July 26

TOP STORY   

Commemoration Day of 200 Pontiffs Participating in the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus

On July 27 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 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.

July 28, 2024

SUNDAY

SCHEDULE

Morning Service 

10:00 AM

Holy Badarak 

10:30 AM

Celebrant

Fr. Bedros Kadehjian

Usher

Mrs.Anna Seferian

Parish Council Members on Duty

Mr.Vazrik Nishanian

Choir

Mrs. Edita Kalayjian

Organist

Mrs. Karine Muradyan

Bible Readings:

Isaiah 58:13-59:7

1Tim 4:12-5:10

Jn 3:13-21

HOKEHANKIST

REQUIEM SERVICE

For the Soul of :

Zarouhi Derboghossian

Requested by:

Anita Derboghossian and Family

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 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 conflict and bestow your peace on all mankind.

    My soul is always in your hands, and I place my hope in your Holy Cross, O Heavenly King. May the multitude of your saints intercede on my behalf.

    You who are patient with everyone, do not neglect me who trusts in you but keep me in peace with your precious and Holy Cross. Amen.

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

Celebrating St. Mary's Young Altar Servers

At St. Mary Armenian Church, the presence of young altar servers each Sunday continues to bring a unique and uplifting spirit to our community. On Sunday, July 21 we were blessed to have visiting young altar servers who joined us during Badarak.

Serving on the altar helps children learn more about the Mass and the important role they play in our worship. It’s a hands-on way to deepen their relationship with God. We encourage you to talk to your children about this opportunity and consider signing them up. 

ՏՕՆ ՍՈՒՐԲ ԱՍՏՈՒԱԾԱԾՆԻ ՎԵՐԱՓՈԽՈՒՄԻՆ

The Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother-of-God and the Name Day of Our Church

BLESSING OF THE GRAPES SERVICE

ԽԱՂՈՂՕՐՀՆԵՔ

Sunday, August 18, 2024

Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan

Celebrant

Morning Service 10:00 AM - Divine Liturgy 10:30 AM

Stay for the Picnic!

After the service, enjoy a festive gathering featuring

Traditional Armenian Khorovats and more delightful treats!

Pre-order your Khorovats now!

Episcopal Church Convention Expresses Solidarity with Armenia

Diocesan Vicar Fr. Simeon Odabashian represented the Eastern Diocese and Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan at the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which convened in Louisville, KY, June 24-26.

As the highest governing body of the Episcopal Church, the General Convention meets every three years as a bicameral legislature, made up of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, involving representatives from over 100 dioceses. In total, around 1,000 clergy and laymen participated in an official capacity.

Fr. Odabashian attended the meeting as an ecumenical observer, joining representatives from a number of Protestant and Orthodox traditions, as well as from inter-denominational organizations like the National Council of Churches, Religions for Peace, and Christian Churches Together. The ecumenical delegation held a luncheon gathering with representatives from the worldwide Anglican Communion, hailing from Canterbury Cathedral to as far away as New Zealand and Africa.

One resolution that passed in both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies held a particular significance for the Armenian Church. Under the title “Support and Solidarity with Armenia,” the resolution affirmed the centuries-long relationship between the Episcopal and Armenian churches, while expressing solidarity with the people of Armenia and Karabagh.

Further, the resolution formally condemned the efforts of Azerbaijan and others to “eliminate the ancient, indigenous Armenian identity and presence from the region,” and authorizes Episcopal Church organizations to “advocate for and promote U.S. government policies and legislation to further this position.”

Click the following link to read the resolution in full.

Another proposal of Armenian interest, allowing Episcopal congregations to use the Armenian Holy Cross ritual in their liturgies, was referred for further study.

The 81st General Convention also marked a change in leadership for the Episcopal Church, as the nine-year tenure of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry came to a close. Bishop Sean Rowe of Pennsylvania was elected by his peers as the 28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and subsequently confirmed by the House of Deputies. Bishop Rowe will assume his new role in November.

