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DTSTART:20260404T160000
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270601
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270602
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T040254Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T084856Z
UID:29692-1811808000-1811894399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Nune and St Mane
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt Nune and St Mane were two of the companions of St Hripsime\, who\, being persecuted by the King Dioklethianos\, left Rome with the Abbess Gayane and her order of nuns\, and reached Armenia where she was martyred. However\, Nune and Mane were not destined to die together with their companions. \nReaching Armenia together with Abbess Gayane and her companions\, St Mane left them and went to the area of Mount Sebouh\, where she remained isolated in a cave and lived an ascetic life. St Mane lived an “angel’s life”\, strengthened by means of prayers and divine consolation\, and later the cave was called by her name\, “Mane’s cave”. \nDuring that same period\, St Gregory the Illuminator\, in his old age\, also wished for solitude and wanted to live his last days in seclusion. He chose a cave on Mount Sebouh\, near Erzindjan.  Approaching the cave\, he heard the voice of the St Mane asking him to return to the cave three days later. Respecting the wishes of the nun\, St Gregory returned to the cave three days later and finding the nun dead\, buried her body in the cave. \nThe nun St Nune (or Nino)\, escaped the persecutions of the Armenian King Tiridates (Drtad) and left for Georgia’s capital city of Mtskheta. There she continued to live a prayerful life and preached the Gospel\, converting the entire nation to Christianity. She became famous for the miracles she worked and for her philanthropic activity. Hearing of her miracles\, Nune was taken to the royal palace\, where she healed the sick queen. Refusing all gifts\, Nune continued preaching the Gospel. The Georgian King Mihran\, feeling the presence of God\, converted to Christianity. The Gospel was preached throughout Georgia. Upon the advice of Nune\, a delegation was sent to the Armenian Pontiff St Gregory the Illuminator and the Armenian King Tiridates asking them to send clergy to perform baptisms and Holy Mass. Thus\, St. Nune became the apostle of Georgia.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-nune-and-st-mane-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nune-mane.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270605
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270606
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T042212Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T085647Z
UID:29705-1812153600-1812239999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St Nersess the Great and St Bishop Khad
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt Nersess was an Armenian Catholicos (Patriarch) who lived in the 4th century and was the great grandson of St Gregory the Illuminator. His father\, Athenogenes\, and his uncle\, Bab\, who were next in line for the succession to the Throne of St Gregory\, were laymen and had no desire to become priests. As professional soldiers\, they showed no inclination to spirituality and their worldly behaviour convinced the Armenian bishops that neither of them were suitable for the position of chief bishop. \nTherefore\, the church turned its attention to Nersess\, the son of Athenogenes\, to assume the position. St Nersess had spent his youth in Caesarea where he married Sanducht\, (presumably the daughter of King Diran) and they had a son\, who later became the renowned Catholicos\, St Sahag the Parthian\, grandfather of St Vartan Mamigonian. St Nersess was a courtier and served as chamberlain of King Arshag II. \nHowever\, despite his secular background\, St Nersess was a pious Christian. His connection with St Gregory the Illuminator impressed the royal magnates who held council with the king and they advised the king to persuade St Nersess to become the spiritual leader of Armenia. A humble man by nature\, St Nersess refused their proposal\, feeling unworthy of such an honour. The king dismissed his arguments and insisted that St Nersess immediately be ordained a deacon\, then priest\, and ultimately chief bishop or Catholicos. He was ordained by Archbishop Eusebius of Caesarea in 353 A.D. \nSt Nersess’ patriarchate marked a new era in Armenian history. Previously\, the Church had been identified\, primarily\, with royal family and noblemen; St Nersess now brought the Church into a closer relationship with its people. St Nersess immediately undertook his duties of the chief bishop\, renovating old churches\, founding new ones and tending to the spiritual needs of his flock. In the early days of Christianity in Armenia however\, many of the people were not strong in their Christian practices. To that end\, St Nersess held a council of bishops in Ashdishad and introduced a number of reforms regarding divine worship\, laws on marriage and fast days in order to make the beliefs of the church more uniform. \nSt Nerses also became known for his concern for moral purity and preserving the sanctity of marriage and family life. He built schools and hospitals\, orphanages\, shelters for the poor and the lepers\, and he urged his people to maintain these institutions. Thus\, St Nersess has been described by many as the founder of Christian charity in Armenia