By Your Death and Resurrection

Volume 28 Issue 2

Rev. Fr. Tavit Boyajian

April-May 2018

The theology of the Armenian Church beautifully expresses the meaning of our Lord's resurrection. In our hymns we recognize what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection. This article is a brief reflection on some of the imagery employed in our resurrection hymns:

The Ani

STS JOACHIM AND ANNE ARMENIAN CHURCH

BY THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE ONE MAN WE ALL DIED. BY YOUR CRUCIFIXION, O CHRIST, WE HAVE ALL BEEN MADE NEW IN GLORY The one man referred to here is Adam. The Bible teaches that the original sin committed in the Garden of Eden had wide ranging effects. Adam (which simply means 'man'), chose to sin, and by so doing became corrupted. Being impure he and Eve passed on impurities to their children. Today we might say that sin affected their DNA. In fact scientists have noted that extreme stress can altar DNA. The sin passed on to their generations may have been at the molecular level, or it may have been through poor parental role-modeling. Suffice it to say the sin of man led to mortality both physically and spiritually. This is why the above hymn, echoing scripture, informs us that "we all died" due to the sin of Adam. Scripture says, if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! (Romans 5). This is why the hymn contrasts death through Adam with renewal in Christ. The effect of Adam's sin was cataclysmic, yet the effect of Jesus' death cured the cosmos from the disease of Adam's sin. BY THE DEATH OF YOUR FLESH YOU PUT SIN TO DEATH We understand that financially one person can pay off another person's debt, (ie: mortgage, car loan, student loan). Imagine how you would feel if you heard someone paid off your largest debt! Our largest debt however is not fi-

Kreesdos Haryav ee Merrelots! Inside this issue: Prelude to Easter

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Addiction and The Body of Christ

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Calendar Upcoming Events

10-11 12

Primates Message

14-15

Parish News

16-17

Upcoming Events  Holy Week: March 25- April 1  Kheyma April 4th, and May 2nd  April 14th—Womens’ Guild Tea  Midwest Saintly Martyrs Badarak— Sunday April 22 @ Glenview  SOAR Mother’s Day Brunch Saturday May 12

nancial, it is spiritual; that is to say we have a ‘sin debt.’ Because God is righteous there must be a payment for our sin. It is unfair for us to 'break' the sanctity of His creation without penalty. If God simply cancelled the debt without requiring payment, he would be unrighteous; there would be no justice in his creation. For 'the law of righteousness' to be fulfilled there must be payment for sin. Because sin is deadly to the sinner and to all of creation (sin breeds only death), the payment for the death caused by sin is rightly, death. This is why scripture teaches that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). What Jesus did was to assume (take on) the sin debt of all humanity. He carried the weight of all sin with Him to the cross. Because he is infinite God He, and only He, is qualified to assume the infinite debt of mankind for all time. As we say in Badarak each Sunday, he made this sacrifice, "from all and for all." St. Paul puts it this way: The death he died, he died to sin once for all. Romans 6:10. By paying for sin, Jesus cancelled our debt. Were we to die with sin we would be unable to enter heaven, the sinless place. So dying with unpaid sin debt leads only to hell. Yet because Jesus destroyed the debt, He destroyed what was hard about death; damnation, Hell is now off the table for those in Christ. Poetically speaking, Jesus put sin itself to death. This is why our Holy Week hymns proclaim to Jesus: ‘You put death to death’. TODAY, O CHRIST, BY YOUR RESURRECTION YOU CHANGED THE PASSOVER OF SUFFERINGS OF THE ISRAELITES’

