Dear St. Mary Family,
On Sunday, September 13, our parish will celebrate Khatchverats (Խաչվերաց), the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Khatchverats is one of the five great Tabernacle Feasts (Daghavar) of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the most important of the four feasts dedicated to the Holy Cross. The name means “exaltation of the Cross” (khachi veratsum).
What we remember
In 614 the Persian king Khosrov II captured Jerusalem and took the True Cross—the Cross on which our Lord was crucified—into captivity. Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, joined by Armenian forces under the general Mzhezh Gnuni, recovered it. In 628 the Cross was carried in triumph back to Jerusalem, passing through the Armenian highlands. There the faithful raised it high and venerated it before it was restored to the Church of the Holy Resurrection on Golgotha.
The feast also recalls the earlier elevation of the Cross by St. James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem, who lifted it before the people with the words still heard in our liturgy: “Khachi ko Krisdos yergeer bakanemk” — “We bow before Your Cross, O Christ.”
Why it matters
What was once an instrument of shame and death became, through Christ’s victory, the sign of life, salvation, and triumph over death. On this day the Armenian Church proclaims that truth with special solemnity. The Cross is decorated with sweet basil (rehan) and carried in procession, and the Antasdan (blessing of the four corners of the world) is offered, asking God’s peace and protection for the whole earth.
A five-day fast traditionally prepares us for the feast. The Monday that follows is Merelotz, a day of remembrance for the faithful departed.
Khatchverats invites us not only to look back at history, but to lift high the Cross in our own lives—to see in it the source of our hope and the call to follow Christ with courage and joy.
Join us
Please join us for Divine Liturgy (Badarak) on Sunday, September 13. Immediately following Badarak, we will gather for a banquet. The cost is $50 per person, and children under 12 are free. Please RSVP to Vera Kabaklian at 949.293-5991 or email info@stmaryarmenianchurch.com with your name and the number of people in your party.
We look forward to celebrating this beautiful feast together as a parish family.
With love in Christ,
St. Mary Parish Council
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