April 28

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Red Sunday

In the Calendar of the Armenian Church, the fourth Sunday following the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is known as Red Sunday. The color "red" has been used throughout history to represent many things.

One of the symbolic meanings is the blood of the martyrs who were sacrificed for Christ, His Holy Church, and their Christian faith. During the early years of Christianity, faithful followers of Jesus Christ were subjected to severe persecution and torment. Many elected to die rather than betray their principles of life and faith, which the Incarnate God - Christ Jesus - had endowed to them and all of mankind. The psalmist writes, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the saints" (Psalms 116:15).

Today, martyrdom is far less often an occurrence in the lives of Christians, yet it does happen. However, the greater struggle is the one against sin, which we can see manifested in many ways throughout the world. The battle against wickedness and evil, which will be victorious in the end, is the current expression of the significance of Red Sunday. The Apostle Paul writes that Christ Himself endured such opposition, that we should not grow weary in our battle against wickedness. In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul says: "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:4).

We are to use the opportunity of Red Sunday to once again remind ourselves of Paul's exhortation to remain steadfast in the Lord, and to continue our daily labors of goodness and righteousness.

April 30, 2023

Morning Service 

10:00 AM

Holy Badarak 

10:30 AM

Celebrant

Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan 

Usher

Ms. Arlin Diratsuyan

Parish Council Members on Duty

Mr. Ohannes Sivaslian

Choir

Mrs.Edita Kalayjian

Organist

Mrs. Karine Muradyan

Bible Readings: 

Acts13:16-43

1Pt 5:1-14

John 5:19-30

For the Soul of :

Angela Bardizbanian (9th anniversary)

Requested by :

Raffie, Maureen, Arthur & Raffie Jr. Bardizbanian (Son & Daughter-in-law & Grandchildren)

To request a Hokehankist/Requiem Service 

Please contact the Church Office

by 12:00 Noon on Thursday

202-363-1923

or Click here to see the form

Prayer of the Week

Jesus, Wisdom of the Father, grant me wisdom that I may at all times think, speak, and do before you that which is good in your sight. Save me from evil thoughts, words, and deeds. Have mercy upon your creatures and upon me, a great sinner.

    Lord, please keep watch over your faithful people and the holy soil of Artsakh and Armenia, now and always. Foil every aggressor against our homeland. Defend the innocent and voiceless, Lord. Deliver the world from every single conflict, and besto

Commemorating the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide

A solemn commemoration of April 24 took place at St. Mary Chruch on Sunday, April 23. 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.

Shnorali School students also paid their respects to the Holy Martyrs of Genocide by participating in the Divine Liturgy and the Commemoration Ceremony at the Khachkar in front of the Church. They put flowers on the Khatchkar and will pay their tribute to our martyrs on Sunday, April 30th, by staging a short play about the American missionaries and Armenian Fidayees to rescue Armenians during the Genocide.

The day concluded with the blessing of Madagh, which was served to our parishioners for the occasion. Then an illustrated talk titled "Emerging from the Genocide's Shadow: Stories of Armenian Resilience" took place at the Church Cultural Hall, presented by Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, a lecturer in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University, and the Armenian and Georgian Area Specialist at the Library of Congress. 

This year's Genocide remembrance was marked by the third consecutive year of recognition of truth and honest history, as President Biden, with honor, dignity, and courage, used accurate terminology in describing the Ottoman Empire's killing of more than 1.5 million Armenians, a 108 years ago, and called the Armenian Genocide by its name.

St. Mary Food Festival -Sponsorship Opportunities

Dear Friends,

At St. Mary, we are very excited to host the 13th Annual Armenian Spring Food Festival on May 19, 20, and 21, again bringing the culinary delights and cultural riches of Armenian heritage to the Greater Washington, DC area.

Our community is hard at work preparing for the Food Festival, but we need your support and sponsorship for it to be a success.

Please Click on the Link Below to BECOME A SPONSOR.

All donations are tax-deductible.

Women’s Guild Food Festival Workshop

The Women's Guild held their first workshop in preparation for the 2023 Spring Food Festival! Over 20 women gathered in fellowship and service to prepare Haskanoush and Simit for the upcoming Festival in May. Over the course of four hours, the group prepared hundreds of delicious desserts! Special appreciation to the Workshop Leaders, Hripsime Sivaslian and Asanet Hacikoglu! 

The next Workshop is TOMORROW 4/29 at 10 am! Come and help us prepare Cheese Boureg to benefit the Church! To learn more about our workshops, please Click Here.

Join the Recycle Committee



Are you interested in getting a recycling program started at St. Mary? We are looking for parishioners who can help with this effort.

