Please contact the Church Office directly for service requests:
(619) 284-7179 or info@stsarkischurchsd.com
Services are conducted by the Parish Priest,
Very Reverend Fr. Pakrad Berjekian
Baptisms
Baptism is the first Sacrament; a person who is not baptized cannot receive other sacraments. Immediately after the baptism, the sacraments of confirmation and Holy Communion are administered.
Baptism is the Sacrament through which the believer is absolved of sins, is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, becomes a Christian and attains adoption by God. The Armenian Church accepts as authentic the baptism of those Churches, who confess the Holy Trinity and baptize people in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. If a believer, who has been christened in an Orthodox, Catholic or other Church, wishes to become a member of the Armenian Church, he does not need to be baptized for a second time.
One needs a godfather for baptism; the latter should guarantee the faith of the person being christened before the Church and take him/her under his charge and educate the person according to the right faith. Baptism should take place in the Church. But in those places, where there are no Churches or in the case where the person to be baptized is seriously sick, it is allowed to perform the baptism at home or in some other proper place.
Weddings
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony or marriage is the consecration of the union between a man and a woman for life in lawful marriage. By mutual accord of the man and the woman, they are united together with a spiritual bond to each other and to the Church.
Marriage mandates not only God’s orders, but it also demands life commitment of the married man and woman toward each other. The divine initiative and the moral foundations set by Christ make marriage a Holy Sacrament. Jesus followed His Father’s initial creation and granted it His sanction and endorsement, emphasizing the inseparable unity between the husband and wife.
Funerals, Memorial Services, Graveside
The Armenian Church’s funeral rite consists of three services that take place at the Home (Dan Gark), the Church (Yegeghetsvo Gark), and the Cemetery (Kerezmanee Gark), respectively.
Hokehankisd Requests
Hokehankisd (Repose of Souls) may be requested in memory of deceased family members. Traditionally, this special service is requested on the 40th day of passing (karasoonk), first anniversary, name days, and other anniversaries.
Arrangements for Requiem Hokehankisd Services, which may include altar flowers, altar candles, and fellowship hour, must be made through the Church Secretary or Pastor no later than Friday at noon by calling the Church Office at (619) 284-7179. Please have the name(s) of the deceased the service is requested for as well as the names of those requesting the service ready at the time of your call.
Home Blessings
A beautiful tradition in the Armenian Church which emphasizes the importance of the home and family is the home blessing service. This tradition has its roots in Apostolic times when filled with the joy of our Lords’ Birth (Nativity) or Resurrection (Easter) the Disciples and followers of Jesus would go to the houses of all the faithful bringing the blessing of the Good News to their homes. The beauty and the significance of the home blessing is the imparting of God’s protective power over the Christian home, with all its gifts and the family who dwells therein. At the conclusion of the service it is a custom in some communities for the priest to present the family with “nushkhar,” a round, unleavened Communion wafer, which symbolizes our Lord’s presence within that household and His protective seal over the family.
Blessings for the Sick
The Orthodox and Catholic Churches acknowledge the Unction of the Sick as the seventh sacrament. It is officiated upon people who are very ill and rely on God’s mercy and belief that the Holy Oil will quicken the recovery or in the case of inevitable death, the oil will alleviate any death-related sufferings. In the administration of the Sacrament, the clergyman prays and reads the Gospel of healing, blesses the individual, and then offers communion. Thus, both the body and the soul of the individual find peace and healing.