and recognised as the clergyman who established the Church’s role as the guardian of the Armenian people in its spiritual\, social and educational aspects. \nAs a leader\, St Nersess also participated in the political life of his country and was among King Arshag’s chief advisors during the period 353-359 AD. Upon Nersess’ initiative\, a National Ecclesiastical Council was convened in Ashtishat in 354 AD. \nHowever\, King Arshag’s adherence to the religious policy (Arianism) of his ally\, the Roman emperor\, a policy which conflicted with St Nersess’ Christian Orthodox beliefs\, eventually necessitated the removal of St Nersess. He was exiled for nine years. When he returned\, King Bab\, Arshag’s son\, reigned. Due to the conflict in their beliefs\, the friction between the King and St Nersess intensified during the next few years. \nThe religious differences\, as well as St Nersess’ condemnation of King Bab’s moral depravity\, are cited as reasons for St Nersess’ sudden\, untimely death. At the king’s order\, St Nersess was poisoned in 373 A.D. He was buried in Til\, near the tomb of his great uncle St Aristakes (Arisdages). A cathedral built over the original grave site was destroyed in the 7th century. While the exact site is unknown\, relics were discovered and distributed in the 13th century between the church in Erzindjan and the nearby village of Kee\, where the Monastery of Dirashen stood. Another monastery near Til\, Chukhdag Hayrabedats\, also claimed to have discovered relics of St Nersess in the second half of the 7th century. \nFor his devout activity\, Nersess the Great is also called the “Illuminator of Hearts”. \nS Nersess is always commemorated with his associate Bishop Khad (Khat). Like Nersess\, Khat\, a native of the village of Marak near Karin (modern Erzurum) was a married man and had two daughters. He had been St Nersess’ pupil and deacon. Ultimately he rose to the rank of bishop and was placed in charge of two districts\, Pakrevant and Arsharunik. Through the marriage of his daughters\, he was associated with the noble Abahuni clan. During St Nersess’ tenure of office\, he was designated as supervisor of the poor and the charitable institutions founded by his mentor. The latter\, in his absence\, entrusted him with the care of church affairs\, officially naming him his vicar. Khat faithfully carried out his ministry. \nLike Nereses\, Khat was also an adamant supporter of orthodoxy against the royal court\, which adhered to the heretical teachings of Arius. For this reason\, he was in conflict with the king\, who tried to bribe him\, to no avail\, since Khat distributed the gifts bestowed on him among the poor. King Arshag had him driven from the royal camp and ordered his men to stone the bishop. He was spared the ordeal of a painful death thanks to his Abahuni clansmen\, related to him through marriage. One of his sons in law\, Asurk\, succeeded to his episcopal rank and office\, presumably after his own wife’s demise. \nKhat is not a martyr\, but his sufferings at the hands of King Arshag make him a confessor. \nBy the Very Rev. Fr. Krikor Maksoudian\, adapted from his volume\, “The Holy Feasts of St. Gregory the Illuminator” (St. Vartan Press\, 2002).
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-st-nersess-the-great-and-st-bishop-khad-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270606
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270607
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T033355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T090405Z
UID:29718-1812240000-1812326399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Eve of the Fast of St Gregory the Illuminator
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the feast of Discovery of St Gregory the Illuminator’s relics\, in the 5th century. The week long fast lasts from Monday to Friday.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/eve-of-the-fast-of-st-gregory-the-illuminator-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270608
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270609
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T053026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T091009Z
UID:29731-1812412800-1812499199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of Sts Constantine (Kostandianos) the Emperor and his mother Helen (Helena)
DESCRIPTION:  \nKing Kostandianos (Constantine) was born in the city of Nish\, in the former Yugoslavia. He is one of the most prominent figures of the Roman Empire. It was he who officially released the Church from persecutions lasting more than 250 years and in 313 A.D. By the Encyclical of Milan he proclaimed Christianity to be a permitted religion. It was during the period of his reign that the first Ecumenical Council of 325 A.D. was convened\, which condemned Arius (and Arianism) and adopted the word “Birth” to show that the Holy Son has the same nature as the Holy Father and is God. King Kostandianos supported the construction of magnificent Churches and Cathedrals in the Holy Sites of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. \nKing Kostandianos was also a renowned and successful captain in battle. According to tradition\, before the decisive battle against the imposter\, King Maxentios\, he had the vision of the Holy Cross. With the sign of the Holy Cross he faced the battle and won. King Kostandianos passed away in 337 A.D\, and at death’s door he was baptised according to the Christian rite. \nQueen Helena (Heghineh)\, mother of