JUNE 14                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 24 /2019
www.stmaryaac.org                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            E-Newsletter Archive
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church 
Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, Pastor
4125 Fessenden St. NW, Washington, DC 20016 
Tel. 202-363-1923
Email. stmarychurchdc@gmail.com
SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 2019
Morning Service 
10:00 AM

Holy Badarak 
10:30 AM

Celebrant 
Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan
 
Ushers
Mrs. Elsy Melkonian and
Mr. Armik Khatchatourians

Parish Council Members on Duty
Mr. Bagrat Bayburtian, Mr. Ara Stepanian, 
Mr. Mark Krikorian

Choir 
Mrs. Edita Kalayjian

Organist 
Mrs. Karine Muradyan

Bible Reading 
James 5:16-20. Luke 4:25-30
HOKEHANKIST 
REQUIEM SERVICE

HOKEHANKIST
REQUIEM SERVICE 

For the Soul of:
Aida Kechichian Najarian

Requested by: 
Nevart and Khajag Tahmazian, and Granddaughters Nyrie and Garine Tahmazian

Hospitality Table will Host By:
Tahmazian Family in memory of Aida Kechichian Najarian
-------------------------------------------------
To request a Hokehankist/Requiem Service
Please contact the Church Office
by 12:00 Noon on Thursday
202-363-1923 or 
Part-Time Church Maintenance Supervisor Opportunity 

St. Mary Church is looking for a part-time church building maintenance supervisor.

If interested and would like to know more details, please contact the church office by email stmarychurchdc@gmail.com or 
call 202-363-1923.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Armenian Dance Classes

Every Tuesday
Bible Study


June 29
Special tour to the Hillwood Estate,
 Museum and Gardens

CALENDAR OF FEASTS & EVENTS
Every Tuesday
Bible Study

June 29
Special Tour to the Hillwood Estate,
Museum and Gardens
FAR NEWS CORNER


Ayo!'s Latest Project Aims to Support One of Yerevan's Oldest Neighborhoods

Ayo!'s latest initiative aims to breathe some life back into Kond, one of Yerevan's most historic neighborhood. "Kond that was, Kond to be" will support one local artist's plan for revitalization. Once slated for total demolition, Kond receives little investment. Its buildings are crumbling, and most of the locals live without basic amenities, like indoor plumbing. Yet, it is still filled with historic charm. Sergey Navasardyan's   #YerevanTropics   initiative aims to repaint some of Kond's most desolate walls with unique street art. With help from five local painters and two international street artists, he will help draw greater positive attention to this neighborhood, spotlighting its need for revitalization and investment. Donating to Ayo!'s project will help support Sergey's efforts to secure participation of the other artists for this project. Read more here:   https://farusa.org/2019/05/03/ayo-ayos-latest-project-supports-revitalization-of-one-of-the-oldest-neighborhoods-in-yerevan.

TOP STORIES
Commemoration of the Prophet Elijah

Prophet Elijah is one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, distinguished for his loyalty to the Lord, for his zealous struggle against idolatry spread in Israel by the apostate king Ahab and his idolatrous wife, Queen Jezebel.
Prophet Elijah lived in the IX century B.C. In the First Book of Kings (17-18) and the Second Book of Kings (1-2) is told about the activity of the Prophet Elijah. Evangelists also mention the name of the Prophet Elijah.

In the First Book of Kings it is told that being the true herald of the Word of God Elijah, by the Lord's will appeared before the apostate king Ahab and warned about the upcoming drought. His prophecy came true and after three years the Prophet again went to the king Ahab. Proving the weakness of the idolatrous, Prophet Elijah prayed God asking to send down fire for the sacrifice and a heavy rain. It is also told that thanks to the divine grace the Prophet Elijah helped the widow in Zarephath making so that her bowl wouldn't run out of flour and her jar wouldn't run of oil, also restored the widow's dead sun to life.

In preparation for this Sunday, read more about Elijah on our blog.
DIOCESAN AND OTHER NEWS
Bread & Salt: Strength of Heart

Watch the Story of Sts. Hripsime and Gayane

Next week the Armenian Church honors St. Hripsime and St. Gayane: two of the most beloved figures in church history, whose story intertwines with the larger tale of Armenia's conversion to Christianity.

Hripsime and Gayane were nuns, who with their holy sisters had dedi­cated their lives to Christ. For this they were persecuted in the Roman Empire, and sought refuge in the kingdom of Armenia. But there, under the pagan King Drtad, they also faced torture, and later death.

In this storm of death and destruction, Drtad became something less than human. It was only the Christian missionary St. Gregory-long imprisoned in a dungeon cell-who could restore Drtad through the power of God, thus bringing illumination to a king, his court, and an entire nation.

Click here to watch the story of St. Hripsime and her sisters, as told in the "Bread & Salt" episode titled "Strength of Heart."

Fatherhood: Privilege, Duty, Blessing

Sunday will be observed as Father's Day across the United States: a chance to reflect, with gratitude, on the deeper meaning of fatherhood. While the surrounding popular culture often fails to treat fatherhood with due seriousness, the Armenian Church accords great reverence and respect to fathers.

The greatest tribute we pay to fatherhood lies in the way we apply the word "Father" to God. Our ability to call upon Him as our Father is a privilege and blessing-beautifully conveyed in a prayer from our Divine Liturgy:

"God of truth and Father of mercy, we are grateful that you have exalted us above even the Old Testament patriarchs. For you were called "God" to them; but you are pleased to be named "Father" to us."

