HOLY WEEK IN THE ARMENIAN TRADITION – From the very beginnings of the Christian Church, observations of the defining moment of world history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, have had their place within the faith life and liturgical tradition of the Orthodox believers.  Beginning as a weekly commemoration of that day’s events and a Eucharistic gathering in his memory on Sunday or “The Lord’s Day” (Kyriaki in Greek or Giragi in Armenian), by the fourth century developed into a yearly one also, commemorating all the events surrounding the last week of Christ’s life on earth.  Here is a brief summary of the Week as it is observed today:
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REMEMBRANCE of the RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS – The Gospel of St. John recounts how six days before the Feast of Passover, Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, in order to reveal God’s unsurpassed glory and his compassion for all mankind.  The Church sees this as a prefiguring of Christ’s own resurrection and of the cleansing and renewal of all human beings through it.  In the Eastern Tradition, the Saturday before Palm Sunday is referred to as “Lazarus Saturday,” as the resurrection of Lazarus is commemorated this day.

​PALM SUNDAY – Commemorated by Orthodox faithful as the Feast of the Triumphant Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, Dzaghgazart (“decorated with flowers”) is a dear and beloved feast day to the Armenian people.  On that day we celebrate not the arrival of a triumphant, earthly king into Jerusalem (after all, the same people that hailed his entry would call for his death just a few days later), but of our heavenly king and bridegroom, come to invite all believers into the wedding banquet with him.  Following the solemn Divine Liturgy, during which palm branches are waved by the faithful, the Rite of the Opening of Gates (Tûrrnpatsék), performed from within and without the altar curtain, mystically foreshadows our joyful entry into the heavenly kingdom to which all believers are invited by Jesus Christ.
 
GREAT & HOLY TUESDAY – Each day of Holy Week commemorates a certain aspect of Christ’s last days on earth following his entry into Jerusalem and prior to his death and resurrection, as they are recorded in the Gospels.  Holy Monday commemorates the Withering of the Fig Tree by the side of the road (Matt. 21:18-22), Holy Wednesday the Anointing of Jesus at the house of Simon (Matt. 26:6-13).  Yet, a most beloved tradition in the Armenian Church is Holy Tuesday’s commemoration of Jesus’ telling of the Parable of the Ten Virgins in the context of his discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the present age.  He describes the heavenly kingdom as being like ten bridesmaids waiting with trimmed lanterns for a bridegroom, five being wise and five being foolish.  The five wise bridesmaids brought along extra lamp oil to the wedding, figuring the bridegroom may be late in arriving.  The foolish bridesmaids did not, and while they went out to buy more, the bridegroom arrived and took the five wise bridesmaids into the wedding banquet with him.  During Vespers on this day, ten young girls bearing lit candles depict the Church as the wise and ready bridesmaids, while the faithful hear the scripture readings about God’s plan to bring about an era of a renewed and sanctified earth by abolition of the present corrupt one.

