St. Vartan
Armenian Apostolic
Vol. 1 No. 11
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Sunday of the Judge
This is the
Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Judge. Last Sunday we passed the
half-way point of our spiritual journey through Lent (Meecheenk
Medz Bahkee). Today, we remember Jesus’ parable of the
Unrighteous Judge (Tadavoree Geeragee),
found in Luke 18.
The judge was a
godless man with great contempt for everyone.
A widow, the most vulnerable in society, came to him every day and
beseeched him for justice against someone who had harmed her. The judge ignored her, but finally, fed up of
her constant requests, he took on her case in hopes of getting rid of her. Jesus told this story to show his disciples
they must never give up and must persist in prayer.
Then the Lord
said, “Learn a lesson from this evil judge.
Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will
surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them
quickly! But when I, the Son of Man,
return, how many will I find who have faith?” Luke 18:6-8
If a godless
judge responds to constant pressure, how much more will a great and loving God
respond to us. If we know he loves us,
we can believe he will hear our cries for help. As we persist in prayer, we
grow in character, faith and hope. Do
not forget God is always listening to us, is always with us, wanting the best
for us. Prayer is our tie with God. It is our time to approach him with a clean
heart and without fear, for a deep talk.
Our Creator
knows our needs, and we must have faith that he will answer them at the proper
time. This is the question for us: do we trust God, even in our
suffering, and believe his promise of justice for the oppressed? Do we
pray and continue to pray, even when his answer does not come at the moment we
would like?
Prayer gives us
the power to touch other lives so they feel God’s love and the power to perform
God’s will on earth. For God to do his work in this world, he needs us to be
his mouth, his arms and his legs.
Christ’s body is the church, and we are the church. Together, we can accomplish all kinds of good
works. Remember that love must be at the centre of your Lenten journey. Work to achieve love and harmony with your
friends and family.
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 and his renewing love among us today as we worship
together.
Divine Liturgy @
Daily Scripture
Isaiah 65:8-25
Philippians
3:1-4:9
Luke
17:20-18:14
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. John Donelian,
Mr. Gomidas Donelian, Mr.
and Mrs. Jason and Lydia (and Kayla) Irwin, Mr. and Mrs. Michael and
Susan Sarian, Mrs. Dirouhie
Michelet, Mr. Jean-Paul Michelet,
Mrs. Jeanne-Lucie (and Emilie) Audrain, Mr. and
Mrs. Giragos and Rosie Boyadjian,
the Boyadjian, Mukhtarian, Tchakerian, MacLennan, El-Chaimi, Zakarian, and Donelian families, and their children for the loving memory
of their wife, mother, grandmother, sister, cousin, aunt, and great
aunt, Mrs. Lucie Donelian (1 year). May God bless her
soul.
† Mrs. Mary Degirmenci,
Miss Hayganoush Degirmenci,
Miss Lena Degirmenci, Mr. Razmig
Degirmenci and Andrea Ryan for the loving memory of
their son, brother and friend Mr. Stepan Degirmenci (40 days). May God bless his soul.
Meet our pastor
Very Rev. Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan
905-916-1886 905-617-7888
stvartan@hotmail.com
Once, having
been asked by the Pharisees when the
A Little Prayer
Good morning, Lord. Thank you for this day and for all of the good things
you have in store for me. Give me wisdom, insight and direction as I walk
joyfully with you today. Amen.
Friday Evening Lenten Services
Join us on
Friday evenings (March 7, 14) for a short Lenten prayer service with Very Rev.
Fr. Hayrik Hovhannisyan at
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.
Check It Out
www.stvartan.ca
BLESS SOMEONE ELSE IN SOME LITTLE
WAY TODAY!
God Seeks Truth and Purity of Heart From You
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. Malachi 3:3
This verse
puzzled some women in a Bible Study group and they wondered what this statement
meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to
find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at
their next meeting.
That week, the
woman called a silversmith, told him she was curious about the process of
refining silver, and made an appointment to watch him at work,. As
she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it
heat up. He explained that in refining silver one needed to hold the
silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were hottest, so as to
burn away all the impurities.
