September 1

TOP STORY   

Feast of the Birth of Holy Virgin Mary from Anna

On Friday, September 8, the worldwide Armenian Church will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Holy Mother-of-God.

St. Mary was born to Joachim and Anna, a devout couple whose earnest prayers for a child were answered with the birth of a daughter. Mary's birth is not recorded in the Gospel, but in all likelihood, it occurred in Bethlehem or Nazareth, some 20 years before Christ's nativity.

Her life of holiness and purity, and her graceful acceptance of the role to which God called her, as the mother of Jesus Christ, all make Mary one of the pre-eminent exemplars of the Christian faith, whose birth and very conception are occasions for celebration in the church.

The Armenian Church has celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of the Holy Mother-of-God since the 13th century. St. Mary is known in the Armenian Church as Asdvadzamayr-Asdvadzadzin, the "Mother of God" and the "Bearer of God"-a position doctrinally established at the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in the 5th century.

September 3, 2023

Morning Service 

10:00 AM

Holy Badarak 

10:30 AM

Celebrant

Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan

Usher

Patrician Yeghissian

Parish Council Members on Duty

Shoghig Sahakyan

Choir

Mrs. Edita Kalayjian

Organist

Mrs. Karine Muradyan

Bible Readings: 

Isaiah 10:12-19,

2 Corinthians 2:12-3:3,

Mark 6:30-44

For the Soul of:

Asdghig Margossian Kazanjian



Requested by:

Hrayr, Suzanne, Ari Kazanjian

Chris, Aline, Araxi Lylozian

Vartkes, Houry, Tamar, Alex Kazanjian 

---------------------------------

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

Lord, please keep watch over your faithful people, and protect the holy soil of Artsakh and Armenia—now and always. Foil every aggressor against our homeland. Defend the innocent and voiceless, Lord. Console all those who grieve, and remember those who sacrificed their very lives in your Name. Deliver your faithful children from conflict, and bestow your peace on all mankind.

    Look with love, O merciful Father, on the created works of your hand, and grant the camps of the angels to be guardians of our feeble persons. Deliver us from temptation, from the wandering demons of night, that by day and by night, we may give you glory incessantly. Amen.

Please tune in to St. Mary YouTube channel for the upcoming services and Badaraks

40 Ecumenical Leaders Urge U.S. President to Act for Artsakh

This week, a coalition of Christian church leaders in the U.S. made an urgent appeal to President Biden, to intervene on behalf of the Armenians of Artsakh.

In the August 29 letter, more than 40 faith leaders voiced concerns over the continuing blockade of Artsakh and the humanitarian crisis it has caused.

“We urge you,” the letter reads, “to use the influence of your good offices to seek an immediate end to the devastating Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which is the only point of access to more than 120,000 Armenians who live there and whose families have resided there for centuries. Of the 120,000 Armenians at risk, 9,000 of them are people with disabilities, 20,000 of them are elderly, and 30,000 of them are children, particularly vulnerable to the effects of starvation.”

The appeal was the result of an initiative by Diocesan Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan and Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director Archbishop Vicken Aykazian. The two led an August 14 video conference call of U.S. religious leaders, in which they detailed the current crisis of the blockade, and the danger it presents to the very existence of the Armenians in Artsakh.

The audience members—made up of leaders from ecumenical groups like the National Council of Churches, Christian Churches Together, and other faith organizations—were deeply moved by the presentation and suggested taking action through a direct appeal to the President.

Their letter leaves no doubt that the Armenians of Artsakh are facing a “soft genocide” due to the blockade, whose goal is to deprive the people of food and other essentials needed for survival.

An emphatic final statement implores President Biden “to take urgent action to end the blockade of Artsakh, to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance that is needed to sustain life and to ensure that such supplies can be delivered, and to end the suffering of the people of Artsakh so that the soft genocide we are witnessing is averted.”

Click here to read the full letter, along with the list of distinguished signatories.

Act Now to Advocate for Artsakh and Prevent Another Genocide

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Our brothers and sisters in Artsakh are experiencing a grave crisis, the one that threatens their lives, culture, and their very existence. The disturbing echoes of past genocides reverberate in the present situation, making our intervention crucial.

I encourage you to take a moment to write a letter to your local representative, senator, or any influential person in your network. Advocate for peace in Artsakh and call for preventative measures against another potential genocide. Your voice matters, and it can make a difference.

The attached letter is for your convenience. It highlights the historical and cultural significance of Artsakh, the human rights abuses currently taking place, and the urgent need for international intervention. You can also access the Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee website and use their platforms. 