​GREAT & HOLY THURSDAY – Holy or “Maundy” (French mon + Dieu, “my Lord”) Thursday is possibly the most significant day of the Christian Church’s calendar, perhaps even more so than Easter Sunday or Christmas Day, at least judging by liturgical substance.  It is, beyond a doubt the longest and weightiest liturgical day of the year, one very close to the hearts of the Armenian people throughout the centuries, and one that even in the time of Egeria the faithful waited for with great anticipation.  Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, passion and betrayal of our Lord.  The central feature of Holy Thursday is the Holy Eucharist in commemoration of the Last Supper.  Because of this, it also historically became the day when the penitents (those with an imposed excommunication because of a serious sin or crime) would officially be received back into good standing. Eventually, this extended to all members of the Church, and what evolved was a special service for this (Gark Abashkharoghats) performed in the morning.  Following the Holy Eucharist of the Last Supper and communion of all the faithful is the Rite of Washing of Feet (Vodûnlûva).  During this service, twelve young men beautifully portray the Apostles while the celebrant portrays Christ himself, taking off his outer robe and washing their feet as a sign of humility and servitude.  During this time also, (animal) oil is blessed and used for the anointing of feet.  The faithful are given a portion of this oil to bring to their homes at the conclusion of the service. Undoubtedly the most spiritually compelling and moving of all the Armenian Church’s services is that of Tenebrae (Khavaroom), which is the festal vigil (Nocturnes & Matins) for Good Friday (liturgically part of Good Friday, but in actuality performed late on Holy Thursday).  During this service, we keep vigil along with the Apostles, who did so while Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. They are represented by twelve candlesticks placed on the altar. During the vigil portion, six Gospel readings are read while interspersed with Psalms and hymns.  Following each Gospel lesson, the candles are extinguished two by two, until the whole church is left in darkness.  Then is sung a most beautiful and haunting poetic ode (dagh) about the sufferings of Christ, entitled “Where are you, my mother?” (Oor és mayr im).  Customarily, during the reading of each Gospel lesson the faithful tie one or two knots on a string, which they will later tie around their wrist or bedpost, keeping the blessings of the Gospel with them until the Feast of the Ascension Christ forty days after Easter.  At the conclusion of the service, the Worship of the Holy Cross (Khachi Ko Krisdos Yérgirbakanémk) is conducted on bended knee. Traditionally, Armenians have always attended Khavaroom in large numbers, with the seeming attitude “the longer and the later, the better!”  While indeed, this important vigil service in many places throughout the world can be of great length, lasting into the late hours of the night, for practical purposes we have condensed much of it to a more suitable length.

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HOLY PASCHA – On this day, the entire world rings out with the proclamation “Christ is risen from among the dead!”  The faithful gather for solemn Divine Liturgy, bring the good news to all through their joy.  After the Liturgy, it is customary to crack eggs and eat choreg made with the blessed butter from Holy Thursday.  The celebration of Holy Pascha (Soorp Zadig) continues every day for forty days, and in light of the promises it brings, the faithful should attend church frequently during that time!
 
PASCHA MONDAY/ REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEAD – As with all the other major feast days of the Armenian Church calendar, the Second Day of Holy Pascha is set aside to honor and remember all the departed faithful.  This is traditionally done by performing Divine Liturgy and Requiem service, and by blessing graves in the cemetery.

Prepared by Fr. Stephan Baljian

Photos courtesy of Violet Dagdigian, taken from the February 23 & March 16 events
 For Saint Gregory parishioners, the 2018 Great Lent season came to an end with the last of a series of Lenten dinners and vigil services on Friday, March 23.
    The first Friday of Great Lent, Friday 16,  was reserved for our annual celebration of the Presentation of the Lord to the Temple (Dyarnuntarach) with its traditional bon fire. The weather was a challenge for some of the events, but when we were able to meet, we had a wonderful time of fellowship and nourishment, both physical and spiritual.
      The dinners were hosted by our community organizations in the following order:

February 23                          Saint Gregory Men's Club
March 2                                 No dinner due to storm
March 9                                 Board of Trustees
March 16                               ARS Lowell "Lousintak" Chapter
March 23                               Saint Gregory Ladies' Guild

       We would like to thank all these organizations and their members who helped to make these dinners a beneficial and much sought out part of our Lenten journey. 
        There is still plenty of room for more of our parishioners to attend these in the future. Increased prayer and "slowing down" are part of any Christian's spiritual journey and Great Lent affords us a great opportunity to put this into practice.

     Throughout the entire year, the Board of Trustees has progressed with our four goals.  The following is a summary of the accomplishments within the year. 
 
