To view services, go to our webpage at www.stmaryyettem.org and click on the tab "Live Church Camera. On that page, click the link to view the services. A picture of the church will come on followed by a video box. You may have to click the play button in the center of the screen to begin the video stream. To fill the screen, move your cursor to the bottom right corner and click the double arrow. This system allows users to view services on any device including Windows=based machines, Macs, Linux, Chromebooks, Androids, Smart TVs, game units and smart phones.
July 2020 - St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Yettem is currently following State and County guidelines and not holding worship services indoors with parishioners in attendance. We are streaming services each Sunday. For August, September and most likely October we will conduct one outdoor service.
Parishioner Contacts
Please submit
your contact information to the church office.
His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the Primate of the Western Diocese, is being apprised of the situation and receiving updates from the front line. He is in regular communication with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenian as well as with all of his clergy. He has been in conference with the Armenian Ambassador in Washington DC and representatives of all Armenian organizations. As a member of the Pan Armenian Council he is coordinating aid efforts.
Accordingly, beginning immediately, Monday September 28, and continuing through the week until next Sunday, the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank will be open for prayer and candle lighting. At 8:00PM every evening organized prayers for peace in Artsakh and Armenia will be offered.
"We expect that our faithful people will come to pray, light a candle and stand in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Armenia," said Archbishop Hovnan. "We expect them to be generous in their offering to help the resistance effort at the Artsakh border. This is the latest and biggest human rights crisis we are facing, one which demands all of our attention and all of our assistance."
Other News
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Memorial Wall
A new column of 4 blocks is available The price is $200 per name.
A Very Special Day in Yettem
Announcements for Sunday, September 27
St. Mary Yettem Covid-19 Guidelines
14395 Ave 384 Yettem, California 93670 (559) 528-6892
Biographical Highlights of Rev. Father Mashdots Keshishian
Father Mashdots (baptismal name Garabed) graduated from the Theological Seminary of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in 2004, served as the Cantor of St. Hovhanou Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of Neos Kozmos in Greece during 2005, and served in the same capacity as the Cantor of St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church in Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon.
As a deacon, he married on April 30, 2011, with Maral Khandjian, then was ordained as a married priest by his Eminence Archbishop Kegham Khatcherian, Prelacy of Lebanon, on October 2, 2011, and renamed Father Mashdots.
After ordination as a Priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church in October 2012, he was appointed as the Pastor, Parish Priest of St. Mary Church of New Adana in Beirut, Lebanon. Additional duties performed by Der Mashdots at this time include serving as a member of the religious assembly of Clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church; administering Deacon Trainings; administering the choirs of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Lebanon; and conducting Bible Study in the St. Mary Church of New Adana.
In December 2017 Der Mashdots moved to the United States with his wife, Maral and their young son Hagop-Pegor. In March 2018, He moved to Portland Oregon with his family to serve as a Parish Priest of St. Kevork Church of Oregon.
Father Mashdots and his family will be moving to Visalia during the first weeks of September.
St. Mary Yettem Celebrates Our Grandparents
Your support is urgent!
Please donate here -
https://www.himnadram.org/en
Photos courtesy of Mark Wall, Linda Farsakian Wall, Janice McWilliams, Debbie Sheklian, Myron Sheklian
COMING SOON!!!!
Sunday School
Sunday School Classes are held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month
United in Solidarity with the People of Artsakh
Ladies Society Chairwoman Linda Farsakian Wall has collected, organized and submitted pictures of grandparents from our parishioners to help us celebrate Grandparents' Day 2020. May God bless our grandparents of today and those no longer with us.
Reverend Father Mashdots Keshishian was the celebrant of the Divine Liturgy for the first time as the newly named Parish Priest for St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Yettem on Sunday, September 13, 2020. On behalf of his Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, Reverend Father Vazken Movsesian greeted over one hundred faithful for “a great beautiful day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and of your new pastor being appointed” on a historic day for the parish.
The Reverend Fathers, deacons and sub-deacons began morning services without parishioners present inside the church before moving outside under the canopy of trees to celebrate the Holy Badarak. Father Vazken offered the day’s homily where he stressed that the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a feast of newness. His message served as a backdrop of the day where he suggested with a new priest, parishioners have a new start and that the newness must not end with the day. “Get to know him and he will get to know you” he recommended.
