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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260716
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260717
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211025T042646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T055113Z
UID:27004-1784160000-1784246399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Prophet Isaiah
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Prophet Isaiah is the first of the four major prophets of the Old Testament. He was born and spent almost his entire life in the city of Jerusalem\, in the eight century B.C. \nThe Armenian Church commemorates the prophet Isaiah\, who is best known for the longest prophetic book in the Old Testament (66 chapters)\, that bears his name. The Book of Isaiah is considered to be an ocean of wealth\, concerned with issues related to God\, justice\, sin\, religion and various social ills. Being an educated and intelligent man\, he was the spiritual guide to four kings of Jerusalem\, expressing God’s will on many national matters. His book\, written in an unsurpassed style and spirit\, is the link between the Old and the New Testaments. \nIsaiah is also called the “Evangelist Prophet” as he foretells the birth of the Messiah by a virgin and describes the suffering of the Messiah’s church. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus refer to the book of Isaiah. In Chapter 61\, the prophet comes forth as a servant sent by the Lord’s Soul “to bring the good news to the poor and to take care of the desperate and hopeless.”  Christ would later read the words of Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth\, as He became the realisation of that mission in the world (Luke 4:16-21). \nAlthough it is not recorded in the Bible\, it is believed that Isaiah died a martyr’s death by order of the Hebrew king\, Manasseh. Relics of the prophet are preserved at Mt. Athos in the Greek Orthodox Khilendaria Monastery in Greece.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-prophet-isaiah-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Isaiah-scaled.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260718
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260719
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211025T050821Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T055810Z
UID:27013-1784332800-1784419199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Apostle Thaddeus and the Virgin Sandoukht (Santoukhd)
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt Thaddeus the Apostle and St Sandoukht the Virgin are two of the most venerated saints in the Armenian Church. The “Great Conversion” of the Armenian nation to Christianity is significantly connected with their names. \nFollowing the Ascension of Christ\, according to the Lord’s message: “Go then to all peoples everywhere and make them make them my disciples.” (Matthew 28:19)\, St Thaddeus and St Bartholomew were charged by St Peter to spread Christianity in Armenia in the 1st century A.D. \nIn his travels to Urfa\, St Thaddeus healed King Abgar\, king of the Armenians and Assyrians. This miracle\, witnessed by others\, led to the king’s conversion as well as the baptism and conversion of all the people of Edessa. Here St Thaddeus built a church and ordained priests and deacons. \nAfter leaving Urfa\, the apostle traveled to northern Armenia\, bearing the spear given him by Peter and a letter from King Abgar. He finally arrived at the town of Shavarshan\, where King Sanadroug lived in the province of Arda. He preached the Word of Life\, performed many astonishing miracles there and baptised many believers. \nOne night the young and beautiful Princess Santoukhd\, the king’s daughter\, went to see Thaddeus and find out about the new religion herself. According to accounts\, she changed her royal garments and dressed in ordinary clothes and was led by a servant to a house where these early Christian meetings were held. Santoukhd received instruction from Thaddeus\, and when she declared her belief in Christ and was baptised\, a sign from heaven designated her as a holy virgin. \nThose who witnessed this event immediately believed. The news enraged her father\, King Sanadroug\, who ordered all believers to be slain. As the soldiers were about to kill Thaddeus\, a tremor and bright light streaked across the sky\, frightening the unbelievers and sparing the apostle. Some time after this\, however\, the king’s soldiers came and arrested Thaddeus as well as Princess Santoukhd. \nDespite the king’s punitive actions\, the number of Christians increased. Even some of the king’s soldiers who witnessed the miracles of Thaddeus became believers and converted. Further enraged\, yet feeling some pity for his daughter\, the king summoned Santoukhd from prison to give her a last chance to renounce her new faith and to claim allegiance to her father and his pagan gods. \nSantoukhd was forced to choose between the crown and the sword. Because of her decision to stand firm in her Christian faith and reject her father’s false gods\, she was subjected to torture and ultimately ordered to be executed. During these times when she was weak and at her lowest\, she drew strength from St Thaddeus who encouraged her to hold fast\, reminding her that she was a holy virgin and would soon see Christ face to face. \nOne account of her death states that\, immediately after one of the soldiers thrust his sword into the holy virgin’s heart\, “a sweet fragrance filled the air and a light shone from heaven in the form of a fiery pillar that hovered over Santoukhd’s body for three days and three nights.” The more than 2\,000 people that witnessed these events\, it is said\, all converted and were baptised that night. St Santoukhd’s body was buried and entombed by St Thaddeus at the same site. \nRef: armenian church.us
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-apostle-thaddeus-and-the-virgin-sandoukht-santoukhd-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Sandoukht.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260725
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260726
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211031T101109Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T061152Z
UID:27031-1784937600-1785023999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Gregory the Illuminator’s Sons and Grandsons
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\nThe Armenian Church commemorates St Aristages (Aristakes)\, Vrtanes\, Krikoris (Grigoris) and Housik (Husig); St Gregory’s sons and grandsons and Daniel the Syrian. \nThe day of commemoration (according to the present calendar in force since 1774-75) falls on the Saturday before the Third Sunday of Transfiguration. \nThe rest of the members of the Gregorid family\, namely Sts. Nersés the Great\, Sahag the Parthian\, Vartan and his daughter Shushanig are commemorated on different days during the year. \nSt Arisdages (Aristakes)\nWhile still a layman in Caesarea (Kayseri)\, St Gregory and his wife Mariam were blessed with two sons\, Vrtanés and Arisdagés.  When Gregory and Mariam parted to devote their life to God\, Arisdagés was still very young and in need of motherly care.  Mariam took him with her to the convent she joined.  Influenced by his early upbringing in the convent\, Arisdagés entered the service of God at an early age and became a hermit in the mountains. He became renowned for his austere way of life\, attracting young disciples who sought his company for pious instruction. He was particularly versed in Greek letters and philosophy. \nYears passed\, and when King Tiridates (Drtad)\, who was by now a Christian convert\, learned that St Gregory had sired two sons in his younger days\, he sent certain nobles to Caesarea to bring the sons to Armenia. St Gregory himself had withdrawn to the wilderness to lead a solitary life. At the time\, Aris­dagés was living in a hermitage; he initially refused to leave his austere way of life to go to the court of the king. Ultimately\, he yielded to the plea of Christians not to refuse the pastoral work that lay before him. \nUpon the arrival of Arisdagés and Vrtanés\, King Tiridates III took them with him to look for St Gregory. Finding the saint in the wilderness\, he begged Gregory to ordain his son Arisdagés a bishop and take him as his assistant. After his ordination\, Arisdagés diligently pursued his pastoral work\, preaching and wiping out the vestiges of pagan customs and traditions. \nArisdagés represented the Armenian Church at the Holy Council of Nicaea\, which met in 325 A.D\, at the order of the Roman Emperor Constantine.  His name appears on the list alongside those of the 318 bishops who participated in that council. He returned to Armenia\, bringing with him the canons of the renowned council. These canons are still venerated in the Armenian Church and form the foundation of discipline and order in our tradition. \nAfter St Gregory’s complete withdrawal from pastoral life and then his demise\, St Arisdagés succeeded him as the chief bishop of Greater Armenia. As a pastor he is said to have surpassed the accomplishments of his father. \nArisdagés died as a martyr\, and that is one of the reasons why he is considered a saint of the Armenian Church. The circumstances of his assassination are not very clear. All we know is that\, at some point in his career as chief bishop of Armenia\, he had reprimanded a high dignitary named Archilaeus\, who had been appointed governor of the province of Dzopk in western Armenia. We are not told what Archilaeus had done to deserve Arisdagés’ reprimand. When the bishop was on a pastoral visit to the province\, Archilaeus met him on the road and slew him. In order to avoid arrest and prosecution for his crime\, he fled to the Taurus Mountains in Cilicia. Arisdagés’ disciples took his body to the village of Til near Erzindjan and buried him there. His grave was later shown within the confines of the Chukhdag Hayrabedats Vank (“The Monastery of the Twin Patriarchs”)\, which was still extant until 1915. \nSt Arisdagés is said to have presided as the chief bishop of Armenia for seven years. The date of his martyrdom is calculated to have taken place at about 328 AD. \nSt. Vrtanés\nThe elder son of St Gregory the Illuminator chose to lead a secular life and got married while still in Caesarea.  At a later time he was ordained a priest\, either in Caesarea or Armenia. He and his wife’s desire to have children\, and their prayers to God towards this end\, were answered only in an advanced age. They were blessed with twins\, Krikoris and Husig\, who were reared in the Armenian court and given a solid education. He presumably lost his wife during the pontificate of his brother Arisdagés\, and after the latter’s death Vrtanés himself was raised to the episcopal throne of Greater Armenia. Vrtanés probably received episcopal ordination from his brother’s hand\, since there is no historical reference to any ceremony of ordination\, either in Caesarea or elsewhere. \nSt Vrtanés’ activities as chief bishop of Greater Armenia were closely linked with those of the Christian kings of Armenia: first Tiridates (Drtad)\, and later his son Khosrov Godag (330-337) and grandson Diran (337-344). Vrtanés stood by the side of the kings during various Persian invasions into Armenia as well as during internal rebellions. As an active pastor he continued the work of his father and brother. \nDespite the declaration of Christianity as the national religion of Armenia and the royal support that the church thereby received\, certain people of high position were not pleased with the new religion. Their displeasure led to serious repercussions. King Tiridates\, who had been responsible for the kingdom’s conversion\, was given a poisoned cup to drink to hasten his demise. Another version of the story about King Tiridates’ death says that anti Christian princes collaborated with the King of Kings of Iran\, and were instigated by the latter to put him to death.While on a hunt\, they shot Tiridates with an arrow\, and as the wounded king was recuperating from his wound\, they gave him a poisoned cup to drink. \nVrtanés himself almost fell victim to a scheme of a different nature. At the annual commemoration in Ashdishad of St John the Baptist and Bishop Athenogenes\, as instituted by St Gregory\, the chief bishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy\, when two thousand mountaineers from Sasun converged on the place\, with the intent of assassinating Vrtanés. The assassins were unconverted idol worshippers\, instigated by certain magnates and particularly by the queen of Armenia\, whom Vrtanés had formerly rebuked for committing adultery. We are told that the hand of God made the conspirators motionless until Vrtanés released them.  Overwhelmed by what had happened\, the mountaineers heeded the admonitions of the bishop\, and after completing the period of penance set by him they were baptised. Subsequently the bishop withdrew to his paternal estate in Til\, near Erzindjan. \nSt. Vrtanés is said to have ordained a special day of commemoration for the Armenian forces under General Vaché Mamigonian\, who perished in a battle against the Persians in 338AD. He consoled the king\, his magnates and soldiers for the devastating effect of the war. According to this ordinance\, the commemoration was to be repeated annually. He also instituted a special canon for all those who would die for Christian Armenia\, that they be commemorated “before God’s holy altar at that point in the liturgy when the names of the saints are enumerated\, and after them.”  This commemoration was later replaced with that of St Vartan Mamigonian and his 1\,036 companions\, which has been celebrated every year up to the present day. \nSt. Vrtanés’ name is closely connected with a contemporary non Armenian churchman of renown\, namely St Macarius\, bishop of Jerusalem (313-334). Macarius was one of the fathers of the Council of Nicaea (325AD)\, responsible (with a few others) for drafting the Nicene Creed\, which we recite in church during the Divine Liturgy. It was during his tenure of office that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built in Jerusalem. St Vrtanés had the distinction of receiving a letter from Macarius. The letter\, originally written in Greek\, is preserved only in Armenian and bears the title: “To the Christ loving and pious Chief Bishop Vrtanés and all the bishops and priests of Armenia.” According to this docu­ment\, Vrtanés had sent certain priests to Jerusalem with specific ques­tions about church traditions. In his answer\, Macarius dwells on various traditions and practices that must be observed in the rite of baptism. \nSt. Vrtanés died in the third year of King Diran in 340 AD. He was buried near his father in Tortan and his grave was shown inside the village church. \nSt Krikoris (Grigoris)\nThe missionary work initiated by St Gregory in the regions of northern Armenia\, Georgia and Caucasian Albania was not neglected by his successors. To this end\, St Vrtanés’ son Krikoris was raised to the episcopal rank and appointed bishop of Georgia and Albania at a relatively young age. The young bishop extended his missionary activities over a vast expanse of territory reaching the shores of the Caspian Sea. He established churches and evangelised among the peoples and tribes under his care. Among the different northern semi-barbaric nomadic tribes to whom he preached the gospel were the Mazkuts\, who were ruled by a line of Arshaguni kings related to the royal dynasty of Armenia. At first\, the Mazkuts accepted Krikoris’ instructions favourably and were inclined to convert to Christianity. \nHowever\, when they learned that Christian teachings forbade some practices of their nomadic way of life e.g looting\, pillaging\, killing and coveting others possession\, they became disgusted and greatly angered. They saw in Krikoris’ teachings a plot on the part of the Armenian king to stop their plundering raids into Armenia. Krikoris was tied to the tail of a wild horse and driven over a plain. The bishop died as a result. His body was claimed by his followers and taken to Amaras\, which is located in present day Artsakh. He was buried in the church built by St Gregory. At the end of the fifth century\, a crypt was built to house his grave. That structure is now located under the main altar of the church of the Monastery of Amaras and is a place of pilgrimage. \nThe martyrdom of Krikoris took place shortly before the Mazkut invasion of Armenia and the seizure of its capital city\, Vagharshabad. That event took place in 335 AD. Krikoris’ relics were discovered in the latter part of the fifth century and were buried in a newly built crypt\, which is still extant\, as stated above. \nSt Husig (Housik)\nSt Husig\, the second son of St Vrtanés\, followed his father’s example by embracing secular life. As he was supported by King Diran\, he was forced into marrying the king’s daughter\, much against his will. He and his wife had twin sons\, Bab and Athenogenes. His inclination towards a celibate life\, however\, alienated his wife created hostility from the royal court. After his wife’s death\, Husig devoted himself to raising his children which appeased the royal court. In a dream\, the Lord appeared to Husig and told him that from his children there “will be born other children\, and they will be illuminators of knowledge and fonts of spiritual wisdom for the realm of Armenia.” \nAfter his father’s demise\, Husig was in line for the succession of the episcopal throne of Greater Armenia.  