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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230304
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230305
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211023T064232Z
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UID:20318-1677888000-1677974399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Cyril the Patriarch of Jerusalem\, St Cyril the Bishop of Jerusalem and his mother Anna
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\n\n\n\nThe Armenian Church commemorates the memory of the Patriarch\, St Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386) twice during the year. He was a doctor of the church and had a pleasant and conciliatory disposition. However\, he lived at a time when bishops were embroiled in bitter controversies and were quick to condemn any attempts at compromise\, even calling such attempts as treason. Sixteen of his thirty five years as a bishop were spent in exile. When a famine hit Jerusalem\, he sold some of the possessions of the church to raise money for the poor starving people. He was condemned for selling church property and banished. \nSt Cyril participated in the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople. Many sermons and speeches of the Patriarch Cyril\, about Christian doctrine\, have been translated into Armenian. His letter addressed to the King Costandios on the occasion of the apparition of the Holy Cross in the sky of Jerusalem is read in the Armenian churches. According to tradition\, the basin in which Patriarch Cyril was baptised is inside the Chapel of St Stephen of the Church of St Hagop (St. James)\, of Jerusalem. \nHis best known work that has survived\, “The Catechetical Lectures\,” is believed to be one of the earliest systematic accounts of Christian theology. The lectures consist of an introductory lecture\, followed by eighteen lectures on the Christian faith given during Lent to those preparing to be baptised on Easter\, as well as five lectures on the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist delivered after Easter. The lectures have been translated into many languages\, including English and Armenian\, and are noted for their presentation of the Christian faith in a positive light whilst maintaining a balance between correct belief and holy action. \n\n\nThousands of pilgrims annually come to Jerusalem for Holy Week. St Cyril instituted the liturgical forms for that week as they were observed in Jerusalem. A detailed account of Holy Week observances in Jerusalem in the fourth century is now available thanks to a woman named Egeria (Etheria)\, believed to be a Spanish nun\, who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and kept a journal describing the liturgical practices at the various holy sites. \nSt. Cyril the Bishop is the contemporary of St. Cyril the Patriarch. His secular name is Huda. According to hagiographical sources\, Bishop Cyril helped the queen Heghine (Helen) to find the Holy Cross of Christ. Witnessing the wonder working power of the Holy Cross\, Bishop Cyril was baptised\, together with his mother\, Anna\, and after the baptism was renamed “Cyril”. Later he was ordained as a bishop and during the period of exile of the Patriarch Cyril\, he took his place for a period of time. Being subjected to various tortures\, Bishop Cyril and his mother were killed during the persecutions of the King Julianos\, the Betrayer.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-cyril-the-patriarch-of-jerusalem-st-cyril-the-bishop-of-jerusalem-and-his-mother-anna-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Saint-Cyril.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230305
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230306
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211016T012018Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211016T012140Z
UID:19762-1677974400-1678060799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Sunday of the Lost (Prodigal) Son
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe third Sunday of the period of Great Lent is called the Sunday of the Lost Son\, according to the Parable of the Lost Son told in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:15-32). \nLike Adam and Eve\, whom we recalled on the Sunday of Expulsion\, the prodigal son decided to cut himself off from his source of life and well being\, his father’s home\, for what he believed would be freedom. For us that would be the Church\, the Body of Christ\, of which Jesus Christ is the Head. What the son experiences instead of true freedom is exile\, poverty\, and hopelessness. The prodigal son realised his shame. By facing his condition\, he acknowledged his dependence on his father\, arose\, and returned home\, at which point reconciliation between them was fulfilled when his father forgave him\, clothed him\, and offered a sacrifice for him. \nThe elder and the younger sons in the parable\, are the righteous and the sinful souls. The father received his lost son in the same way God receives the regretting sinner. The elder son symbolises all those who are righteous or think that there are righteous.  