St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711 stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
Barekendan of the Fast of Advent
Advent means “coming” – the coming of Christ. In Armenian,
it is called Hisnag from the word for “fifty.” Advent
in the Armenian Church is approximately two weeks longer than it is in the
Western churches, and that is why it is called Hisnak,
because it lasts for 50 days.
Advent is a time when we prepare to celebrate the feast of
the birth of Christ. It is a time for us to think of the why of Christmas – why
the greeting cards, the decorations, the gifts, the family gatherings? It’s a
time to look within our hearts to see if there is anything that stands between
us and the good news of Jesus’ birth.
During Advent, we can rededicate ourselves to Christ through
our actions, thoughts, and prayers. This is a good time for us to improve our
habits and offer them as gifts to God. Perhaps Advent can also be an occasion
to discover God’s gifts all around us. We need to have an open heart to receive
Christ – God’s greatest gift of all!
We complain that Christmas is too “commercial,” but there is
a way to live out the real “reason for the season.” Try this: spend a few
minutes a day on your spiritual preparation by reading and writing in a
journal. If you do, Christmas will mean a whole lot more to you this year.
Fasting During Hisnak
Hisnak is introduced by a week of
fasting. Today, Sunday, is the last day before the fasting begins, and barekendan, meaning celebration, refers to the celebrating
that takes place on the last day. The fast is officially known as "the
Fast of the Beginning of Hisnak."
There is a second fast of a week's duration following the third
Sunday of Hisnak. This fast is known as
"the Fast of St. James Bishop of Nisibis."
The third and final fast, again of a week's duration, precedes "the feast
of the Nativity and Theophany of Christ our
God," and that is how it is officially recognized in the calendar.
During the remaining weeks of Hisnak
when there is no fasting, the Wednesdays and Fridays are regularly observed as
fasting days.
Divine Liturgy @
I know how to live on almost nothing or with
everything. I have learned the secret of
living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with
plenty or little. For I can do everything
with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. Philippians 4:12
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.
Using Your Heart
To handle yourself, use your head;
To handle others, use your heart.
Daily Prayer
Please God, put your arms around my
shoulders and
your hand over my mouth.
Beware of Anger
Anger is only one letter short of
danger.
Hope
Hope has two lovely sisters: anger and courage.
Anger, so that what must not be,
will not be;
Courage, so that what must be, shall
be.
--
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 invite you to 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. 3 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.
.
† Architectural Symbolism in the Armenian Church
†
The signs and symbols we use in our church—like the
liturgical books, hymns, chants, litanies, prayers and so on—serve the basic
purpose of our faith, namely that of presenting to the faithful the good news
about salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
This also holds true for the architecture of the Armenian
churches—particularly their interior structure.
Domed sanctuaries, whether hall-type, centrally
planned or basilican, seem to have developed to
accommodate the liturgical requirements.
As the liturgy evolved, so did the structure of the church.
Like all other ancient churches, our own have evolved
through the Middle Ages from the traditional prayer hall to a sanctuary that
was designed to house the major sacrament of Christianity, the Holy
Badarak.
The Church Site
The selection of a site for a new edifice, the blessing of
the ground and the consecration of sixteen foundation stones—in the name of the
12 apostles, St. Mark, St. Luke,
The Floor Plan
The interior planning of Armenian churches is cruciform
(arranged like a cross) thanks to the layout of the vestries and/or the pillars
that support the dome. The centrally
planned cruciform church is characteristically Armenian. Throughout our history we have held a special
veneration for the cross, which we usually call Soorp
Nshan, or Holy Sign.
Our hymns dedicated to the Holy Cross call it “the sign of
victory.” Victory, of course, refers to
“life, hope resurrection, expiation and remission of sins.”
The Armenian sanctuary, therefore, is structurally both the
Sign of the Cross and the Cross, where the congregation, as the corporate body
of Christ, shares the passion of the crucified Lord, offers the sacrifice and
is sacrificed with him.
The Dome
The dome is the most predominant part of an Armenian Church,
and symbolizes the celestial vault. In Agathangelos’
History of Armenia, a 5th century work, there is an interesting commentary on
the symbolism of the dome. The arches
that support it represent “the equality and the unity of the universal
church. And the canopy above represents
the type (or model) of the celestial city, the united gathering place of the
kingdom of heaven.” The terminology is
from
Frequently Asked Questions About
The Armenian Church, Very Rev. Fr. Krikor Maksoudian, 2004,
Schedule for December 2006
DIVINE LITURGY
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.
Did you know?
News Stories and Photos Now Available on St. Vartan’s Website: www.stvartan.ca, and at the Canadian
Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church’s Website:
www.armenianchurch.ca.
Do You Like to Dance?
Come on, SURE you do! Good music makes you want to tap
your feet and MOO-VE with it!
The live music of Nostalgie, the
former Five Fingers, of Montreal, is going to get you up on the dance floor,
moving to the music of the 60's, 70's and 80's on Saturday, Nov. 25. It
is the same band we had at the Let It Snow Ball last year, and it got rave
reviews from our partyers.
Join us, at this year's Ice & Crystal Ball at Le Dome in
Visa, American Express and MasterCard Now Accepted.
For tickets and more information on St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic Church's Ice & Crystal Ball, please call Heranush Hamblin at 905-820-1329 or Katie Shahinian at 905-785-7626 or email us at anijan2@gmail.com.
Tickets can be paid with cash, cheque or credit
card.
AND, if you can't make it to the Ice & Crystal Ball,
please encourage us with your sponsorship donation. All amounts are
welcome and will receive recognition in our Ice & Crystal Ball Booklet and
a donation receipt.
This ball is a major fundraiser for St. Vartan
Armenian Church and helps us to cover our expenses of an active
community: spiritual services of our priest, Sunday
church services, Sunday School, ACYOC, and
community events.
We thank you for your generous support--whether by attending
the Ice & Crystal Ball or by being a sponsor.
Our next Soorp Badarak will be on