St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711
stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Today we
are celebrating the Barekendan of the Fast of
Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The word Barekendan means happiness, joy. Since the Church is
preparing for a fasting period to begin on Monday, this Sunday has been marked
by our Church Fathers as a day of joy, happiness and getting-together, a day of
celebration.
September and October feature three commemorations of the
Holy Cross. Even from the time of the Apostles, the Holy Cross was recognized
as the symbol of salvation for all Christians. The cross is the place where
God, who became human to redeem human suffering and death, was crucified and
died. It is also the place where He vanquished death through His
resurrection, thereby rendering the cross a powerful symbol of eternal life.
The Armenian cross is symbolic of life in these ways:
·
the crossbars intersect at a midpoint that signifies the four corners of
the world meeting at life's center.
·
the "empty" Armenian cross (as opposed to the Catholic crucifix
bearing the body of Jesus) emphasizes Jesus' victory over death.
·
the appearance of vines, grapes, and wheat as decorative motifs in the
Armenian cross symbolizes the life generated from the cross which was otherwise
an instrument of death.
Every autumn, the Armenian Church celebrates the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross—the most important of the four feasts of the Holy Cross.
The Exaltation, known as Khachverats
in Armenian, refers to the "raising up" or glorification of the
cross. An early tradition identifies St. James, the brother of the Lord—one
of Jesus' 12 Apostles—as the first to exalt a cross. Taking in hand a
likeness (or perhaps an actual piece) of the original cross of the Crucifixion,
St. James elevated it before the people, and venerated it as a symbol of
"the power of God," praying: "We prostrate ourselves before your
cross, O Christ." Those very words
in Armenian, Khachi ko, Krisdos, yergirbakanemk, are still repeated in our church services.
We see in the cross the instrument on which our Lord
sacrificed Himself in order to cleanse mankind of its sins. The cross is the
instrument of life: a divine sign that shows the power of life over death.
Divine Liturgy @
Sunday School @
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “If any of you wants to be
my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and
follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if
you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit
if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything
worth more than your soul?” Matthew
17:24-27
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.
Join us Today for a Light Luncheon of Lahmadjoon
The Parish Council has organized a Welcome Back Lahmadjoon Luncheon in the church hall immediately
following the Divine Liturgy today. For
children who prefer it, there will be pizza. Please join us.
Sing Along at
This afternoon, St. Vartan Summer
Day Camp Committee is holding a reunion for campers and counsellors who attended the 4th annual summer day camp in
July.
Participation was at a record high this year, with 41
campers and 15 counsellors. The children took part in
a variety of activities including prayer, Armenian music, Armenian dance,
sports and crafts. They also had many opportunities to build and continue
friendships with other Armenian children.
Thanks go to the parents of our campers for supporting this endeavour with their child(ren)'s participation in the camp; to our counsellors and our parent volunteers who donated their
time to help run the camp; and to Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Hayr Hayrik Hovhannisyan, Der Komitas Mirzakhanyan
and the camp organizing committee for creating a wonderful program that
continues the tradition of having fun in an Armenian way.
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 light luncheon 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, Sept. 24 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.
Shortage of Armenian Clergy Not Easily Solved
There is reportedly a shortage of clergy in Episcopal and
Catholic churches, and the percentage of clergy 35 and younger is dropping. Why
do you think this shortage has come about? What can be done about it?
The Armenian Church
also suffers a tremendous clergy shortage. However, unlike other churches,
there is no need to speculate or guess at the reasons why. During the Armenian
Genocide of 1915, the clergy were among the first to be slaughtered by the
Turks. In fact, in a volume published in 1921, a scribe named Teotig documents the annihilation of over 1,200 Armenian
clergymen--detailing their suffering and ultimate martyrdom.
The numbers tell the impact of the Genocide on the Church.
In 1915, the ratio of clergy to souls was roughly one clergyman to 140 individuals.
Today, in the
The current Armenian Catholicos, Karekin II, has made it a top priority to recruit and
educate young men for service in the church and his efforts have been greatly
assisted by the fall of communism. Seminaries have opened in
It has fostered a false sense of security that focuses on
rewards for the self rather than understanding the value of service and
reaching out to others. A good place to start at a solution is to replace the
word "rights" with "responsibilities." A priest must
understand his calling as a responsibility.
Fr. Vazken Movsesian
Armenian Church Youth Ministries
Published
Meet St. Vartan’s Leaders
This is the first in a series of articles introducing you to
members of St. Vartan’s current Parish Council. Today we present Melkon
Melkon of
When/why did you start attending St. Vartan
Armenian Church?
In 1997, just after I came to
How long have you served on the Parish Council? When does
your term finish?
This is my first year, and my term will finish in Spring 2008. I was on
the Parish Council for two years in Der Komitas’ time also.
Why did you choose to serve on the Parish Council?
Me, my family, my mom, dad, brother
and sister, we all attend St. Vartan.
What are your goals this year as a member of the Parish
Council?
My only goal is to have a building with our name on it, St. Vartan.
What do you like most about St. Vartan?
Everything
What would you like to see improved?
Once we get the building, the improvement will happen by
itself.
Tell us about the work you do outside of the Church.
I work for McCain
Foods, where I have been a production supervisor for the past seven years.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love watching and playing sports. Both my boys are active
in sports and I spend some time training them.
Tell us about your family.
We are myself and my wife Sita, and our sons Haiek, 14, and
Hratch, 8.
Anything else you want to share?
This year was a different year for me as a parish council
member. I attended most of our meetings and activities and all of them were
very successful and important. We have a great priest, Father Hayrik, and we hope to keep him forever.
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.
Register Your Children for St. Vartan’s Sunday
School
Today, please register your children for St. Vartan’s Sunday School, and meet
Sunday School teachers Taline Paroyan,
Ani Altounian and Christine
Ermarkaryan. Sunday School
is for children three to 12 years old, and takes place during each Soorp Badarak, beginning at
Each Sunday’s teaching theme is based on the Armenian Church
calendar. Material is taught to the children in both English and Armenian
through crafts, stories, plays and games. Our children join in a short segment
of Soorp Badarak during Holy Communion. There is no
cost to attend Sunday School.
Older youth are welcome to help out the younger ones at Sunday
School, and thereby earn high school community service
credits. We gratefully acknowledge the hard work and Christian commitment of
our Sunday School teachers who faithfully take the
time to organize, and plan our Sunday School program each year.
Your children will have a wonderful church experience in
their care, learning about our loving God. St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic Church is for all ages and welcomes everyone.
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.
Welcome back. We hope
you enjoyed your summer. Our next Soorp Badarak will be on