King Diran immediately dispatched a delegation of thirteen high ranking princes and dignitaries to accompany Husig to Caesarea. There\, Husig was elevated to the episcopal rank. On his return to Armenia he was met by the king and taken to the city of Ardashad\, where he was officially enthroned. Like his father and grandfather\, he became a wonderful pastor of his flock. \nHusig’s woes began when he\, as the upholder of the moral precepts of the church\, began to castigate the king and his magnates for their unchristian behaviour: they had engaged in immoral acts and had shed innocent blood for political ends. Husig excommunicated them\, forbidding their entry into the church. Predictably\, this created animosity form the royal court. On one occasion a day of annual celebration when Husig\, on a pastoral visit to the western province of Great Dzopk\, was present at the palatine church in the royal fortress of Pnapegh\, King Diran arrived with his retinue and tried to enter the church. Learning about their arrival\, Husig stepped out and cried aloud: “You are unworthy! Why have you come?  Do not go inside!” Angered by this\, the king’s attendants dragged him inside the sanctuary and beat him with rods\, shattering his bones. The servants of the church of Pnapegh carried the battered bishop\, who was still alive\, to his ancestral estate in Tortan. Unable to recover from his injuries\, Husig died there and was buried near the graves of his father and grandfather. His tomb was shown inside the church of Tortan. The martyrdom of St Husig is dated to 344 AD. \nSt Daniel the Syrian\nThe Feast of the Sons and Grandsons of St Gregory the Illuminator includes the name of St Daniel the Syrian\, though he is not an actual member of the Gregorid house. \nDaniel had been one of St Gregory’s pupils and associates. St Gregory himself had put him in charge of the province of Daron (the modern Mush area)\, where he held the office of “supreme justice” and looked after the church in Ashdishad\, where the relics of St John the Baptist and Bishop Athenogenes rested. His titles\, “overseer\, law-giver\, supervisor and guardian of all the churches of Greater Armenia” and his ecclesiastical rank as chorepiscopus (a bishop tending to the flock in the countryside\, as opposed to a bishop of a city or a district)\, indicate that he was a missionary who travelled from place to place. He is said to have preached in Persia and other foreign parts and to have converted many people to the Christian faith. He was also in charge of the graves and the possessions of the Gregorid family\, and was attentive to keeping the memories of the saints of that family as well as that of King Tiridates III alive among the faithful. \nSince St Husig’s two sons led secular lives and had no inclination to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors\, King Diran sent his magnates to summon Bishop Daniel\, now an elderly ascetic tending to church affairs in the village of Til\, to assume the spiritual leadership of the Armenian people. He met the king in southwestern Armenia and rebuked him and his magnates for their crimes. Enraged at Daniel’s outspokenness\, the king ordered his servants to strangle him\, against the advice of his nobles. His body was taken to the valley of Hatsyats Trakhd and buried in the cell where he had lived in solitary. St Daniel was martyred in 344 AD. The Monastery of Gopa Sourp Taniel stood at that site until 1915. \nThese five saints have been venerated as a group since the end of the twelfth century. It was at that time that Archbishop Nersess of Lampron wrote a hymn dedicated to them (“The Canon of the Sons and Grandsons of St Gregory the Illuminator”). In the hymn he mentions the saints by name and devotes five stanzas to briefly describing the merits of each one. This hymn is still chanted on the day of commemoration of these saints. \nBy the Very Rev. Fr. Krikor Maksoudian\, adapted from his volume\, “The Holy Feasts of St. Gregory the Illuminator” (St. Vartan Press\, 2002). \n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-gregory-the-illuminators-sons-and-grandsons-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/St-Gregory-sons.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260730
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260731
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211023T052935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T061958Z
UID:27041-1785369600-1785455999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the 12 Minor Prophets
DESCRIPTION:  \nSaints Hosea\, Joel\, Amos\, Obadiah\, Jonah\, Micah\, Nahum\, Habakkuk\, Zephaniah\, Haggai\, Zechariah and Malachi\nIn addition to Isaiah\, Jeremiah\, Ezekiel and Daniel (the four major prophets of the Old Testament)\, the Armenian Church commemorates the following twelve minor prophets.  The Prophets were those persons through which God spoke his will to the people of the world. They were the voice of God on earth and gave advice to the people of Israel\, warning them against dangers\, and trying to keep them from the temptations of sin. Each prophet clearly comprehended that God spoke to them directly. To that end\, in the Holy Bible\, we find expressions of “God told me”\, “This is what God is saying” etc. \nOften\, God gave them power to work miracles\, proving to people that they were chosen by Him. In the Nicene Creed\, we proclaim that the Holy Spirit “Spoke in the Law\, in the Prophets and in the Gospel”\, once more affirming that God has spoken to us by means of the prophets. \nThe prophets received their revelations through visions\, proverbs and symbols. They were the connecting link in the God and man relationship. The prophets’ purpose was to purify and instill in the human mind the conscience that God is their leader\, as well as to strengthen the faith in the coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom. All prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah came true in the New Testament\, by means of Jesus Christ. The twelve prophets lived and worked over a broad range of time: \nHosea (Salvation): the Prophet Hosea was the preacher of the Word of God following Amos\, in 750 BC.  He continued his mission until Samaria was conquered in 722-721 BC\, and the Kingdom of Israel was eliminated. As the Israeli state disintegrated\, Assyria became increasingly powerful.  In his prophecies\, Hosea condemned the significant moral decay of Israel and the elimination of social justice. He made declarations concerning the responsibility of the elite.  God speaks of His Love through Hosea. That love demands us to struggle against all forms of injustice and to beware of false idols. \nJoel (the Lord is God) : Little is known about the period when the Prophet Joel lived and when his prophecies were compiled in a separate book.  He spoke of the “Day of the Lord” and exhorted people to turn to God. He has foretold that the day would come when God would “pour out His Spirit” over all people.  This prophecy came true during Pentecost\, when the Holy Spirit descended to earth in the form of tongues of flame. \nAmos (Burden Bearer): the Prophet Amos is the oldest prophet.  He was a shepherd\, who lived in the village of Thecua\, not far from Bethlehem. He lived and worked in the 8th century BC. In his prophecies\, he spoke of the greatness of God\, authority and justice\, the demands of the law\, and especially of the rights of the poor and the needy. He appealed to the rich\, the powerful\, the judges and the priests with great firmness. \nObadiah (Servant of God): the Prophet Obadiah’s book is the shortest of the Minor Prophets. It was most likely compiled in approximately 587 BC.  The prophet told that descendants of Esau (the people of Edom) would be punished and defeated as would all other nations that were the enemies of Israel. This was to make the people of Israel understand that the last word is God’s Word\, and that He alone would come be the final judge all peoples and nations. \nJonah (Dove): Unlike the other prophetic books\, the Book of Jonah is a narrative describing the adventures of a prophet who tried\, in every way\, to disobey God’s command. However\, in the end his attempts were in vain. By the Lord’s command\, a large fish swallowed Jonah\, where he remained for three days and three nights. Only after Jonah’s prayer and redemption did the Lord allow the fish to free Jonah. In the Gospels\, Christ repeatedly refers to this story. \nMicah (Who is like God?):  the Prophet Micah was from the village of Moresheth\, which many identify with the present day Tel-Al-Jadidah. Micah lived in the 8th century BC. He warned of the fall of Jerusalem\, which was the consequence of the sins of man. He called on them to repent and remain obedient to the Will of God. \nNahum (Consolation): the name of the prophet means “consoler” or “comforter”. The Book of Nahum was written in the period between the conquering of Thebes by the Assyrians in 663 BC and the fall of Nineveh to the Babylonians in 612 BC. Nahum taught of the Lord’s jealousy and vengefulness\, including a forceful description of the fright that seized all creation when faced with the judgment of the Lord. The book continues\, however\, and in contrast with this harsh picture of God\, Nahum describes the comforting assurance of God’s loving kindness towards His true servants. \nHabakkuk (Embrace): there is little information available on this prophet. Habakkuk shared in the misfortunes and sufferings of others\, while strongly condemning evil. The book was most likely written towards the end of the 5th century BC to the beginning of the 6th century BC.  The book reads as a dramatic dialogue between God and His prophet and presents the Lord as the eternal and righteous ruler of the world. \nZephaniah (God Hides): the Prophet Zephaniah preached in the latter part of the 7th century BC\, prior to Habakkuk. Zephaniah answered questions concerning the level of God’s interest in mankind\, and whether God has predetermined the course of history. He also preached very forcefully against idolatry in all its forms. \nHaggai (Festive or Festival): the Prophet Haggai preached to encourage the Israelites to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem. He advanced the idea that the poverty of the people and the poor condition of the harvest was due to the Temple remaining in a state of ruins. This book was likely written in 520 BC. \nZechariah (Who God Remembers): the Prophet Zechariah lived and prophesised during the same period as Haggai. The urging of the two prophets brought about the eventual rebuilding of the Temple. The book consists of two parts. The first part contains prophecies dating back to 520-518 BC\, the second part may have been written many years later. \nMalachi (My Messenger): the prophet is the last of the minor prophets. The Book of Malachi\, the last book of the Old Testament\, was written in the first half of the 5th century BC. Malachi\, as a witness to the degradation of society\, exhorted people and priests to change their behavior.  The prophet also preached of God’s unending love and the impending day of final judgment.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-12-minor-prophets-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/12-Minor-Prophets.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260730
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260731
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20250519T105557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T105813Z
UID:29055-1785369600-1785455999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Sophia and her daughters Pisti\, Elpida and Agapi
DESCRIPTION:  \nThese names are of Christian origin and in Greek mean wisdom\, faith\, hope and love. Sophia was a child of a noble family and lived near the city of Rome. Having lost her husband\, she completely devoted herself to God. Being an ardent follower of Christ\, she raised her three daughters in the Christian spirit. Only Christian values ??and ideas prevailed in their lives. \nA pagan young man fell in love with one of Sophia’s daughters and asked her to marry him. However\, her mother rejected the young man\, saying: “We are Christians and we consider virginity more precious than gold and pearls.” Angered\, the young man complained to the emperor of the time\, Hadrian. The emperor summoned the three girls and demanded that they offer sacrifices to idols. However\, having been raised since childhood by the commandments of Jesus Christ\, the girls resisted the emperor\, remaining faithful to their faith. In his anger\, the emperor ordered them to be beheaded. \nTheir mother\, Sophia\, collected the bodies of her children and buried them. She prayed to God that He may take her soul one day to join her beloved daughters. God hears the mother’s pleas\, and Sophia peacefully surrenders her soul.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-sophia-and-her-daughters-pisti-elpida-and-agapi-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Aghia-Sophia.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260801
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260802
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211015T064103Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T102940Z
UID:29037-1785542400-1785628799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Gregory the Theologian
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt. Gregory the Theologian (also known as Gregory of Nazianzus)\, has left a rich literary heritage\, which was translated into Armenian in the 5th to 8th centuries AD. In all probability\, St. Moses of Khoronk created part of the translations into Armenian. St. Gregory the Theologian is one of the most prominent figures of Christianity\, who by means of the struggle against Arians\, kept Christianity uncorrupted and by means of his works he has greatly influenced the formulation of the Christian theologian ideology. \nSt. Gregory the Theologian was born in 328 AD in the village Ariangue near the town of Naziangue\, of Cappadocia. He was the son of the Bishop Gregory. Gregory studied in Caesaria\, and then in Athens. In Athens Gregory became acquainted with St Barsegh of Ceasaria\, one of the future prominent figures of Christianity. After leading an ascetic life for a while\, Gregory returned to Naziangue\, where he was ordained as a priest by his father. Later he became the Bishop of Sasima. Together with St Barsegh of Ceasaria\, St Gregory the Theologian struggled against the Arians. He was known for his contributions to theological debates\, particularly regarding the Trinity\, and his literary and poetic works.  \nHe participated in the 2nd Ecumenical Council of Constantinople and was a key figure in the Nicene Creed. St. Gregory passed away on 25 January 389 AD.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-gregory-the-theologian-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/St-Gregory-theologian.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260808
