St. Vartan Armenian Church of
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan,
Pastor
Telephone (905) 549-2711
stvartan@cogeco.ca
(905) 617-7888
St. Sarkis the Warrior
St. Sarkis is known as the
all-powerful warrior and saint riding on a white charger, who, in the blink of
an eye, reaches those calling to him for help. A devout and faithful
Christian, he lived in the fourth century and was noted for his exceptional
military talents. St. Sarkis is venerated by the
Armenians due to his courageous victories for Christianity.
During the reign of Constantine the Great, St. Sarkis, a Greek, was recognized for his great military
skill as a warrior, and was made a general in the Roman armies. St. Sarkis' valor, strength, and bravery earned him the rank of
general. As a Christian, he used his
position of power for spiritual growth, going from town-to-town, purging the
land of pagan idols, teaching the Gospel, and building churches where pagan
temples once stood.
When Emperor Constantine died, Christianity throughout the
region came under attack from the new Roman leader, Julian the Apostate. Under
his leadership, pagans set about destroying churches and persecuting Christians.
Seeing this, Sarkis prayed. Jesus
appeared to him and said, "It is time for you to leave your country and
your clan, as did Abraham the Patriarch, and go to a country which I will show
you. There, you will receive the crown of righteousness prepared for you."
Sarkis went with his son, Mardiros,
to
King Diran urged Sarkis to seek refuge among the Persians as Emperor Julian
was killing all Christians in his bid to take over the world.
Some of Sarkis' soldiers told King
Shapur that Sarkis was
rebelling against the Persian ruler by preaching belief in Jesus. Sarkis was called back to the palace, to attend a feast
honoring the pagan gods. Sarkis refused to offer a
sacrifice to the pagan gods, saying he would only worship the one, true God.
The king and his followers were enraged and killed his son, Mardiros,
before his eyes. The king then ordered Sarkis
executed. Sarkis began to pray. An angel descended
from heaven and told him, "Be strong. Do not fear the killers of your
body; for the gate of the
Eventually, Christians found Sarkis'
body and sent it to
Divine Liturgy @
You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and
they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting
in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is
inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize
what is wrong in our lives. It
straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way,
fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. 2 Timothy 3:14-17
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.
A True Prayer A true prayer cannot be offensive because it talks to the depths of the
human experience. It conjures images of attainable dreams, such as peace and
justice. It crosses all boundaries, sectarian, secular and denominational.
Comforting Thoughts Thoughts of God and salvation are very comforting to most humans and are craved
even more when stress levels are high.
Our
Fr. Vazken Movsesian, Armenian
Church, In His Shoes
Committees Forming for Carassauga’s Armenia
Pavilion
Are you a good salesperson?
Are you creative when it comes to decorating? Are you handy in the kitchen? Are you an entertainer or an entertainment
buff? These are just a few of the skills
needed to put on the Armenia Pavilion at Carassauga. Carassauga is
Share your talents with the Fundraising/Marketing, Food,
Entertainment, Décor, Booklet and Volunteer Staffing committees. To join the Carassauga
team, please contact: Noush Tahtadjian
905-812-4949, Katie Shahinian 905-785-7626 or email anijan2@gmail.com .
We thank you for pitching in.
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 parish hall for refreshments. We’re glad you’re here and we hope
to see you again! Our next service is 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.
3 Parish Council Seats to be Filled
There will be three parish council seats vacant on
Everyone is welcome to attend St. Vartan’s
Annual General Meeting which takes place immediately after Soorp
Badarak. Reports are provided by the
church committees, our priest and parish council chair. Come, listen and make a positive contribution
to what we do and how we do it. Your
input helps make St. Vartan a better church.
To make it easier for our members with young children to
attend, we will be providing popcorn and movies for the youngsters in an
adjacent hall. The annual general meeting begins at
DID YOU KNOW?
Our members receive discounts and other benefits (as
determined by the parish council)? Be a
smart consumer. Members’ discounts for
baptisms, weddings and funerals and other benefits at church events add up—and
could ultimately cover the cost of your membership! SIGN UP NOW with Membership Chair Katie Shahinian at 905-785-7626!
As for miracles, I
certainly believe in them and find them in the simplest expressions: in the
life around me, in the love that touches me.
Fr. Vazken Movsesian, Armenian
Church, In His Shoes
Q. Who brought Christianity to
Christianity was brought to the kingdom of Armenia by two of Jesus'
Apostles, Thaddeus and Bartholomew in the first century A.D.
Q. What are your thoughts on what Christ
looked like?
Jesus had long hair, a beard, and eyes that pulled you in. He had soft but strong features; handsome but not seductive and he
donned a perpetual look of contentment. At least, that's how
A quick glance at the
ethnic churches will paint a bit different picture. In our Armenian Church, his
eyebrows and beard may be a bit more pronounced. In the African church, his
coloring is much darker, just as he's much fairer on the walls of a Russian
church. And the beauty of all the art is that each of these depictions is an
exact rendering of Jesus.
According to our
faith, Jesus is God personified, that is, love incarnate.
Love does not have a
face, but a heart. It is in the expressions of the heart, through helping,
caring, healing and living that we witness God. And that is what Jesus looks
like.
For 2,000 years,
people have been picking up cloths, veils and other objects trying to identify
the Christ. And I imagine the search for a connection to the historical Jesus
will continue. The real search begins by looking within and seeing the image of
Christ etched on our hearts waiting to be released in our love and care for
others.
Father Vazken Movsesian, Published
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
February Kef Night Celebrates Poon Pareguentan
Singles, couples, and families are all welcome to St. Vartan’s annual February Kef Night. It’s an evening of fun and celebration before
the fasting and prayers of Lent begin on Monday, Feb. 19.
It’s also our opportunity to celebrate our name, as Vartanantz (St. Vartan) is Feb.
15. On Saturday, Feb. 17, we are going
to enjoy a hot buffet dinner, and we are going to dance, dance, dance to the
music of E & A Sound with the very popular DJ Edmond Ayvazyan
of Toronto.
Please get your tickets early: $30 adults and $20 for youth under 19. You can get them from Heranush
Hamblin at 905-820-1329, Katie Shahinian at
905-785-7626 or email anijan2@gmail.com.
All of this fun takes place at Le Dome Banquet Hall,
Schedule for February
2007
DIVINE LITURGY &
Evening Activities
Soorp Badarak
February
Kef Night
Soorp Badarak
Session
2: The Divine Liturgy Explained
Space for Rent
If you would like to advertise in our Sunday service
booklets, please call: Ani Shalvardjian (905) 826-6319 orHeranush Hamblin (905) 820-1329 or email us at
anijan2@gmail.com .Advertisers receive a church donation receipt.
Our next Soorp Badarak, will be on
Sunday, Feb. 18, at