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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240509
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240510
DTSTAMP:20260504T144650
CREATED:20211023T090611Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T072738Z
UID:20402-1715212800-1715299199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Hampartsoum: Feast of Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Feast of Holy Ascension marks the ascent of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day following His glorious Resurrection. The timing is clearly specified in the Acts of the Apostles\, where it is stated that Christ presented himself alive to the Apostles\, “appearing to them during forty days and speaking of the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). \nOn the 40th day\, after he finished speaking to the Apostles\, “as they were looking on\, he was lifted up\, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9).  The Gospel according to Mark sums up the same story as follows: “So then the Lord Jesus\, after he had spoken to them\, was taken up into heaven\, and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16: 19). The same account is also in the Gospel according to Luke: “While he blessed them\, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51).  There are also several references to this event in some of the other books of the New Testament. \nThe Feast of the Ascension is an important Dominical feast (one relating to the life of Jesus Christ) that has been celebrated in the universal church since ancient times.  Modern scholarship traces its earliest observance to the 4th century. \nIt is always celebrated on the 40th day after Easter and falls on a Thursday; however\, in the Armenian Church\, the observance of the feast begins on Wednesday evening during vespers. \nFrom ancient tradition\, we know that the Ascension of the Lord took place on the Mount of Olives.  To this day the Armenian Brotherhood of St. James in Jerusalem holds vesper service and a vigil on the eve of the Feast of the Ascension at the sanctuary on the Mount of Olives. \nBesides being a Dominical feast (see below)\, the Ascension also marks the anniversary of the reestablishment of the Holy See at the monastery of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1441\, after a separation of almost 1\,000 years. \nAs with other feasts\, Ascension and the Resurrection of the Lord are celebrated over the following nine days until Pentecost. \nDominical Feasts are connected to Christ’s mission of redemption as well as feasts dedicated to the Holy Mother of God\, the Holy Cross and Holy Church.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-ascension-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Hampartsoum-e1634979554579.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240512
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240513
DTSTAMP:20260504T144650
CREATED:20211023T092455Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211023T092609Z
UID:20412-1715472000-1715558399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Second Palm Sunday
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe name of the feast is derived from Palm Sunday\, which precedes Easter. The Second Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the triumphant entry of the Ascended Christ into the Heavenly Jerusalem\, where the angels meet him with great happiness and delight. \nAccording to old beliefs\, during St Gregory the Illuminator’s imprisonment in the pit\, he was visited every day by the same angel. However one day\, the angel did not come. The following morning\, St Gregory inquired as to the reason for his absence\, to which the angel responded that during the Ascension\, Christ had passed through the ranks of the Angels and thus they celebrate that feast each year. The angel visiting St Gregory was from the fourth class of angelic hosts\, and thus\, on the fourth day following the Ascension\, his rank of angels commemorates and celebrates Christ’s Ascension to heaven every year. \nSt Gregory of Datev\, one of the greatest theologians of the Armenian Church\, has his own famous interpretation of this event. Prior to His Ascension\, the ranks of angels\, except for the lowest class\, who served Christ during His earthly life\, were not aware of Christ’s incarnation for the salvation of man. St Gregory’s commentary states that when the Lord was passing through the ranks of angels\, they were surprised and asked\, “Who was that powerful king?” The angels accompanying Christ thus informed them. \nThis dialogue of angels is presented in the Holy Bible as follows: \n“Lift up your heads\, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up\, ye everlasting doors; \nand the King of glory shall come in.”\n“Who is this King of glory?  The LORD strong and mighty\, the LORD mighty in\nbattle.”\n“Lift up your heads\, O ye gates; even lift them up\, ye everlasting doors; \nand the King of glory shall come in.”\n“Who is this King of glory?”\n“The LORD of hosts\, he is the King of glory.”\n (Psalms 24:7-10) \nThis beautiful angelic dialogue is heard during the Divine Liturgy\, as the deacon approaches the celebrant priest with the chalice during the Great Entrance (Verapehroom). \nSecond Palm Sunday is one more reminder of the Ascension of Christ and grants us the hope for ascending to heaven after our deaths and being in the bliss of God’s presence. \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/second-palm-sunday-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Jesus-heaven.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240519
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240520
DTSTAMP:20260504T144650
CREATED:20211023T093159Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211023T093249Z
UID:20421-1716076800-1716163199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:The Feast of Pentecost: Hokekaloust