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260809
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211025T060104Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240801T100735Z
UID:26906-1786147200-1786233599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration Day of the 200 Pontiffs participating in the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Ecumenical Council of Ephesus was convened in 431 A.D\, during the reign of King Theodosius II (Theodosius the Younger). 200 Pontiffs participated in the Council\, with the aim of rejecting the false teachings of Nestorius\, Patriarch of Constantinople. According to his teachings there were two independent\, 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 on His Person. Therefore\, the Holy Virgin Mary was not “Godmother”\, but the mother of a simple man. \nThe Ecumenical Council of Ephesus condemned the teaching of Nestorius and adopted the teaching of Archbishop St Cyril of Alexandria\, which stated that the divine and human natures of Christ do not exist separately\, but are united without confusion. One Lord\, one Jesus\, one face and one united divine and human nature. \nAdditionally\, they agreed that St Mary is not the mother of a simple man\, but she is Theotokos (birth giver of God)\, as she gave birth to the Son of God. \nSt Cyril of Alexandria’s statement “One is the nature of the Incarnate Word of God”\, was thus adopted by the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus. \nThe Armenian Church did not participate in that Ecumenical Council\, but adopted its resolutions and ecumenical authority together with the previous Ecumenical Councils.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-day-of-the-200-pontiffs-participating-in-the-ecumenical-council-of-ephesus-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/200-Pontiffs.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260809
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260810
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211025T061308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240801T101615Z
UID:26918-1786233600-1786319999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Eve of the Fast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the Feast of the Assumption of St Mary\, Holy Godmother\, one of the major feasts of Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the seven feasts dedicated to St Mary. The fasting period lasts from Monday to Friday.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/eve-of-the-fast-of-the-assumption-of-the-holy-mother-of-god-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Eve-of-the-Fast-3.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260815
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260816
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211101T114905Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240801T102108Z
UID:26928-1786752000-1786838399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Apparition (Shoghakat) of Holy Etchmiadzin
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Feast of Shoghakat of Holy Etchmiadzin that is always observed on the Saturday prior to the Feast of the Assumption. Shoghakat refers to the vision of the rays of light seen by St Gregory when God chose the site for the Mother Cathedral. The feast is celebrated at the time of Assumption because the Cathedral in Etchmiadzin is named in honour of the Holy Mother\, although through the years it became known as Etchmiadzin. The name of St Shoghakat was given to the church\, according to tradition\, because it was built where “the divine light had shed” (shogh gatadz er) on the Hripsimiants virgins. \nThe foundation was laid in 301 A.D and the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was consecrated in 303 A.D on the day of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. \nFor 1\,700 years\, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has been\, and continues to be\, the spiritual heart and centre of the Armenian Church and is her most sacred sanctuary. Her spiritual\, national and historical significance has only increased through the centuries.  Through the vision of St Gregory\, God Incarnate descended upon the soil of Armenia and predetermined her future\, making Armenia the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-apparition-shoghakat-of-holy-etchmiadzin-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Etchmiadzin-Gregory.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260823
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260824
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211025T054631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T060418Z
UID:27022-1787443200-1787529599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Holy Forefathers
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Septuagint (first translation of the Hebrew Old Testament)\, uses the name “Patriarch” when referring to the forefathers or ancestors of spiritual and lay leaders of the Old Testament. They are: Adam\, Abel\, Seth\, Enosh\, Enoch\, Noah\, Melchizedek\, Abraham\, Isaac\, Jacob\, Joseph\, Moses\, Aaron\, Eliezer\, Joshua\, Samuel\, Samson\, Jephthah\, Barak\, Gideon and other Holy Patriarchs. \nThe Church has classified our forefather Adam into the class of saints\, confirming the truth that Christ’s saving blood was shed for each and every person\, starting with the ancestor of all mankind. By means of the salvation of Adam\, original sin was redeemed from all who have followed him\, who repent\, believe and are baptised in the name of the Holy Trinity\, thus becoming members of the Church of Christ. \nThe word “Ancestor” is also synonymous with “Head of Tribe”.  The Holy Forefathers\, as heads of tribes\, played a very important role. Many of them lived hundreds of years and influenced their families and tribal members. Their minds and souls sustained a desire to become closer to divine existence and live a God pleasing life. Feeling the presence of God\, they advised\, warned and taught the people to stay away from sinful ways. Due to their saintly way of life\, they continue to be vivid examples for us. The ultimate goal of their lives was the realisation of God’s omnipotent will on earth.  Acting as mediators with God\, they gave us a closer relationship with God. In our present day and current times\, their sacred desire to achieve justice and fairness is a valuable lesson for all. \nWe commemorate the Holy Forefathers to stress the fact that we are not celebrating some myth\, legend or story that has come down to us. Rather we are observing an historical intervention of the Almighty into human history. This coming of Jesus Christ was foretold\, it was awaited\, it was prayed for\, it was expected and it occurred.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-holy-forefathers-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260825
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260826
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211025T062855Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240801T102730Z
UID:26948-1787616000-1787702399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of Saints Joachim and Anna and the Oil Bringing Women
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt Anna and St Joachim\, the parents of St Mary\, are not mentioned by name in Holy Scripture. There is\, however\, a wealth of oral tradition concerning them. St Anna was a descendant of the royal line of King David. As she grew up\, she was espoused to a God fearing\, God loving man named Joachim\, who lived near Nazareth. \nThis holy couple lived in great faith\, simplicity and humility for twenty years without being blessed with children. Among the Jews this was viewed as a disgrace and a chastisement from heaven. Joachim and Anna were very unhappy because they had no children\, but they never complained to the Lord\, instead\, they prayed continually that a child would be born to them. In sincere humility Joachim and Anna submitted to divine will. \nConfidence in the goodness of God sustained them in their bitterest moments\, and as they advanced into middle age they redoubled their offerings to God in the hope of obtaining grace from heaven. One day after long prayers and abundant tears\, St Anna suddenly remembered having read in the Holy Scripture that the mother of Samuel\, who like herself was named Anna\, had made a vow that if she should be blessed with a child\, she would dedicate it to God. St Anna followed her example. From the depth of her heart she uttered the same words pronounced by her saintly ancestor. St Joachim went into the desert to devote himself to prayer and fasting. St Anna performed the same devotion in her own house. St Joachim spent forty days in the desert. His grief soon turned into joy. An angel of the Lord came to him and said: “Joachim\, you have been a faithful servant of God. The Most High from his throne in heaven has heard your prayers and longings. He will grant to you and your devout companion more than you have asked for. For behold Anna shall conceive and bring forth a daughter who shall be blessed among women and she shall be called Mary. This shall be a sign to you; namely\, when you go to Jerusalem\, you will meet your wife before the gate which is called golden.”  \nAbout the same time an angel appeared to St Anna and brought her the same joyful tidings. Without knowledge of the other’s revelation\, Joachim and Anna rose up and went to the temple to give thanks to God. They met each other at the Golden Gate that stands behind the temple. Together they entered the temple with great joy and offered up a lamb. With humble prayers they thanked God for the great honour bestowed upon them. \nA daughter\, Mary (meaning illuminated)\, was born to them\, and they did not forget their promise to dedicate the child to the service of God. When Mary was three years old\, her parents took her to the temple where she was dedicated. Tradition tells us that she stayed there in the care of devoted women until she was betrothed at about the age of fourteen. \nThe Oil Bringing Women are the witnesses of Christ’s torments. They are the first to give the good tidings of the Resurrection of our Lord. These women followed Christ during His earthly mission. The church calls them “Oil-Bringing Women” because on the Sunday morning\, following Christ’s death\, they hurried to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus by the aromatic oils they had prepared. Due to their devoutness they were the first to see the Risen God\, which they conveyed to the Apostles. \nThey were also present during Pentecost and\, together with the Apostles\, received the graces of the Holy Spirit. \nThe Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates the memory of St Joachim and St Anna together with the Oil Bringing Women. \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-saints-joachim-and-anna-and-the-oil-bringing-women-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260827
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260828
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211025T071225Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240801T103107Z
UID:26958-1787788800-1787875199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Prophet Jeremiah
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt Jeremiah is one of the major prophets of the Bible. He was the son of Hilkiah\, one of the priests of the town Anathoth\, not far from Jerusalem. He lived and preached in Jerusalem. Feeling the calling to serve God he devoutly served\, refusing to marry and have his own family. \nHis life straddled the 7th and 6th centuries before Christ\, making him a contemporary of the Athenian lawgiver Solon. Jeremiah received his prophetic calling in a time of great promise: the reign of the godly king Josiah\, during which a lost book of Moses (eventually known as Deuteronomy) was rediscovered\, and a movement of spiritual renewal awakened among the Hebrew people. \nHowever when Josiah died in battle\, his successors were weak and wasteful and Jeremiah’s generation saw its worst fears realised: the conquest of their holy city\, Jerusalem and the bitter exile of a nation from its homeland. \nJeremiah documented his painful experiences in the Old Testament book of his name\, as well as in the aptly titled book of Lamentations. As a result\, he became known to the ages as the “weeping prophet.”  Jeremiah’s vivid\, sorrowful prophecies were picked up by the evangelist St Matthew in his telling of Christ’s life (“Rachel weeping for her children” at Mt 2:17; “thirty pieces of silver” at Mt 27:9).  Today\, we derive the word “jeremiad”\, meaning a long\, mournful complaint\, from this sombre figure. \nYet even in defeat\, Jeremiah was something other than a voice of doom. To his people he spoke with the words of God; and they were words of hope\, not despair. Consider this inspiring passage by the prophet\, in which God speaks to a dispirited nation in exile: \n“For surely I know the plans I have for you\, says the Lord: plans for your welfare and not for harm\, to give you a future with hope.  Then\, when you call upon me and come and pray to me\, I will hear you.  When you search for me\, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart\, I will let you find me\, says the Lord.  And I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you\, says the Lord.  And I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”  (Jer 29:11-14) \nJeremiah’s words and example have held special meaning for Armenian Christians\, as we have witnessed St Gregory of Narek\, who borrowed the title “Lamentations” for his own masterpiece of mystical poetry.  The similarities between the travails of Jeremiah’s time and the experiences of our own people hardly need to be enumerated. \nThe more important similarity\, of course\, is the spirit of hope\, grounded in a loving\, fatherly God\, which allows people to endure\, overcome\, and live on\, whether in the 6th century B.C\, the 20th century A.D\, or today. \nRef: Christopher H. Zakian @ vemkar.us
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-prophet-jeremiah-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Jeremiah.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260829
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260830
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211026T051655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240801T103430Z
UID:26968-1787961600-1788047999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Thomas
