St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church
Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, Pastor
Address: 4125 Fessenden St. NW, Washington, DC 20016
Tel: 202-363-1923
|
|
Commemoration Day of 200 Pontiffs Participating in the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus
On August 10 the Armenian Church commemorates the 200 Pontiffs who participated in the ecumenical council of Ephesus. The Ecumenical Council of Ephesus was convened in 431 AD, during the reign of the King Theodosius Small. They participated in the Council with the goal to criticize the false teaching of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. According to his teaching there were two independents - divine and human natures in Christ, contrasting each other. Nestorius preached that Christ was born as a simple man and only later Divinity was settled in His Person, and therefore, the Holy Virgin Mary was not the Godmother, but the mother of a simple man.
The Ecumenical Council of Ephesus condemns the teaching of Nestorius and adopts the teaching of St. Cyril of Alexandria as an orthodox teaching, according to which the divine and human natures of Christ do not exist separately, but are united and unmixed, without confusion - one Lord, one Jesus, one face and one united divine and human nature. St. Mary is not the mother of a simple man, but she is the Godmother as she gave birth to the Son of God. So, the formulation of St. Cyril of Alexandria: "One is the nature of the Incarnate Word of God" was adopted.
The Armenian Church has not participated in that Ecumenical Council but has adopted its resolutions and ecumenical authority together with the previous Ecumenical Councils.
|
|
The Feast of Transfiguration Celebrated at St. Mary
The glorious Feast of Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ was celebrated at St. Mary on July 28. This feast is one of the five Tabernacle feasts of the Armenian Church. It is called the Holy Transfiguration because the appearance of Christ changed and became luminous indicating His divinity and His divine glory. In the Transfiguration, the apostles see the glory of the Kingdom of God present in majesty in the person of Christ. They see that in Him, indeed, "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell," and that "in him, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" [Col. 1:19, 2:9]. They see this before the crucifixion so that in the resurrection they might know who it is who has suffered for them, and what it is that this one, who is God, has prepared for those who love him. This is what the Church celebrates in the feast of the Holy Transfiguration.
|
|
New Icons for St. Mary Sanctuary
The St. Mary Sanctuary is adorned by three new icons on the left side wall of the Church’s chancel. As the key figures in the history of Armenia’s conversion to Christianity, these icons of St. Gregory the Illuminator, King Drtad the Great, and St. Hripsime have been donated in memory of Mardiros & Dikranouhi Balian and Vartkess Balian and in honor of Rita Balian. We hope that they inspire our faithful in their prayers for years to come. On behalf of St. Mary, we would like to thank Mrs. Rita Balian and her family for their sponsorship.
|
|
St. Vartan Camp
On Sunday, July 14th our parish was represented at St. Vartan Camp by six of our ACYOA Jr. youths. They spent two weeks at camp. The kids spent their days playing volleyball, basketball, swimming and rotating between religion, art, heritage, music, and dance classes. Every evening they spent time with their age-specific groups creating skits and playing games.
Various clergymen visited the camp. It was an honour for the campers to be visited by our Primate Bishop Daniel, who took the time to lead a class in religion.
It was an emotional departure from camp on July 27th. Our campers look forward to July of 2020 to go back to see all of their friends at St. Vartan Camp.
|
|
Making Mahs
This week our devoted team of "Mahs Bakers" gathered within St. Mary Church's kitchen to make mahs. Our special thanks to Lola Pickering, Janet Arabian, Gulbahar Ozkayan, Haikouhi Koudoussian, and Takuhi Ozbenian who skillfully mixed the ingredients to make the mahs.
The Armenian word "mahs" means a portion. It is blessed, unconsecrated bread (not Holy Communion) that is given to the faithful to take to those who were unable to share in Holy Communion. It becomes their "portion" of the Badarak. When you receive mahs, extend your right hand so that the small piece of bread can be placed on the back of your hand, and as you receive the mahs say "Pazheen eem Asdvadz haveedyan" (God is my portion forever).
|
|
Revealing the Foundations of Etchmiadzin
The ongoing restoration work at the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin has revealed some fascinating architectural features that have lain hidden over the centuries.