the King Kostandianos\, supported the king’s pious activity. The discovery of the wooden Holy Cross\, is ascribed to the Queen. In 327AD\, the Queen\, who was in her mid seventies\, set out on a long journey to Jerusalem with the primary intention of finding the actual Cross upon which Jesus Christ had been crucified. Following a series of inquiries\, with the help of a local Jew named Judas in Golgotha (where Christ was crucified)\, the Cross was discovered\, and the authenticity of the relic was tested by a miracle. \nWhen the Cross was unearthed\, two other crosses were found in the same place. Jesus was crucified with two thieves\, and when the three crosses were discovered side by side\, it raised questions about which was the True Cross. Just then\, a funeral procession was passing by. The procession was stopped\, and the corpse of the deceased was placed upon the first cross. Nothing happened. The corpse was then placed upon the second cross. Again\, nothing happened. Finally\, the corpse was placed upon the third cross which happened to be the True Cross. Immediately\, the deceased came back to life having touched the very wood upon which Jesus had been crucified. \nAfter that miracle\, Judas Cyriacus is converted to Christianity and later becomes a bishop of Jerusalem. After the discovery of the Holy Cross\, Heghineh renovated the Holy Places of Jerusalem and built the Church of Holy Resurrection of Golgotha\, where later the Lord’s cross was installed. \nQueen Heghineh (Helena) passed away in 330 A.D.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-sts-constantine-kostandianos-the-emperor-and-his-mother-helen-helena-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270612
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270613
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211023T222956Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T091613Z
UID:29744-1812758400-1812844799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration Day of the Discovery of the Relics of St Gregory the Illuminator
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe relics of St Gregory the Illuminator (Lousavorich) are one of our most revered within the Armenian Church\, as well as all Christian Churches. \nThe discovery of the relics of St Gregory the Illuminator is one of the three significant feast days dedicated to the memory of the Patron Saint of Armenia and the impact of the holy father on the foundation of that which has become our National Church. \nAs St Gregory grew old and became more involved in solitary life\, King Tiridates III (Drtad) asked him to ordain Gregory’s younger son Arisdagés\, a bishop\, and to take him on as his assistant. Gregory had already retired by 325AD\, when the Holy Council of Nicea took place\, and thus he sent his son Arisdagés in his place to participate in this first ecumenical gathering of bishops of the Christian Church. In his retired state\, however\, Gregory continued his pastoral work by preaching and writing homilies\, employing a simple language so that people could understand. \nAccording to Holy Tradition\, following Armenia’s conversion to Christianity\, in his final years\, St Gregory led an ascetic life in the cave of Mane. The “Caves of Mane” were located on a mountain named Sebouh\, near Erzindjan (now in Eastern Turkey)\, where he died.  This place had previously been the residence of the Virgin Mané\, one of St Hripsime’s companions. It is unclear how long St Gregory lived there and when exactly he died. Shepherds found his body and buried him beneath a pile of stones\, not recognising the Armenian Pontiff. The St Krikor the Illuminator or Medz Lousavorich Monastery was founded on this site in the fifth century. \nDuring the fifth century\, a hermit named Karnig of Basen was guided by a vision to the grave of the saint and discovered his relics. It was customary in those days to distribute relics of saints to various churches in different parts\, and most probably\, the same practice was implemented in St Gregory’s case. Karnig took the body of the saint to the village of Tortan\, in the province of Daranagh\, located to the east of Mount Sebouh\, and buried some of the relics there; the rest were taken elsewhere. At some point\, on or near St Gregory’s unmarked grave\, a church was built\, which is now known as The Holy Saviour Monastery of Tortan (Grave of the Nine Saints).  The exact site of St Gregory’s grave in Tortan was not known\, even to visitors in the tenth century; but nine other graves existed inside the church and were said to belong to King Tiridates\, his queen Askhen\, his sister Khosrovitoukht and other members of St Gregory’s family. The church has been abandoned since the events of 1915. \nHoly Relics \nThe remaining relics of St Gregory were later taken to the Monastery of St John the Baptist in Pakavan (Bagavan)\, where St Gregory had baptised King Tiridates and the Armenian people in the Aradzani River. The relics were kept in a box and taken out on important occasions. In 450 AD\, a rumour arose in Armenia that St Vartan and the Armenian wealthy and influentials had accepted the Persian religion during their visit to Persia’s royal court. On returning\, they were met by a gathering of priests\, noblemen and common people who held forth the box of St Gregory’s relics as a reminder of their Christian roots. Similar incidents occurred at times of turmoil and joy. \nThe relics of St Gregory were later taken and laid beneath the massive columns of the Holy Zvartnots