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt Thomas was born a Jew and was called to be one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. His name in Aramaic (Te’oma) and Greek (Didymos) means “twin”. John 11:16 identifies him as “Thomas\, called the Twin”. However\, we do not know of his twin or how he came to have this name. \nHe was a dedicated but impetuous follower of Christ. When Jesus said He was returning to Judea to visit His sick friend Lazarus\, Thomas immediately exhorted the other Apostles to accompany Him on the trip which involved certain danger and possible death because of the mounting hostility of the authorities (John 11:16). \nAt the Last Supper\, when Christ told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them to which they also might come\, because they knew both the place and the way\, Thomas said “Lord\, we don’t know where you are going\, so how can we know the way?” to which he received the beautiful reply from Jesus “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). \nSt Thomas is however\, most popularly known by his nickname “Doubting Thomas”\, due to his demand for tangible evidence in order to believe that Jesus was alive. \nThe Gospel of John alone includes the incident of the appearance of the risen Lord to Thomas (John 20:24-29). This story presents the relation between ‘seeing’ and ‘believing’\, where Thomas stands as a believer who believes after seeing the risen Christ. Thomas’ confession of Jesus as “My Lord and My God” is considered as the utterance of a staunch believer with renewed experience of the divine presence. Thomas’ determination to see and touch the Lord connects us directly with the resurrection belief. His statement “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were\, and put my hand into his side\, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)\, proves that he was a witness of Jesus’ crucifixion. He saw that Jesus was nailed in his hands and other parts of the body and secondly\, he saw that Jesus was pierced in his side by the soldiers. \nSt Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel\, travelling as far as South India. He is often regarded as the patron saint of India and the name Thomas remains quite popular amongst the Christians of the Indian subcontinent. St Thomas is thought to have been martyred at St Thomas Mount in Chennai around 72AD. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-thomas-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/St-Thomas.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260829
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260830
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211026T060816Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240801T103840Z
UID:26978-1787961600-1788047999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of Apostles St James and St Simon
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt James is one of three people named James mentioned in the New Testament. He was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and is referred to as James son of Alphaeus to distinguish him from James son of Zebedee\, one of Jesus’ closest disciples\, who was martyred in Acts 12:2. \nThe New Testament only mentions James son of Alphaeus four times in the lists of the disciples (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). He is thought to also be James the “Less” or “Lesser”\, who is mentioned in the gospels in relation to his mother\, Mary of Clopas (John 19:25). The third James mentioned in the New Testament is James\, brother of Jesus\, also known as James the Just. \nTradition implies that it was James the Less who may have taken the gospel to Persia (modern Iran) and was martyred there. But other than that possibility\, James the son of Alphaeus is the picture of obscure service. \nSt Simon\, the Patriot Apostle\, is also known as Simon the Zealot because when Jesus called him\, he was a member of the Zealots political movement. The Zealots were a party zealous for Jewish independence and throwing off Roman rule. In Matthew 10:4\, he is called “Simon the Canaanite” being a political term rather than a reference to a region. \nLike James son of Alphaeus\, Simon the Zealot is only mentioned four times in the New Testament\, in places where the names of the disciples are listed. Beyond this\, there is no other information given about him. \nTradition says that Simon the Zealot preached the gospel in Persia and was ultimately killed for refusing to sacrifice to the sun god. \nThe lack of information about James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot is a lesson in itself. They were both just as much apostles as were Peter and John. They will sit on a throne in Jesus’ earthly kingdom (Matthew 19:28) with as much authority and honour as the other apostles. \nJames the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot are an encouragement to those of us called to lives of obscurity. Our callings are just as sure\, just as God honouring\, but few will ever know our names on earth. God honours Faithfulness (Luke 18:8)\, Love (1John 4:16)\, Endurance (Matthew 24:13)\, Obedience (Matthew 7:21)\, and Sacrifice (Galatians 2:20). While some apostles wrote books of the Bible and others were featured regularly in the gospels\, it appears that James and Simon were quietly faithful to their Lord. For that\, they will be equally honoured for all eternity.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-apostles-st-james-and-st-simon-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/James-Simon.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260830
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260831
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211101T112725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T081018Z
UID:27050-1788048000-1788134399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Discovery of the Belt of St Mary (Theotokos)
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Belt (Girdle) of the Blessed Virgin Mary\, today divided into three pieces\, is the only remaining relic of her earthly life. According to tradition\, the belt was made out of camel hair by the Virgin Mary herself\, and at her Assumption\, she gave it to the Apostle Thomas. According to Tradition\, the Apostle Thomas was the only apostle absent at the Assumption of the Mother of God. He was grieved to learn of this\, but suddenly found himself witnessing the Virgin’s ascent to Heaven. He pleaded with her to give him a blessing; she untied her belt and gave it to him. \nDuring the time of the early Church\, when Christians were persecuted\, St Mary’s possessions were kept hidden and secret. Her belt was the first item to be discovered in Jerusalem in the fifth century. This discovery is the basis for one of the eight feast days in the Armenian liturgical calendar devoted to the Holy Mother. \nDuring the early centuries of the Christian era it was kept at Jerusalem and in the 4th century we hear of it at Zela in Cappadocia. In the same century\, Theodosius the Great brought it back to Jerusalem\, and from there his son Arcadius took it to Constantinople. There it was originally deposited in the Chalcoprateion church\, whence it was transferred by the Emperor Leo to the Vlachernae church (458). During the reign of Leo VI ‘the Wise’ (886-912)\, it was taken to the Palace\, where it cured his sick wife\, the Empress Zoe. \nThe Empress had a vision that she would be healed of her infirmity if the Belt of the Mother of God were placed upon her. The Emperor then asked the Patriarch to open the coffer. The Patriarch removed the seal and opened the coffer in which the relic was kept and the Belt of the Mother of God appeared completely whole and undamaged by time. The Patriarch placed the Belt on the sick Empress\, and immediately she was freed from her infirmity. They sang hymns of thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos\, then they placed the venerable Belt back into the coffer and resealed it. The Empress\, as an act of thanksgiving to the Mother of God\, embroidered the whole girdle with gold thread\, giving it the appearance which it bears today. \nParts of the Holy Belt are in the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos\, in Trier Monastery and in Georgia. \nThe Armenian Church celebrates the Discovery of the Belt of Theotokos on the second Sunday after Assumption.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/discovery-of-the-belt-of-st-mary-theotokos-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Mary-Belt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260901
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260902
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211026T093904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T081412Z
UID:27059-1788220800-1788307199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Prophets Ezekiel\, Ezra and Zechariah: St John the Baptist’s Father
DESCRIPTION:  \nProphecy is one of the most important phenomena of the Old Testament. A Prophet is the person who has had a close relationship with God\, that is\, he “has spoken” with God\, or has received a message from God\, or has been sent by God to a person or a nation to transfer His message. The main characteristic trait of the true prophet is his being incorruptible\, independent\, brave and extremely faithful to the divine message and commandment. \nThe author of prophecies is God. He has transferred his revelation to man thanks to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. First He has inspired His ideas\, and then man\, under His influence\, comprehending the ideas\, has transferred them to the people. \nProphet Ezekiel\, whose name means “strengthened by God\,” grew up in Jerusalem\, served as a priest in the temple and was among the second group of captives taken to Babylon\, along with King Jehoiachin. While in Babylon he became a prophet of God; he is the author of the Old Testament book that bears his name. \nEzekiel’s ministry began with condemnation and judgment of the nation Judah. After the destruction of Jerusalem\, Ezekiel’s prophecies speak of hope for the future. Ezekiel wanted to help the people learn from their failures. He announced impending judgment upon the nations that surrounded Judah and reestablished hope for the restoration of Israel. His vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37) pictures new life being breathed into the nation\, which will occur in the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth. \nEzekiel did not hesitate in his mission and steadfastly followed God’s instructions. He had a passionate view of judgment and hope\, and he reflected God’s own sorrow over the people’s sins. \nProphet Ezra was the second of three key leaders to leave Babylon for the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Zerubbabel reconstructed the temple (Ezra 3:8)\, Nehemiah rebuilt the walls (Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2)\, and Ezra restored the worship. Ezra was a scribe and priest sent with religious and political powers by the Persian King Artaxerxes to lead a group of Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:8\, 12). Ezra condemned mixed marriages and encouraged Jews to divorce and banish their foreign wives. Ezra renewed the celebration of festivals and supported the rededication of the temple and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall. Ezra 7:10 describes a shaping of the community in accordance with the Torah. Ezra’s goal was to implement the Torah (Law of Moses)\, and his impeccable priestly and scribal credentials allowed him to remain the model leader. \nEzra’s effective ministry included teaching the Word of God\, initiating reforms\, restoring worship\, and leading spiritual revival in Jerusalem. \nZechariah (Zacharias) is John the Baptist’s father\, who served in the temple of Jerusalem. He is different to the minor prophet\, Zechariah\, who wrote the book of Zechariah. \nZechariah and his wife Elizabeth\, who was the sister of Anna\, St Mary’s mother\, had no children for many years. Elizabeth was well past child bearing age when Zechariah was offering a sacrifice in the Temple. The angel Gabriel appeared to him and said “Do not be afraid\, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son\, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you\, and many will rejoice because of his birth\,  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink\, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.  He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord\, in the spirit and power of Elijah\, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1: 11-17) \nAlthough this was great news\, Zechariah did not initially believe the angel. He objected that this could not be possible\, since he and his wife were too old. Because of Zechariah’s unbelief\, Gabriel told him that he would be rendered mute until the baby was born. Zechariah was immediately unable to speak\, and\, when he came out of the temple\, he had to communicate with hand gestures. The people gathered outside the temple praying\, realised that he had seen a vision of some kind. Zechariah went home\, and it happened just as the angel had said. Elizabeth became pregnant (Luke1: 18-24). \nThe next time Zechariah is mentioned is after the birth of his son. At the child’s circumcision\, Elizabeth’s family and friends wanted to name the baby after Zechariah\, but Elizabeth insisted that his name should be John (Luke 1:59–60). When they consulted Zechariah\, he asked for a writing tablet and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote\, “His name is John’” (Luke1:63). Immediately\, Zechariah was able to speak and began at once to praise the Lord. Luke 1:67–79 records the prophetic words that Zechariah proclaimed\, which may have been in the form of a song. His words indicate the change of heart and the faith that had grown during his nine months of muteness. \nZechariah died protecting his son. When King Herod ordered the slaughter of all males under the age of two\, in an attempt to prevent the prophesied Messiah from coming to Israel\, Zechariah refused to divulge the whereabouts of his son (who was in hiding)\, and he was therefore murdered by Herod’s soldiers.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-prophets-ezekiel-ezra-and-zechariah-st-john-the-baptists-father-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260903
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260904
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211026T110205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T081853Z
UID:27068-1788393600-1788479999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of Saints John the Baptist and Job the Righteous