FAR NEWS

FAR’s Support for Music Education Wins Applause

On June 13, the Argavand Music School buzzed with excitement as children eagerly waited to perform on the piano, guitar, accordion, violin, and other instruments.

The year-end concert drew many guests, including Abraham Hanesyan: a former Argavand pupil who is now furthering his musical studies at Yerevan State Music Teaching College. Argavand Music School is where Abraham first decided to pursue his dream of becoming a musician.

Some of the 96 students currently studying at the school also dream of turning their hobby into a career, like Abraham is doing, and they drew inspiration from seeing him in the audience. In recognition of the school’s exceptional music education and its students’ many accomplishments, the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) awarded Argavand a certificate of excellence—one of several ways it continuously supports the school and its mission.

FAR has long been a leader in promoting and advocating for music education in Armenia’s various regions. Currently FAR supports music schools in Dilijan, Gyumri, and other parts of Armenia. Learn about FAR’s commitment to education and enriching Armenia’s up-and-coming generation by clicking here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

RECYCLING PROGRAM NEWS

Thanks to our Recycling Committee for their work in sorting and bringing home the recyclables every Sunday, especially during our recent Food Festival. What has been discouraging, though, is that people continue to throw half-full coffee cups and food into the container, which makes it very messy for us. Please put only the following in the container:

Empty plastic bottles

Empty aluminum cans

Empty glass bottles

Nothing else!!

No paper, no plastic silverware, no coffee cups, no paper plates, no food. We are trying to keep things simple.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please email Roxanne Paul at rangerrox@msn.com. Thank you for being so supportive in helping keep our planet cleaner!

UPCOMING EVENTS

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 92nd Anniversary of the St. Mary Community and Church. "Embrace the Future" Endowment Fund was established on the occasion of the 90th anniversary and continues 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. 

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.

August 18 Feast of Assumption of the Holy Mother-of-God

September 15 Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

September 29 Feast of Holy Cross of Varak

October 4-5-6 Fall Food Festival

October 27 Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross

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

December 9    Feast of the Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary

13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

(John 3:13-21)

13 Արդ, ոչ ոք երկինք չի ելել, եթէ ոչ՝ նա, որ իջաւ երկնքից՝ մարդու Որդին, որ երկնքից էր: 14 Եւ ինչպէս որ Մովսէսը անապատում բարձրացրեց օձը, այնպէս էլ մարդու Որդին պէտք է բարձրանայ, 15 որպէսզի ով նրան հաւատում է, յաւիտենական կեանքն ընդունի. 16 քանի որ Աստուած այնքան սիրեց աշխարհը, որ մինչեւ իսկ իր միածին Որդուն տուեց, որպէսզի ով նրան հաւատում է, չկորչի, այլ ընդունի յաւիտենական կեանքը. 17 որովհետեւ Աստուած իր Որդուն չուղարկեց աշխարհ, որ դատապարտի աշխարհը, այլ՝ որպէսզի աշխարհը նրանով փրկուի: 18 Ով նրան հաւատում է, չպիտի դատապարտուի, եւ ով նրան չի հաւատում, արդէն իսկ դատապարտուած է, քանի որ Աստծոյ միածին Որդու անուանը չհաւատաց: 19 Եւ դատաստանը այսպէս իսկ է. որ լոյսը եկաւ աշխարհ, սակայն մարդիկ խաւարն աւելի սիրեցին, քան լոյսը, որովհետեւ իրենց գործերը չար էին. 20 որովհետեւ ով չարիք է գործում, ատում է լոյսը եւ չի գալիս դէպի լոյսը, որպէսզի նրա գործերը յայտնի չդառնան: 21 Իսկ ով կատարում է այն, ինչ ճշմարիտ է, գալիս է դէպի լոյսը, որպէսզի նրա գործերը յայտնի լինեն, թէ Աստծով կատարուեցին»:

(Հովհաննես 3:13-21)

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