Spiritual Growth - Of all of our goals, we must continue to view this goal as our most important – the one that should drive our entire mission at St. Gregory. Teaching, involvement and participation are instrumental in achieving this goal.  To that end this year, we continued the practice of having parishioners partake in the Epistle and Confession readings during Divine Liturgy. Lenten Dinners and Easter services were very well attended, while American and Armenian Christmas attendance numbers were strong this past year. Sunday School and having parent volunteers has been a new approach to help with teachers. Getting kids involved in church duties is something the BOT would like to continue as we are trying to implement new roles for our youth. This was our first year for our Sunday School Graduate Interns, which was successful. We had a successful family movie night during Lent. Our bowling trip was another great event, very well attended as well as a new activity, which was a prayer hike. Der Hayr’s weekly email previews, using video and social media is another way we are engaging with fellow parishioners. Adult Education Course will be taking place this spring and we need all parishioners to do a better job of wanting to further their spiritual growth!
 
Uniting the Community – This is also a key goal as we must continue to reach outside of our community and provide assistance and outreach to the larger community.  This past year, St. Gregory was a sponsor for 10 total orphans through the Prelacy.  The Avak Program / Luncheons was well attended last year considering the loss of Tom Vartabedian as coordinator of Avak. Greg Minasian took over for Tom until the end of the season and we thank him for his efforts. Our family nights, hosted by the Ladies’ Guild continued as a way to bring our community together in fellowship.  We also participated in many Genocide events – including Flag Raising in Lowell & Peabody and as well as participating in the annual Armenian Genocide Commemoration at the Massachusetts State House. We continue to donate to the House of Hope and this year the Sunday School had a successful canned food drive for the Lazarus House in Lawrence. We also donated prepared foods to the House of Hope and our North Andover Fire Department. 

Church Growth - We are proud to say that we again have made significant headway in the area of church membership this year.  At year-end, we now have a total of 110 paid members in good standing! (doesn’t include 8 members in arrears) One of the key areas that we want to foster is keeping the connection with our former Sunday School students.  We are working on getting out our popular care package program for all former students who currently attend college this year.  Many were elated to receive word from their church while they were away from home!  Thank you to Melanie Tokatlian for spearheading this effort again! Our Choir has never sounded better with the addition of several new members! We added a new and vital member to our choir in the person of Anthony Alexander as our organist. He has been a great addition and valuable member.
 
With the completion of the 3-stop handicap/elevator lift we have moved towards the final Building Committee project to put back our steeple that is sadly missed! We have gotten our design approved and are looking for donations. We have raised some $35,000 with a target of $75,000-85,000. Thank you to Rich Shahtanian as Chairman of the Building Committee and the rest of the Committee! You’ve all worked timelessly on something that is very dear to our hearts “Our spiritual home” and have brought her back to better than new status. What we’ve accomplished is glorifying to our God and I’m sure he is pleased with our community!
 
Financial Stability - 2017 ended with a net income of $1,000. This is troubling considering our organizations had banner numbers! The Ladies Guild contributed $18,000 to the church while the Men’s Club contributed $30,000 to our income, with another very successful Cigar Night event. Our church picnic generated over $6,500 in profit for the church.   Special thanks for all efforts including the Avak Luncheon, and other program/event leads for the work they do to help us financially.  I also would like to thank our volunteer grounds crew Paul Demoorjian, Mike "Red" Boloian, and John Dagdigian who stepped up this year again and allowed us to save a considerable amount of money in landscaping fees. The TD Bank Affinity Program is still ongoing and we hope to grow in this area over the coming year and online giving is continuing to grow. Our new website and our blog with the help of John Boloian and our very own Der Hayr is the main vehicle to promote and enhance user communication / experience for our parishioners. We are rolling out our Aghavn-E Newsletter for church communications for events and church happenings. Finally, our Saint Gregory Endowment Fund program is growing! Through the grace of our Lord we received another generous bequest of $59,000 from the estate of Ms. Elizabeth Koorkanian. This means that during the year 2017 we grew our Endowment Fund to $290,000, making our goal of $1,000,000 in the next 10 years seem attainable. This goal will ensure St. Gregory’s financial stability for years to come and ingrain our spiritual legacy for generations to come!
 