The woman
thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about
the verse that says: He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of
the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered
that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep
his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was
left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was
silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the
silver is fully refined?” He smiled at
her and answered, “Oh, that's easy—when I see my image in it.'” If today you are feeling the heat of the
fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until he
sees his image in you.
Forgiving Another Brings Peace to
Your Heart
Being able to
forgive others and to ask for forgiveness is integral to a Christian life, says
His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian.
Life is about
relationships, said the Bishop, while relating Jesus’ story about the Prodigal
Son. Relationships aren’t straight and
even. There are all kinds of
relationships where there is like, dislike, love—in our work, church, family,
community, marriage, friendships etc., he said. “Our life is in our relationships.
For it is in our relationship with others, that we discover our true self.”
In the story
about the Prodigal Son, Jesus teaches us to forgive, said the Bishop. Forgiveness is a gift from God. “He is the most forgiving; he always opens
his heart and arms to forgive us. His
compassion, his mercy, is limitless,” Bishop Galstanian
said.
Jesus teaches
us to forgive others 77 times 7, and if you don’t forgive, you will be like the
brother of the Prodigal Son who didn’t forgive his younger brother. He didn’t recognize that his lost brother was
found, as did their father, who joyously greeted the Prodigal Son and ordered a
feast to celebrate his return, said the Bishop.
“I am sure
there are people here before God today who have a brother or parents they don’t
talk to or see, or friends with whom they have problems of all
kinds--misunderstandings that have grown over time. You know it better than I,” said Bishop Galstanian. “I have
seen where two brothers live on two separate floors of a building and on the
deathbed of one, when the other was asked to come, he didn’t.”
“We know we are
not perfect, and are never perfect.
That’s why the Lord urges us to follow the Father who is perfect,” said
the Bishop. “When we can say I am sorry,
we become the courageous brother who came to apologize to his father, admitting
he had sinned and was not worthy to be called his son.”
“This is a
brave act,” said Bishop Galstanian. “Try to do this with your friends, your
family and see the peace that comes into your life and theirs. Be ready to
forgive and to ask forgiveness.”Until there is
forgiveness in each heart, there will not be peace in the world, he said.
Develop a forgiving attitude—most
people are doing the best they can.
Four New Members Acclaimed to Parish
Council
A new slate of
volunteers was acclaimed to serve St. Vartan Armenian
Church of
Joining
returning members Vasken Altounian
and Berge Shalvardjian on the Parish Council
are: Anet Petrossian, Ani Jelilian, Vahram Vahramian and Lily Sevadjian. St.
Vartan member Antranig Chaterjian was absent from the meeting but indicated
previously to the Nominating Committee his desire to serve on the Parish
Council. This will be voted on by the
newly acclaimed Parish Council members at their first meeting.
Acclaimed to
the Auditing Committee were Arno Ermarkaryan
and Cyril Tahtadjian.
Acclaimed to the
Nominating Committee were Katie Shahinian
and Christine Ermarkaryan. Retiring Diocesan delegate Lily Sevadjian was returned to serve another three years. Mrs. Sevadjian is
currently serving on the Diocesan Council.
Your Talents and Time Needed by
An organizational
meeting for the Armenia Pavilion, Carassauga
2008 took place on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at the home of Carassauga
2008 Chair Vasken Altounian.
Volunteers are
needed for the following committees:
Armenian culture, fundraising, the booklet, decorating, food, and
entertainment.
Please call
(905)891-8216 if you are able to join any of these committees.
Be kind to unkind people. They probably need it the most.
Calling
all
ST.VARTAN and ARARAT CAMPERS AND COUNSELLORS
to our annual ARMENIAN CAFÉ
Sunday, March 16 after Soorp Badarak
hosted by the children of our parish
This year will be a special celebration to thank our many volunteer counsellors for their dedication and enthusiasm.
To donate refreshments for the Armenian Café please contact Christine Ermarkaryan at 905-825-5299.
All proceeds from the Armenian Café will be used to fund St. Vartan Sunday School and St. Vartan
Summer Day Camp. Your support is always appreciated!
BRING SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A RIDE TO
CHURCH.
