THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
September 24, 2017

Paregentan of the Fast of the Holy Cross of Varak 

Eve of the Fast of the Holy Cross of Varaga

This is the Sunday proceeding the week prior to the feast of the Appearance of the Holy Cross on the Mount Varaga, lasting from Monday to Friday. Being hidden by St. Hripisime on the Mount Varaga, the relic of the Lord’s Wooden Cross was found by a miracle in the 7th century and the Armenian Apostolic Church established another purely national feast dedicated to the Holy Cross, which is famous as the Holy Cross of Varaga.

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

Galatians 6: 14-18 (page 174) New Testament
John 3: 13-21 (page 86) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 14: 3-17 (pages 693-694) Old Testament

REQUIEM SERVICES: Karasoonk (40th Day memorial Service) today will be for:

HERMINA DAMERJIAN – KARAKASHIAN requested by the Karakashian and Damerjian Families.

Hokehankist today will be for:

HAROUTYOUN AZNAVURYAN (9th Anniversary of his eternal life) requested by his wife Armenoui, son Carlo , Polina and his family, daughter Lolita Babikian and her family, grandchildren: Aram, Shant & Sara, Raffi, Armineh Babikian and Arthur & Benthley Aznavuryan.

ONNIG BABIKIAN (14th Anniversary of his eternal life) requested by Lolita Babikian and her family and the Aznavuryan Family.

RAISA KASABIAN requested by the Petrosyan Family.

MOVSES MOVSESIAN (1st Anniversary of his eternal life) requested by Emily Movsesian.

Our Prayers Are Powerful. Let us emulate St. Paul, who said, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Eph 1:16). Pray especially for Annabelle (Lee) Alexanian, Albert Santerian, Hagop Arzoumanian and Richard Kazigian. Please pray for all the people who have suffered great loss in many ways as a result of the two recent devastating hurricanes – Harvey and Irma – as they try to rebuild their lives. For those who are struggling with illness, hardship and grief, let us remember them in prayer. Continue to pray for the injustice and inhumanity that continues in the world. God hears the prayers of the righteous.

A SPECIAL DIRECTIVE FROM OUR PRIMATE is calling on all our Diocesan parishes to hold special collections during Badarak for each of the Sundays of September—starting September 3, and continuing on September 10, 17, and 24—to help provide relief to the affected people of the St. Kevork Church as a result of Hurricane Harvey As explained in the Primate’s notice (attached), money will be sent to St. Kevork within the week that it is received, so we ask for your consideration in being compassionate and prompt in supporting this great need. Of equal importance is that we offer our prayers for the families whose loved ones have perished and for ALL PEOPLE suffering devastation because of the storm. Checks should be made out to: Holy Trinity Armenian Church – Memo: St. Kevork Flood Relief.

ALTAR FLOWRS AND CANDLES: are donated today by the Attarian, Damerjian, Bosnian, Eskandarian,Vishab, Karakashian and Markarian Families in loving memory of
HERMINA DAMERJIAN – KARAKASHIAN.

FELLOWSHIP HOUR: You are invited, long time parishioners, new members, and first time visitors, please join us after Badarak in our lovely hall for Christian fellowship, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, and greet fellow parishioners and Der Hayr. The coffee hour begins when Der Hayr blesses the table. There are containers available to deposit your trash before leaving the hall. We appreciate your patience, cooperation, and support. Thank you.

ELEVATOR PROJECT: We have made great strides in receiving donations toward our Elevator Fund; but still have not met our goal of $100,000. If you recall, the letter which was sent out to the Parish reported that the Parish Council would be putting up $100,000, and the Fund Raising Committee would raise another $100,000 to cover the cost of the project. We are about to begin construction and have not quite reached our goal. We need to raise $25,000 more to meet our goal, and are appealing to those who have not yet given, to please consider making a donation, in any amount, to help us reach our goal by September 30, 2017.

FAR UPDATE: A three-month computer course at Fund for Armenian Relief’s Gyumri Information Technology Center (GTech) has allowed a special group of 12 children to further their interest in IT by enabling them to delve deeper into apps and software. These kids were previously living in temporary shelters with their families after their homes were destroyed during the 1988 earthquake, until recently moving into a new home. To learn more, please go to FAR’s blog link: http://farusa.org/2017/09/13/gtech-course-brings-opportunity-to-the-children-of-gyumris-temporary-shelters To support projects like GTech, go to https://secure.qgiv.com/for/armenianrelief

PARISH DIRECTORY UPDATE: Have you moved or have new email and phone numbers? Was your information misspelled? Do you attend Holy Trinity but were left out of the Parish Directory last year? Have you joined the Parish since the last directory was issued? We are going to update the Parish Directory. We need your information as soon as possible. If any of the above applies to you please pick up a copy of the Directory form in the Narthex and update it and return it to the Parish Office no later than September 30.