Last year I pleaded that if everyone gave an extra $25 a month towards a pledge we could eliminate any potential shortfall.
100 members multiplied by $25 for 12 months totals $30,000! How can we spend $100 on a dinner out on the town without a blink of an eye, but not cringe at the fact our spiritual home is in need financial help?
 
Plans for 2018:  As always, the work continues and we are always looking for new people to step up to help the Church / Community to glorify Our Lord Jesus Christ! As many of you know, running a church is NOT an easy task! Even though membership was strong this past year our overall weekly attendance has been mediocre! I must admit as Chairman this deeply saddens me. Our church and community has much to offer. I think a good question for everyone to ask themselves is, “How is your spiritual walk with God and our Lord Jesus?”  Our own personal goal should be to try and gain a higher relationship with our Lord! We hope to increase attendance for Sunday worship and continue to make “time for church” a weekly priority in parishioners’ lives. As we did with last year, we plan to kick this off during the Lenten services, and the Easter season. This year we have the privilege to host the NRA May 9-12. Our Chairlady for the event, Christine Kourkounian, and the NRA Steering Committee have a tremendous amount of work to do -- and may ask you to block some of that time off to volunteer to help. This is a great opportunity to highlight our community and our parishioners. On top of it all, if things go well “God Willing” this will be a great way for the church to unify its members and also contribute to our bottom line.
      The Board of Trustees has also chosen to support Neighbors in Need where we will build further commitment to our North Andover community and to its less fortunate and have plans to offer meal assistance at the Lazarus House in Lawrence. (more info to come) Our goal will be to engage in more outreach activities to help the less fortunate in our own surrounding communities to fulfill our true Christian mission. 
      I would like to thank Der Stephan for his commitment and his spiritual guidance to St. Gregory and our community.  It is not easy being a priest in this secular world we live in and I feel very privileged to not only have a wonderful spiritual leader to help build our community but also a true friend! I would also like to thank all of the Board members – I’m very grateful for their support and all of their hard work. I am so grateful to have such strong BOT Members, friends and brothers-in Christ. It is because of people like this and their dedication why we can continue to thrive. We love you guys! We have accomplished much this year but as St. Paul says constantly we MUST finish the race! I am confident that we will continue to accomplish great things for the benefit of our beloved church but we need everyone’s help! Thank you all again for all of your support!
 
Matthew 5:13-16
       “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
     “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
 
May the love of Our Lord Jesus bless you all!
 
