On Broadway in Providence
Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church stands on Broadway in Providence, Rhode Island, a few blocks west of the junction with Atwells Avenue where the city meets the older Italian-American neighborhoods of Federal Hill. The building, a former Episcopal church constructed around 1890, sits on the corner of Courtland Street and has been home to the Armenian community in greater Providence since 1940. The parish belongs to the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church and, through it, to the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, headed by Catholicos Aram I from the historic See in Antelias, Lebanon. On a Sunday morning, altar servers, parents, grandparents, and children file in for the Badarak, the Armenian Divine Liturgy, while classrooms upstairs and a busy kitchen downstairs, the same kitchen that produces trays of food for the annual Armenian Fest, hum with the rest of parish life.
From a 1933 Split to a Home on Broadway
The congregation that became Sts. Vartanantz began not in triumph but in rupture. The Armenian community of Providence had worshipped together for nearly twenty years at Holy Translators Church, established in 1913 and later renamed St. Sahag and St. Mesrob. In September 1933, a National Representative Assembly held in New York City produced political and ecclesiastical differences that could not be bridged. In Providence, the local fallout left some five hundred to six hundred families cut off from their church. Recognized as separated brethren, they were denied baptism for their children, funeral rites for their dead, and the comfort of the sacraments.
That same year, the new movement met in a hall at 935 Westminster Street. Under the presidency of the Reverend Matteos Mannigian, the attendees elected a first Board of Trustees: Garabed Khimatian as chairman, Vagharshag Toumasian as vice chairman, Boghos Melikian as secretary, Aharon Aghtzanian as assistant secretary, Hapet Sarkisian as treasurer, Aram Nalbandian as assistant treasurer, and Aharon Sarafian, Hampartzoom Hagopian, Bedros Jorjorian, Roupen Berberian, Boghos Ayvazian, Nishan Pashalian, and Artacky Berberian. The first action of the Board was to rent a church at 197 Broad Street, at the corner of Summer and Stuart Streets.
When Reverend Mannigian resigned in February 1934, the Very Reverend Ghevont Martoogesian served as temporary pastor. National delegates were elected at a membership meeting in August 1934 at the Mourad Club on Douglas Avenue. The young community moved twice more, to a rented Seventh Day Adventist church between Cranston and Burgess Streets in 1936, and then, after a hurricane destroyed that building in September 1938, into a serious search for a permanent home. A search committee headed by Artacky Berberian finally found the former St. James Episcopal Church at 402 Broadway. The membership voted on October 30, 1939, to purchase the building for $17,000, raising the price to $18,000 with a $6,000 down payment at a January 1940 meeting held in the new building. Mrs. Mary Markarian, a parishioner who had wished to be the church's godmother, saw her wish fulfilled on June 23, 1940, when the former Episcopal building was consecrated and renamed Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church. Within three years the mortgage was paid in full, and the parish's own artisans renovated the entire interior to give the sanctuary its present appearance.
Sunday Morning at the Badarak
On Sundays, the doors of the church open early. Morning Service begins at 8:45 a.m., and the Divine Liturgy, known in Armenian as the Badarak, follows at 9:30 a.m. and runs until about 11:30 a.m. The Liturgy is the central act of worship in the Armenian Apostolic Church. Its first part opens with the deacon's ancient declaration, "Let none of the catechumens and no one of weak faith, none of the penitents, nor the unclean, draw near to this divine mystery," a remnant of the early centuries when the unbaptized left the building before the Eucharistic portion of the service. The bread of Communion is unleavened, prepared from wheat flour; the cup is undiluted wine of the grape, consecrated through the Badarak. Communicants receive both bread and wine together, in contrast to the Roman Catholic practice of distributing only the bread. A first-time visitor will notice the centrality of incense, the chant of the sharagan hymns, the choir's responses, and the processions of the priest and deacons around the altar.
Services are livestreamed through the parish's YouTube channel and Facebook page, so members who are traveling or unwell can follow along. Publications such as the weekly E-Bulletin, called Gantegh, announce the coming week's services and parish events.
The Pastor and His People
The parish is led by the Reverend Kapriel Nazarian, known to his congregation as Der Kapriel or Der Hayr. Born in Providence in 1959, the eldest of three children of Charles and Gloria Nazarian, he grew up in the parish he now serves, beginning Sunday school at age four and joining the AYF Juniors as a young person. He served on the Board of Trustees, chaired property and fundraising committees, and was deeply involved with the Men's Club before answering a call to ordination that grew out of years in the parish Bible study group led by the previous pastor. He earned a Master of Arts in Theology from Providence College, studied for the priesthood in America and at the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, and was ordained an acolyte and sub-deacon in 2013, a deacon in 2014, and a priest on October 4, 2014, by Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan. He is married to Debra Ann Bellucci, who is active in the parish, and they have a son, Robert, who serves on the altar as a sub-deacon.
