St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711
stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
Feast of the Cathedral (Mother See) of Holy Etchmiadzin
One of the most celebrated feasts of the Armenian Church is
the day when the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was established,
according to the inspired vision of St. Gregory the Illuminator.
According to tradition, following the declaration of
Christianity as the official religion of
St. Gregory relayed the story about his vision to the
Armenian King Tirdates, under whose royal auspices
and support the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was
built. King Tirdates and Queen Ashkhen participated in the construction, as did the entire
capital city of
According to Patriarch Malachia Ormanian, from the days of its establishment, the Cathedral
of Holy Etchmiadzin has been the residence of the
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
Thus, it is the Mother See of the Armenian Church, and as such, her universal,
spiritual and administrative headquarters.
Another title bestowed upon the Cathedral is “catholic” –
not to be confused with the Roman Catholic faith. Catholic is a Greek
word meaning “universal”. Theologically, the Cathedral has been called
“catholic” as a description of the catholicity (universality) of the Church.
The Feast of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin
is celebrated 64 days following Easter. A Divine Liturgy is celebrated,
and during services, a special hymn is sung, written by the eighth-century Catholicos Sahak of Dzorap, telling of St. Gregory’s vision and the Cathedral’s
construction.
Divine Liturgy @
Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t
believe me. The proof is what I do in
the name of my Father. But you don’t
believe me because you are not part of my flock. My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and
they follow me. I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish. No one
will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is
more powerful than anyone else. So no
one can take them from me. The Father
and I are one.” John 10:25-30
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.
What to Do if You Need a Priest in July and August?
There are no church services scheduled for July and
August. However, if you should need to
speak with Hayr Hayrik
during the summer months, please be aware he will be in
From July 10-14, Rev. Fr. Komitas Mirzakhanyan will be with us, as spiritual leader of the
St. Vartan Summer Day Camp. If you should need a priest during Father Hayrik’s absence, please contact parish council members Heranoush Hamblin at 905-820-1329 or Ani
Shalvardjian at 905-826-6319.
St. Vartan Day Camp for Summer Fun
The St. Vartan Camp Committee
is planning its 4th annual summer day camp to be held from Monday, July 10
to Friday, July 14, from
Junior counsellors between the
ages of 11 and 14, and senior counsellors 16 or older
are needed to help provide Armenian fun and leadership. All hours count
as community service volunteer time, and councillors
will receive a letter acknowledging their contribution from Hayr
Hayrik. Please fill out a Counsellor
Registration Form.
We Welcome Newcomers and Visitors
Immediately following the service today we have 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 after our summer break. Make sure
we have your address and email address so we can let you know about summer
events and our September start-up.
Please take this tertig home with you for
future reference and to share with your family and friends.
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.
Q. Does the Armenian Apostolic Church View the Catholicos the Same Way That Catholics View the Pope?
No. The Catholics view the Pope as the head of the Church,
whereas the Armenians view Jesus Christ as the head of the Church. Under canon
law, the Catholicos has jurisdictional power and
responsibility over all the Armenian Apostolic dioceses in the world; this is
similar to the Pope in regard to the Catholic Church. But neither the Pope nor
the Catholicos are infallible; only God is infallible.
The Catholic Church allows the Pope to unilaterally make binding declarations
of faith (i.e. doctrine), whereas the
Q. What is the Divine Liturgy?
The Divine Liturgy, or Soorp
Badarak, is the main worship service of the Armenian Church. It provides
an intimate encounter with Jesus Christ through his words in the Holy Gospel
and through his Holy Body and Blood in the communion.
Space for Rent
If you would like to advertise in our Sunday service
booklets in September, please call Ani Shalvardjian (905) 826-6319 or Heranush
Hamblin (905) 820-1329 or email us at anijan2@gmail.com . All advertisers receive a church donation
receipt.
See You at the Church Picnic Sunday, July 9
St. Vartan’s annual summertime
picnic takes Sunday, July 9 at
Bring your swimsuits, your sunhats and the whole family for
a day of fresh air, healthy outdoor activities including soccer, swimming,
children’s games, tavloo competition and Armenian
foods.
Soccer fans, we will have a large screen TV available at the
picnic for the afternoon world cup final game.
You can munch on beoregs and kebab while you
watch this exciting game. Afterwards, we
are going to have our own soccer game, so come prepared to play!
As well, we will have a tavloo
tournament going on all day. You are invited to try your luck at this popular
board game and have fun. Children’s and
youth games and activities are also being planned. We will have fun, fun, fun!
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.
Join us Today for a Family Mante Dinner in the
Church Hall
The Parish Council has organized a Father’s Day mante dinner in the church hall immediately following the
Divine Liturgy. Concert Pianist Ivetta Melkumyan (who also plays
the organ each Sunday for Soorp Badarak) will be
performing popular Armenian music at the dinner. Please join us.
Camp Ararat is a Sleepover Summer Youth Camp
Held Aug. 21-26 at Wesley Acres Retreat in
The camp includes five nights’ accommodation and six days of
fun, transportation to and from the camp, three hearty home-cooked meals daily,
snacks, daily crafts, sports, water activities and spiritual sessions. Registration
deadline is
Getting the Most Out of Today’s Divine Liturgy
·
Sing
with the Choir using our bilingual Divine Liturgy Books
·
Make
the sign of the cross when the celebrant blesses the congregation in
remembrance of His Crucifixion, and when the deacon censes in your direction.
·
Recite
the “Havadamk” in either Armenian or English.
·
Give/receive
the Kiss of Peace (Vogh-chooyn)
·
Bow
to the altar when the deacons proclaim “As-doo-dzo-yer-gir-bakes-tzook..let us bow down to God”
·
Come
forward to recite Confession and receive Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We hope to see you at our summer events and again in
September when church services and Sunday School
resume at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church,