St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711
stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is the feast of Christ's triumphal entry into
The people were waiting for a saviour
to lead them out of bondage to the Romans. Jesus came, not as a saviour from political bonds as they were expecting.Instead, he brought the people spiritual freedom from the suffering
caused by sin.
Christ came to
The first thing Jesus did when he came to
On this day, palm leaves are blessed in church and
distributed to the people with a procession and blessing of the Sunday School children. Right after Soorp
Badarak, the priest and people pray for entry once again into God's glorious
Kingdom and wait for the church to symbolically open its doors (Ternpatsek), just as Christ opened the doors for the
resurrection of humanity. On Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday,
the curtain before the altar is opened. Also today, Lent is over.
Monday, we enter into Holy Week, and we start another
fasting period. Holy Week services are intended for us to live out the message
of Christ. Holy Monday, we remember the fig tree that did not bear fruit
(Math.21:18-22). Holy Thursday, the Passover Meal in which Christ broke and
distributed unleavened bread and wine as His Body and Blood of the New Covenant
is remembered and Holy Communion is once again shared with the faithful.
Divine Liturgy @
As Jesus and the disciples approached
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 (hokehankist) can
be requested for the next church service by calling Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan. A requiem may be requested following thedeath of a loved one, 40 days after their death (karasoonk),the yearly anniversary,
name day, birthday or Mother’s Day.
I am careful not to confuse
excellence with perfection. Excellence,
I can reach for; perfection is God’s business. Michael J. Fox
“When I pray, co-incidences happen,” said Archbishop William
Temple. “When I don’t, they don’t.” Coincidence is God’s way of protecting his
anonymity. Instead of co-incidences, see them as “God-incidents.”
Great Prayers of the Bible
Read one a day, over a two-week period. Some are intimate and private while others
were said in public. Each prayer talks
to God about an important issue and teaches us something about praying. Try to
memorize the prayers.
Genesis 18: Abraham’s
plea for
Exodus 15: Moses’
song to the Lord.
Exodus 33: Moses
meets with God.
2 Samuel 7: David’s
response to God’s promises.
1 Kings 8: Solomon’s
dedication of the temple.
2 Chronicles 20: Jehoshaphat prays for victory.
Ezra 9: Ezra’s prayer for the people’s sins.
Psalm 22: A cry to
God for help.
Psalm 104: A prayer
of praise.
Daniel 9: Daniel’s
prayer for the salvation of
Habakkuk 3: A
prophet’s prayer of acceptance.
Matthew 6: The Lord’s
Prayer.
John 17: Jesus’
prayer for his disciples.
Colossians 1: Paul’s
prayer of thanksgiving.
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 church hall, where our Sunday School
students will serve us Armenian treats at their annual Armenian Café. Please
join us at
Church Envelopes
St. Vartan now has offering
envelopes that you can pick up in the church’s entrance foyer, by the
candles. Please help yourself. We thank God for your support and the
blessing of your presence.
Forgive everyone everything
* † * The Lord’s Prayer * † *
Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples. When you pray it, slow down, reflect on each
phrase. The following are the
reflections of Philip Yancey in his book Prayer, Does it Make Any Difference?
Our Father, who art in
heaven
I begin with an endearing term of relationship,
“Father.” Remind me today that you live
and reign, not in heaven only but all around me and in my life. Make me aware of your active presence all
day, in all my undertakings and in the people I meet.
Hallowed be your name
How can I recognize you—in the splendor of nature, in the
odd mix of people I meet, in the still voice that calls me to be more like
you? May I “hallow” what lies before me,
by consciously referring it to you, and also honor your perfection, your
holiness, by seeking to become more like you.
Your kingdom come
Yes, and allow me to be an agent of that kingdom by bringing
peace to the anxious, grace to the needy, and your love to all whom I
touch. May people believe in your reign
of goodness because of how I live today.
Your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven
I see that will most clearly in Jesus, who healed the sick
and comforted the grieving, who lifted up the downtrodden, who stood always for
life and not death, for hope and not despair, for freedom and not bondage. He lived out heaven’s will on earth. Help me be like Jesus. Cont’d
on page 11.
Give us today our
daily bread
We have no guarantee of a day beyond this one. May I trust you for what I need today,
nourishment for both body and soul, and not worry about future needs and
wants. May I also be ever responsive to
those who lack bread today.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors
Remind me of my true state, as a debtor who can never buy my
way into your favor. Thank God, I do not
have to. Grant me the same attitude of
forgiving grace toward those who owe me, and who have wronged me, that you show
toward me.
And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
Let me not slide mindlessly toward evil today. Make me alert to its temptations and strong to
resist it, with neither fear nor regret.