DESCRIPTION:  \nJohn the Baptist is one of the most significant and well known figures in the Bible.While John was known as “the Baptist\,” he was in fact the first prophet called by God since Malachi some 400 years earlier. John’s coming was foretold over 700 years previously by another prophet: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up\, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level\, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed\, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken'” (Isaiah 40:3–5). This passage illustrates God’s master plan in action as God selected John to be His special ambassador to proclaim His own coming. \nAlthough his name implies that he baptised people (which he did)\, John’s life on earth was more than just baptising. John’s adult life was characterised by devotion and surrender to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. John’s voice was a “lone voice in the wilderness” (John 1:23) as he proclaimed the coming of the Messiah to a people who desperately needed a Saviour. He was the precursor for the modern day evangelist as he unashamedly shared the good news of Jesus Christ. He was a man filled with faith and a role model to those of us who wish to share our faith with others. \nJohn’s birth was miraculous. He was born of elderly parents who had never been able to have children (Luke 1:7). The angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah that he would have a son and true to the word of the Lord\, Zechariah’s wife\, Elizabeth\, gave birth to John. At the circumcision ceremony\, Zechariah said about his son\, “You\, my child\, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him” (Luke1:76). \nJohn was related to Jesus\, as their mothers were cousins (Luke 1:36). In fact\, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus\, he also told her about John. When Mary was carrying Jesus in her womb\, she visited Elizabeth\, and John leapt in his mother’s womb for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice (Luke 1:39-45). \nAs an adult John lived a rugged life in the mountainous area of Judea\, between the city of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. He wore clothes made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist\, the typical garb of a prophet. His diet was a simple one\, locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). John lived a simple life as he focused on the kingdom work set before him. \nJohn the Baptist’s ministry grew in popularity\, as recounted in Matthew 3:5–6: “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins\, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River.” To be baptised by John was to admit your sin and repent of it\, to be prepared for the Saviour’s coming. The repentance associated with John’s baptism also kept the self righteous out of the water\, as they did not see themselves as sinners. For the self righteous\, John had stern words\, calling them a “brood of vipers” and warning them not to rely on their Jewish lineage for salvation\, but to repent and “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7–10). People of that day simply did not address leaders\, religious or otherwise\, in this manner for fear of punishment. But John’s faith made him fearless in the face of opposition. \nJohn the Baptist was thought to be a prophet of God (Matthew 14:5)\, and many people thought that he was the Messiah. However\, he had a clear vision for what he was called to do. In John 3:28\, John says\, “You yourselves can testify that I said\, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.'” John cautioned his disciples that what they had seen and heard from him was just the beginning of the miracle that was to come in the form of Jesus Christ. John was merely a messenger sent by God to proclaim the truth. His message was simple and direct: “Repent\, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2). He knew that\, once Jesus appeared on the scene\, John’s work would be all but finished. He willingly gave up the spotlight to Jesus\, saying\, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). \nPerhaps there is no greater example of humility than what is seen in both Jesus and John in Matthew 3:13–15. Jesus came from Galilee to be baptised by John in the River Jordan. John rightly recognised that the sinless Son of God needed no baptism of repentance and that he was certainly not worthy to baptise his own Saviour. However Jesus answered John’s concern by requesting baptism “to fulfill all righteousness\,” meaning that He was identifying Himself with sinners for whom He would ultimately sacrifice Himself\, thereby securing all righteousness for them (2 Corinthians 5:21). In humility\, John obeyed and consented to baptise Jesus (Matthew 3:13–15). As Jesus came up out of the water\, “heaven was opened\, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said\, ‘This is my Son\, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (verses 16–17). \nJohn the Baptist’s ministry\, and his life\, came to an abrupt end at the hand of King Herod. He was tricked into  beheading John by the daughter off Herodias. It was a sad and ignoble end to the life of such a faithful man. \nThe life of Job demonstrates that humans are often unaware of the many ways God is at work in the life of each believer. Job’s life is also one that prompts the common question\, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It is the age old question\, and difficult to answer\, but believers know that God is always in control\, and\, no matter what happens\, there are no coincidences; nothing happens by chance. Job was a believer. He knew that God was on the throne and in total control\, though he had no way of knowing why so many terrible tragedies were occurring in his life. \nJob was “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). He had ten children and was a man of great wealth. The Bible tells us that one day Satan presented himself before God and God asked Satan what he thought of Job. Satan accused Job of honouring God only because God had blessed him. So\, God allowed Satan to take away Job’s wealth and his children. Later\, God allowed Satan to afflict Job physically. Job grieved deeply but did not charge God with wrongdoing (Job 1:22; 42:7–8). \nJob’s friends were certain that Job must have sinned in order to deserve punishment and argued with him about it. But Job maintained his innocence\, though he confessed that he wanted to die and did ask questions of God. A younger man\, Elihu\, attempted to speak on God’s behalf before God\, Himself\, answered Job. Job 38—42 contains some of the most stunning poetry about the magnitude and might of God. Job responded to God’s discourse in humility and repentance\, saying he had spoken of things he did not know (Job 40:3–5; 42:1–6). God told Job’s friends that He was angry with them for speaking falsehoods about Him\, unlike Job who had spoken truth (Job 42:7–8). God told them to offer sacrifices and that Job would pray on their behalf and God would accept Job’s prayer. Job did so\, likely forgiving his friends for their harshness himself. God restored Job’s fortunes two fold (Job 42:10) and “blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part” (Job 42:12). Job lived 140 years after his suffering. \nJob never lost his faith in God\, even under the most heartbreaking circumstances that tested him to his core. Though depressed enough to curse the day of his birth (Job 3:1–26)\, Job never cursed God (Job 2:9–10) nor did he waver in his understanding that God was still in control. Job’s three friends\, on the other hand\, instead of comforting him\, gave him bad advice and even accused him of committing sins so grievous that God was punishing him with misery. Job knew God well enough to know that He did not work that way; in fact\, he had such an intimate\, personal relationship with Him that he was able to say\, “Though he slay me\, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face” (Job 13:15). When Job’s wife suggested he curse God and die\, Job replied “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God\, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). \nJob knew who his Redeemer was\, he knew that He was a living Saviour\, and he knew that someday He would physically stand on the earth (Job 19:25). He understood that man’s days are ordained (numbered) and they cannot be changed (Job 14:5). The spiritual depth of Job shows throughout the book. James refers to Job as an example of perseverance\, writing\, “Brothers and sisters\, as an example of patience in the face of suffering\, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know\, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:10–11). \nOur responsibility to God is to obey Him\, to trust Him\, and to submit to His will\, whether we understand it or not. When we do\, we will find God in the midst of our trials—possibly even because of our trials. We will see more clearly the magnificence of our God\, and we will say\, with Job\, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5). \nThe Armenian Church celebrates the feast day of these two unlikely pairings on the same day. One comes from the Old Testament\, the other from the New. One was a comfortable man of the world who was stripped of every blessing he had. The other was a man who rejected the world\, who voluntarily cast off the material comforts of life. \nJohn and Job are opposites in so many ways. Yet what they held in common was vastly more important. \nEach was a voice crying out in a wilderness. Each stood in a desert of material poverty: comfortless and even friendless; stripped of all worldly pretension. Yet even in such a state\, John and Job testified with all their heart that they were not alone. God was with them\, and in the end\, that was the only thing that mattered. \nRef: gotquestions.org
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-saints-john-the-baptist-and-job-the-righteous-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260905
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260906
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211026T111716Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T082332Z
UID:27077-1788566400-1788652799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of 318 Pontiffs participating in the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis council is the First Ecumenical Council in the history of the Church. It was the great religious discussion of the 4th century: a gathering of Christian bishops from throughout the world\, convened by no less than on authority than the Roman Emperor Constantine I. \nThe reason for convening the council was because of the viewpoints of priest Arios of Alexandria\, who denied the Divinity of Christ and thus the entire Christian doctrine was endangered. Archbishop Alexander of Alexandria was opposed to Arianism. In his sermons he stressed that God is eternal and the Son is eternal\, Father and Son are of the same time. Father does not precede the Son even for a moment\, Father has always existed and Son has always existed. \nIn 325 AD\, a town in the Black-Sea province of Bithynia played host to 318 scholars of the church who met to deliberate on the burning theological questions of the day. The false teaching of Arios (Arianism) was condemned during the first Ecumenical Council and it was declared to be heresy. \nWe remember it today as the Council of Nicaea: the first attempt to forge a truly “ecumenical” Christianity\, that is\, a Christianity that encompassed all the world’s human habitations by coming to a consensus on church doctrine. \nThe most significant result of the council was the Nicene Creed: the first uniform expression of Christian doctrine. The Creed would be elaborated upon in subsequent councils\, but its essential form\, conceived during that historic gathering in Nicaea\, remains the fundamental statement of orthodox faith\, embraced by churches throughout the world and repeated during every Armenian badarak as the Havadamk (“We believe”). \nThe Armenian Church participated in the council\, with St. Aristakes\, the younger son of S. Gregory the Illuminator\, representing his then ailing father. \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-318-pontiffs-participating-in-the-ecumenical-council-of-nicaea-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260906
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260907
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211026T122350Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T082701Z
UID:27086-1788652800-1788739199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Eve of the Fast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the Exaltation of the life giving Cross of the Lord. Fasting period is from Monday to Friday.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/eve-of-the-fast-of-exaltation-of-the-holy-cross-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260908
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260909
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211026T124950Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T083404Z
UID:27096-1788825600-1788911999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Birth of St Mary from Anna
DESCRIPTION:  \nJoachim and Anna of Nazareth were married and childless for fifty years. Now advanced in age\, and in what seemed to be a hopeless\, impossible situation\, they both prayed and made special vows in order for God to bless them with a child. \nOnce\, when Anna went to the garden to pray\, God’s Angel appeared to her and told her that she will have a baby. Anna thanked God for hearing her prayers and promised to present her baby to God. Joachim also had the same vision. He also rendered glory to God for making him deserving of that grace. \nAs the result of their prayer and humility\, the impossible became possible: Anna’s barrenness was transformed into fertility\, and what came forth was the birth of their only child\, Mary\, meaning “illuminated”\,  a conception nothing short of a miracle. \nIt was Mary whom God granted the grace to be the Mother of God. As a mother she worried\, suffered for her Son\, but never opposed God\, very well understanding the importance of the mission entrusted to her by our Lord.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/birth-of-st-mary-from-anna-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260912
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260913
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211027T001146Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T083822Z
UID:27105-1789171200-1789257599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Eve of the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross
DESCRIPTION:The Saturday preceding the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy cross is called The Eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This day\, and the following Tuesday\, Wednesday and Thursday are also known as the Feast of the Holy Churches. Each of these days celebrate four different churches. \nThe commemoration on the Eve of the Feast of Exaltation\, is of the Navagadik (Dedication) of the Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) in Jerusalem. \nThe site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is identified as the place both of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. The church has long been a major pilgrimage center for Christians all around the world. \nAccording to the New Testament\, Jesus was crucified at Golgotha\, “the place of the skull” (Matt. 27:33–35; Mark 15:22–25; John 19:17–24). This has been identified as an area of abandoned stone quarries just outside the city wall of the time. \nAbout 10 years after the crucifixion\, a third wall was built that enclosed the area of the execution and burial within the city\, and this accounts for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside the Old City of Jerusalem today. \nThe Roman emperor Constantine I\, a convert to Christianity\, had the temple of Venus in Jerusalem demolished to make way for a church. In the course of the demolition a tomb was discovered that was thought to be the tomb of Jesus. \nThe rock cut tomb was initially open to the elements\, but later it was protected by a small building. \nIn 326 AD\, Constantine’s mother\, Saint Helena\, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem\, where\, according to legend\, she discovered the relic of the cross of Jesus (the “True Cross”). The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was then built at the site of the discovery\, by order of Helena and Constantine. The church was dedicated nine years later\, with a portion of the cross placed inside it. \nIn 614 AD\, a Persian army destroyed the church and the True Cross was taken away\, but in 631 AD\, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius negotiated its return. The Sacred Cross was restored to its place in the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. \nTo commemorate this victory\, in the seventh century A.D\, the Church of Rome adopted the “Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross”. \nIn the 11th century a cave deep below the ruins of the basilica came to be known as the Chapel of the Invention  (Finding) of the Cross. \nToday\, if you enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and go down a big staircase\, you come to the Chapel of St Helena\, owned by the Armenians. \nDescend more steps and you will stand in the dark Chapel of the Invention (Finding) of the Cross. The Greeks have the right side of the chapel. The left side belongs to the Catholics; their altar features a life sized bronze statue of St Helena holding a cross.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/eve-of-the-feast-of-exaltation-of-the-holy-cross-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260920
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260921
