ST. MARY ARMENIAN CHURCH
SHNORHALI MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER
April 2022
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6th Week of Lent
The Lenten Lecture & Dinner Series concluded this past Wednesday, April 7 with a wonderful lecture by Yn. Jennifer Karapetyan and a delicious dinner sponsored by the Shnorhali School. Yn. Jennifer discussed the life and accomplishments of St. Nersess Shnorhali, sharing about the life of one of the most beloved and well-known saints in the Armenian Church and highlighting his great accomplishments in the final years of his life as Catholicos. Special appreciation goes to the teachers and parents of the Shnorhali school who contributed with their delicious dishes: Elvina Azaryan, Armine Khachatryan, Erna Stepanyan, Susana Avakyan, and Rebecca Bagdasarian. Thank you for your delicious and generous gifts! May God bless all of us as we continue our journey from Lent into Holy Week!
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Women's Guild Annual Palm Sunday Bake Sale
The Women's Guild held their Annual Bake Sale on Saturday, April 9, and Sunday, April 10. Parishioners and guests enjoyed culinary delights such as Sinni Kufta, Lamajouhn, Choreg, and a wide variety of delicious handmade desserts. The Women's Guild would like to express their deep appreciation to all of the volunteers who spent countless hours volunteering by cooking, baking, packaging, and serving! Thank you! For further information on Women's Guild activities or to receive updates on our activities, please email stmarywgdc@gmail.com.
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Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday at St. Mary Church
This year's celebration of Palm Sunday and Holy Week took place at St. Mary Church, with great joy and excitement.
On April 10, the Palm Sunday was celebrated commemorating our Lord's entrance to Jerusalem. During the Badarak Der Hayr blessed the children of our community. ACYOA luncheon and program were followed in the church hall.
On April 14, the Great and Holy Thursday, the Holy Badarak and Washing of the Feet took place commemorating the Last Supper of our Lord. It was followed by a solemn service of the Betrayal and Passion of our Lord (Khavaroom) that took place in the evening.
The Order of the Crucifixion of Christ and the Order of the Entombment of the Lord were held on a Great and Holy Friday, April 15.
On Easter Eve, Saturday, April 16, the Vespers and Scriptural readings by our Shnorhali School students were followed by the celebration of the Jragalouits Badarak.
Easter Sunday, the Feast of Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ was on April 17. It began with a Morning Service and Badarak celebrated by H. E. Archbishop Vicken Aykazian with the participation of our choir members and deacons and followed by Antastan (blessing of the four corners of the world) service.
Our utmost thanks to Mrs. Jermen Hallajian for hosting the dinner on Thursday; Mrs. Asanet Hacikoglu for decorating the Tomb of Christ, and Ms. Sara Arabian for making crosses for Palm Sunday.
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ACYOA Youth Palm Sunday Luncheon
The ACYOA Juniors held their annual Palm Sunday Luncheon on Sunday, April 10. Over 80 guests gathered to celebrate and support the youth of St. Mary. The program was led by the eloquent Master of ceremony Hovsep Sefarian and the youth of St. Mary presented a beautiful program with musical performances by Andre Alexandrian, Ella Madhok, Jaiya Madhok, and Takuhi Gomtsyan, Juniors also presented speeches by Mariam Karapetyan and David Sahakian and guests were treated to a delicious lunch. The ACYOA honored beloved parishioner Catherine Sahakian for her outstanding and dedicated service to the youth of St. Mary and Juniors Chairperson Julie Tilimian presented Catherine with a plaque in recognition of her service. Special appreciation to Jermen Hallajian for leading the preparation of the meal and to the countless parents and teens who helped make the day possible. For more information about the ACYOA Juniors or to be part of our email list for events and activities, please email stmaryyouthdc@gmail.com.
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Easter Eve Celebration
In celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection, Shnorhali School students gathered at St. Mary Armenian Church on April 16 to participate in a fun, educational, and sacred event. During the event, students learned about the reasons why we celebrate Easter, the stories and traditions behind Easter, and dispelled various Easter myths that children learn from pop culture. With our Der Hayr and Rebecca Baghdasaryan, students had a fun discussion about Easter eggs, egg hunts, Easter Bunny, etc., after which, students decorated Easter eggs with our volunteers, decorated clay Easter egg ornaments and necklaces with Dee Rogers, painted hand paintings, had fun playing Easter-related games and learned about Easter stories with Nicolette Blackwell. After dinner, students participated in Holy Patarag and read verses from Holy Bible.
Participation in this sacred and fun event was a great opportunity for our students to learn about the significance of our holy traditions, to strengthen their connection with our Church, culture, and heritage, for team building, and to help our students to establish everlasting bonds with their Armenian friends.
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Commemorating the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide
A solemn commemoration of April 24 took place at St. Mary Chruch. The day began with the Holy Badark, which was followed by a special service at the Katchkar on the Church plaza commemorating the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide who sacrificed their lives for their faith and homeland.
This year's Genocide remembrance was marked by the second consecutive year of recognition of truth and the honest history, as president Biden, with honor, dignity and courage used the accurate terminology in describing the Ottoman Empire's killing of more than 1.5 million Armenians a 107 years ago, and called the Armenian Genocide by its name.
The day concluded with a beautiful commemorative program prepared by St. Mary Shnorhali school students.
