Holy Week at St. John Armenian Church of Milwaukee

For the first time in 25 years, St. John the Baptist Armenian Church in Greenfield held the full order of services for Holy Week. With last year’s ordination of Rev. Fr. Guregh Hambardzumyan to the priesthood, 2022 became the first year since 1994 that the parish had a resident pastor serving the community at Eastertime.

Holy Week began when the curtains covering the Altar opened on the morning of Palm Sunday, April 10. The Opening of the Doors (Turun-Patzek) was followed by Badarak, the distribution of palm branches and St. John’s traditional Palm Sunday Brunch in the church’s Cultural Hall. Proceeds from the brunch, sponsored by the parish’s Sunday School, were donated to support charities in Armenia.

On Thursday evening, April 14, Der Guregh washed the feet of 12 of the parish’s members, aged 2-62, following the tradition established by Jesus who washed the feet of his disciples (John 13:1-17). In his homily, Der Guregh stressed that the love Jesus showed for his disciples through that act of humility is the core value of Christianity. Afterward, Der Guregh conducted the Vigil of Darkness, Tenebrae (Khavaroum), the solemn remembrance of the betrayal of Christ.

On Holy Friday, April 15, the Kerezman representing the tomb of Christ was placed in the center of the chancel and the Order of the Entombment was performed. On Saturday evening members of the community gathered for the Reading from the Prophecies (Jrakalooyts) followed by Badarak.

Over 110 people crowded into the church’s sanctuary on Easter Sunday, and many stayed for the unscheduled luncheon that followed. “Christ Has Risen from the Dead!” (Krisdos haryav ee merelotz!) was the theme of Der Guregh’s sermon, which compared Christianity with religions based on the words and memories of dead prophets. By contrast, Christianity assumes that its founder is the living Son of God, whose conquest of death on the first Easter enables those who follow His example to look forward to their own resurrection, a new life beyond death.

Rev. Fr. Nareg Keutelian, visiting pastor at St. John before Der Guregh’s ordination last year, participated in the holy liturgy on Palm Sunday and Easter.