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211027T003755Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T084516Z
UID:27123-1789862400-1789948799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Eve of the Fast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varague)
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the feast of the Appearance of the Holy Cross on Mount Varak (Varague)\, lasting from Monday to Friday. \nBeing hidden by St Hripisime on Mount Varak\, the relic of the Lord’s Wooden Cross was found by a miracle in the 7th century and the Armenian Apostolic Church established another purely national feast dedicated to the Holy Cross\, which is known as the Holy Cross of Varak.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/eve-of-the-fast-of-the-holy-cross-of-varak-varague-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260926
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260927
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211027T043740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T084857Z
UID:27132-1790380800-1790467199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St George (Kevork) the Captain\, St Adoktos and St Romanos the Singer
DESCRIPTION:St George the Warrior (Sourp Kevork/Gevorg Zoravar in Armenian) is revered all over the world. He is one of the beloved saints of the Armenian Church\, whose life serves as an example of remaining faithful to God even under the harshest circumstances \nEarly Christian tradition tells us that St George was born to Christian parents in the late third century. After his father was martyred for his faith\, his mother took the little boy back to her hometown Diospolis\, now in the modern city of Lod in Israel. \nSt George became a soldier in the Roman army\, and his bravery and discipline made him the climb ranks to become a Captain. St George was steadfast in his faith\, and\, as a Christian\, refused to bring the pagan sacrifice to the Roman emperor Diocletianus\, which was venerating the emperor as a god. He was tortured and martyred around 303 AD. \nWhile Saint George was being tortured\, Alexandra\, the King’s wife\, went to the arena\, bowed before George\, and professed her faith openly. When she questioned whether she was worthy of paradise and martyrdom without being baptised\, Saint George told her\, “Do not fear\, for your blood will baptise you.” She was denounced as a Christian and imprisoned on her husband’s orders then sentenced to death. \nSt George is often portrayed slaying a dragon. Christian tradition recounts that in a certain city\, a dragon pestered the inhabitants\, demanding two sheep a day. When there were no more sheep in the village\, the vicious dragon demanded a human sacrifice. \nThe inhabitants cast lots\, and the daughter of the city’s governor was chosen. When they were taking the crying girl to the dragon’s den\, St George passed by. When he heard what was about to happen\, he decided to intervene. He followed the girl into the den\, crossed himself with prayer and slew the fire spitting dragon before it could attack. The citizens were in awe and recognised God’s powerful works. That day many were baptised and became Christians. \nSt George sets us an example in bravery\, steadfastness and strong faith. \nSt Adoktos (Adauctus) was martyred in 320 AD. He was from Ephesus and was appointed governor by Emperor Maximin. Maximin asked Callisthene (Kalistene)\, the daughter of Adoktos\, to marry him\, but her father did not want to give her to an idolater. For being Christian\, upon the King’s order\, Adoktos was deprived of his title and property and exiled to Melitene. The local governor of Melitene also failed to convert Adoktos to the heathen religion. Remaining steadfast and unshaken in his faith\, St Adoktos was beheaded. \nHis daughter Callisthene disguised herself as a young man and concealed herself in Nicomedia. She later on went to Thrace where she lodged with a family. Callisthene healed their blind daughter and the girl’s parents\, who considered Callisthene to be a man\, asked him to marry her. Then St Callisthene revealed the truth and they praised God. \nCallisthene decided to leave in order to follow an ascetic way of life with humility. At the time\, she met Constantia (Costantsa) the sister of Constantine the Great. The emperor defended and protected Callisthene and she managed to take back her father’s property and also to transfer his relics to Ephesus. She built a Church there in order to pay homage to him. \nSt Romanos the Singer (the Melodist) is considered to be the author and creator of more than 1\,000 hymns or kontakia (hymns performed in Orthodox traditions). \nAccording to legend\, Romanos (Romanus) was not at first considered to be either a talented reader or singer. He was however\, loved by the Patriarch of Constantinople\, because of his great humility. Once\, around the year 518\, while serving in the Church of the Panagia at Blachernae\, during the All-Night Vigil for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ\, he was assigned to read the kathisma verses from the Psalter. He read so poorly that another reader had to take his place. Some of the lesser clergy ridiculed Romanos for this\, and being humiliated he sat down in one of the choir stalls. Overcome by weariness and sorrow\, he soon fell asleep. As he slept\, the Theotokos (Mother of God) appeared to him with a scroll in her hand. She commanded him to eat the scroll\, and as soon as he did so\, he awoke. He immediately received a blessing from the Patriarch\, mounted the pulpit and chanted extemporaneously his famous Kontakion of the Nativity\, “Today the Virgin gives birth to Him Who is above all being….”  \nThe emperor\, the patriarch\, the clergy\, and the entire congregation were amazed at both the profound theology of the hymn and Romanos’ clear\, sonorous voice as he sang. According to tradition\, this was the very first kontakion ever sung. The Greek word “kontakion” refers to the shaft on which a scroll is wound\, hence the significance of the Theotokos’ command for him to swallow a scroll\, indicating that his compositions were by divine inspiration. St. Romanos passed away in 556 A. D \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-saints-kevork-gevorg-the-captain-adoktos-and-romanos-the-singer-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260927
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260928
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211027T023140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T085301Z
UID:27141-1790467200-1790553599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varague)
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\n\nThe Mountain of Varak\, on which was built the Monastery of Varak and the Monastery of the Holy Sign\, is at the centre of the uniquely Armenian feast of the Cross we celebrate as the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varague). \nThe Armenian Church celebrates this feast two weeks after the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross\, that is\, the Sunday during the period of September 25 – October 1. \nAccording to the tradition of the Armenian Church\, St Hripsime and her companions\, running away from the Roman Emperor Dioklethianos\, who had started persecutions against Christians\, reached Armenia and found shelter in Vagaharshapat. However\, before reaching Vagharshapat they stopped at Mount Varak\, which is to the southeast of Lake Van. Taking off from her neck the relic of the Lord’s Wooden Cross\, St Hripsime gave it to the praying monks living on the mountain and asked them to preserve it in one of the caves. Thus\, the sacred relic remained hidden till the seventh century. \nIn 653 AD\, a monk named Totig (Todik) and his student Hovel saw an apparition of the Cross above the mountain that led them to the sacred relic. The Catholicos of All Armenians\, Nerses III the Builder (Creator)\,  and Captain Vard\, son the Knight Theodoros\, learning about the miracle\, went to Mount Varak to personally witness The Cross. Catholicos Nerses verified the relic’s authenticity\, and established a feast in honour of the discovery. \nWith the support of the Armenian people\, the Pontiff built a magnificent church\, which in honour of the miracle was named Saint Nishan Church. The Pontiff Nerses also wrote the marvellous church hymn “By means of the most powerful sign”\, which is sung in the churches on the day of the feast. \n\n\n\nVaspurakan or Van\, was one of the most important regions in all of historic Armenia. The Mkhitarist Father Hamazasp Voskian writes that the history of the founding of the Monastery of Varak is “shrouded in mist\,” though there were clearly already monks and pilgrims visiting the mountain by the 7th century. \nIn the 10th century\, the Monastery of Varak and the other churches and monasteries on the mountain of Varak were supremely important. Although King Gagik I kept his court on the island of Akhtamar\, he directed that the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Varakavank) be built on Mount Varak. For generations King Gagik Artsruni and the Artsruni family members were buried at Varakavank. \nThe sacred relic remained at Mount Varak till 1021 AD\, when the Armenian King Senekerim Artsrouni brought the relic to Sebastia. After the latter’s death\, the relic was again transferred to its old place and remained there until 1651 AD\, when the relic was taken to Khoshab. In 1655 AD\, the relic was placed in the Church of Holy Godmother\, in Van\, which was renamed the Church of the Holy Sign. The relic was preserved there till 1915 AD. Today\, the location of the relic remains unknown.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-holy-cross-of-varak-varague-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261003
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261004
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211009T033305Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T093554Z
UID:27151-1790985600-1791071999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of Christ’s seventy two Disciples
DESCRIPTION:  \nBesides the 12 Apostles\, Jesus also had Seventy Two (72) disciples\, whom he sent to “preach the Good News to all nations”. The Seventy Two Disciples are firmly rooted in Scripture\, but only the Gospel of Luke mentions them. Unfortunately\, those disciples’ names are not mentioned in the Gospels. \nIn the New Testament the word “disciple” is used of the followers of Jesus Christ. “The harvest is plentiful\, but the workers are few\,” Christ said as he dispatched the 72 disciples. “So the Lord of the harvest has to send more workers out into the fields.” (Luke 10:1-4) \nChrist sent out his apostles and disciples\, two by two\, “as lambs among wolves\,” without purse\, bag\, or sandals. He told them to live simply\, but urgently. Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me…” (Luke 10:16). \nAnd the message they were told to convey was equally simple and urgent: “The kingdom of God is coming near you”. \nTheir mission was clearly a success as they returned saying with joy\, “Lord\, even the demons submit to us in your name.”  He replied\, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However\, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you\, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:17-20) \nIt is not the gifts and abilities we have received from the Father that should have our rapt attention. The predominant source of our joy should be the close\, personal relationship we enjoy with our Heavenly Father. No matter what position we are given in this world\, and irrespective of the gifts and graces we have received from above\, our everlasting joy should be in the fact that we have been saved by grace\, through faith and have an inheritance that is kept for us\, in heaven. \nPraise God that in Christ\, our sins have been forgiven and eternal life is our present possession. And although we should delight to praise God for the many blessings we receive from Him\, day by day\, let us rejoice in heart\, soul\, mind and strength that our names are written in heaven.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-christs-seventy-two-disciples-2-3-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261010
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261011
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211009T032504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T093842Z
UID:27160-1791590400-1791676799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Holy Translators (Tarkmanchadz)
DESCRIPTION:  \nFeast of the Holy Translators – Saints Mesrob\, Yeghishe\, Movses Khorenatsi (Moses of Khoren)\, Philosopher Davit Anhaght\, Gregory of Narek (Krikor Naregatsi) and Nerses the Gracious (Nerses Shnorhali)\n\nFor the Armenian people\, the Feast of the Holy Translators is one of the most favourite and beloved national ecclesiastical feasts. Nearly two hundred disciples of St Mesrob Mashtots (Mashtots) and St Sahak are known by the general group name “Holy Translators”. \nCelebrating this feast\, the Armenian Apostolic Church pays tribute to the bright memory of St Mesrob Mashtots\, Yeghishe\, Moses of Khoronk\, philosopher Davit Anhaght\, whose sacred work was later continued on by St Gregory of Narek and St Nerses the Gracious. The word “Translator” means “Interpreter”. Comprehending and precisely understanding the demands of that period\, the Holy Translators initiated the sacred work of creating Armenian literature and the alphabet. \nAfter Mesrob Mashdots invented the Armenian alphabet in 405 AD\, the first thing translated into Armenian was the Bible\, the ultimate textual source for the Christian. \nMashdots’ student Goriun/Koriun\, who penned a biography of his teacher\, tells us that the first written words translated into Armenian were from the Book of Proverbs: “To know wisdom and instruction\, to perceive the words of understanding.” With this paean to wisdom\, the first translators demonstrated that they fully understood the momentous nature of their task. To render the Bible into Armenian was to make the very Word of God present among the Armenians. With the invention of the alphabet and the translation of the Bible\, Mashtots and his students\, the first of the Holy Translators\, created the possibility of Armenian literature. They also\, as the late scholar of Armenian liturgy\, Fr. Robert F. Taft wrote\, made possible the unique Armenian expression of the faith\, the Armenian rite: it is only after the invention of the alphabet and the development of Classical Armenian\, krapar\, that one is “really able to speak of an ‘Armenian rite.’” \nWe can see\, then\, why the Holy Translators are celebrated as saints of the Armenian Church. After the first translation of the Bible\, Goriun tells us that “the blessed ones turned their attention to the improvement and refinement of the literature of their people.” They translated patristic sources like Gregory Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. In addition to this explicitly Christian literature\, the early translators also translated works of classical learning: the philosophy\, rhetoric and grammars of the Greeks. \nThe disciples of the above mentioned group of Holy Translators are known as the “Junior Translators”\, which includes the historian Yeghishe. His most famous work is the History of Vardan and the Armenian War written at the request of David Mamikonian\, which he calls a “Hishadagaran” (Recollection). The work is considered one of the masterpieces of classical Armenian literature and is almost entirely free from Greek words and expressions. \nAnother disciple of Mesrob Mashtots was Movses Khorenatsi. He was a prominent Armenian historian from the period of Late Antiquity and the author of the History of Armenia. Khorenatsi is credited with the earliest known historiographical work on the history of Armenia written in Armenian\, but was also a poet\, or hymn writer