EXODUS

INTO THE PASSOVER OF SALVATION OF OUR SOULS These words describe a fulfillment. What they are saying is that the Passover the Jews experienced in Egypt was a foreshadowing of a greater Passover that was fulfilled in Christ. In Egypt death 'Passed over' (Passover), the homes of Jews who had heeded God's instruction to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb. That Passover, which the Jews memorialized annually, was fulfilled in Christ. At the last supper, when Jesus took the bread and wine and gave it as his body and blood, he was, as St. Nersess Shnorhali says, "proving he was the Lamb." Theologically the church understands that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and as we are marked with His blood, we will 'Passover' from this life to the next. Just as the Jews were saved from death by the mark of the lamb, we are saved by being marked with the Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion. By overcoming death through His resurrection, Jesus showed Himself to be the fulfillment of the Passover. This is why Easter is referred to as Pasha, Pascha meaning 'Passover.' The adjective that describes 'Easter' is 'Paschal.' BY YOUR RESURRECTION YOU SAVED US WHO WERE CAPTIVES. Here we see a confession that we are 'captives' of sin. Jesus saved and saves us from spiritual bondage. Only He offers true freedom. Outside of Jesus there is only bondage to sin. In Christ, and only in Christ, is true freedom. 'WE BLESS YOU TODAY WHO BY YOUR RESURRECTION RAISED US UP. WE WERE ALIENATED AS THE RESULT OF OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, YET YOU LIFTED US UP WITH

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YOURSELF TO THE FATHER’S THRONE'

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Jesus reigns in heaven with His Father. As we abide in Christ we are spiritually connected to the transcendent one who is amongst us. When we sin we become aliens to ourselves, for in Christ we have purity. We are children of God, sin has no place in us, it alienates us from who God created us to be. When we welcome Christ to work in our lives, He purifies by His loving fire of communion the sin the creeps into the capillaries of our consciousness. By His purifying Spirit he makes us citizens of heaven. TODAY ALL THE UNIVERSE HAS BEEN MADE NEW BY YOUR RESURRECTION In Christ there is renewal. Part of what it means to live as a Christian is to see this renewal throughout His creation. As opposed to walking around cursing the darkness of the word, we are directed to see Christ's Spirit actively restoring creation, and to celebrate His renewal wherever we find His presence. The more firmly we abide in Christ, the easier it will be to see His renewal. When we abide in Christ we see His light shining through the darkness of this world and celebrate His presence with joy. A simple way to determine if we have grasped the meaning of the resurrection is this, are we will filled with joy as we recognize Christ's real presence throughout the universe? May the knowledge of what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection fill you with joy throughout this Easter season. Kreesdos Haryav ee Merreots, Orhnyal eh Harootyounn Kreesdosee! Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the resurrection of our Lord!

Men’s Lenten Retreat

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Prelude to Easter The Armenian Church calls the final week of Christ's life on earth Great Week or Holy Week (Avak Shapat). During this time, we share in His teachings, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. Holy Monday is dedicated to the creation of Heaven and Earth, the foundation for Christ's Second Creation. Christ condemns the fig tree that did not bear fruit (as Israel failed to bring forth the fruits of repentance) and teaches that faith can have the strength to move mountains, overcoming despair and even death. The parable of the Wise and Foolish Maidens (Matthew 25:1-13) is the focus of Holy Tuesday. Ten maidens waited for their bridegroom. (In the custom of that time and place, the bridegroom would fetch the bride from her parents' home to bring her to his own.) Five of the women foolishly took their lamps with no extra oil and when the bridegroom was delayed, could not go out and meet him. The wise maidens went prepared and joined him in the marriage feast. Similarly, we must pray and wait, in a state of perpetual preparation to receive Christ. In the reading for Holy Wednesday (Matthew 26:6-13), a fallen woman anoints Christ with costly oil and kisses his feet. The apostles chastise her for wasting oil that could have been sold to help the poor, but Christ defends her action, perceiving her deed as one of devotion, and knowing that this anointing anticipates His upcoming death and burial. The morning liturgy service on Holy Thursday marks the institution of the New Covenant: Holy Communion, which Christ established at the Last Supper. During a Passover meal, Christ broke and distributed unleavened bread and

