sunday School Kicks-Off a Great Season
By Christine Ermarkaryan
September 11, St.Vartan Armenian
Church had its first Sunday school class of the 2005/06 season, led by Sunday School teacher Christine Ermarkaryan.
Nine children ranging from the ages of
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 time for everyone 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, Oct. 9 at
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.
Wanted: Generous Sponsors Willing to Help Put On An Amazing Party
Would you like to help make the St. Vartan “Let it Snow” Ball on Nov. 19 an even more fantastic night? The Dance Committee is looking for sponsors and booklet advertisers:
Band $500
x 5
Lottery gifts donations
can be gifts or services
White Wine for tables $300 (or
$150 x 2)
Red Wine for tables $300
(or $150 x 2)
Table Decorations $200
Door Prize Gift $500
Booklet Ad, Full Page $100
Booklet Ad, Half Page $50
All donations will receive a tax receipt from St. Vartan Armenian Church. Your contribution will be recognized in the dance booklet and will help make the evening a memorable one for everyone. Please contact Maggie Satouri (905) 858-5043 or Najda Zada (905) 796-6769 to be a sponsor or to advertise. Thank you, thank you and thank you!
“Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow”
The weather outside may be frightful, but inside the Mississauga Novotel Hotel, Saturday, Nov. 19, it’s going to be hot hot hot! Plans are afoot for a fantastic evening of dancing and dining in the Paris Ball Room. The “Let It Snow” Ball is a chance to get dressed up and enjoy a night out with your loved ones and friends. Don’t miss it!
St. Vartan’s Dance Committee has
booked the popular
Introductory Message by His Holiness
Karekin I, Catholicos of
All Armenians, Delivered at the Opening of the Second
Armenian life has been, for 17 centuries, deeply rooted in
the Christian faith. Look around
Church Has 70 Years of Atheism to Overcome
The last seventy years of militant type of atheistic regime made a strong impact on our life in this country. Although Christian faith was not eradicated from the hearts and minds of the people, its tangible, visible, concrete manifestation was hampered. People were left with no proper instruction about the teachings of Christ, they were prevented from being edified intellectually and socially by the Christian principles of life. The people were subjected to a kind of state of life which I would call a state of religious apathy and stagnation.
That is now part of history. We have entered a new era of freedom. We do not need to lament what was undone. We are now facing the challenge of what we can do and have to do.
How to Overcome Religious Apathy
The re-education of the lay people is a complex task. I would like to underline some of its most important aspects:
a) the education of children. We have to begin where life begins to develop, the family and the school. Children have to be initiated in their Christian faith at the early stage of their life which is so vital for the entire course of human life;
b) adult education. The Church has to engage in instructional preaching in the local parish level…convey the content of the Gospel and the living Tradition of the Church and show the relevance of the message of the Gospel to the various aspects of daily life, as made manifest in the life and work of Christ, his Apostles and the early Church Fathers;
c) training of teachers, which means new courses have to be created and promoted to train young persons, men and women in the art of religious instruction in schools, both in public schools and Sunday Schools;
d) education through print and audio-visual means, which means production of popular publications and other means of communication by which the knowledge of the Christian faith and the richness of the liturgical and spiritual tradition of the Church may become available for the ordinary people.
Re-education of Laity Imperative Necessity
Let us be aware of the danger that we may face one day (the signs of which we are already seeing today), namely, the rapidly growing influence of the extreme forms of secularistic mentality and ways of life which are mostly coming from the superficial, superfluous and ephemeral aspects of what is called “western culture.” These new values, new life styles are attracting and influencing the young generation, and alienating them to their own Christian cultural heritage.
Today is the time for the intensification of solid and sound Christian education. We should not allow ourselves to miss this opportunity of responding to the dire spiritual needs and aspirations that have emerged from seventy years of a state of life which I described earlier as religious apathy and stagnation.
If the Church does not take the responsibility in this field
of Christian education, the existing vacuum will easily be filled by various
sects who will be creating what I call a spiritual confusion or a kind of
religious anarchy in the life of our motherland of
Welcome back. We hope you
enjoyed your summer. Our next Badarak will be