August 9

TOP STORY   

Theological Throw-Down

It was the most rancorous matchup of the early 5th century. In one corner: Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople, who preached a doctrine of separation between Christ’s human and divine natures. In the other corner: Bishop Cyril of Alexandria, known as the “Doctor of the Incarnation,” who affirmed the indivisible nature of the Word of God made flesh.

The two intellectual heavyweights met in the city of Ephesus, where the Roman Emperor Theodosius II convened the Third Ecumenical Council in A.D. 431. At stake was the future shape of orthodox Christian belief.

Who won? And what was the Armenian Church’s reaction to the “Altercation in Ephesus”? Click here to read more and find out.

It’s the perfect way to get in shape for the Armenian Church’s annual feast day devoted to the “200 Fathers of the Holy Council of Ephesus,” which falls on Saturday, August 10.

August 11, 2024

SUNDAY

SCHEDULE

Morning Service 

10:00 AM

Holy Badarak 

10:30 AM

Celebrant

Fr. Mamigon Kiledjian

Usher

Ms.Sara Arabian

Parish Council Members on Duty

Mr.Shahnur Bostan

Choir

Dr. Hratch Semerjian

Organist

Mrs. Karine Muradyan

Bible Readings:

Isaiah 7:1-9,

1 Corinthians 13:11-14:5,

Mark 2:1-12.

HOKEHANKIST

REQUIEM SERVICE

For the Souls of :

Armenak Boyajian, 38 yrs.,

Keghanoush Boyajian, 13 yrs.,

Sograd Boyajian, 16 yrs

Requested by:

Molly Boyajian

Prayer of the Week

By the holy cross let us beseech the Lord, that through it He may deliver us from our sins and save us by the grace of His mercy. Almighty Lord, our God, save us and have mercy on us.

   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. Amen.

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

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!

Exciting Opportunity:

Armenian Teacher Positions Available

at Shnorhali Armenian School

Dear Parish Community,

St. Mary’s Shnorhali Armenian School is seeking enthusiastic, self-motivated, and dedicated individuals to join our team of teachers.

For more information, please contact Shnorhali School’s Principal,

Nunik Nishanian, at (703) 835-1181 or via email at shnorhalischool@gmail.com.

We look forward to welcoming passionate educators to our team.

On Sunday, August 4th, the Deacons' Service was conducted at St. Mary's. Following the Service, parishioners had the opportunity to hear a message delivered by Deacon Mark Krikorian.

Three Primates of North America Meet in Montreal

Leaders of the three Armenian Church dioceses of North America held their latest meeting on Tuesday, August 6, at the headquarters of the Canadian Diocese in Montreal, Quebec.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese; Bishop Abgar Hovakimyan, Primate of Canada; and Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, met to discuss mutual concerns ranging from spiritual matters to practical issues of church administration. The three arajnorts gather formally at least twice a year, in one of their respective diocesan centers.

Topics on the agenda included inter-diocesan clergy education, youth outreach and activities, the training of lay leaders, and plans to hold gatherings involving personnel from each of the three dioceses.

Regarding the latter objective, the bishops have decided to organize joint clergy education sessions in 2025, which will bring together clergy throughout North America. Also, a proposed meeting of the three Primates and their Diocesan Council chairs will go forward in New York in September 2025.

Current and future activities of the worldwide Armenian Church Youth Organization (or Pan-ACYO) were also reviewed, including the Pan-ACYO pilgrimage to Holy Etchmiadzin scheduled for July 2025, under the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians.

Fr. Zareh Zargarian, Vicar of the Canadian Diocese, and Fr. Komitas Mirzakhanyan, pastor of Holy Cross Church in Laval (Quebec), joined the bishops for part of the meeting. At a gracious “welcome luncheon,” clergy, parishioners, community and organizational leaders of the Canadian Diocese had a chance to offer their good wishes to the distinguished visitors among them.

This a special year in the life of the Canadian Diocese, which is marking the 40th anniversary of its establishment as a separate diocesan jurisdiction in 1984. Archbishop Hovnan and Bishop Mesrop expressed their warm congratulations to Bishop Abgar and his flock in honor of the milestone.

Finally, to conclude their meeting, the Primates offered solemn prayers for the peace and security of the homeland and the people of Armenia and Artsakh, as well as for the prosperity the Armenian Church, its Mother See, and its worldwide faithful.

