"Worthy and Right" An Online Course about the Armenian Divine Liturgy

January 7, 2010

"My flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." —John 6:55The Badarak is the heart of the Armenian Church's worship life.For the first time in its history, St. Nersess Seminary will offer an online course through its Global Classroom. The interactive course, entitled, Worthy and Right: The Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, will allow those who do not live near the New Rochelle, New York campus to benefit from the unique educational resources of the Seminary.

Live Streaming Video
The course will be taught by V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, the Seminary dean and Professor of Liturgical Studies. Fr. Findikyan will deliver 12 lectures beginning January 27. The lectures will be streamed live via the Seminary's website and also archived for later viewing. Those interested may also register for the online course and have access to a wealth of additional electronic resources available to exclusively to them via the St. Nersess website. The course is targeted those who would like to deepen their appreciation for the meaning and significance of the main worship service of the Armenian Church.

"Worthy and right" are the opening words of the Armenian Eucharistic Prayer, the magnificent invocation that is the heart of the Badarak, the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church. 

"My flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." 
—John 6:55

The Badarak is the heart of the Armenian Church's worship life

The Meaning of the Badarak
Fr. Findikyan's weekly lectures will address such questions as: What are the Biblical roots of the Badarak? How did the service develop? In what ways is the Armenian Divine Liturgy similar to, and different from the Sunday service of Protestant, Catholic and other churches? How do Armenian theologians and church fathers understand Holy Communion? What does the Badarak mean to me? Can or should theBadarak be reformed?

Each lecture will last one hour, and will be followed by 15 minutes for questions and answers. Those viewing the lectures from a distance will have the opportunity to transmit their questions to Fr. Findikyan live via "chat."

Center of the Church's Devotional Life
"I am really excited to open up the unique learning opportunities available at St. Nersess to a truly global audience," Fr. Findikyan said. "As the very center of the Armenian Church's devotional life, the Divine Liturgy is the ideal subject for our first online course. I will be offering the fruits of years of research on the Badarak, which I hope will help people to participate more meaningfully in this awesome communion with God."

Fr. Daniel Findikyan has been on the faculty of St. Nersess, his alma mater, for 12 years. For the past ten years he has served as Dean. He is recognized internationally as an expert in the worship traditions not only of the Armenian Church, but of all the ancient eastern churches. He serves as recurring Visiting Professor of Liturgical Studies at the University of Notre Dame and lectures periodically at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University. During the past year he lectured at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles) and at scholarly conferences in Sweden and Lebanon. He is the author of many scholarly articles and several books, including Frequently-Asked Questions on the Badarak: The Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, which will be released this Spring by St. Vartan Press

V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan will deliver 12 lectures on the meaning of the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church

Visit Global Classroom for Educational Resources
The Global Classroom area of the St. Nersess website contains a rich archive of audio lectures as well as other materials and resources such as the Sacred Music Lab, and the Sharagan page, where a complete English translation of the Sharagnots or Armenian Book of Hymns is under way by the Seminary faculty.

While anyone will be able to follow the weekly streaming videos, only registered students will have access to a variety of online materials available from the Distance Learning center of the St. Nersess website. These materials will include a complete glossary of terms contained in the Divine Liturgy; Armenian texts of prayers and hymns of the Divine Liturgy with English translations; charts and diagrams that Fr. Findikyan will refer to in his lectures; essays and notes written by Fr. Findikyan on various historical and theological themes related to the Badarak, and more.

First Lecture: January 27
Those wishing to have access to these materials are asked to register for the course online by selecting the Distance Learning tab on the Global Classroom area of the Seminary's website. Once there, select the course, Worthy and Right and follow the instructions there. Registered students are asked to make a donation of $75 to support the continued development of the Global Classroom.

Secure online payments can be made by clicking here or by personal check made out to St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and sent to the Seminary by mail. Upon receipt of the donation, students will receive by email the password to enter the electronic course.The first lecture will take place at the Seminary on Wednesday, January 27 at 7:30PM eastern standard time. Live streaming video will be available via a link on the home page of the Seminary's website. The title of the first lecture is: Ten Things You Should Know About theBadarak Right Now.

For further information or questions please contact the Seminary via email or by phone: (914) 636-2003.

Worthy and Right: The Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church
Schedule of Lectures and Topics

January 27
Introduction to the Course
Ten Things You Should Know About the Badarak Right Now


February 3
The Word "Badarak" Means Sacrifice

February 10
The Last Supper. The Lord's Supper. What the New Testament Tells Us

February 17
The Lord's Supper and the First Armenian Christians

February 24 - No Lecture This Week


March 3
The First Pillar of the Divine Liturgy: The Liturgy of the Word (Midday Hour or Jashoo Zham)

March 10
The Second Pillar of the Divine Liturgy: The Eucharist. The Eucharistic Prayer of the Armenians.

March 17
The Beginning of the Badarak: Vestments, Chalice, Penance, Processions and the Curtain.

March 24
"The Body of the Lord," The Procession with the Gifts, The Kiss of Peace, and Christ in Our Midst.

March 31 - Holy Week. No Lecture This Week

April 7 - Easter Week. No Lecture This Week


April 14
Holy Communion: What is It? What does it Do?

April 21
Who is Worthy? Holy Communion and Sinful Humanity.

April 28 - No Lecture This Week


May 5
Liturgical Reform in the Armenian Church. Can the Badarak be Reformed? Should the Badarak be Reformed?

May 12
Open Forum. Questions, Answers, and More Questions...