Church\, whose ruins are still visible near the airport of Yerevan. The saint’s skull was kept separately in a box. At some point the skull was transferred to the West and is now kept in the church of St Gregory the Armenian in Naples\, Italy. Recently\, some other relics of St Gregory\, deposited in Naples\, were recently transferred to the Armenian Church by the Roman Catholic Church\, as a tribute to the 1700th anniversary of Armenia’s conversion to Christianity. \nToday\, relics of St Gregory may be found at Holy Etchmiadzin\, Holy Jerusalem and Antilias. The relic at Holy Etchmiadzin\, encased in an arm shaped reliquary\, is used to bless the Holy Chrism (Muron) once every seven years. It is on display in the treasury of the Holy See. \nIn the calendar of the Armenian Church\, the discovery of the relics of St Gregory is an important feast and is commemorated on the Saturday before the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. \nRef: Very Rev. Fr. Krikor Maskoudian\, adapted from his book “The Holy Feasts of Saint Gregory the Illuminator: Celebrating the Life & Lineage of Armenia’s Patron Saint” (2003). \nClick here for further information on the Churches and Monasteries of Erzindjan.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-day-of-the-discovery-of-the-relics-of-st-gregory-the-illuminator-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270615
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270616
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T055141Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T092158Z
UID:29757-1813017600-1813103999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Prophet Daniel and his Companions Saints Setrak\, Misak and Apetnakov
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Prophet Daniel (meaning God is my Judge)\, is one of the four great prophets of the Old Testament. Nearly all that is known concerning the Prophet is derived from the book ascribed to him\, which dates back to the VII-VI centuries B.C. \nDaniel and his youthful companions Shadrach (Setrak)\, Meshach (Misak) and Abednego (Apetnakov) were captured during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. They were taken to Babylon and found favour with the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. Soon after\, due to his intellect and talents\, he is given a high ranking position in the king’s chancellery. \nDaniel becomes famous when he rescues an innocent woman from the unfounded slander of two men. Having gained greater notoriety\, Daniel interprets a dream had by King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel’s successes create envy amongst the other servants in the royal court. They accuse him of worshipping false gods and demand that the King imprison the prophet. Daniel is thrown into a den of lions. The following day\, the king approaches the pit to mourn the death of his devoted and wise servant. He is surprised to hear the Prophet Daniel responding to his cries of sorrow. Daniel tells the king that God sealed the mouths of the lions to protect him from harm. Daniel continues\, saying that he is innocent\, and has not wronged the king by his worship of God. The king is overjoyed\, and orders that Daniel be released from the lions’ den. \nThree young men and companions of Daniel; Hananiah\, Mishael and Azariah\, were also taken to Babylon.  Upon their arrival they received new names\, Setrak\, Misak and Apetnakov. They were raised and educated in the royal court together with the prophet Daniel and were very protective of their faith. Once\, during a solemn festival\, as everyone worshipped King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue\, Setrak\, Misak and Apetnakov refused to bow down before it. The king ordered the three men to be thrown into a blazing furnace for their disobedience. Instead of burning\, however\, they continued to render glory to God and were protected by an angel of heaven. Witnessing the miracle\, the king released the three young men\, blessed them and worshipped God. \nRef: Book of Daniel\, chapters 1 to 3 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-prophet-daniel-and-his-companions-saints-setrak-misak-and-apetnakov-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270617
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270618
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T061721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T092613Z
UID:29770-1813190400-1813276799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Holy Translators St Sahak (Sahag) and St Mesrop (Mesrob)
DESCRIPTION:  \nCatholicos St Sahak Bartev (Partev) and Archimandrite St Mesrop (Vardapet) Mashtots are the founders of Armenian literature and ecclesiastical bibliography. \nSt Sahak Partev was the elder son of Catholicos St Nersess the Great. He was the last Catholicos of the Armenian Church who descended from the lineage of St Gregory the Illuminator. He became Catholicos of All Armenians in 387 A.D\, and reigned for an astounding 52 years. Being a talented musician and educated in the rhetorical arts\, philosophy and linguistics\, St Sahak greatly contributed to the development of the Armenian national culture. He was the strongest advocate for the creation of an Armenian Alphabet and became its chief patron. \nSt Mesrop Mashtots was born in 360 A.D. and studied the Greek and Persian languages from childhood. He initially served as a scribe in the royal court. Leaving secular life behind\, he became a monk and lived an ascetic