St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711
stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
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 by all
Christians and there are three important feast days associated with the
cross. September 10, 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.
Divine Liturgy @
I hope you will be patient with me as I keep on talking like
a fool. Please bear with me. I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God
himself. For I
promised you as a pure bride to one husband, Christ. But I fear that somehow you will be led away
from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the
serpent. Corinthians 11:1-4
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 byDr. and Mrs. Berdj and Mano Artinian, Mr. and Mrs. Edouard and Taline Paroyan, Dr. and Mrs. Roger and Vania
Kaprielian, Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Nairi Kheir for the loving memory
of their mother and grandmother Mrs. Elise Artinian
(40 days). May God bless her soul.
What to Do if You Need a Priest Between Now and Oct. 4?
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan is away in
15th Anniversary of
We have something to celebrate this weekend. In September 1991, over 99 percent of voters
approved the
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 OK time with us comfortable
and enjoyable. Immediately following the
service today we have planned 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! Our next service is Sunday, Oct. 22 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.
First Soorp Badarak of the Church Season Draws
Happy Crowd of New and Returning Faithful
By Alynn Mayer
As 2006 nears its end and another year of school begins,
children and parents have their hands full. There’s nothing like a Sunday
service to relax the minds of families across
Sunday, Sept. 10 marked the first mass of the new school
year, led by Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan
and the voices of the St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic
Church Choir. A few volunteers scattered about waiting for Sunday school and
the mass to end. After 2 1/2 hours, a flood of around 75 eager people poured
into Hall A and were overwhelmed with the variety of good foods, ranging from
chocolate cupcakes to Armenian pizza (lahmadjoon),
and the even better company. Seven tables were decorated with pine cones and
fruits in a room with a view of
When asked why they feel it’s important to continue the
tradition of Soorp Badarak on Sundays, the people
answered: to keep our Armenian culture, as well as our faith, alive and to
extend our community. Everyone would agree that these get-togethers are
fundamental in keeping our community strong, and they are also tons of fun, not
only for adults, but for youth as well.
The next Soorp Badarak will be
held
We’re Armenian and We’re Always Late for
Everything - And Thanksgiving’s No Different!
There’ll be a turkey on every table and lots of other good
things to eat--plus, talented entertainment to enjoy. Please join us with your family and friends
for Thanksgiving dinner, to be held in St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church hall,
following our Soorp Badarak on Sunday, Oct. 22. It is a time for us to remember all our
blessings and give thanks to God.
Because the hall has limited space, we encourage you to book
your tickets now, to be sure you won’t be
disappointed. For tickets, please call Ani Shalvardjian 905-826-6319 or Heranush Hamblin 905-820-1329 or email us at
anijan2@gmail.com. Dinner tickets are
$20 per person ($15 for members) and $10 for children.
Christianity Kept Us Armenian Throughout the
Centuries
“Many Armenians believe that the adoption of Christianity
saved them in more than one way. The
Armenian Church survived as the only national institution after the destruction
of Armenian statehood in the Middles Ages.
It acted not only as a repository and guardian of Armenian language and
culture, but also united and represented all Armenians scattered throughout the
world.”
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Reflections on the 1700th Anniversary of
Christianity in
Space for Rent
If you would like to advertise in our Sunday service
booklets, please callAni Shalvardjian
(905) 826-6319 orHeranush 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
Canadian Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church’s Website: www.armenianchurch.ca
Sunday School Provides Fun Environment to Learn
About God
By Alynn Mayer
Seventeen little boys and girls sit quietly in a room. They sit, drawing and coloring crosses. They spend a couple of
Sundays a month enjoying time with their friends and family as well as learning
Armenian and more about God.
Sunday School at St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church is a safe and fun
environment for families to leave their children during the mass. There are
activities for children three to 12 years old. Older youth are welcome and
encouraged to volunteer and earn community service credits.
Sunday School classes are held in
the small church hall and include a weekly gospel reading. Children’s activities include games, songs and plays related to the
weekly gospel message. The children are given Holy Communion during Soorp Badarak to help strengthen their faith as well as
familiarize them with the mass.
Sunday school’s purpose is to reinforce the children’s
belief in God and to help build up their Armenian. Activities are done in both
English and Armenian and are fundamental in keeping faith and cultural
traditions alive. There is no cost to attend Sunday School,
however a donation of 25 cents or more can be made during candle lighting.
Along with Sunday School, St. Vartan Armenian Church holds an annual summer day camp for
children. This year, the fourth annual St. Vartan
Summer Day Camp was held July 10-14, at Fogolar’s
Country Club in
Our next Soorp Badarak will be on