St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church of Greater Boston

Սուրբ Ստեփանոս Հայաստանեայց Առաքելական Եկեղեցի

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Blessing the grapes on the occasion of #Assumption. The Blessing of the Grapes takes place on the Feast of the Assumption, although there is no connection between the two events. This ceremony is rooted in the Biblical tradition as commanded by God to the Israelites, through Moses, to donate the “first bearing of all their fruits, on the Tabernacle in order that with this first offering all fruits would receive Your blessing…” The hymn Park Sourp Khatchet (Glory to Your Sacred Cross) is sung; Biblical passages are recited, followed by a prayer composed by Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali specifically for this occasion. After the prayer, the grapes are blessed three times with the words Orhnestsee Bahbanestsee and then the blessed grapes are distributed to the faithful, many of whom have refrained from eating grapes through the year until after this blessing. Certainly we can say that the Blessing of the Grapes is a symbolic celebration of the fruitfulness of the earth. Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Noah planted a vineyard immediately after disembarking from the Ark (Genesis, Chapter 9) in Nakhichevan, Armenia. And, of course, the wine of the Divine Liturgy comes from grapes. #armenianchurch #grapes #soorpstepanos #ststephenswatertown #ststephenschurchwatertown #assumption #motherofgod #mary #grapes

Today, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption (Verapokhoum) of the Holy Mother of God, the fourth of the five major feast days in our Liturgical Calendar, and the Blessing of the Grapes. Verapokkoum in classical Armenian means “transport up.” According to tradition, when the Holy Mother died she was buried by the apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane. Bartholomew who was not present at her funeral wished to visit her grave. When the gravestone was lifted they were surprised to find that her body had disappeared. It was believed that Christ had come and taken his mother to the Heavenly Kingdom. They considered the empty tomb confirmation that the Holy Mother had not died, but had fallen asleep (dormition) and our Lord assumed His mother into heaven. Based on this event, the Church Fathers established the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is one of the five tabernacle feast days in the Armenian Church’s liturgical calendar. The feast is preceded by a week (five days) of fasting and followed by a memorial day. #armenianchurch #armenian #church #soorpstepanos #ststephenschurchwatertown #assumption #mary #feast #jesus #Christian

We had a great time this past Sunday at our annual #churchpicnic! Thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed a beatific afternoon with families, friends, and good food! We would also like to thanks His Eminence, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan and our New England clergy for participating in the #blessing of the grapes ceremony. @armenianprelacy #armenianchurch #soorpstepanos #ststephenschurch #ststephenswatertown #picnic

Happening now: Der Antranig gives blessing to open this evening’s program with the Republic of Armenia’s new Minister of the Diaspora. #armenianchurch #republicofarmenia #armenia #diaspora @armenianprelacy

And so it begins! Picnic weekend! #armenianchurch #soorpstepanos #ststephenschurch #picnic #camphaiastan #extravaganza

Join the community tomorrow evening to meet Armenia’s new Minister of the Diaspora!

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Upcoming Events

Bible Study September 11, 2018 at 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm St Stephens Armenian Apostolic Church, 38 Elton Ave, Watertown, MA 02472, USA
Registration and Opening Day - Sunday School September 16, 2018

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