St. Mary Armenian Church

09/07/2026

09/07/2026

September 7, 2026 - First Day of the Fast of Exaltation

~ Holy Gospel of St. Mark 8:1-9 ~

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, "I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance." His disciples replied, "How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.

09/06/2026

September 6, 2026 - Barekendan of the Fast of Exaltation

~ The Holy Gospel of St. Mark 7:31-37 ~

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

09/05/2026

September 5, 2026 — 318 Holy Fathers of the Council of Nicaea

Today, the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, one of the defining events in the history of Christianity.

The Council was convened in 325 A.D. by Emperor Constantine the Great in Nicaea, near Constantinople. It brought together 318 prominent bishops and Church Fathers representing the Christian world to address a serious theological controversy that threatened the unity and foundations of Christian teaching.

At the center of the dispute was Arius, a priest of Alexandria, who taught that the Son of God was created and therefore was not eternal or of the same divine essence as God the Father. His teaching challenged the Church’s understanding of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Archbishop Alexander of Alexandria and other Church Fathers firmly opposed Arianism, proclaiming that the Father and the Son are eternally united in the same divine nature. The Council ultimately condemned the teachings of Arius as heresy and affirmed the divinity of Christ.

Among the participants was Aristakes, the son of St. Gregory the Illuminator, representing the Armenian Church. Following the Council, Aristakes brought its doctrinal formulation—the Nicene Creed—to Armenia and presented it to St. Gregory the Illuminator.

St. Gregory added a passage of praise that begins: “As for us, we shall glorify Him who was before the ages,” glorifying the Holy Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Nicene Creed and St. Gregory’s addition continue to hold a sacred place in the rites of the Armenian Apostolic Church to this day. Aristakes also brought to Armenia the 20 canons adopted at Nicaea, which were subsequently ratified by St. Gregory.

More than 1,700 years later, the witness of the 318 Holy Fathers remains a powerful reminder of the Church’s commitment to preserving and proclaiming the Christian faith across generations.

09/04/2026

September 4, 2026 - Պահոց Օր | Fasting Day

~ 2 Corinthians 5:6-18 ~

So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

09/03/2026

Join Us This Sunday for Soorp Badarak, Followed by Fellowship

In this week’s Gospel, people bring to Jesus a man who is deaf and has difficulty speaking. They simply ask Jesus to lay his hand upon him. What follows is a deeply personal and tender encounter. Jesus takes the man aside, away from the crowd. He touches his ears and his tongue, looks up to heaven...