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shared the wine with His apostles, identifying these as elements His Body and Blood. Through this sacrament, mankind participates in the Kingdom of God. Another episode at the Last Supper is recalled during the evening service on Holy Thursday. "The Washing of the Feet" ceremony commemorates how Christ washed the feet of His apostles, setting an example of humility and love. The priest in turn washes the feet of twelve church members, usually young men. On Holy Thursday, an all-night vigil is kept in memory of the last sleepless night of our Lord on earth. This service is called Khavaroom (darkness). Before He was arrested, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and endured in solitude the agony of His impending death. Six sets of laments are chanted, each followed by a Gospel reading depicting Christ's betrayal, imprisonment, torture, trial, sentence, and crucifixion. Twelve lit candles, 11 white and 1 black (representing Judas), are extinguished in pairs. Holy Friday is the most solemn and sad day of the Christian calendar. The "Crucifixion Service," usually held at midday, recalls the suffering, execution and death of our Lord, memorialized amid readings from the psalms. In the evening, a white tomb is placed in the chancel of the church for the "Entombment or Burial Service." The tomb is adorned with flowers and during the service is taken in procession around the church. As the faithful leave the church they approach the tomb, kiss the Gospel book, and take a flower in remembrance. On Holy Saturday, also known as the Easter Vigil, the mystery of salvation in the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated. The church is dark,

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its lights are dim. Then the great verses from Isaiah 60 are read: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you"-at which point the lights are suddenly turned on. The dramatic, joyful candle-lighting ceremony is called jrakalouytz. Finally, Easter Sunday celebrates the joy of the Resurrection and the promise of salvation for all humanity. Armenian Christians around the world exchange the Easter greeting: Krisdos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnyal eh harootiunun Krisdosee! Christ is risen from the dead! Blessed is the resurrection of Christ! For each of us, Easter is a time of personal renewal, rebirth and enhancement of our covenant with God. We can feel this renewal in our hearts and souls, and we see it in the world around us, with the blossoming of flowers, trees and green grass symbolizing the beginning of a new cycle of life. Easter Sunday is followed by a period of 40 days, during which time there are no saints' days or fasting days. This period is dedicated to the glory of Christ's Resurrection and to the 40 days He spent on earth after His Resurrection. The 40th day after the Resurrection is Ascension Day, commemorating our Lord's entry into heaven.

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE March 25 (Sun)

Palm Sunday 10:00am Badarak. Opening of the Doors 11:30 (Trnpatsek) 12:00 Brunch & Bake Sale

March 29 (Thurs)

Holy Thursday 6:30pm Washing of Feet 7:15 Khavaroom (Service of the Betrayal)

March 30 (Fri)

Holy Friday 7:00pm Service of the Crucifixion and Entombment of our Lord

March 31 (Sat)

Holy Saturday 6:30 pm Easter Eve Jrakalooys Badarak

April 1 (Sun)

Easter Sunday 9:30 am Morning Service 10:00am The Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Fifty days after Easter is Pentecost, on which day the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and gave them the power to preach in various tongues. This is marked as the birthday of the Church.

Easter Greeting Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց Kreesdos Haryav ee Merrelots! Christ is risen Օրհնեալ է յարութիւնն Քրիստոսի Orhnyal eh Harootyounn Kreesdosee! Blessed is the resurrection of Christ

