St Thaddeus the Apostle and St Sandoukht the Virgin are two of the most venerated saints in the Armenian Church. The “Great Conversion” of the Armenian nation to Christianity is significantly connected with their names. Following the Ascension of Christ, according to the Lord’s message: “Go then to all peoples everywhere and make them make…
The Septuagint (first translation of the Hebrew Old Testament), uses the name “Patriarch” when referring to the forefathers or ancestors of spiritual and lay leaders of the Old Testament. They are: Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Eliezer, Joshua, Samuel, Samson, Jephthah, Barak, Gideon and other Holy Patriarchs.…
The Armenian Church commemorates St Aristages (Aristakes), Vrtanes, Krikoris (Grigoris) and Housik (Husig); St Gregory’s sons and grandsons and Daniel the Syrian. The day of commemoration (according to the present calendar in force since 1774-75) falls on the Saturday before the Third Sunday of Transfiguration. The rest of the members of the Gregorid family, namely…
Saints Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi In addition to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel (the four major prophets of the Old Testament), the Armenian Church commemorates the following twelve minor prophets. The Prophets were those persons through which God spoke his will to the people of the…
This is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the Feast of the Assumption of St Mary, Holy Godmother, one of the major feasts of Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the seven feasts dedicated to St Mary. The fasting period lasts from Monday to Friday.
The Feast of Shoghakat of Holy Etchmiadzin that is always observed on the Saturday prior to the Feast of the Assumption. Shoghakat refers to the vision of the rays of light seen by St Gregory when God chose the site for the Mother Cathedral. The feast is celebrated at the time of Assumption because the…
Each year on the Sunday closest to the date of August 15, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary, the Holy Mother of God. In the calendar of the Armenian Church, this feast is the fourth of five major feasts that are commemorated, and is the oldest one dedicated to…
St Anna and St Joachim, the parents of St Mary, are not mentioned by name in Holy Scripture. There is, however, a wealth of oral tradition concerning them. St Anna was a descendant of the royal line of King David. As she grew up, she was espoused to a God fearing, God loving man named…
St Jeremiah is one of the major prophets of the Bible. He was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town Anathoth, not far from Jerusalem. He lived and preached in Jerusalem. Feeling the calling to serve God he devoutly served, refusing to marry and have his own family. His life straddled…
St Thomas was born a Jew and was called to be one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. His name in Aramaic (Te’oma) and Greek (Didymos) means “twin”. John 11:16 identifies him as “Thomas, called the Twin”. However, we do not know of his twin or how he came to have this name. He…
St James is one of three people named James mentioned in the New Testament. He was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and is referred to as James son of Alphaeus to distinguish him from James son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, who was martyred in Acts 12:2. The New Testament only…
The Belt (Girdle) of the Blessed Virgin Mary, today divided into three pieces, is the only remaining relic of her earthly life. According to tradition, the belt was made out of camel hair by the Virgin Mary herself, and at her Assumption, she gave it to the Apostle Thomas. According to Tradition, the Apostle Thomas…