Remember, each letter counts, each voice matters, and each prayer has the potential to change the course of events. Let's stand in solidarity with our brethren in Artsakh and do our part to avert another tragic chapter in history.

May God grant us the strength and guidance to make a difference in this critical situation. Your prayers and actions will undoubtedly bring comfort to those suffering in Artsakh.

May God's peace, blessings, and protection be upon our people of Artsakh.

Prayerfully,

Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan

US is deeply concerned about deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Nagorno-Karabakh

US is deeply concerned about deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the continued blockage of food, medicine, and other goods essential to a dignified existence. This was stated in the statement of Matthew Miller, the spokesperson of the US State Department.

"The United States has worked continuously with the sides over the past several weeks to allow humanitarian assistance to reach the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. We reiterate our call to immediately re-open the Lachin corridor to humanitarian, commercial, and passenger traffic. 

Further, officials from Baku and representatives from Stepanakert should convene without delay to agree on the means of transporting critical provisions to the men, women, and children of Nagorno-Karabakh – including additional supply routes – and resume discussions on all outstanding issues. Basic humanitarian assistance should never be held hostage to political disagreements," US State Department's statement reads. 

"Shnorhali" school celebrates the “Day of Knowledge and Education”

August 27th marked the beginning of the new academic year and St. Mary’s Shnorhali Armenian School once again opened its doors to our community. We heralded the beginning of the year with the celebrations of the Day of Knowledge and Education and following the tradition, we commenced the first day of the academic year by testing and evaluating the student's knowledge of the Armenian language, history, and culture.

Thereafter, the children and parents, full of excitement and anticipation, met with the teachers and spent a fun day getting to know each other.

The registration day concluded with the students and their parents participating in the Holy Patarag, during which Father Hovsep Karapetyan performed a special blessing ceremony, stressing the importance of religion, language, culture, and heritage in our lives. He also stressed the significance of the patriotic mission of teaching these values to our children and wished everyone wisdom to make the new academic year a successful year full of new achievements.

Parents participated in the first parents’ meeting of the year, during which the school’s mission, vision, and values were shared. The school’s principal Nunik Nishanian and Father Hovsep stressed the importance of parents’ participation in the school’s activities to build a strong school community to provide a safer, and more improved learning environment for our children. They emphasized that the parents’ presence in their children’s school life will amplify their self-confidence, improve self-esteem, and enhance their desire for academic participation.

The school's academic curriculum has been developed to serve the needs and demands of our community. School administration and teachers have painstakingly developed this specialized curriculum in order to provide each student with an individualized approach to learning. This year, a new learning platform, Conversational Armenian, will continue to be a part of the curriculum. This class provides interested students with the opportunity to develop fluency in the Armenian language and practice verbal communication with a native Armenian speaker. History lessons are being taught as a separate subject. And, since music and art are an integral part of our Armenian heritage and culture, the school also

offers music and art classes. Educating our children in religion, Armenian language,

Armenian history, and culture and the desire to raise and educate a new generation of Armenian students that will help to preserve our heritage and culture, is the primary mission and priority of Shnorhali school.



“The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Psalms 147

Prayers for Healing

Աղօթք Բժշկութեան

Join us in this ancient Armenian Church tradition:



A brief prayer service, holy Scripture, and blessing of holy water asking God to ease the pains of body, mind, and soul and bestow his peace.

The Bible Discussions on the healing miracles of our Lord will follow the services.

Prayer of Healing and Bible Discussions will be offered every Tuesday at 7: 30 pm.

ALL ARE WELCOME

 THE FIRST SERVICE WILL BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 12th, 2023

Dear Parish Community,

The staff and teachers of Shnorhali Armenian School are delighted to welcome you to the 2023-2024 academic year. The registration is now open. We are only weeks away from the first day of school and looking forward to seeing our school once again be filled with positivity and learning and fueled by kids’ laughter and joy!

The new academic year starts on August 27th with the Celebration of Knowledge and Education. Following our tradition, the school’s staff and teachers will evaluate the students’ knowledge of the Armenian language, history, and culture on the first day of school while students spend a fun day getting to know each other. Students and parents will participate in the Patarak (Badarag) to receive a special blessing during the service. The day will conclude with a meeting with parents.

Please click on the link below for more information.