life. During his preaching of the Gospel\, St Mesrop felt the necessity to create a distinct Armenian Alphabet and to have the Holy Bible translated into Armenian. During those years\, the Bible was only available in Greek and Syriac. In Armenia\, they used to use ciphers\, or symbols\, which were used by the former pagan priests. Following the Great Conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity\, the symbols fell into disuse\, and the only remaining copy was in Mesopotamia with a bishop named Daniel the Syrian. Upon the order of King Vramshapouh\, the symbols were brought to Armenia. However\, as Mashtots taught his new students with these symbols\, he soon found them to be lacking\, as they were imperfect and defective. Together with his students\, he departed for Mesopotamia and visited the cities of Antioch\, Edessa and Samosata\, to conduct further research. \nIn 404-405 A.D\, St Mesrop created the Armenian Alphabet through Divine Grace. According to Koryun\, one day\, Mesrop received a vision from God\, who instructed and aided the saint in the modification of the ancient letters\, thus creating the 36 letters of the Armenian alphabet. For the first time in the history of the nation\, the Armenian people had a specific and distinctive alphabet. \nFollowing the creation of the Armenian Alphabet\, St Sahak and St Mesrop opened a school for translators in the city of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin). There they began the translation of the Holy Bible into Armenian and did it so perfectly\, that centuries hence\, the Armenian Translation is called the “Queen Translation of the Breath of God”. \nThe first sentence translated from the Holy Bible is the opening verse of the Book of Proverbs: “To know wisdom and instruction\, to perceive the words of understanding”. \nSt Mesrop Mashtots passed away in Vagharshapat\, and was buried in his home village of Oshakan. According to tradition\, during the entire journey of transferring the remains of St Mesrop to Oshakan\, a canopy of light fell upon the pilgrims and accompanied them until they reached the tomb. The Church of St Mesrop Mashtots\, which exists to this day\, was built over his grave.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-holy-translators-st-sahak-sahag-and-st-mesrop-mesrop-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270619
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270620
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T063541Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T093326Z
UID:29783-1813363200-1813449599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of Saints King Tiridates\, Queen Ashkhen and Princess Khosrovitoukht
DESCRIPTION:  \nIn 287 A.D. Tiridates (Drtad)\, from the royal house of Arshakouni\, assumed the throne which once belonged to his father and he became Tiridates III\, King of Armenia. His name is inextricably linked with the Patron Saint of the Armenian Church\, St Gregory the Illuminator. In 301 A.D\, the king released the Christian Gregory from imprisonment in the pit and proclaimed Christianity to be the State Religion of Armenia. In doing so\, he became the greatest advocate of the spread of Christianity throughout the country. \nThe names of Queen Ashkhen and the King’s sister\, Khosrovitoukht are closely related to the Great Conversion of Armenia as well. Princess Khosrovitoukht’s vision of a cure for the King’s incurable illness resulted in the deliverance of  St Gregory the Illuminator from the pit. St Gregory was then free to begin the process of spreading the light of Christianity\, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. \nAccording to Greek historian Agathangelos\, St Gregory baptised the King\, the Queen and the Princess upon his return from Caesarea\, where he had travelled to receive episcopal ordination. St Gregory then baptised the the royal court and the nobles of Armenia. Through the baptism by St Gregory\, Tiridates became the first king in the world to rule over a Christian country. History also reveals that Tiridates\, Ashkhen and Khosrovitoukht personally participated in the construction of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. The stones they used to build the cathedral were brought to Vagharshapat from the slopes of Biblical Mount Ararat. \nAll three helped St Gregory spread Christianity throughout Armenia. In their later years the Queen and Princess lived in the fortress of Garni and the King retired to St Gregory’s retreat on Mount Sebouh.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-saints-king-tiridates-queen-ashkhen-and-princess-khosrovitoukht-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270620
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270621
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T121623Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T094816Z
UID:29796-1813449600-1813535999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Discovery of St Mary’s Box