and a grammarian. The History of Armenia was written at the behest of Prince Sahak of the Bagratuni dynasty and has had an enormous impact on Armenian historiography. It was used and quoted extensively by later medieval Armenian authors. Although other Armenians such as Agathangelos had previously written histories on Armenia\, Movses’ work holds particular significance because it contains unique material on the old oral traditions in Armenia before its conversion to Christianity and\, more importantly\, traces Armenian history from Movses’ day back to its origins. Khorenatsi is considered to be the “father of Armenian history” (patmahayr)\, and is sometimes referred to as the “Armenian Herodotus.” Khorenatsi’s work became the first attempt of a universal history of Armenia. \nDavid (Davit) the Invincible Philosopher\, is listed among the Translators. In many ways\, we can say that he prefigured some of the insights of Walter Benjamin by over a thousand years\, in the Armenian version of his philosophical works\, he not only translated individual words but entire concepts and world views (for\, according to the traditional biography of him\, he both wrote original works in Greek and Armenian and translated his own Greek works into Armenian). For instance\, instead of talking about a Pegasus\, he mentioned the aralez\, an Armenian mythical creature\, a winged dog mentioned in Khorenatsi and other sources. The Holy Translators truly understood the momentousness of their task and we are the beneficiaries of their careful work. \nShortly after the original set of translations\, a school of translation known as the Hellenizing School rendered Greek originals into an Armenian that carefully translated each word. After the Hellenizing School\, there were many important translators and translations into Armenian. Perhaps most notable among them was the brilliant Grigor Magistros\, a scholar\, military leader and administrator born in 990 AD whose descendants and relatives included several Catholicoi. Magistros’ most famous work was written after a bet with Manazi\, an Arab theologian who insisted the Quran was more beautiful than the Bible because it was written in verse. In response\, Magistros produced the Magnalia Dei\, a “Biblical History in Epic Verse\,” itself translated into English by Dr. Abraham Terian. By rendering the Bible into verse\, Magistros translated not just words and ideas\, but made the Bible intelligible as a beautiful cultural product resonant with the worldview of an Islamic scholar. \nSt Gregory of Narek is widely revered as one of the greatest figures of medieval Armenian religious thought and literature. Born in the city of Narek in about 950 A.D.\, St Gregory came from a line of scholars and churchmen. St Gregory received his education under the guidance of his father\, Bishop Khosrov\, author of the earliest commentary on the Divine Liturgy and from Anania Vartabed\, abbot of Narek Monastery. He and his two brothers entered monastic life at an early age\, and St Gregory soon began to excel in music\, astronomy\, geometry\, mathematics\, literature and theology. \nHe became a priest at the age of 25 and dedicated himself to God. He lived most of his life in the monastery of Narek\, where he taught at the monastic school. St Gregory began his writings with a commentary on the “Song of Songs\,” which was commissioned by an Armenian prince. Despite his reservations that he was too young for the task\, the commentary became famous for its clarity of thought and language and its excellence of theological presentation. \nHe also wrote a number of famous letters\, sharagans\, treasures\, odes\, melodies and discourses. Many of his prayers are included in the Divine Liturgy celebrated each Sunday in Armenian Churches around the world. \nSt Gregory’s masterpiece is considered to be his Book of Lamentations. Also known as Narek\, it is comprised of 95 prayers\, each of which is titled “Conversation with God from the depth of the heart.” A central theme is man’s separation from God\, and his quest to reunite with Him. St Gregory described the work this way: “Its letters like my body\, its message like my soul.” He called his book an “encyclopedia of prayer for all nations.” It was his hope that it would serve as a guide to prayer for people all over the world. After the advent of movable type\, the book was published in Marseille in 1673\, and has been translated into at least 30 languages. \nNerses IV the Gracious is also known as Nerses Shnorhali\, Nerses of Kla or Saint Nerses the Graceful. Every time we sing “Aravod Looso” (Morning of Light) during the morning service at church or “Norahrash bsagavor” (Newly and Marvelously Crowned) at the festivity of Vartanants\, we are singing two of the most inspired sharagans written and musicalised by Nerses Shnorhali. We are also repeating his words when we recite “Havadov Khosdovanim” (In Faith I Confess) during Lent. One of the most beloved saints of the Armenian Church\, he was born on June 4\, 1102 (some sources say 1098 or 1101). He was a member of the Pahlavuni princely family and the grandson of the noted writer\, Grigor Magistros Pahlavuni. Shnorhali (literally “filled with grace”) had been the title of several known members of the Church\, but it became synonymous with Nerses after his time. \nThe fall of the Armenian kingdom of the Bagratunis in 1045 and the destruction of the capital Ani by the Seljukid Turks in 1064 had forced the Holy See of the Armenian Church to move from the capital in 1081. After several changes of place\, Grigor III had settled the Holy See in the fortress of Hromkla (Hrom-kla\, “Roman Fortress”)\, on the banks of the Euphrates River\, very close to the border of the Armenian state of Cilicia\, in 1149 (it remained there until 1292). His brother Nerses\, whom he had ordained at the age of 18 and who was consecrated a bishop at the age of thirty\, was also known as Nerses Klayetsi. He was the right hand of Grigor III during his long reign (1113-1166) and succeeded him as Catholicos Nerses IV until his death in 1173. \nA prolific writer and theologian\, some of Shnorhali’s best known works are his Tught Unthanragan (General Epistle)\, a message of guidance in the Christian faith for the Armenian people\, and his poem Hisus Vorti (Jesus the Son). Both have been translated into English. Many of his songs and hymns were incorporated into the regular service of the Armenian Church. His pioneering spirit of ecumenism and his leadership have been historically recognised. \nBy the nineteenth century\, the krapar\, the “Classical Armenian” of the early translators\, had fallen out of daily use. Several centuries prior\, a “Middle Armenian” had already emerged. Yet krapar continued to be used alongside the more vernacular Armenians. In the nineteenth century\, a debate raged about the use of  ashkharapar\, the “modern” language in one of dialectical variants. Many felt that the true literary language was krapar. With the founding of schools separate from the monasteries\, intellectuals argued about curriculum. In newspapers and through the publication of books like Khatchatur Abovian’s The Wounds of Armenia\, considered the first novel in Armenian and the first written in “modern” (in this case “Eastern”) Armenian\, slowly the modern ashkharapar took shape. Works in French\, English and other European literary languages were translated into the modern dialects. For instance\, the Mkitarist congregation in Vienna published Hovhannes Masehyan’s translations of Shakespeare into Armenian. \nPart ref: vemkar.us
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-holy-translators-tarkmanchadz-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261013
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261014
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211028T040510Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T094202Z
UID:27169-1791849600-1791935999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Apostles Ananias\, Matthias\, Barnabas\, Philip\, John and Silas
DESCRIPTION:  \nAnanais of Damascus (favoured of the Lord)\, was a disciple of Jesus at Damascus. He is mentioned in Acts 9:10\, when the Lord speaks to him and asks him to go to Saul\, place his hands on him and restore Saul’s sight. When Ananias placed his hands on Saul\, he was filled with the Holy Spirit\, healed of his blindness\, received a water baptism and began to eat and regain his strength. \nSaul (who becomes Paul the Apostle)\, immediately begins to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues\, saying “He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). \nAnanias is listed as one of the seventy two disciples whose mission is recorded in Luke 10:1-20. He was martyred in Eleutheropolis. A tomb is located below the Zoravor Church in Yerevan\, Armenia. \nMatthias the Apostle (gift of God)\, was one of the twelve main disciples of Jesus Christ. He’s the only disciple who wasn’t personally called by Jesus. Instead\, the other disciples chose him to replace Judas Iscariot\, who betrayed Jesus and died shortly after Jesus was crucified. \nMatthias is only mentioned by name in Acts 1:23 and Acts 1:26\, but from that point on\, whenever the Twelve apostles are referred to collectively\, he’s with them. Beyond these two mentions in Acts\, the New Testament tells us nothing about him. However\, we do know that he met the requirements Peter established for replacing Judas: he’d followed Jesus since his baptism by John the Baptist and he witnessed Jesus’ ascension to heaven (Acts 1:21-22). \nTradition tells us that he became a missionary in foreign lands and that\, like so many of the other Apostles\, he died as martyr for his love of the Lord. \nBarnabas the Apostle (son of encouragement)\, is first mentioned in Acts 4:36\, “Joseph\, a Levite\, born in Cyprus\, whom the apostles called Barnabas\, sold a field he owned\, brought the money\, and turned it over to the apostles.” Barnabas was also one of the seventy two disciples. \nWhen Saul (or Paul) came to Jerusalem after his conversion\, most of the Christians there wanted nothing to do with him. They had known him as a persecutor and an enemy of the Church. However\, Barnabas was willing to give him a second chance. He looked him up\, spoke with him\, and brought him to see the other Christians\, vouching for him. Later\, Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey together\, taking Mark with them. Part way\, Mark turned back and went home. When Paul and Barnabas were about to set out on another such journey\, Barnabas proposed to take Mark along\, and Paul was against it\, saying that Mark had shown himself undependable. Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance and so he and Mark went off on one journey\, while Paul took Silas and went on another. Apparently Mark responded well to the trust given him by the “son of encouragement\,” since we find that Paul later speaks of him as a valuable assistant (2Tim 4:11). Barnabas  was stoned by the Jews and martyred in the town of Salamis. \nThe Apostle Philip (lover of horses)\, was born in Bethsaida and was one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord. The interesting thing about Philip\, is that he was personally reached by Jesus himself. While Philip brought Bartholomew to Jesus and Andrew brought Peter to Jesus\, no one brought Philip to Jesus. Instead\, John’s Gospel tells us\, “The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee\, and He found Philip and said to him\, “Follow Me” (John 1:43). \nPhilip bore a Greek name and thus may have spoken Greek and been known to the Greek pilgrims in Jerusalem. He advises Andrew that certain Greeks wish to meet Jesus\, and together they inform Jesus of this (John 12:21). During the Last Supper\, when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father\, he provides Jesus the opportunity to teach his disciples about the unity of the Father and the Son. \nFollowing the resurrection of Jesus\, Philip was sent with his sister Mariamne and Bartholomew to preach in Greece\, Phrygia\, and Syria where he healed the sick and worked wonders. \nPhilip was martyred in Hierapolis. Philip’s preaching and healing converted the wife of the proconsul of the city. This enraged the proconsul and he had Philip\, Bartholomew and Mariamne all tortured. Philip and Bartholomew were then crucified upside down. However\, Philip continued to preach from the cross and as a result\, the crowd released Bartholomew from his cross\, but Philip insisted that they not release him and Philip died on the cross. \nThe Apostle John or St John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is the author of the three Letters of John\, the Fourth Gospel and the Revelation to John in the New Testament. He played a leading role in the early church at Jerusalem. John was the son of Zebedee\, a Galilean fisherman and Salome. John and his brother St James were among the first disciples called by Jesus. They\, together with Peter\, formed the inner core among the twelve who were present at the raising of the daughter of Jarius\, the Transfiguration and the agony of Gethsemane. John was given the privilege of witnessing Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah on the mount of the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). \nJesus loved and trusted St John so much that at the moment of crucifixion\, He asked him to take care of the Holy Mother of God. \nHis importance in the twelve grew as he matured\, and after the crucifixion\, he became a “pillar” in the Jerusalem church (Galatians 2:9)\, ministered with Peter (Acts 3:1\, 4:13\, 8:14)\, and finally was exiled to the island of Patmos by the Romans\, where he received from God the majestic visions that comprise the book of Revelation. He is the only apostle that was not martyred and died a natural death. \nSilas (of the forest)\, was a leader and teacher in the early church (Acts 15:22\, 32)\, a fellow missionary with Paul and a “faithful brother” (1 Peter 5:12). He was a Hellenistic Jew and also a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37). He is also referred to as “Silvanus” in Paul’s Epistles (e.g.\, 1 Thessalonians 1:1). \nAfter the Jerusalem Council\, Silas was chosen to help communicate the council’s decision to Antioch\, along with the apostle Paul. Soon afterwards\, Paul set out on his second missionary journey and he chose Silas to accompany him (Acts 15:40-41). \nOn this journey\, Paul and Silas traveled to Greece. In Philippi\, the missionaries were arrested\, beaten and imprisoned. However\, “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God\, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). God then miraculously released them\, and the jailer\, having witnessed their faith\, asked them\, “Sirs\, what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas answered\, “Believe in the Lord Jesus\, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). The jailer was saved that night and he and his family were all baptised. The next day\, the city officials learned that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and they were immediately fearful; their mistreatment of Paul and Silas the day before had violated Roman law. The city leaders immediately released Paul and Silas from custody. The missionaries left town\, but they left behind a body of believers\, the first church in Europe.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-apostles-ananias-matthias-barnabas-philip-john-and-silas-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261015
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261016
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211028T045059Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T094453Z
UID:27178-1792022400-1792108799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Dionysius of Areopagus\, the Apostles Timothy and Titus