Respectfully,
 
Gregory Afarian, Chair
Board of Trustees

    Reverend Deacons, Esteemed Trustees, Distinguished NRA & NALG Delegates, Beloved Members of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church,
      As always, we begin by praising God Almighty, the All-holy Trinity for sustaining us through the successes and challenges of the past year. 
   I would also like to, on behalf of our entire church community, thank our beloved Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan for his fatherly care and guidance throughout the year. Last year, Srpazan Hayr visited us during a very busy time of year, on May 21, to celebrate our church’s 47th Anniversary and dedicate the new Vartabedian Memorial Library. Srpazan also presided over our year end activities for our Sunday/Armenian School. We also extend our appreciation to His Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian for his fatherly guidance throughout the year as well as to the Religious and Executive Councils of the Prelacy, offering our gratitude for all the ways they assisted us as well.
      I would also like to publicly thank the Board of Trustees and its executive for all their hard work and devotion throughout this past year, and especially Chairman Greg Afarian, who carries out his responsibilities with great faith and devotion to God.
      My thanks also goes out to the following: the Ladies’ Guild, the Men’s Club, the Maintenance/ Groundskeeping Crew, Building Committee, Sunday/Armenian School staff, Deacons/Altar Staff, Church Choir, with director Knarik Nerkararyan and organist Anthony Alexander, and in general ALL who have gone out of their way to help our church and its pastor with time, talent and treasure in the last year.
        Once again, throughout the year 2017, the hand of the Lord was upon us as we went about our pastoral mission to the Armenians of the Merrimack Valley. 2017 saw the dedication of a new library, the vision of our late beloved parishioner, Tom Vartabedian. We also continued with our plan to reconstruct the steeple for the front of the church, which has now moved to the final stages before construction begins. We received an additional generous donation (on top of the one we had received in 2016) to our Endowment Fund from the estate of Elizabeth Koorkanian. In total, the Koorkanian Estate donation enriched our Endowment Fund by more than $109,000, something for which we are exceedingly grateful.
        By the grace of God, the pastoral ministry of the Church, in its liturgical, social, educational, humanitarian and administrative aspects was carried out by me and by you, working and praying together to the best of our abilities. Regular liturgical services were offered for the participation of the faithful both on Sundays and on many other special occasions (including Great Lent and Holy Week). This year, we welcomed Anthony Alexander to our church family as our paid organist. Thus far, Anthony has proven to be a gifted musician, mature beyond his years and sensitive to the needs of our community. He has been and will continue to be a blessing to our community.
        This year, I also experimented several times with broadcasting many weekday festal services (morning or evening) over Facebook Live, to very good reception. This year we were honored to offer six baptisms and two weddings, as well as humbled to offer funeral prayers six of our dearly departed parishioners. Prayer and the sacraments are the main pastoral function of the Christian Church and form the cornerstone of any pastoral ministry. I would also like to mention that despite an overall trend in declining attendance at church services (in many churches of many denominations), I was pleased to see that our attendance on Sundays, for Lenten services, Holy Week and special feast day services remained steady if not encouraging. I was particularly pleased with the resurgence of attendance at Sunday School and especially this past Christmas Eve and Christmas, with the robust participation of our Sunday School students and their families. Even the summer months, which are notoriously abysmal in terms of attendance, saw a steady number of attendees and only dipped to alarming levels once or twice over those four months.
        We made every effort to reach out to those who were in need during the year, because of sickness, bereavement or spiritual needs, doing so through home, office and hospital visitations, telephone calls, emails and interactions at social events. We also attempted to keep in contact in general with all our parishioners on a regular basis to let them know that the church is their home and that there is always a welcoming place for them to live out their Christian faith in the reality of the sacramental life of God’s Kingdom.
        Despite being a relatively small parish, our social life was VERY active for the year 2017! We all maintained a very busy schedule, and I tried to attend as many Men’s Club and Ladies’ Guild meetings, AVAK luncheons, Family Nights, other committee meetings and annual events (like picnics and bazaars) as I could.
        We put regular Bible Study sessions on a short hiatus this year. We noticed an overall decline in participation over the past several years (mostly due to the aging population) and have begun to think of ways we can branch out and bring the study of the Word of God (Jesus) to a wide variety of our parishioners (because every one of us is in need of it, including me). Some ideas for the future include separate daytime and evening sessions, “neighborhood” studies at different homes (let me know if you’d be interested in hosting) and youth studies – perhaps in E-format? I am not sure what direction we will ultimately take, but I am happy to announce that we will begin a 10-week Bible Study course on the Acts of the Apostles (the Early Church) immediately after Easter.
        2018 will undoubtedly present new challenges for us. One of our biggest efforts yet will be hosting the upcoming National Representative Assembly of the Armenian Prelacy, the yearly general assembly convened by the Prelate and Executive Council with the participation of delegates from all Prelacy parishes. This is done in order to examine the work of the Prelacy and the parishes of the previous year, to refine policy and to elect a Prelate, Religious & Executive Council and make other key decisions for the life of our Church. We are overjoyed to have been given this honor and we look forward to hosting Archbishop Oshagan and the entire Prelacy Community on May 9 – 12 of this year. This will certainly require a lot of effort and teamwork, but I am confident that the amount of satisfaction we will receive will be even greater.
        In closing, I’d like to remind everyone of the words of St. Paul in the Letter to the Hebrews, when speaking about living together as a Church, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
        By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, let’s remember the faith that has been taught to us and let’s come together often in love and thanksgiving to encourage one another for the betterment of our church and community and for the glory of God. May the Lord continue to guide St. Gregory’s parish.

