St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic
Vol. 1 No. 6
For free email subscription or to
send comments: anijan2@gmail.com
The Holy Apostles Andrew and Philip
The Holy
Apostle Andrew was named the First-Called (Protokletos)
because he was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ. He was originally a disciple of
Andrew also
brought his brother, the Holy Apostle Simon Peter, to Christ. The two were fishermen on the
St. Andrew
taught in
The Proconsul Aegeates was infuriated by the conversion of members of his
own family and decided to crucify Andrew.
St. Andrew was tied to an X-shaped cross, upside down, so that he would
suffer more. The last half hour before his death, a heavenly light illumined
Andrew. In 357 AD, St. Andrew was
interred in the Church of the Holy Apostles in
The Holy
Apostle Philip is also from
St. Philip was
a married man with daughters, one of them already married when he chose to
follow Jesus. He is described as a shy,
naïve and practical man. He played an
important role in the development of early Christian Gnosticism.
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 feel God’s Spirit among us as we worship together.
Divine Liturgy @
Meet our pastor
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan
905-549-2711 905-617-7888
stvartan@cogeco.ca
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 Father’s/Mother’s Day
Check Them Out:
www.armenianchurch.org
www.armenianchurch.net
The Way of the Cross
The cross is
the ladder that leads from visible realities to invisible realities; through
the cross one’s mind soars above the tangible world and touches the heavenly,
divine realm.
St. Athanasius of
Prayer Is…
Drawing near to God
With your heart, mind, and spirit,
Knowing
He will draw near to you.
Nov.-Dec. 2007
Schedule
Soorp
Badarak
Soorp
Badarak
Soorp Badarak &
Volunteer Recognition Day
Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in
me—put it into practice. And the God of
peace will be with you. Philippians
4:8-9
Are You On Our Mailing List?
The Parish
Council needs your help to keep its mailing list up-to-date. Sign up to receive church news by email. Clipboards are at the church entrance doors.
Everyone Had a Ball at the
Pomegranate Ball !
By Christine Ermarkaryan
St.Vartan’s annual dinner and dance was held
at the upscale Verdi Hospitality Centre in
The guests, coming from as far south as St.Catherine’s and as far north as
The evening was masterfully led by our
enlightening and motivating Master of Ceremonies, Rita Okhovati. Brief, yet inspiring words were offered by
our guest speakers that night including the hard-working leader of the St.Vartan Parish Council Vasken Altounian, our beloved Parish Priest Hayrik
Hovhannisyan and his Eminence Srpazan
Bagrat Galastanian who
blessed our evening with his warm presence.
In keeping with
the up-scale mood, the four-course meal was highlighted with a salmon and beef
tenderloin combination entrée.
The pomegranate
theme carried through the night from the table decorations, the Christmas
ornaments for the lottery, the salad sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, and even
to the bar with the popular Pomatini drink. The pomegranate was also offer as a symbol of
the St.Vartan community in that the many seeds
represent the individual Armenian families from different parts of the world
that have come together in special unity.
Mrs. Okhovati said, unlike the temperamental
pomegranate which is hard to grow, Armenians have been survivors in many
different countries and conditions around the world.
The St.Vartan community was well-entertained throughout the
evening--as seen by the activity on the dance floor--by the new Hye Rythms band of
We thank all
the volunteers who gave countless hours of dedicated work to make this super
event happen. At the same time, we thank
the 200 guests who came to support St. Vartan's major
fundraising event of the year. This
annual ball helps pay for our operating expenses like church rental, activities
and our priest.
Thanks to all
who came together to be part of The Pomegranate!
BRING SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A RIDE TO
CHURCH.
Volunteer Recognition Day
Join us at a
luncheon on
Finding Freedom From
Anxiety
Much of our
anxiety comes from “what if” thoughts.
What if I lose my job? What if I
can’t pay my bills? What if I never
marry? What if I can’t pass the
test? What if I get seriously ill or
injured?