In his remarks, Father Mashdots expressed that it was a great honor and a privilege to be a part of such a day of magnitude in the life of the church and this was a new beginning to grow spiritually. He stated, “that for this reason we will work hand-in-hand to grow this beautiful church.” He concluded by extending his “deep gratitude to my beloved Surpazan for entrusting me to serve as your new parish priest” and promised to do his best to serve this historic parish. Der Mashdots also expressed his appreciation to the St. Mary Parish Council and the Ladies Society.
Following the services, the ACYO hosted a bake sale of breads and pastries and the Ladies Society sponsored an annual special brunch in honor of Grandparents’ Day. The Ladies Society also presented Der Mashdots, Yn. Maral and son Hagop-Pegor with gifts welcoming them to Yettem.
Members of the Ladies Society from Victorville made a pilgrimage to Yettem to join in on the day’s celebration.
Sunday Services:
Morning Service at 9:45 AM
Divine Liturgy at 10:30 AM
What is WD168??
One of the many ministries of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America is a weekly internet channel and program entitled "WD168". The host of this informative program is our special Yettem friend, Father Vazken Movsesian. Father Vazken begins each episode explaining that "God gives us 168 hours every week to live, love and enjoy." If you have never watched these before, you should. The programs are lively, informative and educational as Der Vazken shares activities going on throughout our Diocese.
In recent episodes, including the latest released today, Father Vazken has included news featuring St. Mary Yettem. CLICK HERE to hear his remarks about this past Sunday where we celebrated the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, welcomed our new priest Father Mashdots Keshishian, and honored grandparents. You can watch previous episodes at https://www.wdacna.com/videos
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Father Mashdots Keshishian Named Parish Priest for Yettem
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It’s been a busy past two weeks around church as Father Mashdots has been hard at work learning all that he can about his new parish. Having the opportunity to work with him daily has I have, I can tell you that he is a very caring individual that has a lot of great ideas on how we can further strengthen our congregation. A constant theme throughout this time together has been that “together we can accomplish” whatever the task is at hand.
This Sunday, We will be having a Deacons' Service starting at 10:30. Father Mashdots most likely has a cold, but we are not taking any chances. We are working toward ways that might allow outdoor services to take place on a regular basis until we can again worship together indoors. You can be virtually present by going to our camera at http://stmaryyettem.click2stream.com or by visiting our Facebook page.
We have some outdoor events coming up in October that we hope you will attend. On October 9th and 10th we will be holding our annual Campout and Sunrise Service. After the service and breakfast on the 10th, we will have a work party to freshen up the grounds before our next outdoor service. Look for fliers on our website, Facebook page and in the monthly bulletin.
Then on Sunday, October 18th we will have the privilege of having His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Rev. Father Vazken Movsesian and deacons from throughout the Western Diocese joining us for services. His Eminence will be the celebrant of the Divine Liturgy and offer the day’s sermon. We will be serving a fantastic lunch after the services.
As we get closer to those two weekends, we will share more details. Both events are an excellent way to meet Der Mashdots and his family and for them to get to know you.
St. Mary Live on Internet
Dear Faithful People of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Late Saturday night and early Sunday morning we were once again outraged, infuriated and incensed by the acts of war perpetrated by the Azeris up and down the Artsakh border. The attacks against the peaceful people of Artsakh were unprovoked and prompted immediate reaction by the government of the Republic of Armenia. Throughout the world people are calling on political leaders to stop Azerbaijan from committing these barbaric crimes and demanding that Turkey stop supporting this fighting.
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church of Yettem
For more information go to the Western Diocese webpage at:
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It is with great joy and appreciation that we announce that Reverend Father Mashdots Keshishian has been named as our parish priest for Yettem beginning on Sunday, September 13, 2020.
The St. Mary Parish Council began serving in the capacity as a priest-seeking committee shortly after it was announced that Reverend Father Zaven Markosyan was moving to Southern California to serve as Parish Priest for St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church of Santa Clarita. Seeking guidance and approval from His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian we looked for possible candidates from both the Western and Eastern Dioceses of the Armenian Church.
On August 3, 2020, we sent a formal request to Surpazan Hayr humbly requesting that he consider appointing Der Mashdots as Parish Priest of Yettem. Many have commented on how quickly the process went because there were initial concerns we would be without a parish priest for quite a while. We owe gratitude to Surpazan for his tremendous concern for the well-being of our parish in honoring our request.