Seven Sacraments of the Armenian
Apostolic Church
BAPTISM HOLY MATRIMONY
CHRISMATION ANOINTING OF THE SICK
PENANCE ORDINATION
HOLY COMMUNION
ORDINATION - HOLY ORDERS
In the Armenian
Church, the authority to serve, to teach, to sanctify, and to govern is not
given by elections or appointment, but by a sacred ritual called ordination.
Through ordination, men (never women) receive the power and grace to perform
the sacred duties of a minister of the Church.
A candidate for
Holy Orders must be a man of good moral character, with knowledge of the Bible
and Church laws. He should be well trained in the ritual of the Church, a man
of faith, piety, and wisdom. He must be healthy in body, without physical
impairment which would prevent the performance of his duties in the ministry of
the Church. It is a great service to the Church if a family encourages one of
its young members to consecrate his life to the service of God and his Church
by becoming a priest.
I remind you to
rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying of my hands,
writes
The sacrament
of ordination of any cleric, except a bishop, is always administered by the
laying on of hands (tzernatroutiun) by a bishop. The
consecration of a bishop is performed by His Holiness the Catholicos,
having at least two other bishops assisting him at the ordination. The consent
of the laity is expressed formally at the service of ordination by the
choristers when they sing “he is worthy.”
In the
beginning, the Apostles were the sole teachers, sanctifiers and rulers in the
Church. However, as the membership of the Church increased, the Apostles
created other officers to assist them. The first deacons were elected by the
faithful and were appointed and ordained by the Apostles to distribute alms, as
well as to serve the public dinner tables at which Holy Communion was
administered (Acts 6). The Apostles also appointed and ordained elders to help
them in baptizing the converts, in administering Holy Communion and for other
functions in the Church. They were the predecessors of our present-day priests.
The Apostles were ordered by our Lord to go to all parts of the world to preach
the Gospel.
Before leaving
a town or country where they had already established a flourishing church, the
Apostles used to appoint an able and dependable person they called bishop (Episcopos, Gk meaning overseer), to supervise the Christian
communities of the area and to act with full authority in their name.
There are three
main orders instituted in the Church since the time of the Apostles: deacons,
priests, and bishops. Deacons assist the
bishop and priest in the church by singing, censing, and bringing the gifts to
the holy altar during the Divine Liturgy. The priests administer all the
sacraments except ordination and are the shepherds and the leaders of local churches
under the bishop. Bishops are the governors of various dioceses of the Church.
They alone administer the Holy Orders and are authorized to consecrate
churches, altars and baptismal fonts.
Archbishop,
patriarch and catholicos have higher authority and
jurisdiction in the Church’s administrative matters. Archbishop is an honorary
title given by the catholicos to bishops who are
distinguished by their position or good record of activity. The patriarch is an
archbishop who occupies one of the historical patriarchal Sees of Jerusalem or
The primate of
a diocese (Arachnort) is a high-ranking clergyman who
holds the highest position and authority in a given diocese. He may have a
lower order than that of a bishop, and even if there are retired bishops or
even archbishops in his diocese, they come under his jurisdiction in matters of
administration. Vartabed is an academic church title
given to a celibate priest who has the necessary education. Dzayrakoun
vartabed is an honorary title given a vartabed who has been elected primate, or who has
distinguished himself by learning in the fields of theology, religious
teaching, and Holy Scripture, etc. Apegha is a
celibate priest attached to a monastery. Archpriest is an honorary title given
to priests who have fruitfully served their church for long years or who have
distinguished themselves in outstanding service to the Church. Minor orders are
sub deacons, doorkeepers, psalmists, readers, acolytes or candle bearers, and
exorcists (whose function is to read prayers over sick people).
These
differences of rank and office are necessary for the proper government of the
Church. Without them, the Church would be a society without organization.
Saints and
Sacraments of the Armenian Church, 1958, Bishop Shnork
Kaloustian
March 2008 Schedule
Soorp
Badarak
Lenten Service
Lenten Service
Palm Sunday
Armenian Cafe
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Next Service
We hope to see
you at our next Soorp Badarak at
Immediately
after Soorp Badarak today, everyone is invited to the
Church Hall for refreshments.