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ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԵԱՅՑ ԱՌԱՔԵԼԱԿԱՆ ԵԿԵՂԵՑԻ

THE E-BULLETIN OF 
SAINT JAMES OF NISIBIS ARMENIAN
APOSTOLIC ORTHODOX CHURCH (EVANSTON, IL)
www.stjamesevanston.org

December 6 - 12, 2020

The Victims of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia

FEAST OF THE CONCEPTION OF THE HOLY VIRGIN FROM ANNA

 Today is the Feast of the Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary: one of a cluster of holy days on which the Armenian Church expresses its tender devotion to the mother of Jesus Christ.

She began life as the child of Sts. Joachim and Anna, a devout couple whose earnest prayer was answered with the birth of a daughter. Through her life of holiness and purity, and her graceful acceptance of the role to which God called her, Mary ranks among the pre-eminent exemplars of the Christian faith, whose birth and very conception are occasions for celebration.

The feast of her conception always falls on December 9, which this year coincides with the third Sunday of Advent. Called Hisnag in Armenian (from the word for "fifty"), Advent is the 50-day season of anticipation-physical and spiritual-leading to the Nativity of our Lord. It is a time to orient our actions, thoughts, and prayers to the miracle of His birth, and to rediscover God's abundant gifts around us.

FEASTS AND FASTS

Monday, December 7            
Fast of St. James of Nisibis
Commemoration of Sts. Minas, Yermogines, Grabus, voluntary poor Hovhannes and Alexius

Tuesday, December 8            
Fast of St. James of Nisibis                 
Commemoration of Sts. Captain St. Kornelius, St. Shmavon, Christ’s Relative, martyred in Jerusalem, and Bishop
St. Policarpus of Smyrna and the holy martyrs of the East

NAME DAY CELEBRATIONS

Whenever you know a friend or loved one whose Name Day/Feast Day is soon to be celebrated, honor the person by presenting them with a lit candle saying, "Anoonovut abrees" or "Anoonovut dzeranas" ("May you grow old with your name"). Or you can simply say, “Happy Name Day!”

NAME DAYS celebrated this week: Minas, Hovhannes, Alexius (December 7), Kornelius, Shmavon (December 8), Mary, Mariam (December 9), Eugenius, Eugene (December 10), James, Hagop (December 12).

SUNDAY SCHOOL CONTINUES
WITH 1 PM ZOOM CONNECTION





Click here for more details

Your Sunday School teachers hope you can join us and your classmates for a Zoom connection this Sunday. As the school year unfolds, our No. 1 priority is to keep you and your families safe and healthy. For our 13th session of the 2020-21 school year, please join us on Zoom at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6, for a half-hour virtual get-together to talk about ADVENT and keep each other up to date on how things are going in these challenging times! The Feast Day for our church’s namesake is coming up, Christmas is around the corner and we need to get ready.

Meeting ID and Passcode for 1 p.m. Sunday
Meeting ID: 834 0245 4486
Passcode: ieNwj9

Dear St. James Parishioners,

This has been a year like none other.  The difficulties of the coronavirus and, now, the war in Artsakh, cannot adequately be described on paper.

And yet in 2020, our parish has persevered and accomplished so much.  Our on-line spiritual offerings began in March and include Holy Badarak as well as Prayers for Healing and Intercession to the Holy Martyrs.  In July, we safely began limited re-opening of St. James and in-person services.  Our young parishioners attended a much-praised “virtual Hye Camp,” and our Sunday School, Bell Choir and youth Zoom sessions are going strong, with socially distanced lakefront gatherings as weather permits.  We even staged our first-ever Virtual Street Fair!  Despite our physical separation, we remain united in spirit.

Click here to read recent letter from Der Hovhan and St. James' Parish Council.
Click here for the Membership Form.

 

SCHEDULE OF WORSHIP SERVICES IN DECEMBER

Wednesday, December 16  
Intercessory Prayer at 8:00 pm

Sunday, December 20         
Morning Service and Badarak

Sunday, December 27         
Morning Service and Holy Badarak
Commemorating St. Steven the Protodeacon
Deacons Dedication Service

FEAST OF  SAINT JAMES OF NISIBIS. NAME DAY CELEBRATION

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2020
Badarak begins at 10:00 am
Candlelight Requiem Service (Hokehankeesd)
for all deceased parishioners of St. James.