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Addiction and The Body of Christ As long as we consider our Armenian Church to be a church, we are obliged to act on the “calling to which we have been called.” That means that first and foremost we must aspire truly to be the Body of Christ. We need to become that unique community of “humility and gentleness,” of “patience” and “love” that God has called us to be. At every level, from Holy Etchmiadzin to the Diocese in New York, and most importantly in our individual church parishes, we have a divine mandate to make of ourselves guilds of blind compassion, unconditional love, and selfless service to all. That is what our Lord did and what he has privileged his church to do. It is what God has entrusted to us. And those are the divine qualities that inspired a burly, hard-headed Armenian king named Drtad to dedicate himself and his subjects to Jesus Christ more than 1700 years ago. Isolation One of the alarming outcomes of the recent clergy gathering was the unanimous observation by our priests that the people in their communities who are suffering with addiction, emotional crises, family upheavals, legal predicaments and other ordeals don’t seek out the church but stay away from it. Many are overcome with shame for mistakes they have made, or because they just don’t look good. Others steer clear of Sunday worship and other parish activities because they fear being judged or becoming the object of coffee-hour banter, habits that are all too common among us Armenians. Still other Armenian families are stunned in disbelief that their Ivy League son has been arrested for drug possession; or that their teenage daughter is pregnant; or that a spouse has suffered a nervous breakdown; or that they have had to file for bankruptcy, or that their child has come out. And as a result they shun the Armenian Church out of a sense of self-preservation, to protect whatever dignity they have left. The upshot is tragic on both sides. Our church parishes suffer from even further attrition than they are already experiencing. Rather than attracting new members like a magnet and growing, our parishes find themselves effectively repelling people. The very wounded souls who would most benefit from genuine companionship, prayer, and a shoulder to cry on instead become further isolated and detached. It is surely no coincidence that the vast majority of men who have shot up schools, churches, shopping centers and movie theaters in recent years were described as “loners” and “outcasts.” Psychologists tell us that many mental illnesses manifest themselves in anti-social tendencies. The resulting isolation not only detaches them from healthy human relationships, it often further fuels the root causes of their illness, compounding their misery. I am hardly qualified to peer into the brains of the men who have gunned down hundreds of American children, students, concert-goers, shoppers and worshippers in recent years, and it is surely unwise to speculate about the sociopathic disorders that drove each one to commit such unthinkable horrors. Still, I cannot help but wonder if there was ever a moment in the perilous path that led any of these loners to violence, at which point some human intervention might have derailed his steady descent toward mass murder? For one man who almost became a mass shooter there was. Aaron Stark was the victim of a rough childhood bristling with domestic violence, poverty, and relentless bullying at school. Alone, depressed and suicidal, he started collecting guns and planning a spectacular suicide in which he intended to kill many people. “I was extremely suicidal one evening, and a friend of mine, without having any idea what was going on and what state I was in, invited me over for a party,” Stark said tearfully in a recent television interview.* “She had baked me a blueberry-peach pie, and I got there, and everybody had the pie, and it was all for me.” A simple act of compassion defused a ticking time bomb. “That literally saved my life that night,” he said. “I wasn’t going to survive that night if that hadn’t happened.”