God says in His
Word, however, that we are not to be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6). God is not saying, “Just forget about
it.” He is giving us the solution. He says the solution is to pray about
everything and give all praise and thanks to Him. When we do that, He promises us peace beyond
all comprehension. That means we will
have peace even when it doesn’t make sense.
That kind of peace will protect our hearts and minds.
Anxiety can
come into our souls at any time. And
when it does we may look for any number of different ways to mask it. But anxiety can only be quieted by the peace
of God. The moment we receive Jesus, we
have access to His peace, which is beyond all understanding (Philippians
4:7). When you turn to Him, He can give
you peace about who you are, what you are doing, and where you are going in
your life. He can give you peace about
your past, present, and future. He can
give you peace about your circumstances regardless of what they are.
Even though
life is unpredictable and too often filled with fearful things, God says that
we don’t have to live in fear. At the
first sign of anxiety we can seek the peace of God—in His Word, in prayer, and
in praise and worship—and we are assured we will find it.
Stormie Omartian
Baptism, Chrismation
and Holy Communion
Birth is
necessary to begin a life; baptism is necessary so that the child can start a
"new life" as a child of God. This is not a conscious act of faith.
God has already chosen us and entered our lives (Galatians 4:6). But it is
through baptism that a new Christian is brought into the life of the Church and
the hope of salvation. Thus it is an act of the people of God and not a single
individual. The Armenian understanding of baptism draws upon the evidence of
Scripture and tradition to baptize infants -- who are pledged to a life in Christ
by godparents and community -- as well as adults. Individuals who have not been
baptized are always warmly invited by the church to do so.
Baptism, Chrismation, and Holy Communion are all given at the time
of baptism. Together, these three sacraments make the new believer ready to
fully participate in the life of the Church.
Baptism is the
first sacrament that is given to the faithful.
Baptism is the sacrament through which the believer is absolved of sins,
is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, becomes a Christian and attains adoption by
God. "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
The ceremony of Baptism can be
performed in two ways:
1. The priest consecrates the water by the sign of the cross and with the Holy
Chrism or Muron. The body of the baby is immersed
into the water three times.
2. The priest pours holy water three times upon the head of the person being
baptized.
The Creed
acknowledges one Baptism. It is a spiritual birth: a man is born once, that is
why he should be baptized only once. A person who is not baptized cannot
receive other sacraments.
The
One needs a
godfather for baptism; sponsoring a child during a baptismal ritual is a sacred
obligation to observe the spiritual growth of the child and guide him according
to the faith of the Church.
Baptism should
take place in the church. But in those places, where there are no churches or
in the case where the person to be baptized is seriously sick, baptism may be
performed at home or in some other proper place.
Chrismation and Holy Communion
In the process
of growing up, the child needs strength of body and mind. Chrismation,
or the anointing with Holy Oil (Muron) at baptism,
seals the child with the Holy Spirit, promising spiritual strength as a member
of the
Immediately
after the baptism, the sacraments of confirmation and Holy Communion are
administered. Making the sign of the cross with Holy Muron,
the priest seals the forehead, eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, hands, heart, back,
and feet of the one being baptized, beseeching the Holy Spirit to seal the
faith of the newly-baptized and to protect the child’s sight, thoughts, words,
deeds, and service from the influences of evil in the world.
The child is
then presented at the Holy Altar and given Holy Communion. The baptism
concludes with the baptized person being dressed in a white garment. White
symbolizes the spiritual purity and righteousness each Christian must strive
for in their life.
Seven Sacraments of the Armenian
Apostolic Church
BAPTISM
HOLY MATRIMONY
CHRISMATION
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
PENANCE
ORDINATION
HOLY COMMUNION
Next Service
Our next Soorp Badarak will be at
Immediately after Soorp
Badarak today, everyone is invited to
the church hall for refreshments.
Check It Out
www.stvartan.ca