St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic
Vol. 1 No. 2
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
Symbol of
salvation
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 for all Christians and there are three important
feast days associated with the cross.
September 11, 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
Bearing
Christ’s cross with faith, hope and love
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.
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send comments: anijan2@gmail.com
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 @
Sunday School @
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.
The Little Things in Life are so Important!
God is always
around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted ... even in
our electronic age. Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the
way that you expect.
Acting with Courage
·
STAND
UP – listen to the
little voice inside that tells you when something is wrong.
·
SPEAK
OUT – let others know that you won’t compromise
your values.
·
TAKE
ACTION – give a presentation to educate
others; pass around a petition; talk to someone with authority.
·
Listen,
listen and LISTEN!
May I never
boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has
been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Galatians 6:14
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 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 Sunday, Oct. 14 at
Look for St. Vartan’s
2007-08 Schedule
If you haven’t
received the purple brochure with St. Vartan’s
2007-08 schedule for Divine Liturgies, please pick one
up at the doors of the church today.
Space for Rent
If you would
like to advertise in our Sunday tertig, please call Ani Shalvardjian at (905)
826-6319 or email her at anijan2@gmail.com .
Are You On Our Mailing List?
Please fill out
the forms you can find on clipboards at the doors of the church. The Parish Council needs your help to keep
its mailing list up-to-date. Sign up to
receive church news by email.
Check It Out
www.stvartan.ca
www.armenianchurch.org
Thanksgiving Dinner Oct. 14
Book Your Table
St. Vartan’s Parish Council is once again hosting a
Thanksgiving dinner for our faithful.
The family dinner will be held in the church hall at St. Cuthbert’s
immediately after Soorp Badarak. We invite you to reserve your dinner tickets
for
The Pomegranate Ball
The live music
of the Hye Rythms will get
everyone moving to the beat at St. Vartan’s annual
ball. Plan to join us for this fun and
magical evening at the Verdi Hospitality Centre in
Schedule for
Oct. 2007
Soorp Badarak
Explaining the Mystery
Soorp Badarak
Next Service
Our next Soorp Badarak will be at