Retired Archpriest Reverend Father Gomidas Baghsarian continues to be honored at the parish. Born in Jerusalem in 1943, educated at Tarkmanchatz Varjaran at the Armenian Convent, ordained at the Datev Institute, and appointed pastor of Sts. Vartanantz in October 1999, he served the parish for many years and remains identified with it. The retired pastor's encyclicals allow him to wear the Lanchakhatch, or pectoral cross, and the Dzghgapilon, the floral cape of an archpriest.
The altar is served by a deep bench of acolytes, subdeacons, deacons, and archdeacons. The parish lists two archdeacons, Hagop Khatchadourian and Ara Nalbandian, along with Mark Norigian; deacons Arees Khatchadourian and Ari Nalbandian; and a large group of subdeacons and acolytes, with more young men currently in training for ordination. The layered ranks echo the traditional orders of the Armenian Church, where a candidate passes through grades of service before ordination as a deacon or priest.
Christian Education: Sunday School, Salt & Light, and the Wider Program
Christian formation is at the heart of the parish's ministry to its young people. The Sunday School is dedicated to bringing children and families closer to Jesus Christ while learning the faith, traditions, and heritage of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Teachers share what has been passed down since the time of the Apostles through example, faith, prayer, worship, love, and service, and they help children understand and participate in the Badarak. Each year, the program follows a schedule of monthly themes that align classroom work with the rhythm of the liturgical year. Registration is accepted through the church office.
For teenagers, the Salt & Light Youth Ministry was launched at Sts. Vartanantz in March 2019, the first year after the Eastern Prelacy introduced the program. Spring and Fall sessions meet twice a month on Monday evenings. Dinner is served at 6:00 p.m., and Der Kapriel joins the group for prayer and conversation. From 7:00 to 8:00, boys and girls break into separate groups where facilitators lead a discussion around a Bible passage and a thoughtfully prepared talk sheet. The facilitators include Armand Kibarian, Shakay Kizirian, Artur Arslanyan, and Jayne Zobian. In addition to the regular meetings, Salt & Light gathers for socials and service projects throughout the year.
The Christian Education Committee (CEC) coordinates the parish's wider formation. It runs the weekly Adult Bible Study and the parallel Youth Bible Study, both on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. from September to May. The CEC also sponsors Family Friday Nights, occasional evenings of fellowship that draw on a wide range of ages with separate programs for pre-teens, teens, and adults. Special events with guest speakers or performers are announced through the bulletin and parish mailings.
The Mourad Armenian Saturday School
Established in 1934 to give children of the community the opportunity to learn the language, history, and culture of their forebears, the Mourad Armenian Saturday School is one of the oldest continuously operating institutions of the parish. It meets every Saturday from September through May, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with classes from Pre-K through middle school. The curriculum covers language arts, conversational Armenian, social studies, geography, history, music, and arts and crafts. No prior knowledge of Armenian is required for enrollment; children must be four years old, ready to listen and learn, potty trained, and able to separate from their parents.
For the youngest children, the school offers the Dzapeeg-Tateeg toddler program, designed for boys and girls between eighteen months and three years. Each class is forty-five minutes long and is held every other Saturday at 9:15 a.m. from October through May, giving toddlers a gentle introduction to the Armenian language and to social play with their peers.
The school is supervised by the Armenian National Education Committee under the Eastern Prelacy, the Armenian Relief Society Eastern Regional Executive, the pastor, and the parish Board of Trustees. The principal is Lala Attarian. Each May, the school gathers for its annual hantes and Kindergarten graduation in the Aramian Auditorium, with the older students presenting the maps of Armenia and Artsakh, singing traditional songs, and reciting poetry from Barouyr Sevag and Jack Hagopian. A graduating student who returns to serve as a teacher's assistant is honored each year with the Maggie Nalbandian College Bound Scholarship, established by Drs. Ara and Betty Sadaniantz for worthy Mourad School graduates heading to college.
Bible Study and Lifelong Formation
The Adult Bible Study meets every Monday evening from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. from September through May, with Der Kapriel as teacher. The group works through Old Testament books and gives particular attention to the New Testament Gospels and the Letters of the Apostles. Participants are encouraged to bring questions and to look for connections between the text and daily life; the class is described as both a study and a fellowship. The Bible Study has long been a cornerstone of the parish's life of formation.