While the establishment of Etchmiadzin dates to the reign of King Drtad III in the early 4th century A.D., the cathedral has been rebuilt and modified many times in its history. When the original structure was severely damaged in Armenia’s 5th-century conflict with Persia, Etchmiadzin was rebuilt on a cruciform plan by Vahan Mamikonian, and this is still considered the historic “core” of the sanctuary. But the elevation familiar to people today is the result of reconstruction and major additions done from the 15th through 19th centuries.
The current restoration was authorized by His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of all Armenians. Several of the recent discoveries made in that effort concern the earliest form of the cathedral. According to restoration architect Amiran Badishyan, these discoveries may resolve longstanding questions about the Mother Cathedral. For example, it has been theorized since the 20th century that the earliest structure was shaped in a rectangular basilica layout. Badishyan feels that discoveries in the ancient foundation will prove to refute that view.
Restoration architects have also found new evidence of ornamentation on columns that date back to the 5th or even 4th centuries. Removing a thick layer of plaster from some column capitals revealed carved floral sculptures that appear unique for the time, and that previous scholarship had not anticipated. These and other discoveries may have consequences for our understanding of the earliest Armenian Christian architecture.
Armenia’s Shoghagat television network produced a short Armenian-language news clip on this topic that you can
watch by clicking here.
|
Dawn of the Christian Faith in Armenia
On Saturday, August 3, the Armenian Church will observe the Feast of St. Thaddeus the Apostle and St. Sandukht the Virgin. The story of these two saints sheds light on the early days of Christianity in Armenia.
Armenia in the first century was a pagan kingdom ruled by a powerful royal family. It held strongly to its inherited pagan practices—until a man named Thaddeus ventured to Armenia.
He was an apostle of Jesus Christ, and preached the Lord’s message in homes, in hidden underground chambers, in the market and the streets. Moved by the Good News, many of the common folk converted to Christianity.
Rumors of this unusual man reached the royal court, and caught the ear of Sandukht, the daughter of Armenia’s king Sanadrouk. Sandukht declared her faith in Christ and was baptized by Thaddeus. But when the king’s spies reported the news to her father, Sandukht was thrown in prison.
The king asked his daughter to choose between the crown and the sword: either she would renounce Christianity and serve as a pagan princess, or face death. Sandukht chose the sword, and became Armenia’s first Christian martyr. Shortly after Sandukht’s death, Thaddeus was also executed by the king. Their sacrifices planted the seeds of the Christian faith in Armenia—a faith that would eventually become the foundation on which to build a new Christian Armenia.
Sandukht’s dramatic story is the subject of a powerful video in the Diocese’s Bread and Salt series: “Crown or Sword.”
Click here to view the video
.
|
|
|
|
READ MORE NEWS FROM DIOCESE
|
|
Morning Service
10:00 AM
Holy Badarak
10:30 AM
Celebrant
Very Reverend Fr. Andreas Ezekyan
Ushers
Mr. Garbis Chubukian, Mrs. Rouzanna Oganissian
Parish Council Members on Duty
Mr. Jack Guiragossian, Mr. Zakar Shahverdian,
Mr.
Artur Sivaslian
Choir
Dr. Hratch Semerjian
Organist
Mrs. Karine Muradyan
Bible Reading
Isaiah 3:16-4:1. 1; Corinthians 1:25-30;
Matt. 18:10-14
|
|
HOKEHANKIST REQUIEM SERVICE
|
|
HOKEHANKIST
REQUIEM SERVICE
For the Soul of
:
Zhudeks Petrosyan
Requested by
:
Leonid and Nelly Harutyunyan’s family, Edmon and Amalia Gazazyan,
Evelina Atayan-Poghosyan and their family members.