SHNORHALI SCHOOL CALENDAR

• Sunday, September 4th – No School! Labor Day weekend
• Sunday, September 11th, 9:30am– 2pm –School resumes its normal schedule.
• Sunday, September 24th - Back to School fun event after school for students and parents, Book Fair, and the School Yearbook sale

Shnorhali School Launches New Website



Dear Community,

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our redesigned website. It is now live: https://www.stmaryaac.org/shnorhali-school The new site was designed to be more informative and user-friendly. It is available in Armenian and English.

Some of the new features of this site include:

• School’s History

• Picture Gallery

• Academic Calendar

• Registration

• Our team

• Teachers Portal, where teachers can access and download their lesson plans and worksheets for their classes, etc.

We are proud to announce that the website was designed and developed by Shnorhali School’s 7th grade student Ani Nishanian. Ani has been working tirelessly this summer to create an excellent website. Thank you, dear Ani, for your hard work and dedication to your School. We also extend our gratitude to St. Mary’s Web Designer Oganes Mkrtchyan for all the technical assistance with the website in this process. The site continues to be a work in progress and will be updated with more features and information in the coming months. If you have any questions or have feedback to share, please be sure to reach out!

Shnorhali School is Looking for Armenian Language Teachers



Dear Parish Community,

St. Mary’s Shnorhali Armenian School is looking for enthusiastic, self-motivated, and devoted individuals who love the Armenian language and have a passion for educating our children. Please consider this rewarding opportunity to join our team of qualified and dedicated staff. Your support and commitment will be a great contribution to preserving our language and culture, and our children's discovery of their Armenian heritage, and Christian identity. With God’s blessing, we will work together to make 2023-2024 a year of achievement on all levels.

For more information, please contact Shnorhali School’s Principal Nunik Nishanian at (703) 835-1181 or shnorhalischool@gmail.com

NEW RECYCLING PROGRAM AT ST. MARY'S



There is now a blue recycling bin in the hall at St. Mary Church. Please only deposit empty plastic bottles and aluminum cans in the container. We are looking for volunteers to sign up about once a month to take the recyclables home with them after church or during the Food Festival. It involves sorting through what's in the clear recycling bag and discarding any trash that might have been put in the bag. Then, you replace the clear bag with one from the box in the kitchen marked "Recycling Bags, Not for Trash". I have created a SignUp Genius link to sign up for a slot. Please see St Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church: St. Mary's Recycling Committee (signupgenius.com). If you have any questions, please email me at rangerrox@msn.com. Thanks for your help in keeping God's good earth cleaner!

UPCOMING EVENTS

St. Nersess to Honor 12 Priests and Lay Alumni on Nov. 4



St. Nersess Armenian Seminary will highlight the vocations of 12 alumni priests and lay ministers, with a gala banquet on Saturday, November 4, 2023.

This will be the second in a series of tribute events featuring alumni of St. Nersess who serve the Armenian Church in various capacities. The first celebration took place in November 2021 and established the “12 Vocations” theme. The upcoming event will build on that idea, under the title: “12 Vocations: Broadening the Call.”

This year, the event will honor a seminary graduate who became a hierarch of the Armenian Church: Archbishop Avak Asadourian (priestly ordination in 1977, episcopal consecration in 1982), who recently retired after a long tenure as Primate of the Diocese of Iraq.

He will be honored along with seven clergymen and four lay ministers—listed here by ordination or graduation date: Fr. Krikor Sabounjian (ordained 1998); Fr. Sarkis Petoyan (ordained 1998); Fr. Abraham Ohanessian (ordained 1999); Fr. Mikael Devejian (ordained 2000); Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan (ordained 2004); Fr. Aren Jebejian (ordained 2004); Fr. Bedros Kadehjian (ordained 2005); Mka. Valerie Goekjian Zahirsky (graduated 1974); Yn. Sirarpi Feredjian Aivazian (graduated 1978); Nancy Basmajian (graduated 1979); and Shaké Ajamian Derderian (graduated 1989).

Invitations and further details on the November 4 banquet will be coming soon. Contact event co-chair Lynn Beylerian at lynnbeylerian@gmail.com or access the seminary website: www.stnersess.edu. 

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. 

Dear Parishioner,



St Mary’s is preparing for its FY 2023 Fall Food Festival, and we are seeking your participation. The Woman’s Guild makes excellent traditional food and dishes. The workshops are an opportunity to learn how to make traditional Armenian food and learn from our culinary experts in these classic dishes. Please click on the link below to complete the volunteer form, if you would like to participate in any of the workshops. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DA4A82FA6F5C25-fall 



We look forward to hearing from you.

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.