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Stepping In I imagine that some people that are driven to violence are the victims of sudden, overpowering impulses or heinous psychotic conditions for which there is no probable prevention or intervention. And yet if even one of the murderous loners of recent years was susceptible to a simple act of human kindness by someone like Aaron Stark’s pie-baking friend, precious lives could have been spared. With mass shootings now a weekly occurrence throughout the cities and towns of the U.S., it is chilling to contemplate how many deserted, tormented men are currently marching on that perilous path toward eventual death and destruction. But even if they are not at risk for mass violence, countless men, women and children in our communities are carrying massive psychological, emotional, and other burdens. Agonizing in seclusion and pain, they too are becoming loners and outcasts, starving for a compassionate ear, a smile, maybe a loaf of choreg, and meaningful, loving relationships. Agents of Christ’s Healing We in the Armenian Church are obliged to be the Church, to be the Body of Christ for these people. Of course, we pray for those who are suffering and we must always pray more and better. But God does not answer prayers by sprinkling invisible blessings on us like magic dust falling down from heaven. God’s help comes always in the person of Christ, the Son of God, and in the Body of Christ. We, the Armenian Church are that Body. God has given us the privilege to be the agents of God’s healing in this brutally damaged, ferocious world. Each of us who dares enter the Armenian Church must be ready to reach out to “the poor…the captives…the blind…and the oppressed” [Luke 4:18]. If we children of the Armenian Church are going to “lead a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called,” we must be committed to extricate ourselves from our routines, break away from our cliques, wrest ourselves from our busy-ness, unchain ourselves from our petty prejudices, chip away at our egos, break out of our pride, and stifle our pointless quarrels and quibbles. None of this happens naturally or easily. To be church requires the relentless attention, courage and unqualified love of every church member. When the eyes and hearts of our parishes drift away from the precious face of Jesus Christ, we quickly and inevitably begin the slippery-slope slide from church to a social club, country club, prayer hall, 501.3.c. organization, patriotic union, or ethnic museum. Each of these is noble in its own right, but none is the Body of Christ. None can be the Body of Christ. None is charged by the Creator with bringing the love and soothing hope of our Lord Jesus Christ to God’s people. If the Armenian Church relinquishes the sacred mission that has been exclusively entrusted to her, no one else is going to take up the slack—neither our political parties, nor our compatriotic unions, nor the government of Armenia, nor its embassies, nor our benevolent organizations, nor our lobbyists in Washington, nor our dance groups, museums, intellectuals, or journalists. They all have their work to do. And we have ours. In our age of anxiety, there is much to do, and that work is at the pulsing heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church among the People of Armenia. It is good work, blessed work, and it is the privilege not only of the clergy, but of each one of us, clergy, men, women, and especially the youth, who must bring to the church’s mission and daily life their singular vitality and creativity. Our mission is to make our parishes “safe zones” where our people (and all people) are preemptively embraced in love, like the Father who ran and kissed his Prodigal Son before the boy even had a chance to apologize for his debauchery. We are to create communities where we recognize human frailty and suffering as tragic and inevitable features of life in a fallen world; where, from that vantage point, we support one another, we hold each other up when needed, not criticizing or judging, but rather forgiving one another and compensating for our mutual faults and failings. Our Lord invites us to push back against the natural inclination to let our church communities deteriorate into inward-looking, narrow-minded, xenophobic clubs, elevating them instead into heavenly embassies, where V O L U M E 28 I S S U E 2

God’s love radiates in tangible, visible actions. Can we achieve such a lofty goal? Is it even possible? Our saintly ancestors who compiled and transmitted our holy Badarak to us certainly thought so. From beginning to end, its prayers and hymns challenge us to “commit ourselves and one another to the almighty Lord God” in union with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who “has been revealed among us” and indeed “is seated right here.” If we attend to it thoughtfully and honestly, the Badarak dares us to receive and to channel “the divine, sanctifying power of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” in Holy Communion with God and with one another, “for the salvation of the world and life for ourselves.” Baby Steps Even the most miniscule but sincere gesture of love generates massive power when it is offered in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade,” the Lord assures us [Mark 4:31-32]. This means that “the salvation of the world” begins at coffee hour. This Sunday, make the effort to break out of your routine. Scan the crowd and identify the stranger, the loner, the outcast, the disheveled one, the hypocrite, the loudmouth. Walk up to the woman you usually try to avoid and offer a few kind words. Dare to dip beneath the surface of polite, coffee-hour chit-chat. Underneath everyone’s cursory “I’m fine,” hides a murky realm of fear, pain, loneliness, and sometimes denial. If you press gently, some people will let you in to their inner darkness, hoping that you might reflect a beam of light and hope. Yes, you possess within yourself a vast store of love and healing power in spite of—or perhaps, as a result of your own wounds and doubts. That lifegiving energy was planted in you by God’s Holy Spirit, whether or not you perceive it or even believe it. God’s miraculous healing works both ways. When we summon the courage to bring ourselves to the service of others, the Spirit of Christ, who “blows where he chooses” [John 3:8], breathes life into them and into us. And so the Armenian Church strengthens and swells as church. May our precious Armenian Church parishes generate gale-force winds of the Holy Spirit, drawing into their loving embrace all those that are battered by the storms of this world. V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center St. Nersess Armenian Seminary The Twentieth Day of Great Lent, 2018 The Feast of Saints John of Jerusalem, John of Odzun, John of Orotn, and Gregory of Datev

Kheyma Traditional Luncheon Back After Lent

Wednesday April 4th Noon Sts. Joachim and Anne’s Hovanessian Hall

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Some Bible Verses About the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ John 11:25-26 “ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 2: 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." Matthew 12:40 Jesus said, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 20:17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!" Luke 24:2-3 “ And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”

Happy 92nd Birthday to Ara Pridjian!