DESCRIPTION:  \nAccording to tradition\, while on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem\, two Greek princes came across a chest that once belonged to St Mary. \nIn Galilee\, they saw a large crowd gathered in front of a Jewish woman’s house. On enquiring\, they found that the sick were being healed due to the inexplicable power of the chest. The princes took the box to Constantinople and presented it to the Patriarch\, who placed it in the Church of St Mary.  The Patriarch then established the Feast of the Discovery of St Mary’s Box. \nBecause there are no relics of the Holy Mother’s earthly body (she was assumed into Heaven)\, her personal belongings became the object of devotion and veneration. During the time of the early Church\, when Christians were persecuted\, her possessions were kept hidden and secret. \nThe Armenian Church celebrates this feast upon the order of the Catholicos Simeon from Yerevan\, who accepted this tradition from the Greek Orthodox Church in the late 18th century. \nThis feast day is celebrated on the fifth Sunday after Pentecost.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-discovery-of-st-marys-box-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270622
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270623
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T204109Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T095530Z
UID:29809-1813622400-1813708799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Prophet Zechariah
DESCRIPTION:  \nEvery year\, the Armenian Church reserves a day in its liturgical calendar to remember one of the more obscure figures of the Old Testament: the Prophet Zechariah. \nZechariah’s collection of prophecies and oracles stands among the last books of the canonical Old Testament. In its opening verse\, Zechariah situates himself in time during the reign of the Persian King Darius the Great— some 500 years before the birth of Christ. It was a time when the Hebrews had returned to their ancestral homeland after the long\, enforced absence of the Babylonian Captivity. \nZechariah\, who seems to have descended from a priestly clan\, was deeply concerned with the re establishment of a holy\, Godly way of life for his people\, as they reclaimed their patrimony in Jerusalem and its surrounding regions. His name means “God remembered”; but it was clearly Zechariah himself who remembered the God of his fathers in his writing\, and who was trying\, with a certain desperation\, to awaken that memory in his forgetful countrymen. \nAs prophetic books go\, Zechariah’s is notoriously difficult to understand. It seems to lurch back and forth unpredictably between Zechariah’s living memory\, his experiences and observations\, and his ecstatic visions of a future when the Messiah would arrive to right the world’s wrongs and establish his everlasting rule. \nTo arrive at that day\, however\, the world would have to undergo a painful tribulation. It was Zechariah’s view that mankind’s own degeneracy would be the spur that invited the saving intervention of God’s Messiah\, and his prophetic oracles provided the vocabulary for the “apocalyptic” literature of later ages. Vivid images that we associate with the New Testament Revelation of John: the Four Horsemen and the Harlot of Babylon\, find their origins in Zechariah’s powerful visions. \nBut these are not the only New Testament echoes of Zechariah. The Gospel writers themselves seem to have been influenced by the prophet as they set down and made sense of the life of Jesus. Consider these extraordinary parallels with some of the most famous Gospel passages: \nFrom Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly\, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud\, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo\, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he\, humble and riding on an ass\, on a colt the foal of an ass.” \nNow compare that to the story of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem\, at Matthew 21.5-7. “Say to Daughter Zion\,\n‘See\, your king comes to you\, gentle and riding on a donkey\, and on a colt\, the foal of a donkey.” \nFrom Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication\, so that\, when they look on him whom they have pierced\, they shall mourn for him\, as one mourns for an only child\, and weep bitterly over him\, as one weeps over a first-born.” \nCompare that to John 19:34-37\, where the Roman centurion stabs Christ’s side following our Lord’s death on the cross: “Instead\, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear\, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.  The man who saw it has given testimony\, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth\, and he testifies so that you also may believe.These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:“Not one of his bones will be broken\,” and\, as another scripture says\, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” \nFrom Zechariah 11:12-13: “Then I said to them\, ‘If it seems right to you\, give me my wages; but if not\, keep them.’ And they weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver. Then the Lord said to me\, ‘Cast it into the treasury’—the lordly price at which I was paid off by them. So I took the thirty shekels of silver and cast them into the treasury in the house of the Lord.” \nCompare that to Matthew 27:3-10\, the account of Judas’ guilt over his betrayal of Jesus: When Judas\, who had betrayed him\, saw that Jesus was condemned\, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned\,” he said\, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”  So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.  The chief priests picked up the coins and said\, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury\, since it is blood money.”  