St. James Armenian Church Welcome to St. James Armenian Church
Christianity was brought to the kingdom of Armenia in the first century by two of Jesus' Apostles, Thaddeus and Bartholomew. The Armenian Church is one of the original ancient Churches and during the entire history of Christianity, has remained a part of the "One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church" of Christ. In 301 A.D., Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its national religion, after its king, King Drtad, was converted to Christianity by St. Gregory the Enlightener. Since then, Armenia and her faith have been inseparable.
The Armenian Church is headquartered in the Monastery of Holy Etchmiadzin in the Armenian city of Etchmiadzin. The Catholicos is the leader of the Armenian Church. His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, is the 132nd Catholicos and was elected to a life term on October 27, 1999.
The Armenian Church worship service is called the Divine Liturgy which commemorates the Last Supper. It is also called the Eucharist, which means Thanksgiving, the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. In Armenian it is called Soorp Badarak, which means Holy Sacrifice.
The Divine Liturgy has four parts—the preparation, the synaxis (Liturgy of the Word), the Eucharist and the final blessing. It is our most important act of worship. It is an act of love—love of God toward humanity and the love of human beings for God. The high point and purpose of the Divine Liturgy is to partake in the redeeming body and blood of Christ which is offered to all those faithful who have prepared themselves both spiritually and physically through prayer, confession and fasting. We invite you to participate in the Divine Liturgy by following the text which can be found in the compartment on the back of each pew. As part of the Divine Liturgy we also attest to our fundamental Christian beliefs stated in the Nicene Creed on page 19 of the Divine Liturgy handbook.
A traditional Armenian altar is adorned with various symbols of our faith. A painting of the Holy Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus in her arms or on her knees hangs above every Armenian altar. A replica of the Madonna della Sedia painted by Raphael in 1514 hangs above the altar in this church. A large cross, with no crucifix, is placed below the altar picture. On the middle tier is the chalice which will hold the Eucharist. On the lower tier sit ornately bound Gospel books. Vases holding cut flowers are placed on the upper tier of the altar. Twelve candles representing the apostles flank the sides of the altar. An ornate red lamp with an eternal light representing the light of St. Gregory hangs from the ceiling above the altar.
Two larger candles representing the archangels, Michael and Gabriel, stand in front of the main altar. The Bishop’s chair sits in the chancel, the area between the altar and the nave, where the congregation prays.
There are two minor altars on either side of the main altar—one being the baptismal font and the other an altar dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
One of the devotional traditions in the Armenian Church is to burn candles in memory of loved ones, to make vows, or to offer personal prayers. A relief of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is within the alcove used for burning candles.
Parish History: In February 1944 the current St. James sanctuary was purchased from the Emmanuel Methodist Congregation and consecrated as St. James Armenian Church on February 26, 1945. On February 10, 1957, the parish opened the newly built two-story cultural hall and Sunday School classrooms. Over 100 faithful members now call St. James their spiritual home. Our pastoral leadership follows:
§ Fr. Vartan Megherian: 1947 – 1955 (Deceased)
§ Rev. Fr. Varoujan Dz.V. Kabaradjian: 1958 – 2003 (Deceased)
§ Dn. Levon Kirakosyan: 2005 – present
§ Rev. Father Paren Galstyan: 2007 - present (Pastoral Intern)
We invite you to join us for Fellowship Hour in Nishan Hall each Sunday following Divine Liturgy.
Source www.armenianchurch.net