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Armenian Church of Florida 2021 Lenten Schedule & Programming
St. David Armenian Church (Boca Raton, FL)
- Sunday, February 14, 2021: Poon Paregentan: Morning Service at 9:30AM. Holy Badarak/Divine Liturgy at 10:30AM
- Sunday, February 21, 2021: Sunday of the Expulsion: Morning Service at 9:30AM. Holy Badarak/Divine Liturgy at 10:30AM
- Sunday, February 28, 2021: Sunday of the Prodigal: Morning Service at 9:30AM. Holy Badarak/Divine Liturgy at 10:30AM
- Sunday, March 7, 2021: Sunday of the Steward: Morning Service at 9:30AM. Holy Badarak/Divine Liturgy at 10:30AM
- Sunday, March 14, 2021: Sunday of the Judge: Morning Service – 9:30 AM, Holy Badarak/Divine Liturgy at 10:30 AM
- Sunday, March 21, 2021: Sunday of the Advent
- Sunday, March 28, 2021: Palm Sunday (see flyer below)
Friday Lenten Dinner will be held every week. See below and check back for more information posted weekly through Lent.
Schedule of Holy Week Services
- April 1 – Holy Thursday Remembrance of the Last Supper
- Holy Badarak 11:00 a.m.
- Washing of the Feet Ceremony (Vodunluva) 6:30 p.m.
- The Order Betrayal and Passion of Our Lord 8:00 p.m.
- April 2 – Holy Friday Remembrance of the Crucifixion of Christ
- The Order of the Crucifixion of Christ 12:00 p.m.
- The Entombment of Our Lord Jesus Christ 7:00 p.m.
- April 3 – Holy Saturday Easter Eve (Jurakalooyts)
- Holy Saturday Brunch & Easter Egg Hunt – for children 9:00 a.m.
- Divine Liturgy 5:30 p.m.
- April 4 – Easter Sunday Feast of Resurrection of Jesus Christ
- Morning Service 9:30 a.m.
- Divine Liturgy 10:15 a.m.
St. Hagop Armenian Church (Pinellas Park, FL)
Sunday, March 7, 2021: Lenten Divine Liturgy 10:00-11:15 AM
Arevagal Lenten Sunrise Service 11:15-11:45 AM
Sermon Series-5 Signs of Healthy Church Culture 11:45-12:15 PM
Fellowship with masks & distance 12:15-1:30 PM
Tuesday, March 9, 2021: Parish Council Meeting 6:00-8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 10, 2021: Virtual Discussion Group-Church Culture 7:30-8:30 PM
(participants must register in advance below to get link to join zoom)
Note to Online Worshippers: For Sundays of Lent, our livestream will begin 30 mins. later at 11:15 AM, and end at 12:15PM. We will livestream the beautiful Sunrise (Arevagal) service and the ‘5 Signs of Healthy Church Culture’ series.
Note to In-Person Worshippers: The time of in-person worship has not changed from 10:30AM-12:15PM. The choir & priest will start the closed curtain Lenten Badarak early in order to offer the beautiful Sunrise Arevagal service thereafter.
Sunday Sermon Series
Join us on Lenten Sundays Feb. 21-Mar. 21, in person or via livestream, to explore Bishop Daniel’s challenge to each parish in our Diocese: How to develop a church culture that best forms Christians of the Armenian Orthodox way? Presentation goes from 11:30 AM-12:15 PM. All are welcome.
Wednesday Virtual Discussion Group
Join us via zoom on Lenten Wednesdays Feb. 24-Mar. 24 from 7:30-8:30 PM for interactive follow-up discussions on developing a church culture that best forms Christians of the Armenian Orthodox way. Participants must pre-register click here to receive zoom link. Register once for any/all Wednesday sessions.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvdOuoqDMsE9E5GEs_2IREMh9d-LrYPAtm
Soorp Haroutiun Armenian Church (Orlando, FL)
Please join the Armenian community of Orlando every Wednesday evening starting at 6:30 PM for the Lenten Service at the Church or on Facebook Live now through March 28, 2021.
Lenten Bible Study will start at 7:15PM following the service in person and will be held using Zoom Meeting.
Launch Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6249377521?pwd=N3k3UzNKZXpQMlslZ3JWMmN6QzJzQT09
Meeting ID: 624 937 7521
Passcode: Church
St. Mary Armenian Church (Cooper City, FL)
Great Lent Prayer Services
All Lenten Prayer Services begin at 7:00 PM. Gospel Message will follow
- February 26: Lenten Prayer, 7:00 pm.
- February 28: Sunday of the Prodigal Son, Holy Badarak at 10:30 am.
- March 5: Lenten Prayer, 7:00 pm.
- March 7: Sunday of the Stewart, Holy Badarak at 10:30 am.