For the Souls of
:
Armenak Boyajian, Keghanoush Boyajian and Sograd Boyajian
Requested by
:
Molly Boyajian
Alter Flowers Donated by:
Boyajian
and
Family
-------------------------------------------------
To request a Hokehankist/Requiem Service
Please contact the Church Office
by 12:00 Noon on Thursday
202-363-1923 or
|
|
CALENDAR OF FEASTS AND EVENTS
|
|
Every Tuesday
Bible Study
September 8
Book Signing and Presentation By: Rosemary Hartounian Cohen
September 15
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 16-17
The Armenian Assembly of America’s National Advocacy Conference and Gala
September 29
Feast of Holy Cross of Vara
k
October 3 – 6
Fall Food Festival
October 11
Tribute GOMIDAS celebrating his 150th birthday
concert by Şahan Arzruni at French embassy at 7:30pm
Details will follow
October 27
Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross
October 27
Book presentation by Matthew Karanian : The Armenian Highland: Western Armenia and the First Armenian Republic Of 1918
November 21
Presentation of the Holy Mother-of-God to the Temple
December 9
Feast of the Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary
January 13-22, 2020
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
|
|
Launching Her Own Business, With FAR’s Help
After years of selling merchandise in various stores, 33-year-old Shushan Voskanyan decided to become her own boss.
Last December she opened up a grocery store in her village in Armenia’s Tavush province. She did so with the help of the Fund for Armenian Relief, whose “Start Your Own Business Project” was launched as part of FAR’s Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Program.
FAR gave Shushan the resources and advice she needed to establish her own business. Shushan renovated the small garage of her home to house her store. Currently, she serves some 60 customers a day, who rely on her store to obtain everyday goods.
|
|
10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angelsin heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
(Matthew 18:10-14)
10 Զգո՛յշ եղէք, որ այս փոքրիկներից մէկին չարհամարհէք. ասում եմ ձեզ, որ երկնքում նրանց հրեշտակները մշտապէս տեսնում են երեսն իմ Հօր, որ երկնքում է. 11 որովհետեւ մարդու Որդին եկաւ փրկելու կորածը»։ 12 «Ձեզ ինչպէ՞ս է թւում. եթէ մի մարդ հարիւր ոչխար ունենայ, եւ նրանցից մէկը մոլորուի, իննսունինը ոչխարը լերան վրայ չի՞ թողնի ու գնայ որոնելու մոլորուածին։ 13 Եւ եթէ պատահի, որ այն գտնի, ճշմարիտ եմ ասում ձեզ, թէ նրա վրայ աւելի կ'ուրախանայ, քան իննսունիննի վրայ, որ մոլորուած չեն։ 14 Այսպէս՝ իմ երկնաւոր Հօր կամքը չէ, որ այս փոքրիկներից մէկը կորչի»։
(Մատթեոս 18:10-14)
|
|
Please Stay Current with Your Membership
St. Mary Church brings us together to worship, educate, and serve, yet we need your help to sustain this mission. We call upon you to renew, or become a new member, because dues are the largest part of our church income to help keep our beloved parish doors open.
Your Membership
MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Help us fulfill our mission to sustain and grow our ministries, worship programs and activities to strengthen our church family for generations to come. Thank you for your generosity and support. To Learn More About Membership
To Become A Member
|
|
COME VISIT THE ST. MARY GIFT SHOP
|
|
|
|
Our gift shop is furnished with distinctive and unique items from Armenians all over the world.
Some of the items are Armenian crosses, jewelry, paintings, religious tiles and tapestry icons, children and adult books, T-shirts, hats, bags, Armenian CDs, Armenian artwork, and much more.
The Gift Shop is open every week after Sunday Church services and by appointment.
|
|
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church
Serves the Greater Washington, DC and Baltimore communities. Our mission is to proclaim and grow together in our Apostolic Faith in Christ Jesus and to sustain our Christian Armenian identity. We celebrate our long and enduring legacy,
the beautiful traditions of our religious and national heritage, with Christian servitude, and with love and reverence towards our Church.
We invite you and welcome you to be a part of our church,worship with us, and experience the true love of Christ as we grow together as a community.
|
|
Signup / Stay Connected with St. Mary Church E-Newsletters and Correspondence.
|
|
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church relies on the generosity of individual donors so that it may continue ensuring service to God and fellowship to the Armenian Community. Your support is deeply appreciated.
|
|
See what's happening on our social site
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
