Join us in celebrating one of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church—the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.
Morning Service begins at 9:30 A.M., followed by the Solemn Badarak at 10:00 A.M. at St. Mary Armenian Church, Livingston, NJ.
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Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God
Each year, on the Sunday closest to August 15, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary, the Holy Mother of God. This is the fourth of the five major feast days observed in the Armenian Church calendar, and it is the oldest one dedicated to St. Mary.
While the Holy Bible offers limited information regarding the life of St. Mary, the story of her Assumption has been preserved and passed down through the Holy and Sacred Tradition of the Apostolic Church.
After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Holy Virgin remained in Jerusalem under the care of St. John the Evangelist. For nearly 12 years, she lived a life of prayer, fasting, and devotion, often visiting the empty tomb of her beloved Son. During one of these visits, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her, announcing her imminent assumption into heaven.
St. Mary shared this divine message with her relatives and the Christian faithful, requesting to be buried in the valley of Gethsemane. She also asked the Apostle John to celebrate the Divine Liturgy so she could receive Holy Communion one final time. After receiving the sacrament, she returned to her room. As the Apostles prepared to mourn her passing, St. John asked the Holy Mother to leave behind an image of her face on a wooden board. St. Mary crossed herself, pressed the board to her face, moistened it with her tears, and prayed that it would bring healing to those afflicted with illness.
As the Apostles gathered around her, a radiant and indescribable light filled the room, and the Son of God, accompanied by the angels of heaven, appeared. In the presence of her Son, St. Mary departed from this world.
The Apostle Bartholomew, who was absent during the burial, returned to Jerusalem and expressed his desire to see St. Mary one last time. At his request, the Apostles opened her tomb but found it empty. True to His promise, Jesus Christ had taken His mother into His heavenly kingdom. To comfort St. Bartholomew, the Apostles gave him the miraculous board of St. Mary.
According to the historian Moses of Khoren, St. Bartholomew brought the board to Armenia, where it was kept in the province of Andzav, in a place called Darbnots. Years later, a church was built there in honor of St. Mary, and a convent was established.
The Feast of the Assumption is also marked by the Blessing of the Grapes ceremony, during which the harvest is offered to God and blessed for the entire year.
The Armenian Church holds St. Mary in deep reverence. She is venerated not only as the Mother of God, but as a model of virtue, humility, and devotion. Her honesty, purity, and selfless dedication make her the embodiment of pious motherhood and the protector of family holiness. Armenian women, in particular, look to her as a spiritual role model and intercessor.