SUNDAY, May 18, 2014
Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross
Morning Service: 9:15 AM
Divine Liturgy: 10:00 AM
Bible Readings: Acts 17:1-15; 1 John 1:1-10; John 7:14-23
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Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross
 This feast is dedicated to the appearance of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. At noon on May 19, 351, a bright, luminous cross appeared over the skies of Jerusalem, centered over the area spanning from the Mount of Olives (where Christ was betrayed and arrested) to Golgotha (where Christ was crucified). Awestruck, the faithful of Jerusalem rushed to church to give thanks and glorify the Lord. Bishop Cyril (later St. Cyril of Jerusalem) subsequently wrote a letter to the Byzantine Emperor Constantine wherein he describes the miraculous and beautiful scene. St. Cyril tells Constantine that the apparition is a true testimony of Christian orthodoxy. Furthermore, St. Cyril exhorts the Emperor that the appearance is a sign for him to remain steadfast in his faith and to stop defending the heretical movement of Arianism and its promulgators. The Armenian translation of the Bishop's letter has been preserved by the Armenian Apostolic Church and is read each year on the Feast of the Apparition of the Holy Cross. The Armenian Church celebrates this feast 28 days following Easter Sunday. |
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Prayer of the Week
I confess with faith and worship You, invisible Light, simultaneously both Holy Trinity and One Lord: Creator of Light and dispeller of darkness, dispel from my soul the darkness of sin and ignorance, and enlighten my mind at this moment that I may pray to you according to Your will, and receive from you all that I ask. Have mercy on Your creatures and especially on me, a great sinner.
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The Topic of the Upcoming Sunday Sermon
"Christ's cross - a sign of freedom."
As always, on the third Sunday of the month a Children's sermon will be delivered right after the Gospel reading. |
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Let's Learn Armenian
Did You Know That...
The Badarak, not counting the priest's prayers, is about 4,700 words long, but has only 1,400 different roots, of which 200 constitute approximately 80% of the text. Եւ (Yev = and) is the most common word; it occurs 438 times and constitutes nearly 10% of the text. This means that if you knew only the word եւ , you'd already understand 1 out of every 10 words of the Mass. Moreover, if you knew only 200 words and their variants you would understand 8 out of every 10 words in the Mass.
Every week you can learn two of the 50 most commonly used words in the Badarak here:
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Armenian
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Phonetic
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English
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Ի
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ee
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in, from, to
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Տէր
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Der
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Lord
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Here are the words you have already learned:
եւ (yev), սուրբ (soorp).
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Items Used on the Altar Table
A well-known instrument of death in ancient times, which after Christ's crucifixion became a symbol of Christian faith, an object of devotion, and for that reason the most cherished and most frequently used ecclesiastical artifact.
In its original form the cross consisted of two pieces of wood of varying length-an upright and a transverse piece-which were crossed at right angles, in such a manner as to accommodate the condemned's torso, legs, and out-stretched arms.
All churches have adopted their traditional and established forms, such as the Latin cross, the Greek cross, etc. The Armenian cross aside from having four equal bars, has the representation of rays emanating from the four right angles which are formed by the bars, similar to the spokes of a wheel which radiate in all directions. For that reason we use the word, seragnatzev (in the form of spokes), which is used in the hymn devoted to the to the Cross of Varak, descriptive of its radiance:" ... with the revelation of the radiant four-winged holy cross which illumined the world with sun-like rays." Thus the seragnatzev has become the formal designation of the cross accepted by the church.
When we say cross, we understand only the two crossed bars. The most-used is that which is held by the officiating clergy which bears no representation of Christ. Crosses usually are made of silver or copper, so as to insure their durability. Every cross that is to be used in church services must be blessed, and anointed at five points, that is at the center and the four wings; more specifically, the agn (the eye or center), the tak (crown), and the right and the left wings.
The cross of the altar is large and must be placed at the center, high on the gradine. It should always be in the style of the Armenian cross. Some crosses of varying sizes are referred to as Pazmotzi Khatch (cross of the gradine) which on festive occasions are placed upon the altar as ornaments. The cross which leads the processions is called Tapori Khatch. The cross is not only used as an artifact by itself; it is also superimposed on other objects as a sacred symbol. All the vestments and articles of the church must be sanctified by the cross. It greces the pinnacle of the dome, the belfry, the facade of the church and the sixteen columns of the church.
(From "A Dictionary of the Armenian Church"
by Archbishop Malachia Ormanian)
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Video of the Week
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Armenian military band
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2014 Membership Dues
 If you are not already a 2014 dues-paid member, please consider becoming one. New members must pay dues by JUNE 30 in order to be eligible to vote during the Parish Assembly on January 2015.
Do you know that now you can pay your dues with your credit card? Ask Vahan Janjigian or Debbie DerAsadourian.
Forms are available in the church office or here.
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Altar Guild's Wish List
1. Two jajanch radiances (ostensorium). $300-600 each . Pledged.
2. Painting of St. James of Nisibis. $1000. Not pledged.
3. Painting of St. Stephen the Protodeacon. $1000. Not pledged.
4. Priest's 'half-vestments'. $500. Not pledged.
5. Censer stand- $400. Pledged
Sunday School's Wish List
1. Cabinet for storage of books and supplies. Not pledged.
2. Room furniture for students and teachers. Not pledged.
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THE ST. JAMES CHAPTER OF ACYOA
invites you to a special presentation
by Tatevik Khoja-Eynatyan
on Fund for Armenia Relief (FAR's) Ayo!
Stewardship Training Program
This Sunday, May 18, 2014
after Divine Liturgy.
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CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Our Church's ACYOA member Selena Groh
earned a perfect score on her ACT and an 800 on both the math and verbal sections of the SAT.
Congratulations to Selena on her achievements! Your Church family is very proud of you.
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WOMEN'S GUILD DAY
Sunday, June 22, 2014
after Divine Liturgy
Join us in honoring the members
of St. James Women's Guild
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ST. JAMES ARMENIAN CHURCH INVITES YOU
TO DER HOVHAN'S PRESENTATION
"ARMENIAN CHURCH IN
THE UNITED STATES"
(In Armenian)
Saturday, June 28, 2014
at 6 PM
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CLASS OF 2014 GRADUATES
If you have a graduate in your family or know of someone who is graduating, please send us their information.
If you are a graduate, please submit the school you are graduating from , the school you will be attending (if applicable), course of study (if applicable), degree earned and future plans.
We are planning to host a reception to honor our graduates on June 22.
Call or e-mail the Church office before June 18.
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EASTER HOME BLESSING
Easter season is the time when homes are blessed by the Pastor. All parishioners who wish to have their homes blessed on the occasion of Easter should call Der Hovhan (847) 644-7389 to make arrangements.
Have a piece of bread, dish of salt and glass of water available for the blessing.
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YOUTH ISSUE OF E-BULLETIN
Click here to access our special E-Bulletin featuring numerous programs (camps, retreats, training, scholarships, etc) made available to you by our parish, the Diocese, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, AGBU, Armenian Assembly of America and the RA Ministry of Diaspora.
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E-BULLETIN ARCHIVE IS NOW AVAILABLE
Missed or accidentally deleted any of the previous E-Bulletins?
You can read all our previous issues in the archive here.
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