St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic
Vol. 1 No. 15
For free email subscription or to
send comments: anijan2@gmail.com
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
Like the
Armenian Church and other ancient churches of apostolic origin, it, too, is
part of the catholic, meaning universal, church. Jesus Christ founded one church, and this
term catholic emphasizes the universality and oneness of the church for all
Christians. This is what is being
remembered today.
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.
Welcome to St. Vartan
Armenian Church
Welcome to our Soorp Badarak this afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to pray and
worship with us. We believe that you
will feel God’s Spirit and his renewing love among us, as we come together as a
community to give him glory.
Divine Liturgy @
Daily Scripture
1 Peter 2:1-10
John 2:23-3:12
April 2008 Schedule
Soorp
Badarak
Parish Council Reception
Soorp
Badarak
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.
Requiem
services have been requested for today by:
† Mr. Jemik Babayan, Mr.
and Mrs. Hamlet Hartunian and Rita Barseghian and children Mr. and Mrs. Alex and Lavinia Barseghian and Miss Anna Barseghian, Mr. and Mrs. Armond
and Elo Arzoomanian and
children Robert and Eric, and Mr. and Mrs. Hayk and
Erika Babayan and children Natalie, Christina and Kathrine for the loving memory of their wife, mother and
grandmother Haykanoush Babayan
(Alya Mama) (1 year).
May God bless her soul.
† Mr. and Mrs. Vahe and Irma Davidkhanian and
their children for the loving memory of their parents, grandparents and loved
ones Vahram, Emma and David Davidkhanian,
Davidkhanian and Ter Gevorkian families, Gaguik and Frida Hovakimian, Hovakimian and Komorowska
families. May God bless their souls.
† Mr. and Mrs. Andre and Aida Mirzayan and family, Mr. and Mrs. Sahak
and Angel Seropian and family, and Mrs. Ann Monro and family for the loving memory of their parents and
grandparents, Dickran Najarian
(23 years), and Arousiak Najarian
(11 years). May God bless their souls.
† Mr. and Mrs. Sahak
and Angel Seropian and family, and Mr. and Mrs. Zaven and Bozena Seropian and family for the loving memory of their brother
and uncle Hrant Seropian (1
year), and great niece Yasmine Fidel (40 days). May God bless their souls.
In the Lord,
however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man,
so also man is born of woman. But
everything comes from God. 1 Corinthians 11:3
Meet our pastor
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan
905-916-1886 905-617-7888
stvartan@hotmail.com
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.
With faith I
confess and worship Thee, indivisible Light, the united holy Trinity and one
Godhead, creator of light and dispeller of darkness, drive away from my soul
the darkness of sin and ignorance, and enlighten my mind at this hour, that I
may offer unto Thee acceptable prayers, and obtain of Thee the fulfillment of
my desires; have mercy upon Thy creatures and upon me a great sinner.
St. Nerses Shnorhali
Ecumenism is perfectly formulated by
Bread and Salt
You are the
salt of the earth. But if the salt loses
its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13
Bread and salt
are life-giving elements and symbolize man’s essential needs. If a seasoning
has no flavour, it has no value. If Christians make no effort to affect the
world around them, they are of little value to God. If we are too much like the world, we are
worthless. Christians should not blend
in with everyone else. Instead, we
should affect others positively, just as seasoning brings out the best flavour in food.
Did you know
that when beginning a journey, pilgrimage or visit, the Catholicos,
the Patriarchs and the Bishops of the Armenian Church always bless bread and
salt and then dip the bread in the salt and take a bite as a symbol of
thanksgiving for the welcome that is being extended?
The blessing
recited is a plea to God to achieve meaning in life and to thank him for his
mercies. In the Armenian Church, this
blessing is an ancient ceremony. This act of sanctification is done to remind us
all that we are the salt (carriers of God’s Word) of the creation (Earth) and
our wellbeing and safety in relation to God’s lands, seas, and creatures are
totally dependent on how we savor or season them.
Planning Underway for Carassauga 2008
If you would
like to participate in the planning of St. Vartan’s
Armenia Pavilion at Carassauga 2008, please contact
Chairman Vasken Altounian.
