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Welcome

“And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged; The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat [in Armenia].”  Genesis 8:1-4

Parev!  Welcome to the website for The Holy Virgin Mary & Shoghagat Armenian Church of Belleville, Illinois.  We are happy to have you as a visitor to our website.  We ask you to fully explore everything this website and our church has to offer.

Our parish was formed in 1956 in East St. Louis, Illinois as The Holy Shoghagat Armenian Church.  The church was later renamed in the 1990s to its current name.  We belong to the Orthodox family of churches, known as the Oriental Orthodox – or lesser Orthodox Church – because they are the Easternmost and smallest group of churches in the Orthodox family.

The origin of the Armenian Church dates back to the apostolic age.  The apostles Sts. Thaddeus and Bartholomew established the church in Armenia during the first century.  In fact, they went to Armenia within two years after the death of Christ.  St. Thaddeus’s mission lasted for a period of eight years (35-43 A.D.), and St. Bartholomew’s mission lasted for a period of sixteen years (44-60 A.D.).

Today, our church is a small parish of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America serving His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian.  Our Diocese is the largest in the Armenian Diaspora and falls under the jurisdiction of the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, Armenia currently occupied by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

We invite you and your family to come join us every Sunday morning for church services.  As we say in church, “We invite you to come to church and pray with us as we have been taught by our ancestors to pray.”  We know some people do not want to come to church every Sunday, but we ask you to please join us for as many church services and activities as you can.  This is one of the most important steps in becoming a Christian and strengthening your Christian beliefs.  More information about church services can be found by visiting our Schedule of Church Services.  Please visit our site regularly for updates.

Hopefully after exploring this website you will find it useful for your needs.  We have included a wide range of items from local interests and weather to issues in the Diocese and the Mother See.  If you have any questions or comments, please let us know by any of these methods.  We welcome your input to improve our ability to connect you with Christ!

By Email:    HolyShoghagat@sbcglobal.net  Attn: Webmaster

By Mail:      The Holy Virgin Mary & Shoghagat Armenian Church
c/o Webmaster
400 Huntwood Road
Belleville, IL 62226-1824

By Phone:   (618) 277-6400

Thank you and God Bless,

The Holy Virgin Mary & Shoghagat Armenian Church Parish Council

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