Prayerfully,
Fr. Stephan Baljian, Pastor
​March 11, 2018

​     The 2018 General Membership Meeting of Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Merrimack Valley convened on Sunday, March 11, 2018, the Sunday of the Judge. Following the Divine Liturgy, Sunrise and Requiem services, the parish's membership congregated in Jaffarian Hall where a delicious Lenten luncheon was provided by the Board of Trustees. The meeting commenced precisely at 12:30 PM and the more than thirty members who were in attendance got down to work.
      This meeting, convened annually, is mandated by the By-Laws of our Prelacy and usually takes place in February or early March. It's purpose is to review the pastoral and administrative activities of the parish for the previous year, hear reports of the activities and finances of the church's organizations, review the annual operating budget and adopt a new proposed budget for the current fiscal year (2018). In addition, elections are held for positions on the Board of Trustees and delegates to the National Representative Assembly of the Prelacy. It also affords our members the opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions or express concerns about certain aspects of the church's life and ministry for consideration by the pastor, membership and Board of Trustees.
      Representing the Prelacy's Executive Council this year was Mr. Mark Philips of Providence, Rhode Island, a member of the Executive Council and the National Representative Assembly. During the meeting, on behalf of the Prelate and Executive Council, Mr. Philips greeted the Pastor, Board of Trustees and Membership of the church and congratulated them for another successful year of ministry. He also relayed the Council's full confidence and anticipatory sentiment for our parish's hosting of the 2018 National Representative Assembly, which will take place from May 9-12 of this year.
         Elected to serve on the Executive (Tivan) of this year's meeting was Mr. Richard Shahtanian Esq. as Chair and Mrs. Kim Almasian as Secretary. Serving on the Nominating Committee (elected at the previous year's meeting) were Christine Kourkounian, Lelsie Boloian and Olga Sarkisian. We thank them all for their role in this year's meeting and for their service to Saint Gregory Church in general.
       A special item on this year's meeting agenda was an update on the plans for the National Representative Assembly made by NRA Steering Committee chair Christine Kourkounian. During the presentation, she reminded everyone of the great honor our community would have to host the Prelate, Councils and National Representatives at this year's Assembly and also of the great amount of assistance and manpower that would be required of the community in order to plan and execute it successfully. Amid an optimistic and excited atmosphere, she received a thunderous round of applause.

​We would like to share with you an excerpt from the late Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Shnorhk I Kaloustian's book Saints & Sacraments of the Armenian Church regarding Great Lent...

What is Lent?
      Lent is intended to commemorate the forty days of fasting of Our Lord (Matt. 4:2). In our Church, as well as in all Eastern Churches, the great fast of Lent begins with the Monday following the Sunday of “Poon Paregentan.” Lent is a period of forty days counting from the above-mentioned Monday to the evening of the Friday before Palm Sunday.
      The whole Lenten period, including Holy Week, is intended to be one of self discipline. In this period, particularly, we should consider our shortcomings, and make efforts to rectify them. It is a time set aside by the Church for self-examination and self-appraisal, to strengthen our character and to renew our purpose in life. None of us is so perfect that no room is left for further moral and spiritual improvement. We all have faults, weaknesses and sins, and Lent is the most appropriate time in which to make penance and to correct them. To achieve this goal, examination of conscience is the first necessary step, followed by a resolution to be more humble, and gentler, and to exercise self control over our appetites, which is the main principle behind the practice of Lent.
 
How do I take part in Lent?

Prayer and Reflection
      Prayer means speaking with God in spiritual communion. Reflection requires examining your life seriously and thoughtfully. Together, they help us learn more about God and ourselves. We receive spiritual strength by learning to rely on God as well as on our own inner resources.