For those drawn to contemplative practice, the parish has hosted Centering Prayer workshops, gathering the faithful for instruction in the ancient Christian method of silent prayer.
Summer Bible Camp
Since 2005, the parish has run a weeklong Summer Bible Camp for children between the ages of four and twelve. The camp meets from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each summer, usually in July. Days begin with prayer in the sanctuary, led in turn by the older campers. After an opening gathering with Der Kapriel that introduces the theme of the day, the campers break into smaller groups for Bible time, arts and crafts, music, and singing. Wednesday is the traditional day for a field trip, chosen each year to connect the theme to the wider world. On the final day, the Men's Club hosts its annual barbecue on the church grounds, and the week closes with the camp's hantes. The Ladies' Guild and friends provide snacks and lunch throughout the week. Many former campers return as assistant counselors, a pattern the parish points to as a sign of the program's lasting impact.
The Choir and Armenian Sacred Music
Armenian liturgical music traces its roots to the fifth century and to the earliest works of St. Mesrob Mashdotz and Catholicos St. Sahag. Its pinnacle is the sharagan, the canonical hymn, of which hundreds were composed over the centuries. The most prolific author of sharagans was the twelfth-century Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali, the Graceful, who contributed several hundred of his own. In 1877, the Italian composer Pietro Bianchini arranged the Armenian Divine Liturgy for four-part mixed choir, and in 1915, the great Komitas Vartabed began a new interpretation that was completed by one of his pupils and published in 1933.
The Sts. Vartanantz Church Choir carries that tradition into the parish's worship today. Under the musical direction of Debra Pjojian, with assistant directors Alysha Melkoun and Hasmig Phillips, and supported by organists Alice Simonian-Buratti, Tigranouhi Oundjian-Minassian, and Raffi Rachdouni, the choir sings for the Badarak, weddings, funerals, and other religious observances. Membership is open to any parishioner who enjoys singing, and the choir is particularly welcoming to anyone proficient in piano or organ. Rehearsals are held the second Sunday of every month after church services, with extra rehearsals before major feasts such as Christmas, Holy Week, and Vartanantz Day.
Parish Organizations: Ladies' Guild, Men's Club, and the Food Fest
The Ladies' Guild assists the parish and the wider Providence Armenian community. The Guild hosts the Annual Church Membership Meeting Luncheon, the Sts. Vartanantz Day Dinner, the Annual Sook Dinner (which recognizes a member who has lost an immediate family member), the Lenten Dinner, the Easter Communion Breakfast, the Church Picnic, the "Hye Nite" dance in July, the Church Bazaar and Fest, the Armenian Christmas and Easter Communion breakfast for youth, and special fundraising lectures. The Guild meets every third Tuesday of the month, except in July and August.
The Men's Club describes its purpose as helping the church in all of her activities, with the motto "good guys doing good things while having a good time." The Club hosts the Blessing of the Grapes picnic, the Food Festival, the Vartanantz Day dinner, the Lenten coffee hour, and the Christmas party, and is always ready to lend a hand wherever needed. It also cares for the Armenian section of the Oakland Cemetery in Cranston, feeds the homeless at the Providence Rescue Mission four times a year, sends a work crew to Camp Haiastan in Franklin, Massachusetts, and cleans a stretch of Fruit Hill Avenue in North Providence twice a year as a thank-you to the town for flying the Armenian flag at Town Hall every April. Membership is open to men of the parish; dues are $20 a year.
The Armenian Food Fest, organized by a dedicated committee, is the parish's signature public event. Held each fall, the Fest draws on the talents of the entire community. Volunteers prepare traditional Armenian dishes, and proceeds support the work of the parish.
The Picnic Committee plans the annual parish picnic, which takes place on the Sunday of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God or a nearby Sunday. The day includes the traditional Blessing of the Grapes and the madagh, with Armenian food, music, and dance.
Affiliated Armenian Organizations
The parish is home to a remarkable constellation of Armenian organizations whose Providence chapters meet at or under the umbrella of Sts. Vartanantz. The ARF Providence Kristapor Gomideh chapter represents the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Homenetmen runs a Providence chapter for athletic and scouting activities. Two Armenian Relief Society chapters, the "Ani" and the "Arax," carry out humanitarian and educational work. The AYF Varantian chapter is the local arm of the Armenian Youth Federation. The Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island advances advocacy for the Armenian cause. Hamazkayin of Rhode Island supports Armenian cultural and educational initiatives.