- March 12: Lenten Prayer, 7:00 pm.
- March 14: Sunday of the Judge. Holy Badarak at 10:30 am.
- March 19: Lenten Prayer, 7:00 pm.
- March 21: Sunday of the Advent. Holy Badarak at 10:30 am.
- March 26: Lenten Prayer, 7:00 pm.
- March 28: PALM SUNDAY and Youth Day. Holy Badarak at 10:30 AM
Armenian Blistered Eggplant Dip, aka Baba Ghanoush or Moutabal – A Lenten Recipe
By Robyn Kalajian
Florida Armenians Cuisine Contributor
Back in December we were pleased to see a recipe for ‘Armenian Blistered Eggplant Dip’ by Dayana Sarkisova in the Washington Post. Why did this make us happy? Because the recipe, also known as ‘Baba Ghanoush’ or ‘Moutabal’, is one that we love. We also enjoy the grilled zucchini version of this, Mama Ghanoush.
By the way, this is perfect for Lent, which begins on Monday, February 24th this year.
Here is The Armenian Kitchen’s version of ‘Armenian Blistered Eggplant Dip’
Here’s my version of ‘Armenian Blistered Eggplant Dip’ –
‘Baba Ghanoush’, or, ‘Moutabal’:
(Making this recipe a day in advance will allow the flavors to develop.)
Yield: about 1 ½ to 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 large purple eggplants
- 2 large cloves garlic, roasted and mashed
- ¼ cup chopped parsley or cilantro
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Aleppo pepper (freshly ground black pepper may be substituted)
- 1 tsp. ground sumac (sold in Middle Eastern stores)
- 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Rinse eggplant; pat dry. Using a paring knife or fork, pierce the eggplant all around.
Roasted eggplant.
Wrap 2 large, unpeeled garlic cloves in foil. Place pierced eggplant and wrapped garlic on prepared baking sheet. Roast for about 30-35 minutes or until eggplant and garlic are soft. To test for softness, insert the fork or paring knife into the eggplant. It should slide in without any resistance.
Using tongs, place eggplant on a wire rack to cool. Remove garlic from foil; gently squeeze softened garlic into a bowl and mash with a fork. Set garlic aside until ready to add.
Eggplant mixture before processing.
Once eggplant is cool enough to handle, put it on a cutting board, pull away the skin and discard. Roughly chop the eggplant, then place it in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients mixing to combine.
To make a semi-smooth mixture, puree it in a food processor for a few seconds, but don’t over-do it.
Return mixture to the mixing bowl to adjust seasonings, if necessary.
To Serve: Place eggplant dip into a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro. Add a sprinkling of sumac and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
It’s best served at room temperature with chips, crackers, vegetable sticks, pita bread triangles, or lavash.
Michink (Mid-Lent) Potluck Dinner
By Robyn & Doug Kalajian
FLArmenians Cuisine Contributors
The Women’s Guild of St. David Armenian Church in Boca Raton, FL has a special way of observing michink, or mid-lent – with a potluck dinner. This year our dinner will be held on Wednesday, March 13th in Mardigian Fellowship Hall. Each guild member is asked to bring a Lenten recipe large enough to serve 6 people. Attendees eagerly sample a wide variety of tasty, healthy Lenten recipes, while enjoying the camaraderie of everyone present.
Upon the conclusion of the meal, a brief service is conducted by the Very Rev. Father Nareg Berberian.
I don’t know what the other members will be bringing, but I’m planning to contribute one of the following green bean recipes; I haven’t decided which yet.
Option #1: A fresh and delicious way to prepare green beans.
Green Beans with Orange Dressing
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pound green beans, stems trimmed and cut in half
Dressing:
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garnish:
- 1/3 cup toasted unsalted pistachios, chopped
- 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves (or 1 tsp. dried mint, crushed)
Directions:
- Steam beans until tender (they should still be bright green), about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together orange zest, juice, salt and pepper.
- Place green beans in a serving bowl; toss with orange dressing.
- Garnish with a sprinkling of pistachios and mint. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Option #2: A reliable stand-by recipe.
Lenten-Style Green Beans
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs. Italian pole beans or string beans, fresh or frozen (defrosted)
- 1 cup tomato Sauce
- 1- 15 oz. can diced canned tomato with its liquid
- 1 cup water (more if needed)
- salt, black pepper, allspice to taste
- ¼ Tbsp. cayenne pepper, optional
Directions:
- In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sautė onions and garlic until the onions become translucent. Reduce heat to low. Add the beans, cover, and cook for about 15 – 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent burning. (At this point no liquid has been added.)
- Add the sauce, diced tomatoes, water and seasonings. Mix well; cover and cook on low for 30 minutes till the green beans are tender.
- Add additional water, and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Can be served hot or at room temperature.
Florida Armenians 