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April 2018 Sun

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Spring Tea and Make your own Silk Scarf

Parish Council Meeting 7:15pm

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All Chicagoland Armenian Churches Badarak Armenian All Saints – Glenview

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ACYOA Junior Meeting Bowling & Pizza Party After Church

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7pm Service 7:30 movie on the Women of 1915 30

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. - John 11:25-26

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Pontifical Badarak at St. Vartan Cathedral 13

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9 Parish Council Meeting 7:15pm

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Mother’s Day Hokehankeesd for mothers and grandmothers. 20

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Upcoming Events March 24 (Sat) March 25 (Sun)

March 29 (Thurs) March 30 (Fri) March 31 (Sat) April 1 (Sun) April 3 - 14, 2018 April 8 (Sun) April 14 (Sat) April 22 (Sun) April 24 (Tues) April 29 (Sun) May 2 (Wed) May 3 (Thurs) May 5 (Sat) May 6 (Sun) May 8 (Tues) May 12 (Sat) May 13 (Sun) May 25 - 29, 2018 June 3 (Sun) June 10 (Sun) June 29 - July 17 July 8 (Sun) July 22 (Sun) July 25 (Wed)

PADS - To feed the homeless - see Tirouhe to volunteer Badarak 10am, Trnpatsek (Service of the Opening of the Doors) Palm Sunday ACYOA Jr. and Sunday School Brunch Women’s Guild Bake Sale Holy Thursday washing of the feet 6:30, Khavaroom 7:15 Holy Friday 7pm Easter Eve Badarak 6:30pm Easter. 9:30 morning service, 10am Badarak Diocesan Pilgrimage to Jerusalem Hokehankeesd for Yn. Mary Ashjian - Women’s Guild Meeting Women’s Guild Silk Scarf Making Joint Martyrs Day Badarak at Glenview. Service streamed and shown in Sts. Joachim and Anne’s Hovanessian hall. 7pm service followed by Movie on the Women of 1915 ACYOA Junior Meeting, Bowling and Pizza Party after Church Kheyma at noon Diocesan Assembly begins Tigran Asatryan for Armenian Independence Centennial Pontifical Badarak at St. Vartan Cathedral Parish Council 7:15pm SOAR Mother’s Day Brunch - Maggiano’s, Oak Brook 12 - 3. See Deana or Onnig Mothers Day ACYOA General Assembly and Sports Weekend Fair Lawn, NJ Women’s Guild Meeting FAR presentation / fundraiser after Badarack ASP Program (Armenian Service Project) Women’s Guild Meeting Our church picnic Hye Camp Staff Training

Sunday May 13th

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Saintly Women’s Day

Women’s Lent Retreat

“The Peace of Christ” Saturday March 3, 2018 Was a beautiful day of Prayer and Lenten Reflection at The Center in Palos Park

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Ani Donors Sts. Joachim and Anne thank those who recently made donations to the Ani Newsletter: Mr and Mrs. Dennis and Denise Stachowiak. SAVE THE DATE: Our Parish’s 60th Anniversary SUNDAY, October 21st Abp. Khajag Barsamian Presiding

PARISH NEWS Would You Like To Donate Altar Flowers? The church can arrange for flowers to be brought to the church (minimum donation $50). If you wish to donate flowers (for hokeehankeesd, baptism, birthday, anniversary, etc), please contact Lorene Skinner at 708-802-6578. If you prefer, you can bring them yourself; in which case, flowers need to be at the church by 9:45 am Sunday. The sign-up sheet for 2018 is in the hall. Coffee Hour Host Needed Would you like to provide sweets, fruit, or your favorite dish for our table after church? It does not have to be elaborate. If you would like to host a coffee hour please sign up on the sign-up sheet entering Hovanessian Hall or contact any parish council member. Brian Nigohosian - Hall Rental Coordinator

Visit our church website! www.saintsjoachimand anne.net It is updated regularly.

