St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic
Vol. 1 No. 9
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Poon (Great) Pareguentan
Since the
Church is preparing for the fasting period of the Great Lent, this Sunday has
been marked by our Church Fathers as a day of joy, happiness, and celebration.
It is called Poon Pareguentan,
and is intended to remind us of how God wanted us to enjoy life and his
blessings.
The word Poon means main, since there are 10 lesser occasions for
observing pareguentan during the year; and Pareguentan is actually two words—pari,
meaning good and guentan, meaning good living. This
is considered the first Sunday of Lent, and in preparation, the curtains on the
Church altar are closed on Saturday evening.
Tomorrow, we
enter the seven-week period of fasting and abstinence before Easter that is
called Lent. In the Eastern churches
(which includes the Armenian Church), the 40 days of Lent are calculated
differently from the Western churches.
Holy Week, which immediately precedes Easter and is a period of fasting,
isn’t counted as part of Lent. Lent, in
our tradition, begins six weeks prior to Palm Sunday and lasts 42 days. If you add to that the week of fasting
between Palm Sunday and Easter, fasting for Armenian believers is actually 49
days long.
Can I eat meat?
What does
fasting mean for Armenian believers?
Throughout the Lenten period (includes all evenings and weekends!), we
are to abstain from all foods that come from animals—meats, milk products and
fish--until after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Holy Saturday
evening.
While
abstinence and restrictions are one part of Lent, the greater task for the
believer is to be in love and harmony with his family, friends and nature. Lent
is a time to reflect upon our existence, the purpose of our creation and our
journey in this world. Lent is a “retreat” to readjust our priorities and make
them Christ-centred. It is a time set aside by the
Church for self-examination, spiritual discipline and rededication of our lives
to Christ and his gospel. If the cross of Christ was an act of absolute
unselfishness, the Church guides us to the same experience through the evening
vespers and ascetic practices of the Lenten period.
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 @
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. and Mrs. Sarkis
and Lucy Hamboyan, and Mr. and Mrs. Herag and Silva Hamboyan for the
loving memory of their sister and aunt Mrs. Hermineh Hamboyan Malatjalian (40 days) of
Haleb, Syria. May God bless her soul.
Meet our pastor
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan
905-916-1886 905-617-7888
stvartan@hotmail.com
PRAISE
To God for his faithfulness in answering our prayers for St. Vartan Armenian Church, his provision and his grace.
Nothing is more valuable in life than the feeling of being
loved.
Alice Hovsepian
PRAY FOR
·
God’s protection of the leaders
of our church—from our Parish Council Members to our Priest and Primate and the
Vehapar; his wisdom and direction for each of them.
·
God’s provision of St. Vartan’s needs.
·
God’s continued direction for our
Church.
And do this,
understanding the present time. The hour
has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer
now than when we first believed. The
night is nearly over; the day is almost here.
So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let
us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in
sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus
Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Romans 13:11-14
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.
Colours of Pareguentan
Did you know
there are specific colours associated with Pareguentan, which is the time of joyous revelry before
fasting and the introspection of the Great Lent begins? This year, the Great Lent begins
PURPLE is the color symbolic of
justice. It is also a colour for the royalty
of Jesus, anticipating his pain and suffering.
GREEN is symbolic of faith.
GOLD is symbolic of power.
RED is symbolic of Maundy Thursday
and the disciples.
BLACK is symbolic of Good Friday and
the darkness in the world.
WHITE is symbolic of the Resurrection.
The Purpose of Lent
During the
40-day period of Lent, the believer is called to taper life down to the bare
essentials. You should ask yourself, “What is really necessary to live?” You’ll
find that much of life is made up of excesses, which clutter our lives and our
values. When tempted in the wilderness, our Lord Jesus reminds us that “One
does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Being Faithful in Prayer
“Be joyful in
hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
A consistent
prayer life requires faithfulness. We
have to take the time, maintain focus, and commit to not allowing too much time
to go in between each prayer. And we
need to not grow weary when our prayers seem to go unanswered.