If you are interested please email Roxanne Paul at [email protected].  

UPCOMING EVENTS

A Word of Thanks

Shoutout to the Garden Committee members, in particular Takuhi Hallajian, Shoghig, and Raffi Sahakyan, for beautifying our Church garden on Friday, April 22.

On the morning of April 22, they got together and did amazing work that included weeding, planting,

sweeping, etc.

Keep up the good work of making our church a better place for our parishioners.

In addition, we are grateful to Gilda and David Andonian for taking the initiative to bring flowers and plant them around the grounds of our church. Everyone's welcome to share their Green Thumb. If interested, please contact the church office for details.

We are also grateful for Onnik Sivaslian's unwavering dedication to seeing the many needs of our church met. Without being asked, he's been ensuring the water filters are replaced on both Drinking Fountains in our church so every parishioner, visitor and child will drink purified water.

WED Educational Fund Scholarship



Application for WED Educational Fund Scholarship is now available at St. Mary's website www.stmaryaac.org. The application deadline for the 2023-2024 academic year is

May 31, 2023.

Click here to access the scholarship application. If you have questions, contact the St. Mary Church office at [email protected]

There is a wonderful opportunities for our children to participate in Armenian camps and conferences this summer. St. Vartan Camp and St. Nersess Summer Conferences and trainnigs are now oper for registration. If your child is interested please contact the the church office at [email protected] and provide your name, contact information (phone and email) and your student’s name/age. Put "St Vartan Camp," or "St. Nersess" in the subject line.  An interest meeting will be arranged, where parents/students can ask questions and arrange carpools.

This year, through generous donations made to a number of memorial funds, St. Mary will be able to offer a discount for each camper.   

Special Gift for St. Mary Gift Shop

St. Mary gift shop is offering limited numbers of imported bottles of medieval Armenian health elixirs formulated from ancient manuscripts deciphered at the Matendaran Museum of Ancient Armenian Manuscripts. These elixirs are made in Armenia by Armen Sahakyan, a pharmacologist and botanical scholar who has been working at the Matenadaran Museum for the last several decades. A trained medical doctor ordained a deacon in 1997, Sahakyan has dedicated his life to the maintenance of Armenia’s sacred botanical traditions.

The three different batches available at our gift shop (Royal Elixir, Arates Elixir and Arates Tonic) are made from a codified recipe of medieval Armenian medicine, using a special distillation process. They contain medicinal and aromatic plants, known for their healing properties. Through the distillation and aging process alcohol is created, so think of them as perhaps Armenia’s first (healthy) cognac! 

The supplies are limited and each bottle is numbered, including the batch and year of production. All of the bottles were donated to St Mary Church, so 100% of the proceeds will go to the St Mary Endowment Fund, with a portion also going to support Armenian clergy serving in Artsakh.

"Embrace the Future" Endowment Fund

Dear Parishioners and Friends, 

This year we celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the St. Mary Community and Church with the launch of the new "Embrace the Future" Endowment Fund to help ensure our church has the resources needed to continue serving our beloved community.  

Just as you plan for your future and that of your family, please join us in planning for the future of St. Mary Church. 

We are asking for your support so that St. Mary will be able to continue to fulfill her mission for future generations.  

The link below lists various opportunities for you to make a meaningful gift of lasting significance that will help support our church's long-term security, visibility, and vitality. Please consider making either a one-time gift or pledge, which would allow you to make payments over a five-year period.

Join St. Mary's Prayer Group

We are initiating a new form of ministry at St. Mary Armenian Church. For parishioners who would like to make an electronic prayer request, they can do so by Clicking Here.

A group of volunteers will receive the request and pray at their earliest convenience. Additionally, a new physical prayer request box will be placed at the entrance of St. Mary Armenian Church with blank forms that anyone can fill out and drop in the box. These requests will be retrieved weekly and delivered to the members of the volunteer prayer group. If you would like to become one of the volunteers of the Prayer Group please email us. 

Please click on the link below to present your request. 

Armenian Speaking Caregivers Available

For information please contact the church office at 202-363-1923 or  [email protected]

Part-time help needed

Rockville Town Center (a few minutes walk from the Rockville Metro stop on the Red Line), for details, contact Lilit at "Saints Valley" Boutique:   https://www.instagram.com/saintsvalley/?hl=en

Buy a Brick and Leave Your Legacy at

St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church

Bricks can be ordered and purchased by clicking below and

filling out a simple online order form.

You can choose to have a 4" x 8" brick

which includes your preselected

3 lines of 20 characters per line of text.