Schedule for April 2007
DIVINE LITURGY & Evening Activities
Palm
Sunday, Armenian Café
Good
Friday
Easter
Sunday
Requiem
for Armenian Genocide Victims
Easter Offering - Youghakin
In the past, Easter offerings were used to buy oil for the
lamps (youghakin). Today, they are used similarly, to
cover the expenses of St. Vartan Armenian Church. As
we remember the glory of Christ's Resurrection, we ask our faithful to remember
St. Vartan. Your Easter offering is an expression of
faith and commitment to our church. We thank you for your generous support.
Burial Service Friday Evening
Please join us on
A Franciscan Benediction
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and
superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within
your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and
exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice,
freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain,
rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand
to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough
foolishness
To believe that you can make a
difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim
cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all
our children and the poor.
Amen
Meher Torossian
Goes to Etchmiadzin
St. Vartan Youth Leader Appointed to
International Board
Meher Torossian
is a Sargavak at St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic Church and a second-year economics student at
St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic
Church Sargavak and Youth Leader Meher
Torossian was appointed to
the first international Armenian Christian Youth Organization (ACYO) Central
Board at a meeting held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
in
Meher and nine other youth were appointed
to the Central Board by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan
Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of North
America. Although youth committees currently exist within local diocesan
structures, the goal of this conference was to create an international youth
structure, which will be united under one common framework, in coordination
with and under the auspices of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
ACYO Representatives From Around the World
More than 55 ACYO representatives from around the world--from
“Being in
The conference began with individual introductions. The floor was then opened for a
question-and-answer period and discussion on organizing the first meeting of
delegates for the International Armenian Christian Youth Association in 2008.
A Central Board was appointed from among the youth and it
was given the following tasks:
a) preparation of the platform
regarding the bylaws of the Armenian Christian Youth Association, based on the
previously published bylaws within the various Dioceses.
b) approval of the work previously
completed for First Delegates’ meeting of 2008, as well as implementation of
the decisions of the Representative Committee.
The following day, the youth met for a wrap-up meeting and
had a day trip to “Dzeedzernagapert” (Genocide
Memorial) and “Khor Virab”
where they spent time bonding with their homeland, said Meher.
Regional Meeting in
Archbishop Derderian plans to hold
regional meetings with members of the Central Board every three months. The next get-together will be in
“The group is communicating via email and has already
started planning the 2008 pilgrimage,” said Meher. “Our next full meeting will be this July 25
in
Book of Psalms
“It is my custom to call the Book of Psalms An Anatomy of
All the Parts of the Soul,” wrote John Calvin,”since
there is no emotion anyone will experience whose image is not reflected in this
mirror.” Fear, praise, anxiety, anger, love, sorrow, despair, gratitude, grief,
doubt, suffering, joy vengeance, repentance—every human emotion and experience
surges to the surface in the prayer-poems of the Psalms.
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
How to Spend Time With God
Francis de Sales has developed a pattern of meditation that
has proven to be helpful to Christians.
His method consists of four main stages:
Step 1:
Preparation. Let the imagination
roam, placing yourself in the presence of God,
affirming that since God is everywhere, he is here now. Think of Christ as standing at your side,
sharing your experience. Offer a prayer
of confession and request guidance in the meditation to follow.
Step 2:
Consideration. Propose a subject,
perhaps suggested by a Bible passage you just read, and focus your mind on that
subject. Act “like the bees, who do not leave a flower so long as they find any honey
there to gather.”
Step 3:
Resolution. Involve your feelings
and your will. How should your life
change as a result of what you have considered?
Resolve to make those changes accordingly, with God’s help.
Step 4: Conclusion. As if you have been walking in a garden,
choose a few flowers to take with you the rest of the day. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for what you
have learned, of consecration for what you intend to change, of petition for
grace and strength to fulfill the resolution.
The goal is to spend time with God, not follow a rigid
formula. Each person who prays will find
their own method, and as their life goes through seasons and moods change,
their method may change. The important
thing is to pray and offer our love to God and trust He will hear our prayers,
no matter how eloquent or simple.
A Prayer for Healing
Lord our God, enthroned among the angels, as you gaze here
below from your holy heights, look after your servant (name). Take every pain and
every sickness away from him/her, and grant him/her health every day of his/her
life. Glory, lordship and honor to you, now and always and unto the ages of
ages. Amen.
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.
Remember to Turn Off Your Cell Phone
Please turn off your cell phone when you are at church, out
of courtesy for your fellow faithful and respect for the holiness of the Soorp Badarak.
Live with the three E’s:
Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
We hope to see you at our Good Friday service at