DIOCESAN & OTHER NEWS

Supreme Spiritual Council Convenes at Holy Etchmiadzin

This week, the Supreme Spiritual Council convened at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, under the leadership of His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

Catholicos Karekin II warmly greeted the council members to the inaugural session on August 28, extending his blessings and good wishes to all present, which included bishops and diocesan primates from throughout the worldwide church. Among the participants was Primate of the Eastern Diocese Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, who was taking part in the council for the first time. In January of this year, His Holiness appointed Fr. Parsamyan as one of several new council members. However, the Primate’s recovery from his auto accident had prevented him from journeying to Armenia to take his seat in person, until this latest session.

Naturally, a major subject under discussion involved the tense situation in Artsakh: the crisis of the ongoing blockade, its repercussions in Armenia, and the church’s outreach ministry to our countrymen in these difficult times. Other items on the Supreme Spiritual Council’s agenda included the ceremony for the Blessing of the Holy Muron, coming up in early October (the first time it will have been held since 2015); the ongoing renovation of the Mother Cathedral; plans for convening a National Ecclesiastical Assembly of the worldwide church; and various canonical and national concerns of the church.

During the meeting, His Holiness led the council members in prayer for the soul of the late Nazar Nazarian, lifelong benefactor of Holy Etchmiadzin and the worldwide Armenian community, who passed away this week. (See the item below for a memorial tribute to Mr. Nazarian.)

While in Armenia, Fr. Parsamyan was able to consult with Catholicos Karekin II regarding the upcoming Episcopal Consecration service on October 8, during which our Primate will be ordained by His Holiness as a bishop of the Armenian Church, alongside several other worthy priests.

A Message of Thanks, After 20 Years of Ministry

This week marked a special milestone for our Primate, Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan: the 20th anniversary of his ordination to the holy priesthood.

The anniversary day found him at the place where it all began: the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, where he was attending a weeklong meeting of the Supreme Spiritual Council. It was there, in August of 2003, before the Altar of Descent, that the young Deacon Aram Parsamyan received the sacrament of Holy Ordination and was renamed “Father Mesrop.”

Reflecting on his two decades of service to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Armenian Church, the Primate was inspired to write a message of thanks to the faithful people who have shared this spiritual journey with him.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to serve in nine different capacities,” he wrote, “each teaching me something valuable about the power of faith, the resilience of our community, and the depths of human kindness. I have seen the faces of our Church change, but never its spirit. I have also witnessed the Church grapple with new challenges…. Through it all, it has been both humbling and invigorating to be a vessel of God’s grace.”

He concluded: “To each parishioner, to every family, to all my brothers and sisters in Christ who have been a part of this journey, my heart overflows with thankfulness. Thank you for opening not just the doors of your churches, but also your hearts to me.”

Click here to read Fr. Mesrop’s entire message. And join us in wishing him our warm congratulations on this milestone, and all of God’s blessings for his future ministry.

Above: The anointing of Deacon Aram Parsamyan as Father Mesrop, at Holy Etchmiadzin in 2003.

NATIONWIDE THEATRICAL RUN: Aurora’s Sunrise Animated Film

An extraordinary animated feature film on the Armenian Genocide and its aftermath, titled Aurora’s Sunrise, opened in theaters nationwide last week. In New York City, the award-winning film is still playing for a few days more at Village East Cinema (click here for info and showtimes)—with a possibility of an extended run if viewership supports it. See below for a link to screenings elsewhere.

The film by director Inna Sahakyan tells the story of Aurora Mardiganian, who lost everything as a 14-year-old enduring the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. Two years later, through luck and courage, she escaped to New York, where her story became a media sensation. Starring as herself in “Auction of Souls,” an early Hollywood blockbuster, Aurora became the face of one of the largest charity campaigns in American history. With a blend of vivid animation, interviews with Aurora herself, and 18 minutes of surviving footage from her lost silent epic, Aurora’s Sunrise revives a forgotten story of survival.

Click the following links to view the trailer on YouTube; to read about the production in Animation Magazine; and to find theaters in your area showing the film.

FAR NEWS

Bringing Bread, and Hope, to an Artsakh Family

After enduring months of the blockade of Artsakh, Lusine Lalayan was in dire straits. With the threat of starvation looming over her and her nine children, she reached out to a social worker from the Fund for Armenian Relief, Zarine Petrosyan, seeking help.