Or you can choose to have the

Armenian Cross artwork on the 4" x 8" brick

which includes your preselected

3 lines of 15 characters per line of text.

Order Today While Quantities Last!

Payment can be made with PayPal or a Credit Card.

Legacy Brick Donations are Tax Deductible.

121st Diocesan Assembly Convenes Next Week

Next week, the 121st Diocesan Assembly will convene at the Marriott Hotel in Plano, TX. St. Sarkis Church of Carrollton, TX, will host the Clergy Conference (meeting May 2-4), and the Diocesan Assembly (meeting May 4-6), bringing together hundreds of Armenian Church leaders from the Eastern Diocese.

Diocesan Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan will preside over the gathering—which is the first Diocesan Assembly since his election as Primate last year.

This will also be the first full-scale Diocesan Assembly since 2019. St. Sarkis Church was slated to host the assembly in May of 2020, but the event was postponed with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the intervening years, the parish completed the construction of, and consecrated, its impressive new church and cultural facility (above), which will provide a magnificent backdrop for the social and liturgical gatherings scheduled for the assembly weekend.

The General Sessions—scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 4 through 6—will go forward under the theme “Growing In Faith Together.” That name refers to the Diocesan “action plan” that was released to the public earlier this year. As part of his official address on Friday morning, the Primate will introduce the plan, and delegates will then spend time in roundtable discussions, exploring their ideas to implement the plan at the local parish level.

Other highlights include a presentation on the campaign for the restoration of St. Vartan Cathedral, and reports from the Fund for Armenian Relief, the Armenian Church Endowment Fund, and Diocesan program departments, ministries, and auxiliary organizations.

Assembly business will also include elections for seats on the Diocesan Council and other official committees.

The annual awards banquet will take place at St. Sarkis Church, in its elegant “Hall of Lights” on Friday, May 5. At that time, Mr. and Mrs. Elie and Ela Akilian will be honored as this year’s “Armenian Church Members of the Year,” and architect David Hotson will receive the “Friend of the Armenians” award.

The Divine Liturgy, with the Primate presiding, will conclude the gathering on Sunday, May 7.

Find detailed information on the schedule of events by clicking here. Check the Eastern Diocese’s website and Facebook page for updates on the Diocesan Assembly proceedings.

Across the World on Martyrs Day, Vows to Remember—and Act

His Holiness Karekin II began this year’s solemn April 24 commemoration by visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Dzidzernagapert, to lay wreaths and offer prayers at the eternal flame. Leading a delegation from the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians joined the great throng of fellow Armenians paying their respects on the occasion.

At Holy Etchmiadzin on the same day, Catholicos Karekin II presided over the Divine Liturgy at St. Gayane Monastery, marking the Feast of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.

In a message to the public on the occasion, His Holiness lamented that “One hundred and more years ago, one and a half million Armenians testified their loyalty to our God-given homeland and faith, at the cost of their lives.”

He continued that on this day, Armenians across the world are united in prayer: “We raise a prayer to God, asking for the intercession of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, so that with unity and an indomitable will we may face every disaster and threat, fight for the victory of Armenian justice, and contribute to the prevention of genocidal acts and crimes in the lives of our people and in the world.”

Click here to read the entire message. Click the following links to view photos, and watch a video clip of the Martyrs Day ceremonies, on Holy Etchmiadzin’s Facebook page.

Halfway around the world, in New York City on April 23, Eastern Diocese Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan struck a similar chord in his closing prayer for the Times Square Genocide Commemoration, organized by the Knights of Vartan and a host of Armenian groups.

“The souls we remember today endured their martyrdom 108 years ago,” he prayed. “But we are aware, Lord, that the hostility they faced, the cause they died for, did not end, but continues to this day. We feel grief that our people—your people—still live under this shadow of destructive hatred, aimed at us, our children, our homeland, our entire civilization. We ask you to keep watch over your faithful people, and especially to protect the holy soil of Artsakh and Armenia—now and always.”

The Primate concluded: “As the proud descendants of the Genocide martyrs, we accept that the duty to remember, to speak out, to preserve and defend, now falls upon us. We all must shine with the light of our saintly Genocide martyrs, so that the example of the Armenian people—living, departed, and yet to be born—will always be a Light of Truth, to honor the memory of our martyrs, and to glorify you, our God.”

Click here to watch a video clip of Fr. Mesrop’s prayer in Times Square.

FAR is Hiring a Development Director

The Fund for Armenian Relief is searching for a “Director of Institutional Marketing and Development.” The position will be responsible for the overall strategic development and management of the set of communications that FAR deploys to reach its audience.