DESCRIPTION:  \n“When the day of Pentecost came\, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-4).\n\nOn the day of Pentecost (Hokekaloust)\, tongues of fire filled the upper room resting upon the heads of Jesus’ disciples who had gathered together as had been instructed. In this dramatic scene\, the disciples felt the Holy Spirit descend upon them as they began speaking in other languages and could be understood by a crowd of believers from other nations.\n\nWith the tongues of fire came the ability for the spread of Christianity to other nations which would soon reach the land of Armenia by the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew. This would become the birth of the Armenian Church and the nation’s religion. \nTongues symbolise God’s purifying presence which burns away the undesirable elements of our lives and sets our hearts aflame to ignite the lives of others. \nThe coming of the Holy Spirit (or Hokekaloust in Armenian) is celebrated by the Armenian Church\, as in all Christian churches\, 50 days after Easter. \nAs possessors of this beautiful faith\, Pentecost points us to our personal Pentecost\, for just as the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles\, so too does the Holy Spirit come to each one of us at the time of our chrismation or confirmation with the anointing of the Holy Oil. As baptised infants\, if we are open to that gift\, it transforms us and inspires us to live a Christ centred existence\, in which the fruits of the Spirit — love\, joy\, peace\, patience\, kindness\, goodness\, faithfulness\, gentleness and self-control — can grow and thrive. \nBut the fruit of the Spirit is love\, joy\, peace\, forbearance\, kindness\, goodness\, faithfulness\,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. \n(Galatians 5:22-23)
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/the-feast-of-pentecost-hokekaloust-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Pentecost.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240519
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240520
DTSTAMP:20260504T144650
CREATED:20211023T093943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211023T094025Z
UID:20430-1716076800-1716163199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Eve of the Fast of Elijah
DESCRIPTION:  \nOne of the four seasonal fasting periods\, defined by the Armenian Apostolic Church\, is the fasting period preceding the beginning of summer (northern hemisphere). This fasting period\, as well as the other ones preceding the other seasons of the year\, is not a preparation for any feast. According to tradition it is called Elijah’s fast\, as coincides with the Feast of the Commemoration the Prophet Elijah the next Sunday. \nThis fasting period starts the day following the Feast of Pentecost and lasts five days\, from Monday till Friday. \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/eve-of-the-fast-of-elijah-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Eve-of-the-Fast-3.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240526
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240527
DTSTAMP:20260504T144650
CREATED:20211023T095043Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211023T095201Z
UID:20439-1716681600-1716767999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Prophet Elijah
DESCRIPTION:  \nWelcome the Stranger: Elijah \nHe was a man of holiness and generosity; but also a man who could countenance the cruelest violence. His very name confessed his loyalty to God; but also prefigured the loneliness that can follow any man with such loyalties. He was Elijah the Tishbite\, Elijah “the Stranger”: the Hebrew prophet the Armenian Church remembers the Sunday following the Feast of Pentecost. \nAs the “model” prophet\, Elijah cuts a gigantic figure in the Old Testament\, with his name and influence echoing through the New. He even makes a personal appearance in the Gospel\, alongside Christ and Moses\, during the cosmic vision of the Transfiguration. \nBut he was truly an isolated figure in his day: a friend of God in an age when all his countrymen (so it seemed) had abandoned their holy heritage; when a profane ruling class had infected the people with the spirit killing disease of idolatry. \nElijah was a severe opponent of the pagan cults imported into the court of the Israelite King Ahab\, and his early prophetic career was marked by divine signs and miracles. But at the very moment of his vindication; his extravagant triumph over the pagan idols\, leading to the horrifying slaughter of their priesthood\, Elijah’s fortunes turned. \nA public vendetta against him by the infamous Queen Jezebel sent Elijah into hiding. In fear for his life\, he scaled the mountain where Moses had once received the Ten Commandments\, to stand in the presence of his God. A hurricane wind\, a mighty earthquake\, a blazing fire all passed before him. But God (Scripture assures us) inhabited none of these. \nOnly a “still\, small voice”\, a gentle whisper in Elijah’s hearing—was recognisable as the sign of God’s presence. And the Voice asked the prophet\, “What are you doing here\, Elijah?” \nWeary in body and spirit\, Elijah could only answer as one who had given his all\, in a lost cause. “I have been your champion\, Lord\,” he said. “But the people have rejected your covenant\, torn down your altars\, put your prophets to the sword. I am the only one left. And now they want to kill me too.” Earlier he had dared to utter a prayer of even deeper bitterness\, “I have had enough\, Lord. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” \nBut God’s reply to the prophet’s spiritual exhaustion was a miracle of mercy and simplicity. He gave Elijah a human companion to share his burdens. The young plowman Elisha would be the chosen disciple for Elijah to instruct; the “son” who would carry the prophet’s mantle in the next generation\, extending Elijah’s achievements\, and perhaps correcting his mistakes. \nThere would be further adventures for the prophet with no respite from the hardships of his vocation. But after the experience on the mountain\, Elijah’s heart was eased enough to permit him to peacefully depart this world\, which he did in the most dramatic way imaginable: carried away to heaven in a chariot of fire. \nBut his story doesn’t end there. Subsequent generations\, reflecting on his mysterious departure\, insisted that Elijah would one day return\, as a herald of the Messiah. The preaching style of John the Baptist so closely resembled Elijah’s that observers of the day thought the two might be one and the same. Though John directly disabused people of that notion\, Jesus attested that John was indeed the spiritual successor to Elijah\, who had come to announce Christ’s advent. \nArmenian spirituality holds that Elijah never actually died. Our haunting Requiem hymn paints a word picture of the “Supernal Jerusalem” (Ee verinn Yerousaghem) where Elijah still lives in vastly advanced old age\, alongside the antediluvian (before the flood) Patriarch Enoch. The inscrutable classical Armenian word aghavnagerb (usually translated as “dove-like”) describes their present state\, offering us a dim glimpse into what it might be like to live as an immortal resident of God’s heavenly city. \nThe story of Elijah “the Stranger” is told in the Books of Kings (1 Kings 17 -2 Kings 2)\, with its uncanny sequels related in the gospels and our liturgy. In preparation for his remembrance\, welcome “The Stranger” into your heart. \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-prophet-elijah-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Elijah-770x330.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240527
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240528
DTSTAMP:20260504T144650
CREATED:20211023T104339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211023T104949Z
UID:20450-1716768000-1716854399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Hripsime and her Companions
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt Hripsime\, along with her companions in martyrdom\, are venerated as the first martyrs in Armenian history. \nNoble Hripsime was one of the 37 Christian nuns who\, together with the Abyss Gayane\, lived during the period of the reign of the Roman King Diocletianus (284-305) in the Monastery of St Paul located in the mountains of Rome. The Holy sisters had dedicated their lives to Christ. \nHripsime’s beauty captivated the King who wished to get married to her. Disobeying the King\, the pious nuns\, led by their Abyss Gayane\, ran away. According to oral traditions\, a Holy Godmother appeared to them and told them to leave for the Araratian country; Armenia. So\, the nuns went to Vagharshapat. On their way\, they passed the Mountain of Varague (Varak). Here\, Hripsime buried in the earth a relic from the wooden Holy Cross\, which she always had on her neck. The relic was found by a miracle in the 7th century and since then\, the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varague (Varak) has been celebrated in the Calendar of the Armenian Apostolic Church\, along with the other feasts dedicated to the Holy Cross. \nThe Pagan Armenian King Tiridates III (Drtad/ Trdat)\, becoming aware of the nun’s beauty\, also wished to get married to Hripsime. Accordingly\, Hripsime was brought to the palace\, with Gayane\, in order to convince Hripsime to obey the King. However\, Gayane told Hripsime to hold true to her faith and in his anger\, Tiridates ordered that all the nuns be killed. \nIn this storm of destruction\, King Tiridates became afflicted with strange maladies\, and no physician or pagan priest could heal him. It was only St. Gregory\, who the King had condemned to the pit in 287AD\, that was able to restore Tiridates\, through the power of prayer and faith. \nThe nuns’ martyrdom is a turning point in the history of the Armenian nation. After their martyrdom\, St Gregory was released from the pit and was able to spread the light of Christ in Armenia. \nUpon his delivery from the pit\, in the early 4th century\, St Gregory the Illuminator found the relics of the nuns and built chapels on those sites. Later\, during the time of St Sahak Partev (Bartev)\, these chapels were rebuilt and then again\, during the pontificate of Catholicos Gomidas (7th century)\, two beautiful cathedrals were erected. One of these\, the Cathedral of St Hripsime\, remains a monument of Armenian architecture. \nIn 1979 His Holiness Vasken I\, the Catholicos of All Armenians\, reported joyously to His Holiness Khoren I\, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia\, at Antelias\, that as a result of recent archaeological excavations firmly sealed graves were found and thought to be those of the witnesses\, Hripsime and her companions. \nHis Holiness Vasken I wrote: “It is with deep emotion that we wish to inform you that the ancient tomb\, discovered during the past year under the walls of the St. Hripsime monastery\, has disclosed graves of interred bodies without heads. It is highly probable that those remains are those of some of the maidens.” Because of the indication of how the bodies had been severed\, the direction in which they were buried\, and the absence of pagan like burial practices\, the archaeologists were able to confirm the authenticity of Hripsime and her followers’ relics at the site. \nIt is said that Hripsime was tortured and martyred at the location of Saint Hripsime Church\, while Gayane was tortured and martyred at the site of St Gayane church. The remaining group of unnamed nuns were martyred at the location of Shoghakat Church. \nIn the Armenian Apostolic Church\, on the days of the feasts dedicated to the memory of St Hripsime and her companions\, a Divine Liturgy is celebrated in all Armenian Churches. On the eve of the feast\, ceremonies are held\, which start after the evening service and Church hymns and songs\, dedicated to the nuns\, are sung.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-hripsime-and-her-companions-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hripsime.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240528