Learn about the Liturgy: October 1: Have you ever wondered about some of the words and actions of the Badarak? Or, been curious about Der Hayr’s elaborate vestments? If you answered “yes” to these questions, then attending The Instructed Liturgy on Sunday, October 1 is a must! This program, designed by the Department of Christian Education of our Diocese, is a unique educational opportunity to help the faithful grow in their knowledge and experience of the Divine Liturgy at the most effective time—as it is unfolding before them. The commentary will interrupt the Badarak in progress several times in order to explain what is happening and why.

PLEASE NOTE: Because the introduction is the longest and most informative section of the commentary and comes at the very beginning of Badarak, we must stress the importance of being prompt. It is crucial that you be present for the entire Liturgy, which will begin at 10:30 and end at the usual time.

GIFT AUCTION: We are in need of donations for the Harvest Bazaar Gift Auction and are asking for your help. We will again feature our Raffle ticket items valued at over $100 and our silent auction for special items. Our goal is to obtain new gifts each in value of $100 or more but we are happy to accept gifts of various values that we can combine in our baskets. Gifts can be geared toward younger children like Star Wars, Spiderman, Pokemon, or other trending items for kids. For teenagers (movie theater basket) or adults (golf, tennis, restaurants, massage/beauty or home). Gift baskets and gift certificates are most appreciated. We also will have letters you can take to various businesses to see if they would provide a $20 to $30 gift certificate for free. If you own a business and are willing to donate, please let us know. Wine or liquor are popular items that we can combine with other items. For the special items we would look for large value items (over $200), liquor, jewelry, oriental rugs for home, car (new or used) and vacation houses. Most importantly, if anyone could lend us their beach house for a weekend or week that could generate a lot of funds. Please call Linda Boornazian at 301-717-2401 or send an email to lboornaz@hotmail.com for more details. Thank you in advance for all your generosity and support.
A Journey to Historic Armenia: Join us after Coffee Fellowship today to welcome back a daughter of Holy Trinity who has been away for many years. Theologian and Episcopal priest, Rev. Dr. Flora Keshgegian (the sister of our own Deacon Albert), will share her experiences, reflections, and photos of her journey to historic Armenia in a presentation entitled “Present Absence.”

THE NICENE CREED/ HAVADAMK – This is the Profession of our Faith which is recited every Sunday moments after the Gospel is read from the altar. Sometimes it is sung, but more often it is recited by the Deacons and/or the Choir. We invite you to affirm your own “Profession of Faith” by reciting along with us. God longs for all of us to express our faith and devotion to Him.

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)

September
Sept 24 A Journey to Historic Armenia (Rev. Flora Keshgegian)
Oct 1 Instructed Liturgy & Dn. Albert Book Reception
Oct 15 Inter-communal Program
Oct 20 Growing Up Armenian in the Diaspora
Oct 27-29 Harvest Bazaar
Nov 5 The Divine Liturgy: A Simultaneous Translation
Nov 12 Godparents Sunday
Dec 3 – Stewardship Sunday
Dec 10 Honoring Our Pastor
Dec 17 Lunch with Santa
Dec 31 Pomegranate Sunday

COUNTRY STORE: The Country Store is open every Sunday after church services. Some new delicacies have been added to the products they carry: Armenian coffee, halvah and apricot bastegh. Stop in and treat yourself to these new and delectable items. The last Sunday for sales before the bazaar will be October 15.

THE KISS OF PEACE: After the gifts of the Eucharist are brought to the Altar Table, the deacon proclaims, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” The person giving the greetings says, Kristos ee mech mer Haydnetsav – Christ is revealed amongst us. The recipient would respond, Orhnial eh Haydnootiunun Kristosee – Blessed is the revelation of Christ.

Anyone who wishes to request any Requiem Services MUST inform the office by 1:30pm Wednesday the week before. If you also want to sponsor the Fellowship Hour you MUST call Merle Santerian at 215-947-3777.

Would you like to:

– receive this Bulletin on Friday via email?
– request a Hokehankist, house blessing or hall rental information?
– find in-depth information on our faith, our parish and our activities?
– sign up for an event online?
– If the answer to any of these questions is YES, please visit our parish website at www.holytrinity-pa.org

WE ASK THAT EVERYONE KINDLY TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES and all other such electronic devices prior to entering the sanctuary out of respect for the sanctity of our services.