St. Gregory's Chronicle

Weekly e-newsletter of

St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church

8701 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19128

Archpriest Fr. Nerses Manoogian, Pastor

January 22, 2016

Volume # 11

Issue No.3

Sunday Church Service starts at 10:30 A.M.

WEATHER ALERT

Dear parishioners, as you are aware, Philadelphia and suburbs are expected to be hit with a severe winter blizzard on this weekend.
For your safety, the Board of Trustees and I we are planning to close the church on Sunday, January 24th. We will wait until Saturday night for our final decision just in case we miss the blizzard.
Stay safe.

ENGAGEMENT

Happy to announce the engagement of Dr. Ara Chalian and Talar Cholakian. Their engagement ceremony was held in the St. Gregory's Church sanctuary after the Badarak, on Sunday, January 17, 2016. They are planning July 2016 wedding.

Our Congratulations to the newly betrothed

REGARDING THE USE OF SCARFS IN CHURCH AND MORE

2016: YEAR OF SERVICE MESSAGE

WILL BE READ IN PARISHES ON JANUARY 24

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has declared 2016 as the "Year of Service." In his Pontifical Message, which will be read in most of our parishes on Sunday, January 24, the Catholicos writes about the vital role of service and describes service at the "Essence of the Christian Faith." He goes on to show the depiction of service in the Bible and in the writings of the Church Fathers, as well as the role of service as an obligation and duty of all Christians. His Holiness writes, "By declaring the current year The Year of Service, we want to remind our people that it is necessary to participate with great dedication in our nation's noble work, with the brave knowledge that God will bless our service, and history will remember and honor not what we had, but that which we gave, not our beautiful words, but our good deeds."

Read the Encyclical by clicking the below links

Read in English Read in Armenian

SAINT OF THE WEEK

SAINT SARKIS

Tomorrow, on our Church calendar is the feast of St. Sarkis.

This feast was preceded by one week of intense fasting and penitence. According to St. Nerses Shnorhali, this fast is established by St. Gregory the Illuminator, who after his release from Khor Virap began to evangelize, first by making the Armenian people observe five days of fasting so as to receive healing grace. On the fifth day of the fast, on Friday, the memory of Prophet Jonah is observed, as an example of a great act of penitence. And on Saturday the feast of St. Sarkis observed. This is why, this fasting popularly is known as well as the fast of St. Sarkis.

St. Sarkis the Warrior lived during the fourth century in Cappadocia. He was appointed the military commander of Cappodocia by Emperor Constantine the Great. When Emperor Julian ascended to the throne and started persecuting the Christians, St. Sarkis being a devout Christian, together with his son Martiros took refuge in Armenia. He eventually joined the Persian King Shapur II to fight Julian. However, when King Shahpour discovered that Sarkis was a Christian he asked him to denounce Christian religion and embrace Zoroastrianism. Both father and son refused to do so and both were martyred. Fourteen of his Iranian soldiers, who had converted to Christianity, were also martyred when they came to bury St. Sarkis.

SUNDAY BIBLE READING

Second Sunday After Nativity

2 Timothy 3:1-12

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people. For among them are those who make their way into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses, who will listen to anybody and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth. As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith; but they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at Ico'nium, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

John 6:22-38

On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. However, boats from Tiber'i-as came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper'na-um, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

Ալէլուք - Հաճեցաւ, Տէր ընդ երկիր քո, եւ դարձուցեր զգերութիւն Յակոբայ։

ՅԻՍՈՒՍ ՔՐԻՍՏՈՍԻ ԱՒԵՏԱՐԱՆԷՆ ԸՍՏ ՅՈՎՀԱՆՆՈՒ

Գլուխ 6։22-38

Երբ զինք գտան ծովուն միւս կողմը, հարցուցին. «վարդապե՛տ, ե՞րբ եկար հոս»։ Յիսուս անոնց պատասխանեց. «Կ՚ըսեմ ձեզի, վստահաբար դուք զիս կը փնտռէք ո՛չ թէ որովհետեւ հրաշքներ տեսաք, այլ որովհետեւ այդ հացէն կերաք եւ կշտացաք։ Փոխանակ կորստական ուտելիքը փնտռելու, ջանացէք ապահովել այն կերակուրը որ մարդու Որդին պիտի տայ ձեզի, որովհետեւ Հայրն Աստուած իր հաւանութեան կնիքը դրաւ անոր վրայ»։

Անոնք հարցուցին. «Ի՞նչ ընենք, որ Աստուծոյ ուզածը կատարած ըլլանք»։ Յիսուս անոնց պատասխանեց. «Աստուծոյ ուզածը այն է, որ հաւատաք անոր որ ինք ղրկեց»։

Անոնք ըսին. «Ի՞նչ հրաշք պիտի գործես, որպէսզի տեսնենք եւ քեզի հաւատանք. ի՞նչ պիտի ընես։ Մեր հայրերը մանանան կերան անապատին մէջ, ինչպէս գրուած է, «Անոնց երկինքէն հաց տուաւ ուտելու համար»»։ Յիսուս անոնց ըսաւ. «Ճշմարտութիւնը կ՚ըսեմ ձեզի, թէ ինչ որ Մովսէս ձեզի տուաւ՝ երկինքէն իջած հացը չէր, այյլ հիմա է որ Հայրս ձեզի կու տայ երկինքէն իջած ճշմարիտ հացը։ Որովհետեւ Աստուծոյ տուած հացը ան է, որ երկինքէն կ՚իջնէ եւ կեանք կու տայ աշխարհին»։

Անոնք ըսին.- «Տէ՛ր, մի՛շտ տուր մեզի այդ հացը»։ Յիսուս ըսաւ անոնց. «Ես եմ կեանքի հացը, ան որ ինծի կու գայ, բնաւ պիտի չանօթենայ եւ ան որ ինծի կը հաւատայ, երբեք պիտի չծարաւնայ։ Բայց հիմա ըսի ձեզի, տեսաք ալ զիս, եւ տակաւին չէք հաւատար։ Ինչ որ Հայրը ինծի տուաւ՝ ինծի պիտի գայ, եւ ես ինծի եկողը պիտի չմերժեմ. Որովհետեւ ես երկինքէն իջայ ո՛չ թէ իմ կամքս կատարելու, այլ կամքը անո՛ր, որ զիս ղրկեց»։

ՀՈԳԵՀԱՆԳԻՍՏ - HOKEHANKIST -

The following parishioners request Hokehankist for the souls of their loved ones.

Հետեւեալ ծխականները հոգեհանգիստ կը խնդրեն

իրենց հարազատներու հոգւոցն ի հանգիստ

Virginia G. Miller, Virginia Deirmenjian Miller, Karl and Arpine Deirmenjian Miller family, Norman Deirmenjian Miller family, Bearge and Anne Deirmenjian Miller family, Bill and Flossie Mohler family, for the soul of their husband and father, grandfather and great grandfather, Norman Deirmenjian Miller.