The father explains to the elder son: “Your brother was dead\, but now he is alive again.” \nThrough the entrance of sin into the world\, we became susceptible to its influence\, and just like the prodigal son\, we cut ourselves off from union with our Creator\, the source of life. As a result\, we continually seek life and freedom outside of God and the boundaries he set for us in the Garden\, the freedom to worship him alone. \nOur reconciliation with God is fulfilled when we repent and participate in Holy Badarak. The sacrifice of Christ is offered to us as we offer ourselves to him. (The word ‘Badarak’ even translates as ‘sacrifice’ or ‘offering’). In Badarak\, as we express our faith and live out the vows of our Baptism\, we rejoin ourselves to the original source of life from which Adam and Eve cut themselves off\, the Tree of Life\, the fruit of which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. And like the prodigal son\, when we return to our Father\, we experience true freedom. That is\, freedom and liberation from sin\, exile\, shame\, and prideful arrogance. No matter how far we are from him\, “Our Father” is patiently waiting to run toward us with mercy and forgiveness. \nRef: Vemkar.us
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/sunday-of-the-lost-prodigal-son-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Prodigal-son-e1634716809674.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230311
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230312
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211015T052926Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211015T052951Z
UID:19584-1678492800-1678579199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St. John the Patriarch of Jerusalem\, Armenian Patriarch St. John of Odzun\, St. John of Vorotan and St. Gregory of Datev
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt. John (Hovhannes) of Odzun\, who has also been recognised as “the Philosopher”\, is one of the greatest fathers of the Armenian Church.  According to hagiographers\, he possessed both spiritual and mental brilliance.  During the 11 years of his reign (717-728)\, Catholicos Hovhannes managed to withstand Byzantine and Arab pressures and incursions\, while struggling against sects.  Hovhannes of Odzun endowed to us a rich and priceless literary legacy.  His work entitled “Canons of the Armenians” is the first voluminous collection in Armenian history\, which contains ecclesiastical canons and laws. He is also famous as the author of numerous sermons and church hymns. Among the most important initiatives undertaken by Catholicos Hovhannes of Odzun\, is the church council convened in Dvin in 725\, with the aim of reforming the Armenian Church.  He also convened the meeting in Manazkert in 726\, dedicated to the goal of strengthening the union of the Armenian and Assyrian Churches and to address the Justianian and Severus debate regarding the humanity of Jesus. \nIt was St John of Odzun who declared the Cross to be the symbol of the Armenian Church\, stressing its significance in opposition to the local grassroots movement which opposed the Cross and all else pertaining to ritual\, organisation and the visible Church. \nSt John of Odzun explained that since God took human\, material form\, in the person of Jesus Christ\, it is possible for human beings to represent God’s image\, to live as icons of God. When bowing down before an icon of Christ\, consider yourself actually bowing before Christ enthroned; while looking at the visible\, recall to your mind the invisible. \nThe tomb of Catholicos Hovhannes is in the Church of Srbanes (St. Hovhannes) in the village of Ardvi\, near his birthplace of Odzun.  The church has remained a sanctuary for the faithful of the Armenian Nation. \nThe names of Vartabeds (church divine or archimandrite) St John (Hovhan) of Vorotan (1315-1388) and St. Gregory of Datev (1346-1410) are closely interrelated. Gregory of Datev\, the greatest Vartabed and theologian of the Armenian Church\, studied under Hovhan of Vorotan\, and later raised the famous school founded by his teacher in the Monastery of Datev. Gregory of Datev authored numerous significant theological works.  Included in his literary legacy are the “Book of Questions” and the collections of his sermons.  He is closely associated with Hovhan of Vorotan\, because as a result of the notes and records made by Gregory\, a portion of the literary legacy of Hovhan has survived to this day. \nFinally\, the blessed memory of St. John the Patriarch of Jerusalem is commemorated on the same day\, along with the aforementioned three fathers of the Armenian Church.  St. John was Patriarch of Jerusalem in the 4th Century.  He is remembered to this day as being a great orator and a defender of Christianity through his sermons.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-john-the-patriarch-of-jerusalem-armenian-patriarch-st-john-of-odzun-st-john-of-vorotan-and-st-gregory-of-datev-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Odzun-e1634717234215.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230312
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230313