DESCRIPTION:  \nDionysius the Areopagite was an Athenian judge at the Areopagus Court in Athens. He is thus also known as protector of judges and the judiciary. \nAt the time of Jesus’ crucifixion\, Dionysius was in Egypt in a town called Heliopolis (the City of the Sun) near today’s capital of Cairo. On Good Friday\, the very day Jesus Christ died\, ”darkness came over all the land.”Dionysius noticed that day that the sun had disappeared and he wrote down the exact hour that this peculiar phenomenon had taken place. \nYears later\, he heard a man named Paul preaching on Athens’ Areopagus Hill\, next to the Acropolis and close to where his court was located. Dionysius heard St Paul explaining that when Jesus died\, the daylight completely disappeared and darkness embraced the world. This immediately reminded him of the peculiar phenomenon he had noticed and recorded in Egypt\, several years prior. Convinced that Paul was telling the truth and that his teaching was that of the true faith\, Dionysius decided to become baptised in 54 AD. Dionysius was so passionate about Christ and His revolutionary message that he eventually abandoned his family and judicial career and dedicated himself completely to God. \nDionysius witnessed the Assumption of St Mary\, the Holy Mother of God. He preached the Word of God in Rome\, Germany\, Spain and Galia (France). He is considered to be the author of many theological works. \nWhen Dionysius learned the news that Saint Paul had been executed by beheading outside Rome\, he wholeheartedly desired to sacrifice his own life to honour Jesus. Along with his friends Eleutherius and Rusticus\, Dionysius made the courageous decision to go and preach Jesus’ Gospel openly in public. \nAfter managing to convert many pagans to Christianity\, Dionysius\, the former judge\, along with Eleutherius and Rusticus\, were in the end beheaded during the reign of Emperor Domitian\, in 96 AD. \nTimothy (honouring God)\, is one of the seventy two disciples of Jesus Christ. He was born of a Jewish mother and a Greek father in the Lycaonian city of Lystra. \nHe joined Paul during one of Paul’s later missionary journeys. Paul addresses Timothy as “my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2)\, indicating that Timothy is much younger than Paul. He probably heard and responded to the gospel when Paul came through the area of Derbe and Lystra on his first missionary journey. Timothy served as Paul’s representative to several churches (1 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 2:19)\, and he was later a pastor in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). Timothy is also mentioned as being with Paul when Paul wrote several New Testament letters; 2 Corinthians\, Philippians\, Colossians\, 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Philemon. \nPaul says Timothy had a “genuine faith\,” the same as that which lived in his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:1–5). Eunice and Lois prepared Timothy’s heart to accept Christ by teaching Timothy the Old Testament Scriptures and preparing him “from infancy” to recognise the Messiah when He appeared (2 Timothy 3:15). When Paul came preaching Christ\, all three accepted his teaching and committed their lives to the Saviour. \nTimothy is said to have died a martyr in Ephesus when he was 80 years old. As the bishop of Ephesus\, he was murdered when he preached to a crowd of pagans against their idolatrous celebrations. \nTitus (honourable) was also one of the seventy-two disciples of Jesus Christ. He was a native of the island of Crete\, the son of an illustrious pagan. In his youth he studied Hellenistic philosophy and the ancient poets. Preoccupied by the sciences\, Titus led a virtuous life\, not devoting himself to the vices and passions characteristic of the majority of pagans. \nAt age twenty\, St Titus heard a voice in a dream\, suggesting that he abandon Hellenistic wisdom\, which could not provide salvation for his soul\, but rather to seek that which would save him. The dream guided him to familiarise himself with the teachings of the prophets of God. The first thing he read was the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Having opened it to the 47th Chapter\, he was struck by the words which spoke to Titus about his own spiritual condition. \nWhen news reached Crete about the appearance of a Great Prophet in Palestine\, and about the great miracles He worked\, the governor of the island of Crete (an uncle of Titus) sent him there. This Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself\, who came into the world for the redemption of the race of mankind from the oppression of ancestral sin. \nAt Jerusalem\, Saint Titus saw the Lord. He heard His preaching and believed in Him. He witnessed the suffering and death of the Saviour on the Cross\, His glorious Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. On the day of Pentecost the future apostle heard how the Twelve Apostles\, after the descent of the Holy Spirit\, spoke in various languages\, among which was the Cretan language (Acts 2: 11). \nSaint Titus accepted Baptism from the Apostle Paul and became his closest disciple. He accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys\, fulfilling the tasks entrusted to him. He was involved in establishing new churches and was made Bishop of Crete by the Apostle Paul. Not long before his second imprisonment\, the Paul sent a pastoral epistle to his son in the Faith (Tit. 1: 4). \nTitus peacefully guided his flock and toiled at enlightening the pagans with the light of faith in Christ. He was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. During one of the pagan feasts in honour of the goddess Diana\, Titus preached to a crowd of pagans. When he saw that they would not listen to him\, he prayed to the Lord\, so that the Lord Himself would show to the mistaken people the falseness of idols. By the prayer of St Titus\, the idol of Diana fell down and shattered before the eyes of all. Another time Titus prayed that the Lord would not permit the completion of a temple of Zeus\, and it collapsed. \nBy such miracles St Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions\, St Titus died peacefully at the age of 97.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-dionysius-of-areopagus-the-apostles-timothy-and-titus-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261017
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261018
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211015T023704Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T094735Z
UID:27187-1792195200-1792281599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Evangelists Saints Mathew\, Mark\, Luke and John
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Armenian Church commemorates the Holy Evangelists\, Matthew\, Mark\, Luke\, and John\, the authors of the four Gospels. The were known as “evangelists” because they proclaimed the good news about Jesus Christ as each author provides traces and insights into Christ’s life. The word Evangelist comes from the Greek euangelistes which means “one who brings good news.” Evangelists are given the special ability by the Holy Spirit to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly and effectively. In the early days of the church evangelism was the work of the apostles. By the third century\, the authors of the four canonical Gospels became known as the Holy Evangelists\, and as the church grew\, “evangelist” began to denote a specific office that could include “apostles\, prophets\, evangelists\, pastors and teachers” (see Ephesians 4:11-12). \nMatthew (gift of God)\, is the patron of the Church’s mission. The Gospel attributed to him closes with Jesus’ command to His disciples and followers to\, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations\, baptising them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit\, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember\, I am with you always\, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) \nMark (polite\, shining)\, had significant influence on the advancement of Christianity. Although the Gospel according to Mark is a narrative of the life of Jesus\, theologians consider it to be a handbook of discipleship. The dominant message is that being a Christian is not only to believe in Jesus Christ\, it is also living according to the example set by Jesus. According to tradition\, Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria. One of the most magnificent cathedrals in the world is named after him in Venice\, where his relics are kept. \nLuke (light giving)\, is the author of the third Gospel and the Book of Acts. He is considered to be the patron of physicians and artists. The Gospel according to Luke describes Jesus as “the healer of a broken world.” Luke is also noted for his concern for the poor\, the marginalised\, women and social outcasts. His Gospel does not end with the Resurrection\, but continues to Pentecost and the eternal presence of Christ in the world. Traditionally he is believed to be one of the Seventy Two disciples and the unnamed disciple in Emmaus. \nJohn\, often called the “beloved disciple\,” is the author of the fourth Gospel. He was the only one of the twelve disciples who stood at the foot of the Cross. Jesus entrusted his mother to John’s care on the day of the Crucifixion. The best-known verse in his Gospel is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son\, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” According to tradition\, John left Jerusalem after attending the first council (35 A.D.) and went to Asia Minor and settled in Ephesus. He was exiled to the island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation\, although more recently scholars have concluded that John the Apostle and John of Patmos were two different people. \n\n\n\n\n\nTogether these four evangelists provide us with the message of Christ’s mission on earth as God’s Son\, and through their words\, inspired by the breath of God\, they encourage us to live with faith\, love and hope in our hearts.\n\nRef: armenianprelacy.org
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-evangelists-sts-mathew-mark-luke-and-john-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261019
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261020
DTSTAMP:20260420T055633
CREATED:20211028T053742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T095313Z
UID:27196-1792368000-1792454399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of Saints Captain Lukianos\, Joseph the Godfather\, Joseph of Arimathea and Lazarus and his two sisters\, Martha and Mary
DESCRIPTION:Feast of Saints Captain Lukianos\, who believed in Christ’s Crucifixion; Joseph the Godfather; Joseph of Arimathea; Friends of Christ\, Lazarus and his two sisters\, Martha and Mary\nThe Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion (Captain Lukianos)\, a Roman soldier\, served in Judea under the command of the Governor\, Pontius Pilate. When our Savior Jesus Christ was crucified\, it was the detachment of soldiers under the command of Longinus which stood watch on Golgotha\, at the very foot of the holy Cross. Longinus and his soldiers were eyewitnesses of the final moments of the earthly life of the Lord\, and of the great and awesome portents that appeared at His death. These events shook the centurion’s soul. Longinus believed in Christ and confessed before everyone\, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54). \nAfter the Crucifixion and Burial of the Saviour\, Longinus stood watch with his company at the Sepulchre of the Lord. These soldiers were present at the Resurrection of Christ. The Jews bribed them to lie and say that His disciples had stolen away the Body of Christ\, but Longinus and two of his comrades refused to be seduced by the Jewish gold. They also refused to remain silent about the miracle of the Resurrection. \nHaving come to believe in the Saviour\, the soldiers received Baptism from the apostles and decided to leave military service. Saint Longinus left Judea to preach about Jesus Christ the Son of God in his native land (Cappadocia) and his two comrades followed him. \nJoseph (also Joseph the Betrothed\, Joseph of Nazareth\, and Joseph the Worker)\, was born in Bethlehem. \nGod chose Joseph to be the earthly father of Jesus. The Bible tells us in the Gospel of Matthew\, that Joseph was a righteous man. His actions toward Mary\, his fiance\, revealed that he was a kind and sensitive man. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant\, Joseph’s initial reaction was to break the engagement\, the appropriate thing for a righteous man to do. He did not want to cause Mary further shame\, so he decided to act quietly. But God sent an angel to Joseph to verify Mary’s story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God’s will. Joseph willingly obeyed God\, in spite of the public humiliation he would face. When Jesus was born\, Jospeh married Mary and adopted the child Jesus as his own. \nJoseph is last mentioned in Scripture when Jesus was 12 years old. We know that he passed on the carpentry trade to his son and raised him in the Jewish traditions and spiritual observances. \nJoseph of Arimathea was a secret follower of Jesus because he feared the Jewish leaders. He is probably best known for asking Pilate for Jesus’ body and then placing it in his own tomb. \nEven though Joseph of Arimathea had attempted to keep his love for Jesus a secret\, he boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus to be placed in his trust. This is significant in and of itself. Joseph of Arimathea\, not Mary\, Jesus’ mother\, not Mary Magdalene or any of the apostles were entrusted with the act of taking Jesus down from the cross. Most of the apostles had fled anyway. Joseph took the body and put it in his own tomb. According to various historical sources\, Joseph’s actions provoked both the Roman and Jewish elders and he eventually spent time in prison for his support of Jesus. \nJoseph of Arimathea appears in each of the four Gospels (Matthew 27:57-61\, Mark 15:42-47\, Luke 23:50-54 and John 19:38-42) specifically around the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. He was a rich\, honest\, pious and fair man waiting for the Kingdom of God. \nLazarus was one of the few friends of Jesus Christ who is mentioned by name in the Gospels. We’re told Jesus loved him and stopped by his house in Bethany whenever he was visiting Jerusalem. Martha was Lazarus’ elder sister\, active and hardworking and Mary\, the junior sister\, was a very pious woman. \nMary and Martha sent a messenger to Jesus to tell him their brother was sick. Instead of rushing to Lazarus’ bedside\, Jesus remained where he was for two more days. When Jesus finally arrived at Bethany\, Lazarus had been dead and in his tomb four days. Jesus ordered that the stone over the entrance be rolled away\, then Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. \nAfter Lazarus’ raising\, a dinner was held to honour Jesus. It was at this point that Mary took a pint of pure nard (expensive perfume)\, poured it on Jesus’s feet and wiped them with her hair. As Judas voiced his displeasure at what he perceived was a waste of perfume\, Jesus replied\,  “Leave her alone\, the perfume was meant for the day I am buried.  You will always have the poor among you. But you won’t always have me.” \nJesus’ raising of Lazarus back to life marked a turning point. Some of the Jews who witnessed this miracle reported it to the Pharisees\, who called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. They began to plot Jesus’ murder. \nThe account of Jesus raising Lazarus occurs only in the Gospel of John\, the gospel that most strongly focuses on Jesus as the Son of God. Lazarus served as an instrument for Jesus to provide indisputable proof that he was the Saviour. \n\n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-saints-captain-lukianos-joseph-the-godfather-joseph-of-arimathea-and-lazarus-and-his-two-sisters-martha-and-mary-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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