ST. MARY ARMENIAN CHURCH 
SHNORHALI MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2020
Bible Studies Continue

St. Mary Zoom Bible Studies continue every Tuesday. Parishioners and their families joined to discuss the Book of James. Serving Christ, constantly being in prayer, having strong faith, and going through trials with the everlasting joy in our Lord were the main topics of the discussion. The participants share their experiences and views on how to apply James's teachings to our daily lives.

We will continue studying the Book of James every Tuesday at 7PM and encourage you to join. To get the Zoom link please email  atevossyan@yahoo.com  or contact St. Mary's church office at stmarychurchdc@gmail.com
Church Grounds Upkeep

At St. Mary the Parish Council has been busy planning the reopening of the church. We are excited to announce that after many weeks of being closed, our church has reopened on June 21 with limited attendees and, of course, increased safety precautions to keep our faithful healthy and safe.

In preparation to welcome our parishioners back to church, our Parish Council chairman Dr. Ara Avedisian took the initiative to arrange the cleanup and redesigning of the church grounds. New trees and plants were planned and the grounds have been cleaned and maintained.

We thank Dr. Avedisian for arranging and sponsoring this much need beautification project.
ACYOA Juniors Zoom Graduation Party

On May 31, the ACYOA Juniors held a Virtual Graduation Celebration for teens graduating High School. The five teens, Louisa Bayburtian, Taleen Cubuk, Jenna Kuerian, Luka Madhok and Elaina Sahakian, were joined by their family and fellow ACYOA Jrs friends to celebrate their achievement.

Der Hayr opened with a special message, then after playing a virtual game, everyone enjoyed a special commemorative video before concluding with warm wishes to all of the graduates. Special thanks to Becky Bagdasarian, Yn. Jennifer and all of the parents for helping to organize such a wonderful event! Congratulations to all of the graduates on their momentous achievement!

To see the special video prepared on this occasion please  click here .
St Mary DC Virtual Coffee Hour

As we all miss each other and the fellowships that we used to have after our church services, one of our Church members, Becky Bagdasarian has taken the initiative to organize virtual coffee hours. If you would like to join on Sundays at 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) please email Becky Bagdasarian rebeccabagdasarian@yahoo.com to receive the login information.  The coffee hour will take place over the Zoom platform.

WE CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD WHEN WE CAN HAVE IT AGAIN IN PERSON AT OUR CHURCH HALL.
St. Mary's New Sign

We are happy to announce that the St. Mary's new sign project has been completed. Enhanced with a tufa Khachkar and decorated stones brought from Armenia, the granite slabs bear the inscription of the name of our beloved church in Armenian and English. The beautifully designed brick structure adds an extra glimmer to the facade of our Church and will be there, by the Glory of God, for the enjoyment of many generations to come. This renovation project was undertaken in memory of its original donors, Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Arousiag Kumkumian, who were long time dedicated members of St. Mary and whose lives of servanthood stood as a shining example for all of us.  

Our gratitude goes to Mr. and Mrs. Shahnur and Elena Bostan, for designing the sign. 

Special appreciation to Mr. Mihran Tenkerian for donating and installing the granite stone for the sign. 

And, most of all, to the Kumkumian family for undertaking the sponsorship of this much needed project.  
People Behind the Scenes

Over the past few months, as we've faced many challenges brought on by the pandemic, at St. Mary Church we've continued offering prayers to almighty God and carried on our weekly Badaraks to fulfill the commandment of our Lord: “Do this in remembrance of me”(Luke 22:19). As we are starting to slowly restore the sacramental life of our Church and reopen our sanctuary to our believers we don’t want to forget to express our heartfelt appreciation to all those who ceaselessly came every Sunday during this time to support the ministry of our church.

Our appreciation goes to our choir under the leadership of Mrs. Edita Kalayjian, as well as our Organist Karine Muradyan and dedicated members Dr. Hratch Semerjian, Dr. Zaven Kalayjian and Mr. Haroutioun Simon who came every Sunday to glorify our Lord and sing on behalf of our entire choir.

We would like to acknowledge the invaluable service and dedication of Mr. Daryush Valizadeh and Mr. Mark Bettis who made it possible to broadcast our services. They donated many hours of invaluable labor and material resources. Their efforts helped to increase the quality of our broadcasts from being transmitted by a simple cellphone to the utilization of professional equipment which will continue to bring the word of God to our homes and families in the future as well.
Father’s Day Meals to Go

After more than 3 months in compulsory isolation and disconnect from each other, our Father’s Day Meals to Go event brought much cheer to our community and beyond. A team of dedicated and hardworking members of St. Mary Church answered the call to duty and prepared the scrumptious Lamb-Shank combination meal.

Our parishioners responded kindly by purchasing the meals to support our church and some by their generous donations. By the grace of our Lord, we were able to exceed our goal and served 90 meals.

Special gratitude to Der Hovsep for his support and leadership, and special thanks to our hardworking volunteers Ms. Ani Armani, Ms. Takuhi Hallajian, Ms. Aline Guiragossian, Ms. Aline Orfali, Ms. Mari Shafakian, and Mr. Raffi Sahakyan. Moreover, acknowledgement is due for the efforts exerted in the logistical aspect of this event; Ms. Julie Avedikian, Mr. Daryush Valizadeh and Mr. Mark Bettis.

We look forward to seeing you all and enjoying many more gatherings in the near future God willing!

Presented by:
Mrs. Shoghig Sahakyan
St. Mary Parish Council Recording Secretary
Hokehankists - Requiem Services

June 21, 2020
For the souls of: Kathleen Bisio (2 and 1/2 months) Gerry Kooyoomjian's Aunt 
Paul G. Bisio (7 days) cousin of Gerry Kooyoomjian;
Thomas Vincent Smith (11 anniversary) and Doris Smith (20 months)
Gerry's Parents; Harotune (42 anniversary) and Mary (11 anniversary) Kooyoomjian Parents of Kachig Jack & Geraldine A. Kooyoomjian & family
Requested by: Kachig Jack & Geraldine A. Kooyoomjian & daughters,
Jennifer, Melissa & Jessica & family

For the soul of: Ronald W. Maranian
Requested by: Kim Hynes and Torre Maranian

June 28, 2020
For the soul of: Lt. Col. Andre John Kevork
Requested by: Jackie Kevork, Carmen Kevork, Raffi Kevork and Mitch and Annie Hammond

May God rest Their Souls in peace and may His loving favor be with their loved ones. 
Wedding

June 4, 2020 
Aram Verdiyan and Lilit Hakobyan
Parents: Artur Verdiyan and Nune Mangasaryan.
Anna Hakobyan
Best Man: Daniel Dadoyan
Maid of Honor: Anna Verdiyan

Congratulations and may God make the newly married couple worthy of the desirable crown of Holy Matrimony.
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church  
Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, Pastor
4125 Fessenden Street N.W, Washington, DC 20016 
202-363-1923 / www.stmaryaac.org