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240529
DTSTAMP:20260504T144650
CREATED:20211023T111443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211023T111547Z
UID:20461-1716854400-1716940799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Gayane and her Companions
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Commemoration of St Gayane takes place on the day following the Commemoration of St Hripsime. \nSt Gayane\, the abbess and St Hripsime\, along with their companions\, remind us of the central role of strong\, determined\, faithful women at the root of Armenian Christianity. While the recounting of the conversion to Christianity usually centres on King Tiridates (Drtad) and St Gregory the Illuminator\, St Gayane and St Hripsime’s actions start the whole narrative of the conversion of Armenia. \nAfter Hripsime bests and embarrasses King Tiridates III\, the king tries to force Gayane to convince her protegee to give herself over to the king. Instead\, Gayane encourages Hripsime to keep her vows and reminds her of the eternal reward Christ promised to all those who believe in Him. When the king realises the conviction of both women\, he has them and all their companion nuns killed. \nSt Hripsime\, St Gayane and their companions become some of the earliest martyrs of the Armenian Church and some of the earliest saints. It is this violent action on the part of the king that leads to his illness and at his sister Khosrovitoukht’s urging\, the king finally appeals to St Gregory to heal him\, leading to the king’s conversion to Christianity and his declaration that Armenia will be a Christian kingdom. \nWithout the valiant martyrdom of St Gayane and St Hripsime\, or the faithful encouragement of Khosrovitoukht\, all women\, the conversion of Armenia would never have happened. \nIt is worth noting here that the very first “native” saint and martyr of the Armenian Church was also a woman\, St Santukht. \nPlaying such a crucial role in the conversion of Armenia\, standing right at the source of Christianity in Armenia\, St Gayane\, St Hripsime and their companions have inspired Armenians for centuries. They are an important source and inspiration for women involved in the Armenian Apostolic Church. As an abbess\, St Gayane is the precursor to all women monastics and ordained women in the Armenian Apostolic Church. In the twenty first century we often feel the scarcity of women engaged in active ministry in the Armenian Church. However\, there is a long tradition of Armenian nuns and female monastics. Likewise\, while there are only a few ordained women deacons\, deaconesses\, around the world today\, in certain times and places\, Istanbul\, Tiflis\, and Isfahan in particular\, Armenian women were ordained to the order of the diaconate. Most often\, this took place in the context of a monastery or a monastic order. Ultimately\, all Armenian deaconesses\, women monastics and women serving the Armenian Church have as a source of inspiration and a model St Gayane and St Hripsime. \nThese two women\, their companions and the story of their intense faith in Jesus Christ and the strength afforded them through the Holy Spirit\, have inspired both men and women to commemorate them. After their martyrdom there was an early tradition that placed their burial sites in the city of Vagharshapat\, most commonly known as Etchmiadzin\, after the mother Cathedral. These shrines were eventually built up and today the two churches of St Gayane and St Hripsime both stand in the city of Vagharshapat as some of the oldest standing Armenian churches in the world. Notably\, Catholicos Komitas I\, known both for his building projects and his hymns\, was behind the project to build the church dedicated to St Hripsime. Dedicated in 618\, Catholicos Komitas I also composed a celebrated hymn\, Andzink Nviryalk\, or “Devoted Persons\,” to commemorate the dedication of the church. The hymn is sung as the Orhnutyun Sharagan the morning of the commemoration of St. Hripsime. \nRef: vemkar.us
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-gayane-and-her-companions-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Gayane.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240530
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240531
DTSTAMP:20260504T144650
CREATED:20211023T112533Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211026T095354Z
UID:20471-1717027200-1717113599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St John the Baptist (the Forerunner) and Bishop Atanagine
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Armenian Church commemorates the day when the relics of St John the Forerunner (the Baptist) and Bishop Atanagine were transferred to Armenia. \nMariam\, the wife of St Gregory the Illuminator\, had a brother named Atanagine. He was the Bishop of Pitacton and died while defending the faith. After his consecration in Caesarea\, St Gregory brought the relics of St John and Bishop Atanagine to Armenia and buried them in locations named Innaknya and Bagavan\, in the region of Ashtishat and built martyriums (shrines) at those sites. \nAfter baptising King Tiridates and the royal court in 301 AD\, St Gregory the Illuminator celebrated the Divine Liturgy and gave instructions that the memories of St John and Bishop Atanagine should be commemorated on that specific day\, every year\, instead of the feast of Vanatour\, which was the pagan god of the New Year.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-john-the-baptist-the-forerunner-and-bishop-atanagine-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/St-John-Atanagines.jpg
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