Weak from hunger, Lusine could not travel the six miles to the nearest distribution point to find food. So Zarine and her fellow social workers, moved by the family’s plight, navigated long lines and wait times to secure 10 loaves of bread. Then they made a demanding 12-mile round-trip journey on foot to deliver the food—along with some hard-won sugar—to Lusine’s family.

You can imagine the children’s joy and Lusine’s tears. This is what dedication looks like, and FAR’s social workers are more than dedicated. However, the harsh reality is that securing nourishment in Artsakh is an uphill battle now, exacerbated by the lack of fuel.

Learn more about the dire situation, and FAR’s efforts to ameliorate it, on FAR’s blog.

September 17 Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

September 24 Shnorhali School Back to School Night

October 1       Feast of Holy Cross of Varak

October 6-7-8 Fall Food Festival

October 29     Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross

October 29 Shnorhali School Talent Show

November 21 Presentation of the Holy Mother-of-God to the Temple

December 9    Feast of the Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary

December 10 Celebration Of the 91st Anniversary of the Church

December 24 Shnorhali School Christmas Celebration

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³² And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³ Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴ As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ³⁵ When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; ³⁶send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” ³⁷ But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii[a] worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” ³⁸ And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” ³⁹ Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. ⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² And all ate and were filled; ⁴³and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.⁴⁴ Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. (Mark 6:30-44)

³⁰Երբ Յովհաննէսի աշակերտները լսեցին, եկան վերցրին մարմինը եւ դրեցին գերեզմանի մէջ։ ³¹Առաքեալները հաւաքուեցին Յիսուսի մօտ ու նրան պատմեցին այն ամէնը, ինչ որ արել էին եւ ուսուցանել։ ³²Եւ Յիսուս նրանց ասաց. «Եկէ՛ք դուք առանձին մի ամայի տեղ ու մի քիչ հանգստացէ՛ք». որովհետեւ եկող-գնացողները շատ էին. եւ հաց ուտելու անգամ ժամանակ չունէին։ ³³Եւ նաւակով գնացին մի ամայի տեղ՝ առանձին։ ³⁴Սակայն մարդիկ տեսան նրանց, որ գնում էին, եւ շատերը ճանաչեցին նրանց ու բոլոր քաղաքներից հետիոտն, խուռներամ այնտեղ վազեցին եւ մօտեցան նրանց։ ³⁵Եւ նա նաւակից դուրս ելնելով՝ մեծ ամբոխ տեսաւ ու գթաց նրանց, որովհետեւ նման էին ոչխարների, որոնք հովիւ չունեն. եւ սկսեց նրանց ուսուցանել շատ բաներ։ ³⁶Երբ շատ ժամեր անցան, աշակերտները, մօտենալով, ասացին. «Սա ամայի տեղ է, մինչ օրը դեռ չի վերջացել, ³⁷արձակի՛ր այս ժողովրդին, որպէսզի գնան շրջակայքի ագարակներում եւ գիւղերում իրենց համար ուտելիք գնեն, որովհետեւ այստեղ ուտելու բան չունեն»։ ³⁸Նա պատասխանեց նրանց եւ ասաց. «Դո՛ւք նրանց ուտելիք տուէք»։ Ասացին նրան. «Գնանք գնե՞նք երկու հարիւր դահեկանի հաց եւ նրանց տանք ուտելու»։ ³⁹Ասաց նրանց. «Քանի՞ նկանակ ունէք, գնացէք տեսէ՛ք»։ Երբ իմացան, նրան ասացին. «Հինգ նկանակ եւ երկու ձուկ»։ ⁴⁰Եւ նա հրամայեց խումբ-խումբ նստեցնել նրանց դալար խոտի վրայ։ ⁴¹Եւ դաս-դաս նստեցին, տեղ-տեղ՝ հարիւր, տեղ-տեղ՝ յիսուն։ ⁴²Եւ նա վերցնելով հինգ նկանակը եւ երկու ձկները՝ նայեց դէպի երկինք, օրհնեց, մանրեց նկանակները եւ տուեց աշակերտներին, որպէսզի դնեն նրանց առաջ։ Եւ երկու ձկներն էլ բաժանեց բոլորին։ ⁴³Կերան եւ յագեցան ⁴⁴եւ տասներկու սակառ լիքը կտորտանքները վերցրին, ինչպէս նաեւ՝ ձկներից։ 

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, tapestry icons, children's and adult books, T-shirts, hats, bags, Armenian CDs, Armenian artwork, and much more. 

The Gift Shop is open every Sunday after Church service and by appointment, call the church office at 202-363-1923 or send an e-mail to stmarychurchdc@gmail.com