The words Paul
wrote to the Romans offer us some insight into the expectations that God places
on our prayer lives. God doesn’t require
eloquence. He doesn’t ask that our
prayers be a certain length or that we pray a certain number of times every
day. God asks that we be “faithful in
prayer.”
So what does
faithfulness in prayer mean? It means
making prayer an ongoing, consistent part of our lives. It’s being diligent to set aside time for
prayer. It’s developing a sense of awe
and stillness before God. It’s praying
for someone when we promised we would.
It’s taking time to sit before God and ask his direction rather than
rushing though each decision. It’s
seeking out God’s purpose in our lives rather than merely reacting to our
circumstances. It’s continuing to come
to him even when we don’t feel that we’re getting any answers. When we are faithful to pray—to talk to our
heavenly Father—we establish intimacy with him.
That alone is reason enough to be faithful in prayer.
Stormie Omartian
St. Vartan’s
Annual General Meeting
St. Vartan’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) takes place Sunday,
Feb. 17, immediately following Soorp Badarak. His Eminence Bagrat
Galstanian, Primate of the Armenian Church of Canada,
will be with us on that afternoon.
The Annual
General Meeting is an opportunity for our faithful to review the year gone
by. Reports are provided by the church
committees, our priest Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan, and Parish Council Chair Vasken
Altounian.
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.
There are
positions available on the parish council (two year term), as a diocesan
delegate (three-year term), and nominating and auditing committees (one year
terms). Nominations should be directed
to Loris Dumanian or Ani Shalvardjian.
St. Vartan members are encouraged serve on a church committee
or the Parish Council. Although everyone
is welcome at the AGM, only members are able to vote or run for office. By paying your 2008 church dues ($100 per
family and $60 per individual), you are able to vote. Membership forms are available at church
today.
A Reminder for Members
The Parish
Council has pre-pared an envelope with year end reports for you to review for
our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Please make sure to pick this up today and bring it with you to the AGM
on Feb. 17.
Check It Out
www.stvartan.ca
www.armenianchurch.ca
www.armenianchurch.org
Did you know?
St. Vartan 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!
Call Katie Shahinian at (905)785-7626.
Remember to Turn Off Your Cell Phone
Please turn off
your cell phone when you are at church, out of courtesy for your fellow
faithful and respect for the holiness of the Soorp
Badarak.
Church Requiem Provides
To Reunite With Loved Ones Through Prayer
Every requiem
is an occasion for us to come together as a family and as a community, to
remember the deceased, said His Eminence Bishop Bagrat
Galstanian on Sunday, Jan. 20 as he celebrated Soorp Badarak at St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic Church of Mississauga.
There were two
requiems on that day: one requested of all Canadian parishes by the Bishop for
the repose of the soul of slain journalist and human rights advocate Mr. Hrant Dink (one year); and a second for the beloved father
of St. Vartan’s Past Parish Council Chair and member
Loris Dumanian and his wife Julia (current St. Vartan Vice-Chair and Vice Treasurer) and family for Mr. Dikran Dumanian (40 days). Both deceased passed away in
Mr. Hrant Dink was shot to death outside his newspaper’s office
in
Our victorious ancestors enjoying
their crown
Srpazan Hayr
said requiem services give us the opportunity to meet with ancestors and loved
ones who aren’t with us any more.
“The first
reality is us: the living, working,
functioning church. The second reality
is the church of victorious people who are in heaven having a natural, intimate
relationship with our Creator. They are
victorious because they fought the good fight and are the martyrs of our church
now enjoying their crown,” said Bishop Galstanian.
The only way to
meet those who have passed away is through our prayers, and the church is a
means, through the requiem service, to achieve this, said the Bishop. “It is very important to have this
relationship with them (deceased), and important to not forget them.”
The Bishop’s
sermon also touched on peace, quoting from the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:9): “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall
be called the children of God.” He said
everyone seeks peace—peace within their heart, their family, their community,
their relationships, and their church.