So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver\, the price set on him by the people of Israel\, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field\, as the Lord commanded me.” \nAll of these examples show the Gospel writers drawing on the language of Zechariah to remind their readers that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies—even in ways\, he couldn’t have controlled. \nElsewhere in the gospels\, however\, we see a conscious use of Zechariah by Jesus himself. On the night of his arrest\, camped out with the disciples on the Mount of Olives\, Jesus sadly predicted how his own friends would abandon him in his time of need. “You will all fall away because of me this night\,” Christ says at Matthew 26:31; “for it is written\, ‘I will strike the shepherd\, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” \nThis is a direct allusion\, from the very lips of Jesus\, to Zechariah 13:7: “Awake\, O sword\, against my shepherd\, against the man who stands next to me\, says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd\, that the sheep may be scattered…” \nIn these and other Scriptural moments\, we can see how an obscure\, misunderstood prophet affected the life of Jesus and his contemporaries\, and thus shaped the world that would arise on the Christian faith. \nThe deepest of Zechariah’s concerns was the purity of worship life\, especially as it was exemplified in the rituals of the Hebrew Temple. His ancestors had witnessed in horror the destruction of the original Temple of King Solomon; and his immediate forebears had erected a second\, less elaborate Temple when they returned to Jerusalem after their exile. \nIn this\, Zechariah’s experience was not so different from that of the Armenian people\, who at various times in their history would see their houses of worship seized and demolished; but who never gave up the hope of restoring them\, and revivifying them with the music and rituals of Holy Badarak. Perhaps this is why the Armenians took the unusual step of sanctifying one day each year in Zechariah’s memory. \nIn his own day\, however\, Zechariah could only dream of such a restoration to holiness. In his writings\, he laments the degraded worship life of his people. He rails against the commodification of the Hebrew Temple\, where material transactions had come to displace matters of the spirit. In the last line of his prophetic book\, he pictured a future time when worship would be purified\, and “there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day” (Zechariah 14:21). \nThough he did not live to see it\, Zechariah’s long-awaited Messiah did come\, to cleanse the Temple of the money changers and their wares. “Take these things away\,” said Jesus (at John 2:13-16)\, in what is arguably another nod to the Old Testament prophet. “You shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” \nRef: Christopher Zakian @ vemkar.us
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-prophet-zechariah-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270626
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270627
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T211209Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T100613Z
UID:29822-1813968000-1814054399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of Christ’s Twelve Apostles and the Thirteenth Apostle\, St Paul
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\n\nThe Twelve Apostles elected by Our Lord Jesus Christ\, were Christ’s disciples and first preachers of His doctrine\, as well as the Incarnate Christ’s witnesses. \n“Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to drive out devil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness.” Matthew 10:1 \nThese were the names of the twelve Apostles Simeon (called Peter)\, Andrew\, James\, John\, Philip\, Bartholomew\, Thomas\, Matthew\, James son of Alphaeus\, Thaddeus\, Simon the Patriot and Judas Iscariot\, who betrayed Jesus. Later instead of Judas Iscariot\, Apostle Matthias was chosen\, who was added to the group of eleven apostles. \nRemaining faithful to Incarnate Christ’s last message the apostles went to all peoples everywhere and preached and taught the Commandments of Jesus\, baptised them in the name of the Father\, the Son and the Holy Spirit\, thus becoming the founders of the Christ’s Church. One of the greatest preachers of Christ’s commandments is Apostle Paul\, who is recognised by the Christian Church as the thirteenth Apostle. \nThe section of the Bible called “The Acts of the Apostles” is dedicated to the apostles’ activity. There are references on Apostle Paul’s preaching\, his person and his activity in his fourteen (14) letters addressed to the church communities\, established by himself and individual Christians. \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-christs-twelve-apostles-and-the-thirteenth-apostle-st-paul-2-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270627
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270628
DTSTAMP:20260419T160227
CREATED:20211024T211859Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T101238Z
UID:29835-1814054400-1814140799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Eve of the Fast of Transfiguration
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis is the Sunday just before the week of the fasting period\, preceding the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Transfiguration. \nIn the Armenian Apostolic Church\, it’s called the Fast of Transfiguration\, lasting from Monday to Friday.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/eve-of-the-fast-of-transfiguration-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
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