More volunteers are always needed for this annual multicultural festival in the
City of
Looking
Ahead
St. Vartan’s
Spring and Summer Activities
The Parish Council
has a number of events planned for the next four months. Today, we have the Parish Council Reception
after Soorp Badarak, and tickets can be purchased at
the door of the Church Hall for a fun and friendly Middle Eastern meal followed
by a surprise.
On Friday,
April 25, we will be holding an ecumenical Memorial Service commemorating the
Armenian Genocide, which took place more than 93 years ago. Local community and religious leaders have
been invited to participate in this event.
Following the Memorial Service, there will be a reception, and then a
presentation from Zoryan Institute on the topic of
Genocide in Today’s World. The evening
begins at
In May, St. Vartan hosts the Armenia Pavilion at
On June 15, a
Father’s Day Reception is planned, to follow the afternoon Soorp
Badarak at St. Cuthbert’s. Bring your
father and grandfathers to be blessed, pampered and honoured
on this day.
In July, we
have our Annual Picnic and St. Vartan Children’s Summer Day Camp. St. Vartan’s Picnic
is on Sunday, July 20 at Fogolar’s Country Club in
Immense Gift Given for us on Easter
Weekend
Turnout was
strong for Good Friday and Easter Sunday services at St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic Church of Mississauga, with many new faces amongst the
familiar ones.
Our celebrant
for both days was Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan. On Good Friday, the symbolic wooden tomb was
brought out of storage and decorated with fresh flowers brought by the
faithful. The faithful participated in the evening burial service by reading
from Scripture that told the sad story of Jesus’ trial, crucifixion and burial,
when Jesus died for our sins. The tomb was carried through the church and then
outside to the front yard where the faithful all walked underneath it, in the
traditional belief that their prayers will be answered. When the service
concluded, the faithful took home the flowers.
Sunday’s
service was a joyous one, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, which was a
totally unexpected occurrence for the ancient Jews who were his disciples and
his friends. In Jesus’ time resurrection was not an idea that the Jewish faith
espoused in any way, which is why when it did happen, it was unexpected and
frightening to the disciples. It was a radical rethinking of traditional
Judaism.
No returning from death
At the time,
Jews believed death was one way, and there was no returning from it. This was what
their Chief Priests taught. And yet, when the disciples saw Jesus wasn’t just a
vision, that he was there breaking bread with them and showing his wounds, it
was a great source of joy and hope for them, at a time when their hearts were
broken over the loss of their beloved friend and rabbi. It was Jesus’ physical
appearances after his death that convinced his disciples and others who saw him
that he was indeed the Son of God, and their long-awaited Messiah.
Easter is the
most important day of the Christian calendar and Jesus’ resurrection is the
fundamental bedrock of Christianity. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope
that life is eternal for those who believe in Jesus. Jesus gave us this new
hope when he left us to be with his Father; he left us hope in the
As you grow older, you will discover
that you have TWO HANDS—one for helping yourself and the other for
helping others.
Q. God is love. How could God bless or curse people in the Old Testament?
God is really love. However, we shouldn’t forget that God is righteous.
Many people think that the idea of God being love is related to his forgiveness
and tolerance towards everything. God doesn’t curse the human being but
condemns the sin. God clearly shows the ways by which the human being deserves
a blessing or a curse:
See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a
curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am
giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God
and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which
you have not known. Deuteronomy 11:26-28
Answer to the
question - prepared by Stole-bearer Garik Asrian.
Check it Out
www.stvartan.ca
www.armenianchurch.ca
St. Vartan
Summer Day Camp
For children 4 and up
Registration has begun
Get your summer camp applications in
early and SAVE !
Due to popular demand, Camp will run
for
TWO WEEKS
Monday, July 14 to
and
Monday, July 21 to
Join us for one, or both weeks - and
double the fun !
$125 for 1 week or $200 for 2
weeks/per child
(if paid in
full by
$135 for 1 week or $225 for 2
weeks/per child
(if paid
after
Includes a
Please make cheques
payable to St. Vartan Armenian Church
Credit Cards are also accepted.
Parish Council Reception
Immediately
after today’s Soorp Badarak, everyone is invited to
the Church Hall for a special luncheon (with a surprise) organized by the new
Parish Council. Tickets may be purchased
at the doors to the Church Hall.
Next Service
We hope to see
you at our next Soorp Badarak at