Entries by stjohn

BIRTH OF BOHDAN GEBARSKI

Bohdan Gebarski was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the family of a Polish railway engineer, on February 27, 1905. He received his education in Russian schools and graduated in 1923. A year later, he moved to Warsaw (Poland) with his family. He studied at the Institute of Oriental Living Languages of Warsaw. He fought actively against Nazism during World War II and was a leading force in the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944. He was arrested and sent to a concentration camp, where he remained …

“BEFORE I FORMED YOU IN THE WOMB I KNEW YOU…”

“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.’” (Jeremiah 1:4-8)

SUNDAY OF EXPULSION – ARDAKSMAN GIRAGI

Many believe that God sent Adam and Eve away from the Garden merely because of the sin of eating the forbidden fruit. Certainly, they did not obey God’s word, and due to their disobedience, they were expelled from the garden. However, their disobedience was only one of the reasons for their expulsion. The more crucial reason was that they did not accept their sin, and they did not claim responsibility for their own wrongs. The Holy Scriptures tell us that after they had sinned, God asked Adam, “Have you …

DEATH OF MESROB MASHDOTS

On February 17, AD 440, St. Mesrop Mashtots was called to be with the Lord. Today, we pause to honor his memory and seek his intercession, celebrating a saint whose life and legacy continue to shine a light on the path of faith and cultural identity for our people. While visiting the Mother See for the Supreme Spiritual Council meeting, I was blessed with the profound privilege of paying respects at the resting place of this great Saint of the Armenian Church. Standing in this sacred space this morning, I …

DEATH OF LOUIS DARTIGE DU FOURNET

Louis Dartige du Fournet was the French officer who completed the epic resistance of Musa Dagh by rescuing the Armenians that had taken to the mountain to fight the Turkish order of deportation in 1915. He was born in Putanges-Pont-Écrepin on March 2, 1856. He entered the French Naval Academy and graduated as his class valedictorian. He served in various ships from 1874 and 1885, while climbing the ranks to lieutenant (1883).

SUNDAY OF THE EXPULSION | ԱՐՏԱՔՍՄԱՆ ԿԻՐԱԿԻ

As of Monday we entered the period of Great Lent (Medz Bahk), and the Church has taken on a somber, mournful, and penitential manifestation. Beginning last Sunday, which was Poon Paregentan, the altar is closed with a dark curtain, symbolic of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.

DEATH OF PATRIARCH HOVHANNES GOLOD

Hovhannes Baghishetsi (Golod), Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, was one of the pioneers of Western Armenian renaissance with his religious, public, and cultural activities. He was born in the village of Khoghts, in Baghesh (Bitlis), in 1678. He was called Golod because of his short height. He received his educate in the university of the monastery of Amerdol, and after graduation, in 1689 he was ordained celibate priest. He became a member of the congregation of the monastery of …

POON PAREGENTAN 2024 OBSERVED AT ST. JOHN’S IN MILWAUKEE

St. John Armenian Church of Milwaukee, WI, in observance of the Great Lent, held a Poon Paregentan festivity after today’s divine liturgy. The fun included a luncheon shared by the church members as well as a shish kebob dinner treated by Drs. Russ and Sue Kashian. Children activities were organized by the Sunday School.

POON PAREGENTAN

Poon Paregentan, similar to Mardi Gras or “Fat Tuesday,” occurs on the Sunday before the Great Lent (Medz Bahk) in preparation for Easter. We celebrate Poon Paregentan (meaning vitality or the good life), which leads us into the longest season of fasting, known as the Great Lent. The Sunday prior to this great feast is when we remember the Good Life in paradise prior to Adam and Eve’s expulsion…

WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!

Our world is filled with uncertainties beyond our control. Throughout history, wars, economic downturns, and pandemics have been a constant in human existence. Christians turn to the Holy Scriptures for guidance in these uncertain times. A poignant story from the Soviet era vividly illustrates this faith. On November 15, 1982, Victoria Petrovna stood solemnly before the coffin of Brezhnev, who had presided over an atheistic regime. As soldiers moved to seal the coffin for transport to the mausoleum, Brezhnev’s wife unexpectedly made the sign of the cross over his chest. In the heart of the Kremlin,