Sacraments and Pastoral Care
Sts. Vartanantz offers the full cycle of Armenian Apostolic sacraments. Baptism is performed by immersion in water three times "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Children of Christian parents are baptized after eight or forty days of birth, in keeping with the ancient custom of the Church; adult catechumens are baptized at any age. The baptized person is immediately confirmed by the priest with holy oil, or meuron, a rite that the Armenian Church has preserved from the earliest centuries. A godfather or godmother, called a gunkahayr, sponsors the candidate and takes responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the one baptized.
The Sacrament of Penance, or Repentance, follows the biblical pattern of regret, confession, and restoration. Holy Communion, celebrated as part of the Badarak, is open to baptized and repentant members of the faithful. In the Armenian tradition, both the consecrated bread and the wine are received together.
The Sacrament of Matrimony, called the Crown or Besak, joins husband and wife as king and queen for the day. The priest performs the service according to the instructions of the Mashdotz, the Book of Ceremony. While divorce is not encouraged except in cases of fornication, and marriage between close relatives is forbidden, the Church permits second marriages and, with permission of the Holy See, third and fourth marriages as well.
Ordination is reserved to a bishop, who must be convinced of the candidate's worthiness and called by the people. The Order of the Sick, performed at the point of death, includes prayer, repentance, and Holy Communion, with the priest laying his hand upon the sick person and praying for strength and forgiveness. Unlike the Roman Catholic practice, the Armenian Church does not perform extreme unction, reserving the anointing of the hands and foreheads of clergymen for the moment of their funeral.
The Hokehankist, or Requiem, is offered for the departed. Requests can be made through the church office. Funerals are coordinated with the pastor and church staff; the Ladies' Guild hosts a Sook Dinner for guild members who have lost an immediate family member.
Hall Rental and Gatherings
The church's Upper Hall and Lower Hall are available for rental for events of all kinds, with rates that differ for members and non-members and a security deposit that is refunded after inspection. Hall rental requests are submitted through the church's online form.
Parishioners and friends can also support the church through online giving, with options for the General Fund, Outreach, Endowment, Artsakh Relief, In Lieu of Flowers, Stewardship, and seasonal appeals.
Belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church
Sts. Vartanantz is a parish of the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the six Oriental Orthodox churches, together with the Coptic, Syriac, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Malankara Orthodox churches. The Armenian Church traces its origins to the apostolic missions of Thaddeus and Bartholomew in the first century, and it proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of Armenia in 301, the first nation to do so. The Oriental Orthodox churches acknowledge the first three ecumenical councils, Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus, and follow the teaching of St. Cyril of Alexandria, holding that Christ has one nature at once human and divine. The Armenian Church formally rejected the Council of Chalcedon in 507 and has remained independent of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic communions ever since.
At the head of the Armenian Church are two Catholicates, that of All Armenians at Etchmiadzin and that of the Great House of Cilicia, together with the Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Constantinople. The parish belongs to the Eastern Prelacy of the United States, whose office was re-established in New York City in 1958 and which administers the Armenian Apostolic churches from the East Coast to the Mississippi. The Prelacy is under the jurisdiction of the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, headed by Catholicos Aram I, a member of the World Council of Churches since 1962 and one of the most active ecumenical voices among the Oriental Orthodox.
The parish follows the Armenian liturgical calendar, with the Nativity and Theophany celebrated together on January 6, the Resurrection observed according to the movable Paschal cycle, the Transfiguration (Vartavar) on July 23, the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God near August 15, and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross near September 14. The major fasting periods include the Great Lent, the Fast of the Catechumens, the Fast of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the Fast of the Assumption, and the Fast of the Nativity. The patron saints of the parish are Sts. Vartan and his companions, the Armenian generals and soldiers who died defending the Christian faith against the Persian king at the Battle of Avarair in 451, a sacrifice whose memory the parish carries in its very name.
Visiting Sts. Vartanantz
The church is located at 402 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909, at the corner of Courtland Street. From I-95 South, drivers take Exit 21, continue straight to the light at Broadway, turn right, and travel west for about three-quarters of a mile; the church is on the left. From I-95 North, drivers take the Broadway Downtown Exit 21, turn left at the top of the ramp onto Broadway, and continue about three-quarters of a mile; the church is again on the left. The church office, reached at 401-831-6399 or info@stsvartanantzchurch.org, is open during regular weekday hours. Sunday worship begins with Morning Service at 8:45 a.m. and the Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. Services are conducted in Armenian and English, in the tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and are livestreamed for those who cannot be present. Visitors are warmly welcomed.