Fasting During Lent
      During Lent we are like athletes in training to "fight the good fight" and "finish the race" as St. Paul expressed it. What we do externally can affect our inner condition. So we take on an outward discipline that will balance the inward discipline of Lent. Part of that outward discipline is fasting. Like the strict regimen of athletes, it is meant to strengthen and firm our spiritual self.
      The Church's rules prescribe that for 40 days preceding Palm Sunday we abstain from all animal products: meat, poultry, eggs, and milk. We should also refrain from parties, movies, and frivolous entertainment. In our day, many find this difficult, but every faithful Christian can do the following to remain in the spirit of Lent:
1.    Keep Wednesdays and Fridays as fast days.
2.    Cut down on outside activities.
3.    Put aside a regular and consistent amount of time daily for private prayer, and for reading the Bible and spiritual books.
4.    Attend all Lenten church services and Bible Studies faithfully.

Good Deeds and Almsgiving
      These consist of self-sacrifice to serve and benefit others. Christ and His Apostles spent their lives serving others. Christ instructed His followers to do good deeds for spiritual rewards, not for human recognition. By doing good, you can ease the emotional and physical pain of people in need. But you also encourage compassion and charity in your daily life and strengthen your Christian soul.

-From Saints & Sacraments of the Armenian Church, Patriarch Shnorhk Kaloustian

     Sunday, February 11, 2018, saw the annual observance of Poon Parégéntan at Saint Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church. Traditionally, Poon Parégéntan is the entry into the liturgical period known as Great Lent (Méds Bahk) and is the equivalent of the Western "Carnivale," "Mardi Gras," or "Shrove Tuesday."  Poon Parégéntan is observed over the weekend immediately prior to the start of Great Lent (always on the following Monday). In the old country, the entire community would revel and celebrate for those two days, while also attending church on Saturday evening to witness the official closing of the curtain in front of the main altar, where it was to remain closed for the next forty days, the entirety of Lenten period. Sunday morning's Divine Liturgy celebrated behind the closed curtain would be a stark reminder of the period of spiritual reflection and sobriety required of the next six weeks. This would be accomplished through a strict fast of abstinence from meat, dairy products and alcohol, increased prayer and worship giving of alms to the poor. All of this, of course is done in preparation for Holy Pascha, or the Feast of the Holy Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
         Other cultural traditions include various types of dances, masquerade balls and displays of traditional village costumes. One peculiar tradition involves decorating an onion with intricate, colorful designs, sticking seven quill feathers in the onion and hanging it prominently in the house. At the end of each week of Great Lent (plus the Great Week), a feather is removed from the onion, reminding all in the household that they were one week closer to their destination of Easter. Many activities were also geared toward children, and Parégéntan remains one of the most beloved time of year for Armenian children throughout the world.
         Following the Divine Liturgy, Der Stephan invited all the parishioners to fill in the front pews for a brief seminar on practical observances of Great Lent in one's daily life. Using a brief passage from a book by the late Patriarch Shnorhk of Constantinople, Der Hayr outlined the origins, purpose and practice of fasting and of observing Great Lent in general He spoke candidly about some of his personal experiences, both personal and anecdotal. He encouraged the faithful to spend more time in prayer and worship before God. He urged them to find some way to observe within reason the traditional way of fasting in the Eastern Churches -- that of communal abstention from meat, dairy products and alcohol -- as opposed to the more prevalent, subjective Lenten tradition of each individual identifying something to give up. Above all, he emphasized that fasting without increased prayer and devotion is misguided and counter-productive. Using the words of the Church Fathers, he reminded everyone that for the glory of God the most important thing to try to abstain from is sin.
      Meanwhile, Saint Gregory parishioner and noted artist and scholar of Armenian cultural tradition, Ani Babayan gave a wonderful presentation to our Sunday/Armenian School students about the different customs and activities surrounding Parégéntan. She explained to them about some of the folklore and children's activities associated with Parégéntan. She also engaged them with some artistic projects.
      Following these educational activities, all parishioners were treated to a festive Parégéntan meal prepared by a team of our Sunday School parents with alumni parents Markar & Andrea Frounjian at the helm. The children then participated in a whole host of fun activities and games, including a pie eating contest, musical chairs and the yearly appearance of the candy filled piñata!