Please submit names for Hokehankeesd
to the church office by Thursday, December 10^th to be included in the Sunday Bulletin.

Click here to read the letter.
Click here for the form.

MONTHLY YOUTH MEETING
via ZOOM

Sunday, December 13 at 2 PM

Click here to join us.

Meeting ID: 938 614 7474

Questions? Want to participate?
Contact Youth Director
Ms. Irina Petrosyan at (630) 843-1304
or e-mail.

YOUTH BIBLE STUDY
via ZOOM

Thursday, December 3rd at 8 PM

Click here to join us.

Meeting ID: 938 614 7474

Questions? Want to participate?
Contact Youth Director
Ms. Irina Petrosyan at (630) 843-1304
or e-mail.

Our Sunday Badarak and well the daily prayer services are being livestremed on our Facebook page.

You can watch them even if you do not have Facebook account. All livestreams are available through our mobile app DESILK. 

St. James official mobile app, DESILK, is now available for both Adroid and Apple users

Anroid users can download the app from Google Play store or simply using this link.



Apple users can download it using this link.

 

Contact church office if you have any  questions or need an assistance.

ST. JAMES CELEBRATES 75 YEARS!
FOLLOWING OUR FAITHFUL FOREFATHERS

On February 26, 1945, St. James of Nisibis Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church was consecrated by His Eminence Bishop Tiran Nersoyan.  Over 75 years have passed since that day.  The newly emigrated families answered the challenge to build this parish with little more than faith and determination so that together they could worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Whether you are an extended member of a founding family or you have recently made St. James your spiritual home, we must all take a moment to remember those visionaries that came before us…Following our Faithful Forefathers.

Because of Covid-19, we are not allowed to gather together to celebrate our shared history at this important milestone during 2020, but we hope to have a celebration in 2021.  Rather, we will honor all those special people who helped form our parish through our annual Name Day Requiem Memorial Service (Hokehankisd) following Divine Liturgy on December 13, 2020 - the Sunday following the Name Day of our patron saint, St. James of Nisibis, who is officially remembered on December 12^th this year.

Click here to read the letter from Der Hovhan and The Parish Council.
Click here to print the form.

STEEPLE REPAIR PROJECT

Our spiritual home is in dire need of your help.  St. James has stood watch over the Armenian Community since 1944. The building has stood as a testament to God since 1896 and has deteriorated to the point that urgent repairs are required.

The brick facade of the steeple is separating from the wall; the mortar has crumbled and the windows are leaking into the vestibule of the church. Significant work is required to restore the structural integrity of the front of the building within and under the steeple.

These repairs need to be under way as soon as possible. Our community has always been protected by the shadow of the Holy Church. This is OUR opportunity to meet the church in her moment of need as she has been there for every one of our life events.

Make your secure donation here.

STAINED GLASS WINDOW RESTORATION PROJECT

St. James Armenian Church is in the process of restoring all the stained glass windows due to various issues; including individual stained glass pieces falling out, rotted exterior window wood, and glass pieces that are broken or were previously replaced with mismatched pieces.  These windows are original to the church.

We encourage as many parishioners as possible to participate, at any level your family wishes, so that you, your family and the entire parish can share in the legacy of this historic project. 

Each parishioner or family donating towards the altar windows will be recognized on a large group plaque.  The designations for the donor levels are:  Cherub ($1,000 to $3,999); Archangel ($500 to $999); Angel ($1 to $499).  

We thank all of those that have donated and we thank you in advance for your future donations.  If you have any questions, please call the church office at (847) 864-6263.

DIOCESAN E-NEWSLETTER

 

Click here to read the latest eNewsletter of the Eastern Diocese

St. James Armenian Apostolic Church
Rev. Fr. Hovhan Khoja-Eynatyan, Pastor
816 Clark Street, Evanston, IL 60201
www.stjamesevanston.org
office@stjamesevanston.org