Those wishing to rent Hovanessian Hall may contact Brian Nigohosian at 630-910-5626 (home). The hall is available for rental to members and nonmembers Perhaps you belong to a group, or know of an organization, which needs to rent a large room for a meeting(s) or to accommodate a guest speaker or even to host your own family party (birthday, shower, etc)… Think outside the box. Our rates are competitive and the revenue helps to meet our yearly budget. Calling Post Calling Post is the name of the telephone message delivery system our church uses to inform/remind our parishioners about upcoming events. Der Tavit calls into a phone number and leaves a message; that recorded message is then sent out to our entire church family simultaneously. The calls are inexpensive (7 cents each). If you would like to be added to the Calling Post list, or removed from the list, please call the church and leave your name and phone number with your request specifying if you want to be added or deleted from the list. The Henry Nalbantian Children’s Library

Thank you to all those who were able to help with the Lenten dinners. We hope you enjoyed them.

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Stop in the library and take a look at the variety of books we have added. If you would like to donate books to the library please contact Father Tavit (708-388-4940) Food Drive Our church is sponsoring a food drive for the Worth Township Food Pantry which services the Palos Heights area. Please bring your nonperishable donation to church and place it in the “Food Pantry” container. Please check your donation to ensure that they have not expired. Food drop off is the first Sunday of the month. Any questions -call Elizabeth Stachowiak 708-293-0222 T H E A NI

Putting Names for Prayers in the Sunday Bulletin/Hospitalizations

Are you signed up for the Diocesan mailing list? To sign up visit

www.armenianchurch.net. Enter your e-mail and stay connected to events in the Eastern Diocese.

All school age children are invited and encouraged to attend Sunday School. 10:00 am attend church with family, and after communionattend class. View Der Tavit’s sermon videos and 100's of other videos at: www.saintsjoachimandanne.net Over one million views!

If you would like a name added or deleted from our prayer list, please contact Fr. Tavit. If you are unsure if someone is comfortable having their name listed, please ask them first. If they are hospitalized please tell Fr Tavit. Also, please ask them if they would be comfortable having parishioners to visit while they are in the hospital. We want to visit those open to being visited, and respect the wishes of those who wish to recover more privately.

Appeal for Lay Ministry     

Food Pantry SOAR -Society for Orphan Armenian Relief PADS - Public Action to Deliver Shelter Sister Parish in Armenia Care Packages to our College Students If you would like to help in any way please contact the church office.

Please remember the church in your will. Contact Lawyer Dennis Stachowiak to add the church to your will for free. 708-293-0222. PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON THE CHURCH DRIVEWAY. The grass is bordered by an in-ground sprinkler system. The sprinkler heads have been repeatedly broken by parked cars. Please park in the rear. Parish “Get Well” Cards - Do you know someone in our parish who is sick or recovering from an illness? The parish council would like to make sure they receive a get well card from our parish. You can forward their name and address to Rob Koshkarian by calling him at 847-303-1660, emailing him at [email protected] or writing to him at 309 College Crossing, Rolling Meadows Il 60008. The Parish Council thanks Hagop Dirilen of Baroque Silversmith for the repair of our Church Chalice. (His business phone is 847-677-7446). V O L U M E 28 I S S U E 2