The priest recites this prayer right before the congregation sings the Hayr Mer-reminding us that it was Jesus, God's only-begotten Son, who taught us to call God "Our Father." And when we understand God in terms of His Fatherhood, we also understand godliness to be the duty to which all fathers are called.

This Sunday, thank the fathers who strive to provide such an example in your own life, and remember those who have departed this world in your prayers.
World Summit on the Church and the Environment

Some 50 theologians and educators-including three representatives from the Eastern Diocese-gathered in Istanbul on June 1-3, for the third "Halki Summit on the Environment" organized by His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch.

Under the theme "Theological Formation and Ecological Awareness," the conference explored the "eco-theology" developed by various Christian denominations over the past 30 years. Much of this "Christian Environmentalism" has been supported by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, known as the "Green Patriarch" for his emphasis on such issues.

This year's Halki Summit concentrated on the role of education in nurturing attitudes of stewardship and care of all God's creation. Representatives of seminaries-including St. Nersess Armenian Seminary-private universities, and monasteries were all present. (Click here to read more about the Halki summit.)

St. Nersess Seminary dean Fr. Mardiros Chevian and recent graduate Dn. Alex Calikyan attended the summit and had an opportunity to speak with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. ( Click here to read more on the St. Nersess website.)

From the Eastern Diocese's Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, director Dr. Christopher Sheklian also participated in the Halki summit. In a post on the Diocese's Vemkar website, Dr. Sheklian gives thoughtful consideration to Armenian spiritual resources that address the human responsibility for God's creation. Click here to read it.
A Living Remembrance of D-Day

To mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, a newspaper in Rome, GA, put a human face on the acts of daring and sacrifice associated with June 6, 1944, through the story of a 98-year-old Armenian-American gentleman named John Mahmarian.

Born to Armenian immigrant parents in Union City, NJ, Mr. Mahmarian was a college student in Georgia when the U.S. entered World War II following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He enlisted in the Navy's V7 program, was eventually commissioned as an Ensign, and soon found himself on a ship bound for England.

"Unbeknownst to Mahmarian," reads the captivating story in last week's Rome News-Tribune, "he was about to participate in Operation Overlord, popularly known as D-Day, the amphibious invasion of Normandy to begin the liberation of France from Nazi Germany."

Click here to read the whole article. Many of our parishes are still blessed by survivors who served in World War II; please express your appreciation to them-and offer a prayer of thanks for all those who, like the young John Mahmarian, risked their lives in that great cause.
MEMBERSHIP AND DUES 

 Please Stay Current with Your Membership
St. Mary Church brings us together to worship, educate, and serve, yet we need your help to sustain this mission. 
We call upon you to renew, or become a new member, because dues are the largest part of our church income 
to help keep our beloved parish doors open.

Your Membership
MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Help us fulfill our mission to sustain and grow our ministries, worship programs and activities 
to  strengthen our church family for generations to come. 
Thank you for your generosity and support.

To Learn More About Membership

To Become A Member

READ MORE NEWS FROM DIOCESE 
 
  BIBLE READING
25 Արդարեւ, ասում եմ ձեզ, որ Եղիայի օրով Իսրայէլում բազում այրիներ կային, երբ երկինքը փակուեց երեք տարի ու վեց ամիս, եւ ամբողջ երկրի վրայ մեծ սով եղաւ: 26 Սակայն նրանցից ոչ մէկի մօտ Եղիան չուղարկուեց, այլ միայն` մի այրի կնոջ` սիդոնացիների Սարեփթա քաղաքում: 27 Նաեւ` Իսրայէլում Եղիսէ մարգարէի օրով բազում բորոտներ կային, եւ սակայն նրանցից ոչ մէկը չմաքրուեց, այլ միայն` Նէեման ասորին»: 28 Երբ այս լսեցին, ժողովարանում բոլորը լցուեցին բարկութեամբ. 29 եւ վեր կենալով` նրան քաղաքից դուրս հանեցին ու տարան մինչեւ դարաւանդը այն լերան, որի վրայ շինուած էր իրենց քաղաքը, որպէսզի նրան գահավէժ անեն: 30 Իսկ նա, անցնելով նրանց միջով, գնաց:
Ղուկաս 4:25-30

25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Eli'jah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; 26 and Eli'jah was sent to none of them but only to Zar'ephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Eli'sha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Na'aman the Syrian." 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. 30 But passing through the midst of them he went away.
Luke 4:25-30
COME VISIT THE ST. MARY GIFT SHOP

Our gift shop is furnished with distinctive and unique items from Armenians all over the world. 
Some of the items are Armenian crosses, jewelry, paintings, religious tiles and tapestry icons, children  and adult books, T-shirts, hats, bags, Armenian CDs, Armenian artwork, and much more. 
The Gift Shop is open every week after Sunday  Church services and by appointment.
    
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church 
Serves the Greater Washington, DC and Baltimore communities. Our mission is to proclaim and grow together 
in our Apostolic Faith in Christ Jesus and to sustain our Christian Armenian identity. We celebrate our long and enduring legacy, 
the beautiful  traditions of our religious and national heritage, with Christian servitude, and with love and reverence towards our Church. 
We invite you and welcome you to be a part of our church, worship with us, and experience the true love of Christ as we grow together as a community.

Sign-up and Stay Connected  with  St. Mary Church E-Newsletters and Correspondence.
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church 
Relies on the generosity of individual donors so that it may continue ensuring service  to God and 
fellowship  to the Armenian Community.  Your support is deeply appreciated.