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211016T015634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211016T015705Z
UID:19771-1678579200-1678665599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Sunday of the Steward
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe fourth Sunday of the period of Great Lent is called the Sunday of the Steward. The message of the day teaches us of the parable of the unjust steward. This parable is mentioned only in the Gospel of St. Luke (Luke 16:1-13). \nThe legendary and famous parable of the unjust steward\, from ancient times until today\, has been one of the more troubling and controversial passages in all of the Gospels. Theologians and Church Fathers of all Christian traditions have wrestled with its seemingly contradictory message of condoning fraud and criminal business practices. What the Church has inherited are numerous interpretations as to what message Jesus was trying to convey through this parable. \nIn the story\, a steward has not been responsible with his master’s affairs and property. The master\, in turn\, instructs the steward to get his books together before his dismissal. To secure his future\, the steward finalises his books\, through questionable business practices\, by discounting the debts owed to his master.However\, in the process\, the steward makes friends with those who owed his master\, by earning their gratitude. When the master finds out what his steward did\, rather than further accuse him\, he commends his clever ingenuity\, even though he would be losing money. One can clearly see the internal difficulties and thus\, the challenge in interpreting this parable. \nIn Jesus’ time\, there were those who claimed to belong to the people of God but proved to not be good stewards of what he entrusted to them. They excluded and restricted people\, demanded and extracted from them\, and wasted those resources on themselves rather than show mercy to those in need. Perhaps the message is that the children of the light (the Church\, the people of God) are not as diligent or committed to their mission and calling as are the children of the world (the Pharisees) in their pursuit of earthly goals. \nThe steward was concerned for his material future\, those things that are highly esteemed among humanity: money\, power\, position\, and praise. As Christians\, as the Church\, we should be concerned with the Kingdom of God\, storing up treasures in heaven. How do we do that? We use our wealth\, the resources given to us by God\, for those in need\, for good works. Everywhere Jesus went\, the Kingdom of God was at hand\, and everything he did was the coming of his Kingdom. And so to be a citizen of his Kingdom\, is simply to live as if Jesus is our King\, who gives us his wealth to use for his purposes. \nWith the freedom to love and serve one another\, each of us\, at every moment\, is directed with the eternal warning to give the account of our stewardship. \nRef: Vemkar.us
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/sunday-of-the-steward-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Steward-e1634349511109.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230315
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230316
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211016T055549Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211020T080922Z
UID:20110-1678838400-1678924799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Median day of Great Lent (Michink)
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe day of the midpoint of Lent is very special\, and it is called in Armenian\, “michink\,” meaning “middle.” \nIt is the 24th day of Lent\, and it occurs on the Wednesday of the fourth week. \nIt’s a mark of having successfully triumphed over the demands of restraint and continence\, called for by the long Lenten period of abstinence. It also\, in a sense\, is regarded as an occasion for celebration. However\, those fasting for great Lent\, continue to do so on this day. \nMichink is not a religious feast of any significance.  It only marks a popularly observed occasion. Morally\, it inspires and encourages steadfastness\, so that the faithful will continue on through the second half of Great Lent. \nRELIGIOUS SERVICES AT MICHINK \nThere are no religious services specifically designated for mid Lent\, since it is not a feast day. \nThe services for that Wednesday are the same as for other Wednesdays of lent\, with the Sunrise Service and the ritual for confession and penance. What occurs then is primarily making the observance a little more ceremonial. \nAlso\, because of the social and economic pressures Armenians experienced in the Diaspora\, being different from what they were in the homeland in former times\, it is to be expected that the popular practices in observing Michink will be different. \nThe gatherings that take place after the church services at Michink consist usually of tables set with the appropriate Lenten foods\, and of cultural programs that suit the occasion. \nTRADITIONS OF MICHINK AND CUSTOMS\n \nThe Year’s Lucky One \nA variety of special foods were prepared in the homes for Michink – unleavened breads\, called “Paghartch\,” and a kind of sandwich called “Koutap.” \nIt was common to hide a metal coin in the paghartch bread.  