Mission Statement The Mission of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church is to preach the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to proclaim its message of salvation. This message is realized through worship, education, witness, service and a common life in Jesus Christ as expressed in the distinctive faith-experience of the Armenian people. All members of the Armenian Church - both clergy and lay are called to participate fully in its mission

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Alex Bargamian—In Memoriam Alex Bargamian was born on June 24, 1933 The son of Eghia and Lucia. His siblings were: Martha Auer (of blessed memory), Louise Najarian, and Martin Bargamian (of blessed memory). Alex was raised on the south side of Chicago on 63rd Street. He attended Walter Scott Grammar School and graduated from Hyde Park High School. In 1951, he enlisted in the Navy and served as a 2nd Class Petty Officer on the aircraft carrier Bon Homme Richard. Alex was in active duty during the Korean War. He was a very proud veteran and loved being an American. In June of 1956, he met June DerMatoian who he married the following year at St. Gregory Armenian Church in Chicago. They married on May 18, 1957. They were married for almost 61 years. They resided in Lincolnwood for 50 years. In his youth, some of the jobs Alex held included: Shining shoes in his father’s shoe repair shop, Washing windows, working as an Ice Cream Soda Jerk and working at a pizza shop making pizzas. After the Navy, he worked for the railroad, and then was a washer and dryer repairman. He sold carpet for a while and finally he sold home improvements. Alex is survived by his Wife: June Bargamian, his children: Laura Kee, Brett (Janice) Bargamian, His Grandchildren: Alex (Veronica) Bargamian, Nicholas Kee, Sarah Kee, and Diana (Michael) Cardella. Asdvadz Hokeen Loosavoreh - May God enlighten his spirit.

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T H E A NI

Saints Joachim and Anne Armenian Apostolic Church 12600 S. Ridgeland Ave. Palos Heights, Il. 60463 708-388-4940 fax 708 388-2767 Email - [email protected] Website - saintsjoachimandanne.net

Pastor - Rev. Fr. Tavit Boyajian Office Hours: MWThF 9:30am-12:30pm Email: [email protected] Home phone 708-535-6838

Parish Council

Liaisons

President Chairperson Vice-Chairperson Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Members at Large

Rev. Fr. Tavit Boyajian Susan Mardoian Onnig Madanyan Denise Stachowiak Syuzanna Bradford Arevik Hartwig John Mrofcza Elizabeth Sahagian

Ani, ACYOA Legal, Dues Building and Grounds

Diocesan Delegate

Elizabeth Sahagian

Altar Flowers ACYOA Jrs. ACYOA Srs. Choir Director Sunday School Website Coordinator Women’s Guild PADS Picnic

Auxiliary Organizations/Event Chairpersons Lorene Skinner Judy Arakelian Melissa Mardoian Annette Sultanian Tirouhe Boyajian The Ani Newsletter Vincent Tourounjian, Fr. Tavit Boyajian Rev. Fr. Tavit Boyajian - Editor June Randall, Rita Saribekian Rita Saribekian - Secretary Tirouhe Boyajian Onnig Madanyan, Sue Mardoian

Stewardship

MISSION STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH (EASTERN)

The mission of the Armenian Orthodox Church is to preach the gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to proclaim its message of salvation.

V O L U M E 28 I S S U E 2

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STS JOACHIM AND ANNE ARMENIAN CHURCH

_______________________ Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Worth, Il Permit No. 58 _______________________

12600 Ridgeland Ave Palos Heights, Il 60463-1861

POSTMASTER: DATED MATERIAL

We are in process of updating our Phone and Mail directories, Please send your updated information to [email protected], Or mail your updated information to the church office. YES! I would like to help support the distribution of the Ani Newsletter for 2018 The annual cost for Ani printing and postage is $25 per address. Your donation is appreciated.

Name(s)__________________________________________ Donation ________________ Please make checks payable to Sts. Joachim and Anne Armenian Church memo: Ani. Send to: Sts. Joachim and Anne Armenian Church 12600 South Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights, IL 60463