THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
June 30, 2019

Third Sunday After Pentecost  

St. Nersess the Great

The following excerpt from the speech of St. Nersess the Great addressed to the emperor Vales is taken from the History of the P’awstos Buzand (4th Century A.D.). In this short passage, we can observe the deep orthodox spiritual experience and teaching of St. Nersess the Great, according to which the enlightened faithful, through the sacred mysteries of the Church, see God with the eyes of the heart.

“…. But those who are enlightened see with the invisible eyes of the heart, as the prophet says: ‘My heart said unto Thee, and my face has sought Thy face.’ and again he says: ‘I set the Lord at all times before me for He is at my right hand. that I should not be moved,’ and yet again; ‘I shall be gladdened with the joy of Thy countenance.’ Those who according to His will see Him now through the mysteries of hidden illumination shall see Him at the end face to face, as the blessed apostle Paul has said: ‘For now we see in a glass, through images,’ but when He comes in the future, He shall bring us the immortality and incorruptibility of His glory: when the Son of the Father shall come and manifest Himself with the Holy Spirit, without likenesses or parables, when all shall be summoned to come, who see God through immortality, and especially those many made worthy through hope; willingly He will reveal His glorious coming so that the revelation of Christ begotten of God the Father, who come to reward all the righteous for their witness to the faith, might come to those who bear with patience and wait in hope….”

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

Romans 6: 12-23 (pages 141-142) New Testament
Matthew 12: 1-8 (page 11) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 1:1-15 (page 682) Old Testament

“Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).   Please pray for Merle Santerian, Armen Mirakian, Steve Hovnanian, Alice Charles, Pearl Jamgochian and Ani Navasartian for improved health and to feel God’s healing presence in their lives. Pray also for Der Hakob and his family and our church family of forty, for their safety and well-being as they embark on a pilgrimage to Armenia, departing on June 24.  

NO COFFEE HOUR TODAY 

THE SUMMER COFFEE HOUR is upon us and can only happen with faithful support from those who enjoy it, meaning different people volunteering each week to set it up and clean up afterward. Coffee will continue to be provided and bagels will be brought in whenever possible. We will depend on our parishioners to supply the “Pot Luck” refreshments each week. Please give serious consideration to volunteering your manpower which will enable us to continue providing this fellowship time that everyone enjoys so much.  Call the church office and let Maggie know the Sunday that you would like to volunteer.  It will be greatly appreciated.

NEW COMMUNION PROCEDURE – Before gathering for confession, please allow time for the Choir Members to come down and join us before we begin.

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.

ATTENTION GRADUATES – The August issue of the Looys will feature information about all graduates and we look forward to including all of our graduates at any level. Write-up should include:  full name, parents’ names, name of institution, grade level or degree achieved, activity involvement, and future plans (further education/ work).   Please include a picture (in high resolution color), if desired.  To be included, everything must be sent to looys@holytrinity-pa.org  no later than July 21^st.

2019 Attendance:       Plate/Candle Collection:

May
5 – 80 people             $380.00
12 – 66 people           $260.00
19 – 84 people           $558.00
26 – 64 people           $309.00

June
2 – 95 people             $385.00
9 – 57 people             $221.00

Weekly Expenses: $6,000.00

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.

 CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)

June
June 30^th – Deacon Service

July
July 7^th – Guest Celebrant: Rev. Fr. Norayr Kazazian
July 14^th – Guest Celebrant: Rev. Fr. Norayr Kazazian
July 21^st – Deacon Service
July 28^th – Feast of Transfiguration

August
August 18^th – Feast of the Assumption

September
Saturday September 28^th – Fall Into Philly Kef @ Holy Trinity

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 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.

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.

Would you like to:

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– 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.