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Shnorhali School Commemorates Armenian Genocide
The Shnorhali school students paid tribute to the Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide by participating in the divine liturgy and the commemoration ceremony at the Armenian Khachkar in front of the Church, and by staging a short play called “The victory of Musa Mount”. The theatrical performance consisted of four scenes that depicted the determination and the heroic struggle of the Armenians of Musa Mount and the research story on this subject by Austrian-Jewish playwright Franz Werfel. Several musical performances, dances, and songs accompanied the play, including Musa Leran Zavaknern enk (We are the sons of Musa Ler) by Gousan Haykazun, Kaqavik (Partridge) by Komitas, Kilikia by Grigor Yeranian, For You by Charles Aznavour, Armenia, and others. The schoolchildren also danced Shoror by Komitas’s.
The story of harissa, the main food of the historic Musa mount defenders was presented, and the authentic dish was served to the audience. The play was authored by Haykaram Nahapetyan, one of the teachers at Shnorhali school, and staged by Nunik Nishanian, the principal. Special thanks to Armineh Khachatryan for the musical accompaniment, Vahagn and Lianna Matevosyan for technical assistance, and teachers Erna Stepanian, Asya Abrahamian, and Anahit Sarkissian for cooking the delicious harissa. The remarks and prayer by Der Hovsep Karapetyan concluded the event.
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LAV ELI Band in Our Midst
LAV ELI Acoustic East Coast Tour’s first stop was at St. Mary’s on April 28, 2022, LAV ELI (lavelimusic.com). Our appreciation is extended to the Duo comprised of Gor Mkhitarian and Mher Manukyan along with special guest Ara Dabanjian for making the evening a memorable one. An elegant wine and cheese reception preceded the concert. We are indebted to the talents and efforts of Ani Armani and Raffi Sahakyan for preparing a colorful spread. We are grateful to Sanaz and Raymond from BÖRO KABOB - Restaurant & Kabob House (borokabob.com) for providing one of their house specialties, Hummus and Pita. Moreover, we are thankful to Stella from YerevanDC for delivering a tray of scrumptious sweets. Our thanks to Takuhi Hallajian and Mark Bettis for helping to serve Armenian wine to the guests. Last but not least, we are deeply appreciative of our own sound and light engineers. The general ambiance of the evening was complete with Talin Habibian's lighting fixtures and Vahagn Babayan's sound system. We encourage you all to visit their respective restaurants and try the many other dishes they offer. The evening was uplifting and the attendees sang along with throughout the night. On behalf of Der Hovsep Karapetyan and Parish Council, we thank you all for your support and look forward to many more similar events where the community comes together and celebrates.
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New Audio-Visual System for Church Hall
Our special appreciation to Vahag Babayan for his professional services to St. Mary in helping with the purchase and installation of new audio-visual equipment for our social hall.
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Kitchen Renovation Completed
A group of dedicated parishioners came together on Saturday, April 16, 2022, to clean and reorganize the kitchen now that new cabinets have been installed. We are grateful for the unwavering dedication of our volunteers namely Berj Kalayjian, Catherine Sahakian, Michael Sahakian, Raffi Sahakyan, and Takuhi Hallajian.
For those who are interested, we are always in need of helping hands. Please contact the church office and provide us with your information. We encourage you to reach out and share your time and skills with us.
Spring Food Festival is around the corner. It is a great time to reconnect and fellowship with many of our parishioners. Be watchful of announcements regarding food preparation workshops prior to the 3-day event. We look forward to seeing you all before and during the Spring Festival, which will take place on May 20, 21, and 22nd.
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Baptism and Confirmation
April 23, 2022
Colbie Ann Mangasarian
Daughter of Eric Thomas & Crystal Ann Mangasarian
Godparents: Gregory Corso & Larisa Nunley
May God bless our newly baptized with His love and may His protection and guidance always be with him
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Hokehankists - Requiem Services
April 3, 2022
For the Soul of : Angela Bardizbanian (8th Anniversary)
Requested by: Son & Daughter-in-law & Grandchildren Raffie, Maureen, Arthur & Raffie Jr. Bardizbanian
For the Souls of : Harutyun Derderian and Yercan Delikahya (40th Day)
Requested by:Setrak (Mari) Derian, Simon Derian, Melkon Delikahya and families
For the Soul of : Viola Davitian ( 1st Anniversary)
Requested by: Artemis Davitian-Derk, and son-in-law Darryl E. Derk
For the Souls of: Elmas Ozkanian (1st Anniversary), Arminak Ozkanian, Hripsime Ozkanian
Requested by: Asadur Ozkanian
April 24, 2022
For the Soul of Karlen Simonyan
Requested by: Irina Abazyan
For the Souls of Izida Harutyunyan, Eduard Haykazyan, Admina Haykazyan & Marieta Gabrielyan
Requested by: Leonid Harutyunyan & family
For the Souls of Mary Banous, Shukri Istepanian & Golizar Arteen
Requested by: Rita Istepanian
For the Soul of : Julietta Martirosyan (40th Day)
Requested by: Nelli Martirosyan
For the Soul of : Angelia Angeliev
Requested by: Anthonia Atanasova
For the Soul of: Horen Panosyan (5th Anniversary)
Requested by: Arpine Panosyan
Alis & Aris Cubuk, Nadya & Garbis Chubukian, Ani Panosyan, Ayda & Brooks Harrington
May God rest their Souls in peace and may His loving favor be with their Loved Ones.
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St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church
Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, Pastor
4125 Fessenden Street N.W, Washington, DC 20016
202-363-1923 / www.stmaryaac.org
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