THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
March 15, 2020

Sunday of the Steward 

Catholicos Paken Guleserian (1868-1936)

Use human wisdom for what is good in order to secure eternal blessings. It is clear from Christian teaching, that we may not use ungodly methods in business, work, or any other kind of service. To use our talents and abilities as we wish is to be unfaithful and unaccountable to God, our friends, the Gospel, and even to us. We are, however, as children of the light, obliged to be shrewd in the freedom of Christian life (see Galatians 5:1, 13). Responsible with the freedom to love and serve one another, each of us, at every moment, is directed with the eternal warning to give the account of our stewardship.

What does that mean specifically? At every turn, we should give the account of our inner life, family life, prayer life, social life, and civil life. We should be always securing our future and ready to give account of our career, words, how we loved God and others and served the Church, all of our Christian obligations. What are we doing with the time God has given us? How have we strayed from the Gospel? What things, people, or activities do I place before God? Is God really first priority, the center of my life, or just a category, where I pursue and live out my faith at my own comfortable pace? What must we do as a parish, as individuals, to arrange our affairs in such a way that our accounting will be worthy of the Gospel’s commendation? With prayer and God’s help, what must I do to hear the words of Jesus,
Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master. (Matthew 25:21)

By Dn. Eric Vozzy

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

Ephesians 4: 17-5:14 (pages 176-177) New Testament
Luke 16: 1-31 (pages 72-73) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 56: 1-57:21 (pages 732 – 733) Old Testament

“LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night….” (Nehemiah 1:5-6). Prayers are requested for Antranig Garibian, Edward Tatoian, Rose Minassian, Ethel Terzian, Taron Poghosyan, Alice Charles and Armen Mirakian.

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

– OHANNES HASHAS on the 40th Day of His eternal life requested by the Hashas, Alexanian & Saraydarian Families.

Did you know that when we participate in Soorp Badarak (Divine Liturgy), we are also being invited to a meal (communion) offered by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As such, we should dress in a manner worthy of that invitation. We ask our faithful to dress appropriately for worship. Please, no very short dresses, shorts or bare shoulders. Thank you.

SAVE THE DATE!! The Women’s Guild of St Sahag & St Mesrob Armenian Church, Wynnewood, is sponsoring the annual Saintly Woman’s Day Program on Saturday, March 28 at 10:30AM. It promises to be a rewarding experience open to not just women but men and children as well. Look for the flyer with the details & plan to join us.

PALM SUNDAY BANQUET: Sunday, April 5, 2020, is ACYOA DAY. Immediately following Church Services, ACYOA is sponsoring a Banquet. Donations: Adults $25.00 – Children ages 6 to 12 yrs. $10.00 – Children 5 and under Free. No tickets will be sold at the door. For reservations, please send in your check by the Deadline: March 29, 2020.

BE WISE, BE AWARE: We continue to hear daily updates on the status of Coronovirus outbreaks in many parts of the world. Our own country is now reporting increased numbers of cases. We are being reminded to take common-sense precautions: wash our hands often, keep our hands away from our face/mouth and, of course, covering our mouth when coughing. We are adding another suggstion: to refrain from hugging and kissing each other at church as we commonly do in our familial way. Let us pray that this dreadful virus does not continue to spread and that we will soon see it beginning to diminish. As a further reminder, we should also be wise and aware when we are away from our homes and out in our communities, and to be cognizant of people nearby who may be exhibiting signs of viral illness. Above all, we should not allow unnecessary panic to overtake us.

EMERGENCY CLOSINGS: In an effort to inform parishioners and guests when a Holy Trinity church service or program needs to be canceled or delayed due to inclement weather or other reasons, we request that you check our website (www.holytrinity-pa.org) or facebook page (www.facebook.com/holytrinitypa) for the most accurate information.

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)

March
Friday March 27th: 7:00 pm Worship (no program or dinner)
Saturday March 28th: Saintly Women’s Day Retreat at St. Sahag @ 10:30 am

April
Friday April 3rd: Holy Trinity Acting Troup
Sunday April 5th: Palm Sunday: ACYOA Day/ Palm Sunday Banquet

2020 Attendance: Plate/Candle Collection:

February
2 – 79 people $472.00
9 – 95 people $548.00
16 – 105 people $629.00
23 – 105 people $650.00
These weekly donations from our Parishioners are one part of how we work towards meeting our average weekly expenses of $6,000.00

Mark your calendars and plan to join us on Saturday, April 25 for what promises to be an impactful program that marks the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The event, which will take place again in Philadelphia. Look for flyers to come.

Using the Pew Book: In order to enrich understanding of the Divine Liturgy, we encourage our faithful to follow along in the large two-part Pew Book. Part One includes the classical Armenian used in the Liturgy; the facing page is the translation in modern Western Armenian. Part Two contains the transliteration of the classical Armenian; the right-hand page has the English translation. This Pew Book includes the prayers of the celebrant usually offered inaudibly. The prayers offered aloud are indicated in boldface type.

THE NICENE CREED/ HAVADAMK – This is the Profession of our Faith which is often sung after the Gospel is read from the altar. Occasionally, it will be 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.

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 Jeanette Der Hagopian at 215-672-4188.

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.