“We look for
peace in every possible way,” said Bishop Galstanian. “Most of the time, we don’t have it. I believe it is the most desirable thing that
humans want.”
Indifference and relativism hurt
society
Srpazan Hayr
said there are two modern enemies in our society today: one is total indifference towards everything;
the second is relativism. Together, they
break the foundations of society. The Bishop explained that by relativism he
means total freedom in everything, where everything is considered good and fine
and nothing is identified as wrong or “bad.”
Bishop Galstanian praised the altar boys, telling them they are
participating in the Soorp Badarak just as their
forefathers did. They are not being
indifferent, but are expressing their faith.
Altar boys keep life in ancient
church
“You are
singing through your forefathers, singing the hymns they have sung. This is a
heroic deed. Your success is the success
of our ancestors,” he told them. “You are the bearers of your rich rich rich heritage,” stressed
Bishop Galstanian.
“It is ancient but never archaic; it is ancient but always living.”
St. Sarkis the Warrior and St. John the Baptist were remembered
by the Bishop, who blessed all the faithful whose names were Sarkis, Sergei, Serouj, Garo and Garabed.
Following Soorp Badarak and the requiem service, the faithful sat
down in the church hall to “A Taste of Armenia—Hayr Hayrik’s Hospitality” dinner featuring authentic Armenian
foods like bulgur pilaf, kyufte, eggplant and summer
salad. Dessert was generously provided
by Mr. and Mrs. Loris and Julia Dumanian. Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik
Hovhannisyan expressed heartfelt thanks to Alen and Anet Petrosian,
Polo and Anita Koundakjian, Hrayr
and Silva Avetisyan, Armine
Hayrapetian, Hagop Gageyan and Tigran Avetisyan for their hard work in preparing the event. About 100 people enjoyed the homemade meal.
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE
BAPTISM HOLY MATRIMONY
CHRISMATION ANOINTING OF THE SICK
PENANCE ORDINATION
HOLY COMMUNION
Holy Matrimony
Holy matrimony
is a Sacrament of the Armenian Orthodox Church in which a man and a woman
solemnly vow before Christ, the priest and the congregation to be true to each
other for life. Their conjugal union is blessed by Christ through the Church.
God’s grace is imparted to them to live together in his love, mutually
fulfilling and perfecting each other.
The marriage
ceremony of the Armenian Church is steeped in ritual and symbolism.
The Rings
The rings are
blessed by the priest. They are the symbol of the pledge, commitment and solemn
promise that a bride and groom make to each other. The exchange of the rings
signifies that in married life the weakness of the one partner will be
compensated for by the strength of the other, the imperfections of one by the
perfection of the other (vice versa).
The Joining of the Right Hands
One of the
purpose of the marriage ceremony is to acknowledge publicly a life-long
commitment as expressed in the pledge, "until death do us part." The
bride and groom join their right hands signifying that the couple becomes one
being and one flesh in the presence of the Church and through the sanctifying
action and grace of God. The priest’s hand on top of the couple’s hands is
symbolic of Christ at the center of the couple’s union.
The Crowning
The crowns (Narod) are the sign of the glory and honour
with which God crowns the couple during the ceremony and of their future glory
in God’s Kingdom. They are crowned as the king and queen of their own little
kingdom, the home that they will rule with wisdom, justice and integrity. The
exchange of the marriage crowns emphasizes the mutuality and shared equality of
the king and queen.
The Common Cup
The drinking of
wine from the "Common Cup" serves to impress upon the bride and groom
that from that moment on they will share everything in life—joys as well as
sorrows, and that they are to "bear one another’s burdens." Their
joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved because they will be shared.
Feb.-March 2008
Schedule
Soorp
Badarak
Soorp
Badarak
Soorp
Badarak
Stay for Coffee
Please join us
in the Church Hall for refreshments after Soorp
Badarak.
Next Service
Our next Soorp Badarak will be at