The Development Director is expected to contribute to strengthening FAR’s image in the market and to further developing trust among the diaspora and make it the foundation of choice for individuals to consider when planning their charitable giving efforts. This position will report to Garnik Nanagoulian, Executive Director.

For complete information, click here.

Pursuing an Academic Dream, Thanks to a FAR Scholarship

Kristin Ashekean, age 19, had always wanted to study political science. But war prevented her from pursuing those studies in her home country of Syria.

A couple of years ago she decided to join her sister, Maria, who at the time was studying psychology in Yerevan with the help of the Fund for Armenian Relief’s “Syrian-Armenian Scholarship Program.” After hearing about her sister’s experience with FAR’s scholarship, Kristin applied and was accepted—making it possible for her to finally study political science at Yerevan State Linguistics University.

“When I heard about the FAR scholarship, I became filled with hope,” Kristin said. “It resonated strongly with me and my dream. I want to invest in my professional and personal growth, and find answers.” Kristin sees the war in Syria as having stolen her childhood, but she wants to reclaim her future. Her goal is to become a political scientist or diplomat.

Kristin and Maria are two of the 500 students supported each year through the Fund for Armenian Relief’s extensive scholarship program. Read more about it on FAR’s blog.

April 30 'Rescue the Armenians' Shnorhali School Students' performance

May 12 90^th Anniversary Endowment Fundraising Garden Reception @ 7 pm 

May 12 ACYOA Juniors End of Year /Graduation Party

May 18 Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ

May 19, 20,21 Spring Food Festival

May 28 W.G.Hampartzoom program and lunch

19 Յիսուս ասաց նրանց. «Ճշմարիտ, ճշմարիտ եմ ասում ձեզ, մարդու Որդին ինքն իրենից ոչինչ չի կարող անել, այլ անում է այն, ինչ տեսնում է, թէ Հայրը կատարում է, որովհետեւ ինչ որ Հայրն է անում, նոյնը նրա նման եւ Որդին է գործում, 20 քանի որ Հայրը սիրում է Որդուն, եւ այն ամէնը, ինչ ինքն է անում, ցոյց է տալիս նրան. եւ նրան ցոյց կը տայ սրանից շատ աւելի մեծ գործեր, որոնց վրայ դուք կը զարմանաք. 21 որովհետեւ, ինչպէս որ Հայրը յարութիւն է տալիս մեռելներին եւ կենդանացնում է, նոյնպէս եւ Որդին կենդանացնում է` ում կամենայ: 22 Սակայն Հայրը ոչ մէկին չի դատում, այլ ամէն դատաստան տուել է իր Որդուն, 23 որպէսզի ամէնքը պատուեն Որդուն, ինչպէս պատւում են Հօրը: Ով Որդուն չի պատւում, չի պատւում եւ Հօրը` նրան առաքողին: 24 Ճշմարիտ, ճշմարիտ եմ ասում ձեզ, որ, ով իմ խօսքը լսում է ու հաւատում է նրան, ով ինձ առաքեց, ընդունում է յաւիտենական կեանքը եւ չի դատապարտւում, այլ մահուանից կեանք անցաւ: 25 Ճշմարիտ, ճշմարիտ եմ ասում ձեզ, որ կը գայ ժամանակ, եւ արդէն իսկ եկել է, երբ մեռելները կը լսեն Աստծու Որդու ձայնը, եւ նրանք, որ կը լսեն, կþապրեն, 26 որովհետեւ, ինչպէս Հայրն ինքն իր մէջ կեանք ունի եւ կեանք է տալիս, նոյնպէս եւ Որդուն տուեց ինքն իր մէջ կեանք ունենալ եւ տալ: 27 Եւ նրան իշխանութիւն տուեց դատաստան անելու, քանի որ մարդու Որդի է. 28 դրա վրայ ինչո°ւ էք զարմանում, որովհետեւ կը գայ ժամանակ, երբ բոլոր նրանք, որ գերեզմաններում են, կը լսեն նրա ձայնը 29 եւ դուրս կը գան. ովքեր բարի գործեր են արել` կեանքի յարութեան համար, իսկ ովքեր չար գործեր են արել` դատաստանի յարութեան համար: 30 Ես ինքս ինձնից ոչինչ անել չեմ կարող, այլ, ինչպէս լսում եմ Հօրից` դատում եմ, եւ իմ դատաստանը արդար է, որովհետեւ ոչ թէ իմ կամքն եմ որոնում, այլ նրա կամքը, ով ինձ առաքեց»:

(Յովհ. 5:19-30)

19 Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so, the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.24 "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out-those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

(John 5:19-30)