St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711
stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
Sunday of the
The third Sunday following Easter is the Sunday of the
The
The Sunday of the
The bread and wine of the Last Supper was the first
sacrament of Holy Communion (Mark
The feast of the Sunday of the
Why is it called Apostolic?
The Armenian Church is Apostolic (arakelagan)
because it was founded by two of Christ’s Apostles, St. Thaddeus and St.
Bartholomew. If you trace back the origins of the current Catholicos
of All Armenians in Etchmiadzin, you can go all the
way back to these two saints, who, themselves, received their authority from
Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:16-20), and, in turn, ordained others to continue their
work.
Why is it called
catholic?
The Armenian Church is also called The Holy Catholic Church.
This doesn’t mean we belong to the Catholic Church of Rome headquartered in the
Green Sunday
Today is also called Green Sunday (Ganach
Giragi), which according to Archbishop Malachia Ormanian, is linked with
the awakening of nature in the springtime. Green is the symbolic color for
fertility in the purest, most Christian sense, as we believe that it is the
Holy Spirit that came down at Pentecost to establish the Christian church, to
breathe life into it. We refer in the
Creed to the Holy Spirit as the Lord and Giver of Life.
Divine Liturgy @
Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s
temple. He was rejected by the people,
but he is precious to God who chose him.
And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual
temple. What’s more, you are God’s holy
priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2: 4-6
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 the death of a loved one, 40 days after their death
(karasoonk),the yearly
anniversary, name day, birthday or Mother’s Day.
Prayer on Beginning Work
Lord, may thy loving favour rest
upon us and prosper all the work we undertake. Glory be
to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, world
without end. Amen.
Your Invitation to a
MEMORIAL SERVICE
For
THE VICTIMS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
With Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan
Followed by a Lecture in English
Genocide and what our response
As Armenians should be today
With Guest Speaker
Zoryan Institute Executive
Director
George Shirinian
at
St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church
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 for refreshments. We’re glad you’re here, and
we hope to see you again! Our next service is 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.
You are Dearly Loved
My eyes are on you. I’ve chosen you, calling you My Friend. I’ve
blessed you with My love, calling you My own. I’m
close to you when you’re broken-hearted; I save you when your spirit is
crushed; I choose to bear your burdens daily. Come out of the darkness into My confidence. Walk in My sacrificial love. Blessings and love, Your
Heavenly Father.
From Psalm 34:15; 1 John 3:1; Psalms 34:18; 68:19; 1 Peter
2:9; Ephesians 5:1-2
Call your mother and father, your sister and brother, often.
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 Canadian Diocese of
Armenian Apostolic Church’s Website:www.armenianchurch.ca.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…Psalm
23:1
Glory and thanks to You, O Lord, Heavenly Father, for
blessing my soul—from the very beginning of my physical and spiritual
birth—with Your all-luminous presence, like the light of the sun, and for
blessing my entire life with Your almighty power. Today, You
have called me, Your humble servant, to spiritual service through the election
by the children of Your Armenian people to this highest and most holy office. The
dignity of this office, as the radiance of your grace, is understood and
expressed through the greatest sense of duty.
Like any human being, this duty is difficult for me, and it is actualised only through human limitations and mediation. As
I have not been able to accomplish anything without the presence of Your
power—throughout the last four decades of my priesthood—today also, I realise that I could not do anything, as Your
truth—communicating words affirm, “Apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5
I beseech You, O Lord my God, Give thy strength to Thy
servant, and save the son of Thine handmaid, and show
me the sign of your favour Psalm 86:16-17
From His Holiness Karekin I’s inaugural sermon after being elected Catholicos of All Armenians in Holy Etchmiadzin,
April 1995.
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.
Live Classical Armenian Concert Saturday, May 5
Delegates from Armenian Churches in
The 24th annual Canadian Diocesan Assembly of the
On the evening of Saturday, May 5, a banquet is planned with
dinner and live classical Armenian music performed by two talented musicians
from our parish. Pianist Ivetta Melkumyan, who is also St.