At meal­time\, or when there was a gathering of friends\, the paghartch bread was cut into portions and given out to all present. They would watch eagerly to see who would be get the portion with the gold coin and have luck with them that year. \nThe Michink Koutap was prepared for the same purpose.  The koutap was a kind of sandwich of filling between two pieces of bread. The olive oil based bread was usually about egg sized and sometimes flattened. Enclosed was a filling of boiled green beans\, broad beans and other vegetables.  A colourful bead would be hidden in one of them\, thus identifying the year’s lucky person. \nGifts for Brides-to-be \nIt was once a custom for engaged young men\, or their families\, to give the bride-to-be a gift at michink. \nMichink – a Day of Freedom for Girls and Brides \nIn villages of the homeland it was customary to allow girls and new brides a day of freedom once a year\, at Michink.  On that occasion\, free of the supervision of older women or of mothers-in-law\, they would take the koutaps they had baked and go off to some distant spot with their very close friends and spend some time together in unfettered talk\, singing and dancing. \nThat special occasion of Michink was looked upon as an opportunity for them to talk intimately about family difficulties\, or possibly shed copious tears concerning a disappointment in love. \nCourtesy of “Feasts of the Armenian Church and National Traditions”\nby Garo Bedrosian\, 1993
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/median-day-of-great-lent-michink-3/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230318
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230319
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211016T060142Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211016T060342Z
UID:19806-1679097600-1679183999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Forty Holy Martyrs (Karasoun Mangounk)
DESCRIPTION:  \nKarasoun Mangounk (Forty Martyrs of Sebastia)\nDuring the 4th century\, the period when Christianity began to spread\, conflicts still arose between those who boldly embraced their new faith and those pagan emperors who persecuted them. The Holy Martyrs of Sebastia\, according to legend\, were a group of exceptionally brave soldiers who came from families of nobility and stood firm in their Christian faith. They formed a part of the Roman army and served in the regions of Cappadocia. It is said that they came from various cities of Lesser Armenia (Pokhr Haik)\, and that some of them were assumed to be Armenian. \nWhen the pagan Licinius ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire (307-323 AD)\, it was his evil intent to eliminate Christianity from the lands under his control\, and especially\, for fear of treason\, among the troops. One of his supporters was a cruel man by the name of Agricola who commanded the forces in the Armenian town of Sebastia\, in what is now eastern Turkey. Among his soldiers were forty devout Christians who wielded equally well the sword of battle and the sword of the spirit\, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). These men formed an elite bodyguard. When it came to Agricola’s attention that they were Christians\, he was determined to force them to renounce their faith and bow down to the pagan gods. He gave them two alternatives: \n“Either offer sacrifice to the gods and earn great honours or\, in the event of your disobedience\, be stripped of your military rank and fall into disgrace.” \nThe soldiers were thrown into jail to think this over. That night they strengthened themselves singing psalms and praying. At midnight they were filled with holy fear upon hearing the voice of the Lord: “Good is the beginning of your resolve\, but he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 10:22 ). \nThe next morning Agrricola summoned them once again. This time he tried to persuade them with flattering words\, praising their valour and their handsomeness. When the soldiers remained unmoved\, they were again thrown into prison for a week to await the arrival of Licius\, a prince of some authority. \nDuring this time they prepared themselves for the trial of martyrdom. One of them\, Cyrion by name\, exhorted his fellow soldiers: \n“God so ordained that we made friends with each other in this temporary life; let us try not to separate even in eternity; just as we have been found pleasing to a mortal king\, so let us strive to be worthy of the favour of the immortal King\, Christ our God.” \nCyrion reminded his comrades-in-arms how God had miraculously helped them in time of battle and assured them that He would not forsake them now in their battle against the invisible enemy. When Licius arrived\, the soldiers marched to their interrogation singing the psalm\, “O God\, in Thy name save me” (Ps. 53)\, as they always did when entering upon the field of contest. \nLicius repeated Agricola’s arguments of persuasion\, alternating between threats and flattery. When he saw that words were of no avail\, he ordered the soldiers to be sent to jail while he