Major Feast Days in the Armenian Church

1-Christmas & Epiphany Epiphany  

The Armenian Church has seven sacraments:

Baptism: The rite, which admits a candidate to the Christian Church. According to St. Paul it effects and represents the believer’s union with Christ through which he participates in His death and resurrection (Rorn 6.4), is cleansed from his sins (1 Cor 6.11), incorporated into the Body of Christ and “made to drink of the Spirit” (1 Cor 12.13). Baptism is also called “the door of the Church”, because only baptized persons are allowed to receive other sacraments.

Confirmation: The rite whereby the grace of the Holy Spirit is conveyed to the new member of the Church. Washing with water, anointing with oil, and the laying of the hands all come to be associated with initiation into the fullness of Christian life. In the Armenian Church, the candidate’s whole body is anointed by Holy Muron.

Penance (Repentance)*: Of the earliest history of the Sacrament of Penance very little is known. By the third century, there had emerged a developed system of public Penance, which was regarded as a ‘second Baptism’. After the sinner, voluntarily or under the threat of excommunication, had asked the bishop for Penance, he was asked enrolled in the order of penitents, excluded from Communion, and committed to a severe course of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. At the and of a period whose length was determined by the gravity of sin, the sinner was reconciled and rejoined the congregation of the faithful.

Eucharist: The Sacrament of eating Christ’s Body and drinking His Blood. From the New Testament we learn that this Sacrament was celebrated by the early Christian community in Jerusalem and from a very early date the service was regular part of Christian worship, and was held to have been instituted by Christ, during the Last Supper. That the Eucharist conveyed to the believer the Body and Blood of Christ was universally accepted from the first.

Ordination: The Ministry of the Christian Church traces its beginnings to the Lord’s commissioning of the Twelve (Mt 10.1-5; Mk 3.13-19; Lk 6.12-16) to the work of the kingdom. This Ministry, so far from coming to an end at His death, received a new power and wider responsibilities after Pentecost (Acts 2.1-13). The Orders are divided into two groups: Minor (acolytes, exorcists, readers, doorkeepers) and Major (bishop, priest, deacon, subdeacon).

Matrimony (Marriage): Early Hebrew law assigned a low status to the woman (Deut 21.14; Ex 21.7). In His teaching about matrimony Jesus was concerned to restore it to its original place in God’s plan of creation (Mk 10.6-9; Mt 19.4-6) and insisted therefore that divorce was contrary to God’s will. Remarriage is excluded to underline the Divine intention that the union should be for life. The purpose of matrimony has traditionally been understood as threefold: fidelity, the procreation of children, and union of the parties in the marriage. Traditionally the rite of marriage consists of two parts: the betrothal and the marriage proper.

Extreme Unction (Final Blessing): Like the other sacraments, the anointing of the sick is also mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew 10.1; Mark 6.12-13; James 5.14-15). While this sacrament was used within the Church for a while, its practice was disputed since it is impossible to know when a person will pass away or under what circumstances. Taking into consideration the above circumstances, the Church included the Extreme Unction in the confirmation process for the sick, recommended repentance, confession, prayers and communion. This, of course, implies that the person should be conscious at the time of the administration. Extreme Unction should not be confused with the Roman Catholic last rite, which is administered to the dead.
* The acknowledgment and condemnation of one’s sins, coupled with a turning to God. True repentance springs from
love of God whom human sin rejects or offends. It includes sorrow for sin-committed confession of guilt, and the purpose of amendment.