Vartan’s organist and a piano teacher and Examiner of
the Royal Conservatory of Music, and Cellist Gayane Sahakyan, who is a member of our Church Choir and was a
member of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra for more than 20 years, have been
preparing pieces to perform for us on this evening. Some of the music you will hear: Handel-Hornpipe; Bach-Arioso; Sen Sanc-Swan; A
Khachaturian-Sabre Dance, Lezginka,
Adajio, Nocturne and Waltz.
Everyone is welcome to attend this wonderful evening. Tickets
are $75, and can be purchased from members of the Parish Council including Heranush Hamblin 905-820-1329 and Katie Shahinian
905-785-7626.
On Sunday, delegates are invited to celebrate the Divine
Liturgy with us at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church at
The compassion of God in our hearts opens our eyes to the
unique worth of each person. “The other
is ‘ourself’; and we must
love him in his sin as we were loved in our sin.”
Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child, p. 73
Soorp Badarak Asks for
Peace on Earth
One of the greatest Armenian theologians of the Cilician period, Nersess Lambronatsi (1153-1198) became bishop of
Listen attentively to the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Yergyooghadzootyamp luvaroom srpo
Avedaranees Heesoosee
Kreesdosee.
When the angels appeared at the time of Christ’s birth, they
cried in a loud voice, “Glory to God in the highest; on earth peace, and
reconciliation with mankind.” After that, Christ began to preach the Gospel of
the Kingdom of heaven on Earth and to reveal the face of his reconciliation.
Now, something similar occurs whenever we celebrate the Soorp Badarak in church.
First, we, who are at odds with God because of sin, ask to have peace. But
when the priest has granted it, saying, “Peace to all,” then the deacon comes
to the centre of the church and, reading the Gospel, he teaches us through it
how plentiful is God’s love and his peace toward mankind. For God gave us not
only peace, but also his only-begotten Son, along with his various acts of
salvation, his teachings, and his miracles. The Gospel relates all of these.
Weekly Reflections on the Divine Liturgy for 2006
St. Nersess Armenian Seminar
Bring Forth the Fruits of Holiness
“Teach me, O God, so to use all the circumstances of my life
today that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the
fruits of sin,” prayed the British author John Baillie:
Let me use
disappointment as material for patience.
Let me use
success as material for thankfulness.
Let me use
trouble as material for perseverance.
Let me use
danger as material for courage.
Let me use
reproach as material for long suffering.
Let me use
praise as material for humility.
Let me use
pleasures as material for temperance.
Let me use
pain as material for endurance.
Philip Yancey, Prayer Does it Make
Any Difference, 2006
BRING SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A RIDE TO CHURCH.
The Mountain Jonquil
St. Francis was concerned for those who had never made the
journey inward.They were all around him. You knew
them by their insensitivity, for they were as insensitive as the outer self is,
compared to the inner. And what was saddest to him was the worry and concern of
those who never descended far enough into themselves to find that serene centre
where they would meet, and listen, to the other.
Because they never went deep enough, they found only
themselves, and, in that meeting, they began to worry about their lives, their
future, what they would leave behind for others to remember. In short, they saw
only their own mortality, and were frightened at the brevity, and seeming
futility, of living, then passing on, in time forgotten by everyone.
Glorify God With Your Whole Being
He was thinking about all those people one day, as he stood
atop
That was the secret and the mystery of the hermitage on
THE CHURCH CHOIR ... MADE UP OF VIEWERS LIKE YOU ... WHO SING
Calling all Armenian Children to St.Vartan's
5th Annual Summer Day Camp
The deadline for EARLY registration is fast approaching ...
Spots still available for Campers ages 4+,
and Counsellors ages 12+.
The camp runs from TUESDAY, JULY 3 to FRIDAY, JULY 6 at Fogolar's Country Club in Milton, Ont.
Cost is $120 per camper, if payment is received by
For more details, please contact Christine Ermarkaryan at 905-825-5299.
Hope you can join us for a super week of Armenian
fun!
Schedule for
April--May 2007
DIVINE LITURGY & Activities
Requiem
for Armenian Genocide Victims
Diocesan
Assembly Banquet
Soorp Badarak & BBQ for
Soorp Badarak
May
25, 26, 27
Carassauga
Our next Soorp Badarak will be
celebrated by Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan on Sunday, May 6, at