thought up a form of torture to change their minds. \nAfter prayers that night\, for a second time the soldiers heard the voice of the Lord: \n“He who believes in Me\, though he die\, yet shall he live. Be bold and have no fear of short lived torment which soon passes; endure…that you may receive crowns.” \nThe next day the soldiers were led to a lake. It was winter and a frosty wind was blowing. The soldiers were stripped of their clothes and ordered to stand through the night in the freezing waters. A guard was set to watch over them. In order to tempt the holy warriors of Christ\, warm baths were set up on the side of the lake. Anyone who agreed to sacrifice to the idols could flee the bitterly cold waters and warm his frozen bones in the baths. This was a great temptation\, which in the first cruel hour of the night\, overpowered one of the soldiers. Scarcely had he reached the baths\, however\, when he dropped to the ground and died. \nSeeing this\, the rest of the soldiers prayed even more earnestly to God: “Help us\, O God our Saviour\, for here we stand in the water and our feet are stained with our blood; ease the burden of our oppression and tame the cruelty of the air; O Lord our God\, on Thee do we hope\, let us not be ashamed\, but let all understand that we who call upon Thee have been saved.” \nTheir prayer was heard. In the third hour of the night a warm light bathed the holy martyrs and melted the ice. By this time all but one of the guards had fallen asleep. The guard who was still awake had been amazed to witness the death of the soldier who had fled to the baths and to see that those in the water were still alive. Now\, seeing this extraordinary light\, he glanced upward to see where it came from and saw thirty-nine radiant crowns descending onto the heads of the saints\, immediately\, his heart was enlightened by the knowledge of the Truth. He roused the sleeping guards and\, throwing off his clothes\, ran into the lake shouting for all to hear\, “I am a Christian too!” His name was Aglaius\, and he brought the number of martyrs once again to forty. \nThe next morning the evil judges came to the lake and were enraged to find that not only were the captives still alive\, but that one of the guards had joined them. The martyrs were then taken back to prison and subjected to torture; the bones of their legs were crushed by sledge-hammers. The mother of one of the youngest\, Meliton\, stood by and encouraged them to endure this trial. To their last breath the martyrs sang out\, “Our help is in the name of the Lord\,” and they all gave up their souls to God. Only Meliton remained alive\, though barely breathing. \nTaking her dying son upon her shoulders\, the mother followed the cart on which the bodies of the soldiers were being taken to be burned. When her son at last gave up his soul\, she placed him on the cart with his fellow brothers of Christ. \nThe funeral pyre burned out leaving only the martyrs’ bones. Knowing that Christians would collect these relics to the eternal glory of the martyrs and their God\, the judges ordered them to be thrown into the nearby river. That night\, however\, the holy martyrs appeared to the blessed bishop of Sebastia and told him to recover the bones from the river. Together with some of his clergy\, the bishop went secretly that night to the river where the bones of the martyrs shone like stars in the water\, enabling them to be collected to the very last fragment. \nThe memory of the holy martyrs shine like stars in the world\, encouraging and inspiring believers everywhere to be faithful to Christ even to the end. \nThus they finished the good course of martyrdom in 320\, and their names are: Acacius\, Aetius\, Aglaius\, Alexander\, Angus\, Athanasius\, Candidus\, Chudion\, Claudius\, Cyril\, Cyrion\, Dometian\, Domnus\, Ecdicius\, Elias\, Eunoicus\, Eutyches\, Eutychius\, Flavius\, Gaius\, Gorgonius\, Helianus\, Herachus\, Hesychius\, John\, Lysimachus\, Meliton\, Nicholas\, Philoctemon\, Priscus\, Sacerdon\, Severian\, Sisinius\, Smaragdus\, Theodulus\, Theophilus\, Valens\, Valerius\, Vivianus\, and Xanthias. \nRef: fortymartyrs.org
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-forty-holy-martyrs-karasoun-mangounk-3/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230319
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230320
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211016T052333Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211016T052406Z
UID:19780-1679184000-1679270399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Sunday of The Judge