Click here to view photos. Scroll down to read about the meeting in Armenian.

Above: Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Bishop Abgar Hovakimyan, and Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, leaders respectively of the Eastern, Canadian, and Western dioceses, at the headquarters of the Canadian Diocese in Montreal.

The Cross is Shining—But the Work Goes On

As the scaffolding is withdrawn from the dome of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, its new cross—ten feet tall, and gilded to a golden brightness—shines gloriously over New York City, as a beacon of our faith, and a powerful testimony to the world.

Your generosity made it possible—and continues to support the major project to restore our spiritual home to its original grandeur!

But the project is far from over: there is more work to be done, to repair the damage caused by decades of weathering.

Your contribution today will continue this exciting revitalization. Join the effort to Renew the Vision of our forefathers, and Cement the Future for generations to come.

Click here to donate now.

And follow the progress of the restoration project at StVartan.org.

FAR NEWS

The Commuting Doctor

Artem Petrosyan is the only family doctor for the 3,200 residents of three villages in Armenia’s Kotayk region. Since 2016, he has commuted daily from Yerevan, using multiple buses to reach his patients. Despite the long hours, Artem finds meaning in his work, attending to at least 15 underserved patients each day.

In March, Artem applied for and participated in the Fund for Armenian Relief’s month-long Continuing Medical Education (CME) program—his first refresher course since graduating from medical school in 1995.

“The training helped me assess whether my approach was effective or needed updating,” Artem says. “Being the only doctor in the region, it’s crucial to connect with colleagues and share experiences.”

FAR organizes CME programs for regional doctors almost every month at various medical centers in Yerevan. The training course is led by specialists in the field, who share their expertise with trainees pro bono. To support these vital training programs, learn more on FAR’s website.

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

August 25 1st day of Shnorhali Sunday School

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

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the man, 11 "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12 He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" 

(Mark 2:1-12) 

Մի քանի օր յետոյ, երբ նա դարձեալ Կափառնայում մտաւ, լուր տարածուեց, թէ տանն է. 2եւ շատեր հաւաքուեցին, այնպէս որ այլեւս տեղ չմնաց, ոչ իսկ դռան առջեւ։ Եւ նրանց քարոզում էր Աստծու խօսքը։ 3Եւ եկան նրա մօտ՝ բերելով մի անդամալոյծի, որին տանում էին չորս հոգով։ 4Եւ երբ ամբոխի պատճառով Յիսուսին չկարողացան մօտենալ, քանդեցին երդիկը այն տան, ուր գտնւում էր նա. եւ բացելով առաստաղը, իջեցրին այն մահիճը, որի մէջ էր անդամալոյծը։ 5Եւ Յիսուս, տեսնելով նրանց հաւատը, անդամալոյծին ասաց. «Որդեա՛կ, քո մեղքերը քեզ ներուած են»։ 6Օրէնսգէտներից մի քանիսը, որ նստած էին այնտեղ, իրենց մտքում խորհում էին. 7«Այս ի՞նչ է խօսում, սա հայհոյում է. ո՞վ կարող է մեղքերին թողութիւն տալ, եթէ ոչ՝ միայն Աստուած»։ 8Եւ Յիսուս իր հոգում իմացաւ, որ այնպէս են խորհում իրենց մտքում. ուստի ասաց. «Ինչո՞ւ ձեր մտքում այդ էք խորհում. 9ո՞րն է աւելի դիւրին. անդամալոյծին ասե՞լ՝ քո մեղքերը քեզ ներուած են, թէ՞ ասել՝ վե՛ր կաց, ա՛ռ մահիճդ եւ գնա՛ քո տունը։ 10Բայց որպէսզի իմանաք, որ մարդու Որդին երկրի վրայ իշխանութիւն ունի ներելու մեղքերը, - ասաց նա անդամալոյծին, - 11քե՛զ եմ ասում, վե՛ր կաց, ա՛ռ քո մահիճը եւ գնա՛ քո տունը»։ 12Եւ վեր կացաւ ու անմիջապէս վերցնելով մահիճը՝ բոլորի առաջ դուրս ելաւ, այնպէս որ ամէնքը զարմացան եւ փառք էին տալիս Աստծուն ու ասում. «Այսպիսի բան երբեք չենք տեսել»։ 

(Մարկոս 2:1-12)

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