St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711
stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival."
The focus of this entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ
in his First Advent, and the anticipation of his return in his Second Advent.
We wait for the Advent of the baby in
We are called to holy living, to be faithful stewards of
what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates, it also
confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the
Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbour as yourself."
Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of
anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from
the evils of the world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in
In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Season of Advent has
been a time of fasting and penitence for sins, similar to the Season of Lent.
This emphasis on the Second Advent includes themes of accountability for
faithfulness, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life. The spirit of
Advent is expressed well in the parable of the bridesmaids who are anxiously
awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom (Matt 25:1-13). There is profound joy at
the Bridegroom’s expected coming. And yet a warning of the need for preparation
echoes through the parable.
Divine Liturgy @
But I don’t need to write to you about the Christian love
that should be shown among God’s people.
For God himself has taught you to love one
another. Indeed, your love is already
strong toward all the Christians in all of
Welcome to St. Vartan Armenian Church
If you are a newcomer to St. Vartan,
it is a pleasure to welcome you to our Soorp 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 together today.
Requiem services can be requested for the next church
service by calling Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan.
Requiem services have been requested today by Mrs. Achik Arzoomanian, Mr. and Mrs. Armond and Elizabeth Arzoomanian,
Mr. and Mrs. Ed and Anita Arzoomanian and Robert,
Eric, Patrick and Carolyn Arzoomanian for the loving
memory of their husband, father and grandfather Mr. Shahen
Arzoomanian (40 days). May God bless his soul.
Mr. and Mrs. Garo and Daisy Zulemian and family for the loving memory of their brother and
uncle Mr. Mardooni Zulemian (1 year).
May God bless his soul.
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
Hymn by Rev. Edwin Hatch 1878
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what thou dost love,
And do what thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure;
Until my will is one with thine
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly thine;
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with they fire divine.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
So shall I never die;
But live with thee the perfect life
Of thine eternity.
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 make your time with us comfortable and enjoyable. Immediately following the service today
please join us in the parish hall for refreshments. We’re glad you’re here and
we hope to see you again! Our next
service is Sunday, Dec. 17 at
Are You On Our Mailing List?
Please fill out the forms you can find on clipboards at the
doors of the church today. The Parish
Council needs your help to keep its mailing list up-to-date. Sign up to receive church news by email.
For Christians, Every Day is Christmas
Real Christians celebrate Christmas every day. When you love and care for
people, God is alive and living--and that’s Christmas. Every day you show your love--Christ is born
every day in Christians. The meaning of
Christmas is living in each of us. Real
Christians don’t just celebrate Dec. 25 or Jan. 6. For real Christians,
Christmas is everyday—whenever you reach out to somebody, whenever God becomes
manifest in you—in other words, when you love people, when you care for people,
when you hug people—that is when God is alive and is living. This is Christmas. It could be today, in July, or in
February. The most important thing is to
have the meaning of Christmas living on inside each and every one of us.
God loved us so much, he didn’t
want us to be lost. He wanted us to be
forever with him, his beloved family. He
gave us life and free will. When God is
with you, we don’t need anything more.
God hasn’t forgotten us. We are,
unfortunately, the ones who go far from God and turn our face away.
Trust in God; ask him for his mercy. God will give you the energy and power to
accomplish miracles. The past--put it
aside, and trust in God for your future.
Think about what you want to change in your life.
We all need to change our attitude toward God. We need to think about a new direction for
the new year.
If God is with us, nobody can stand against us. You don’t need anybody to stand with you, as
long as God is with you. Before it is new year’s, think about what you want to change in your
life. We all need to change our attitude
towards our faith—to take it seriously.
Trust God, and know that God is with you when you reach out to
people. Celebrate Christmas all year
long.
FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN
Armenian Church
Youth Ministries
Voices of Congregation Meant to be Heard
In the Armenian Church, music is at the core of the
religious worship experience; our entire liturgy is sung and chanted. The music
of the church stems from the minds and hearts of individuals who have been
touched by faith.
At our parish, it is not so important who is listening as
much as who is singing. As an Orthodox Church with apostolic roots, it is
important for me that our worship resonates in the ambience of the early
church, where there was no choir and everyone would sing. Where participants
ask not what am I getting out of the church, but what am I putting into the
collective experience? Many times, we even challenge our youth to create their own liturgy and the result is literally soul-stirring
and even healing.
Over the course of the last century the liturgy of the
Armenian Church has become overly ritualized. As a result, the role of most
worshippers has diminished from participant to observer. Without proper
context, what once were extreme reaches into the depths of the soul have
effortlessly been lost as the fading relics of an ancient museum. Our biggest
challenge as an institution is to provide context and meaning, otherwise our
songs are empty mantra. Our music must be more than pleasure to the ears. It
requires a contribution and participation from the congregant -- giving
something back to the Maker.
FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN
Armenian Church
Youth Ministries
Did you know?
News Stories and Photos Now Available on St. Vartan’s Website: www.stvartan.ca
And Canadian Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church’s
Website: www.armenianchurch.ca
Space for Rent
If you would like to advertise in our Sunday service
booklets, please call Ani Shalvardjian
(905) 826-6319 or Heranush Hamblin (905) 820-1329 or
email us at anijan2@gmail.com . Advertisers receive a church donation
receipt.
Ice and Crystal Ball Exceeds Expectations of Guests
Building a church is what we have been undertaking at St. Vartan over the past 15 years—perhaps not with bricks and
mortar yet, but with the fostering of a strong sense of community and belonging
among our faithful. The Ice and Crystal
Ball last Saturday night was a fine example of how we are, indeed, “a living
church,” as His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galstanian always likes to call St. Vartan.
Over 240 youth and adults filled Le Dome with their laughter
and joy. It was a beautiful sight. The organizing committee of Armine Arustamyan, Nazle Beler, Catherine Grigor, Heranush Hamblin, Maggie Satouri, Katie Shahinian, Ani Shalvardjian and Katrin Yaldicizyan created a
magical world of crystal ornaments and silver balls.
Warmly welcomed by St. Vartan’s
Parish Council Chair Julia Dumanian, Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan and Bishop Bagrat, the crowd proceeded to enjoy the evening’s
activities of dinner, a silent auction, lottery, and dancing to the music of a
live band, Montreal’s Nostalgie. There
were many new guests from
Schedule for December 2006
DIVINE LITURGY
Our next Soorp Badarak will be on