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe fifth Sunday of Great Lent is called the Sunday of the Judge. The message of the day teaches us the parable of the widow and the Judge. This parable comes to us in the Gospel of St. Luke (Luke 18:1-8). \nThe parable tells the story of a widow who repeatedly comes to a judge\, who neither feared God nor respected man\, and pled for her rights. For a long period of time the judge refused to act\, but in the end\, he fulfilled her request\, to put an end to her continuous appeals. Otherwise\, he feared that she would continue to return indefinitely. \nAfter telling this parable\, the Lord assures everyone\, that if a man as corrupt and unfair as this judge decided in favour of the widow\, then God surely would judge in favour of his own people and grant the requests of all those who submit to Him through prayer. This parable exhorts us to always and continually pray\, as prayer symbolises the soul’s eternal striving and thirst for God. \nThe parable also contains an appeal from Christ. After telling the parable\, Christ says: “But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when He comes?” In His words\, Jesus gives a reference to the Second Coming and sadness and anguish are felt in the Lord’s remark. It is truly painful for the Saviour that many people may be subject to just\, yet cruel judgment\, instead of becoming the inheritors of the Kingdom of God.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/sunday-of-the-judge-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Unjust-judge-e1634349646688.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230325
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230326
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211016T061818Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211016T061842Z
UID:19813-1679702400-1679788799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s torments and commitment to the pit
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis feast is the first one among the three commemoration days dedicated to the memory of St. Gregory the Illuminator\, the first Catholicos of All Armenians. According to the Armenian Church Calendar\, it is celebrated on the eve of the Fifth Sunday during the period of Great Lent. The feast is dedicated to the torments which St. Gregory suffered during his imprisonment. \nAccording to historical sources\, St. Gregory the Illuminator was the son of Anak Partev\, a knight and nobleman\, who killed the Armenian King Khosrov Arshakouni. In retaliation\, Anak is executed by the Armenians. His son\, Gregory\, lived and studied in Caesarea\, and was brought up as a pious Christian. Gregory returned to Armenia as an adult and became a member of the royal court. King Tiridates (Trdat)\, the son of King Khosrov and heir to the throne\, appointed Gregory as the Chancellor of the Armenian Kingdom. Tiridates\, learning that Gregory is a Christian and the son of Anak\, subjected him to severe tortures and committed Gregory to death\, by imprisoning him in a deep underground pit. \nIn 301 A.D.\, after spending 13 years in the pit\, St. Gregory the Illuminator was freed from the dungeon and emerged to spread the Light of Christ in Armenia. He thus became the first pontiff of the Armenian Church\, baptised the royal family\, and evangelised the whole of the Armenian Nation. \nArmenia became the first nation in the world to officially proclaim Christianity as her state religion. \nSt. Gregory the Illuminator is recognised by all of Christendom as a Saint and he is commemorated in all traditional Christian Churches.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-gregory-the-illuminators-torments-and-commitment-to-the-pit-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/St-Gregory-e1634364574733.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230326
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230327
DTSTAMP:20260505T121832
CREATED:20211015T114404Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211015T114433Z
UID:19735-1679788800-1679875199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Sunday of Advent
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Sixth Sunday of Great Lent is called the Sunday of Advent. This Sunday teaches us about the first Advent of Christ – His Incarnation: His Holy Birth when God became Man. This proved the Truth found in the Scriptures that by the coming of the Saviour\, a second chance was given to mankind to be guided on the path leading towards salvation. \nThis Sunday also symbolises the Second Advent. In the Gospels and Apostolic Letters there are many references dedicated to the Second Advent\, where our Lord warns us about His return. In the Gospel of St. Matthew\, Christ says\, “…Watch out and do not let anyone fool you. Many men\, claiming to speak for me\, will come and say\, “I am the Messiah!” and they will fool many people. You are going to hear the noise of battles close by and the news of battles far away… Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be famines and earthquakes everywhere… And you will be hated by all nations for my Name’s sake… Many false prophets will appear and fool many people. Such will be the spread of evil that many people’s love will grow cold. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved” (Mt 24:4-13). \nThe message of this Sunday is a call for endurance\, piety and modesty. Through these we can patiently wait for the Glorious Resurrection of Christ\, the purification of our souls and the triumph of the True Faith. All Christian Churches celebrate the feast of the Sunday of Advent.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/sunday-of-advent-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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