The birth of St. Mary is celebrated by all traditional churches on September 8. The record of the birth of Mary is not found in the Bible. The traditional account of the event is taken from the apocryphal writings which are not part of the New Testament scriptures.

The...

At Badarak and other liturgical services we see the altar servers and priests swinging censers, sending clouds of incense wafting through the air. In the Armenian liturgy, everything has a meaning and symbolizes a theological truth.

So, what does incense symbolize?

The u...

The Feast of the Assumption or Dormition of the Mother of God is of great significance for the Church. The Armenian Orthodox Church has revered the mystery of this Feast of Mary more as part of the oral sacred Holy Tradition of the Church rather than Apostolic preachin...

One of the main differences between the Protestant churches on the one hand, and the ancient Apostolic churches, including the Armenian Church, on the other hand is that the latter have canonized saints, while the former have not.

The first thing we must know about sain...

In our national and church life great importance is given to the Divine traditions which originate from the Holy Scriptures. They became the best way to express the unique image of our nation and church. Thus, these traditions were valued and adopted as sacred services...

On Sunday, July 23, the Armenian Church will observe one of its five major feasts: the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The feast commemorates the transfiguration or Baydzaragerbootiun of Christ on Mount Tabor, when our Lord appeared in His divine...

The most joyous celebration among Armenians is Vartavar, when people sprinkle water on each other remembering the story of Noah and Flood. Unfortunately, throughout the centuries this beautiful custom had been reintroduced as a pagan feast dedicated to some idols. The...

The word Apostle is a Greek word, and it means one “who is sent forth,” having been entrusted with a special mission.

It is related in the Gospels that from the beginning of His ministry our Lord called some twelve men and gave them intensive training for a specific off...

“I desire mercy not sacrifice.”  –Matthew 12:7

We celebrate the feast of St. Nerses the Great today.  As a saint, he wasn’t foremost a great thinker or teacher of God’s word, for that is relatively easy.  He was instead a great doer of God’s word; that is rare and bless...

St. Nerses was an Armenian Catholicos (Patriarch) who lived in the 4th century and was the great-grandson of St. Gregory the Illuminator.  His father, Athenogenes, and his uncle, Bab, who were next in line for the succession to the Throne of St. Gregory,  were laymen a...