St. James Armenian Church

St. James Hye Cafe
2026-01-09 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | St. James Armenian Church, 465 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, MA, 02472, United States
Save the date and join for Hye Cafe, featuring delicious Armenian food, fellowship, and live Armenian music!
Doors open at 6:15pm – Kitchen opens at 6:30pm.
Table reservations for parties of 6 or more may be made by calling the Church office at 617.923.8860 no later than 4pm on Thursday, January 8th.

Men's Club Monthly Dinner & Fellowship
2026-01-12 18:30 - 20:30
All are welcome to a joint gathering of the St. James Men's Club and the Knights of Vartan. With guest speaker Raffi Barsamian. Having recently spent the past year living in Jerusalem, Raffi will share his reflections on life in the Armenian Quarter, the history of the Armenian presence in the city, and the current political climate.
6:45 pm Losh Kebab and Kheyma Dinner. Speaker to follow. $25 per person. All are welcome.

Women's Guild Dinner Meeting & Service Project
2026-01-15 18:30 - 20:30
Thursday, January 15 - Women of all ages are welcome! Join us for our January gathering, which will include dinner and a service project.
We will partner up with St. James Cares to prepare shelf-stable soup kits for donation to the Watertown Food Pantry.
$20 per person. Please RSVP to Laura Bresnee (information can be found in the flyer.)

Fitness Class Fundraiser
2026-01-21 19:00 - 20:00
All are welcome! The ACYOA Seniors are hosting a Group Fitness Class Fundraiser on Wed, January 21st to benefit the 2026 ACYOA Seniors Sports Weekend. The class will be led by Certified Personal Trainer Anastasia Bohajian. Join us for a beginner friendly workout open to all fitness levels!
This fundraiser will take place in the Charles Mosesian Cultural & Youth Center’s Keljik Hall. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Class begins at 7 pm. Open to all, ages 16+. A waiver must be signed in person prior to the class.
$25 per person. Please click here to RSVP. Contact Katrena Daldalian with any questions.

Town Hall Meeting
2026-01-25 13:00 - 14:00
Parishioners are invited to a Parish Town Hall meeting on Sunday, January 25th at 1:15 pm in the Charles Mosesian Cultural & Youth Center’s Keljik Hall.
Join us to hear about recent updates, and share feedback as we vision and plan for the future of our parish together. Your insight and questions are essential as we look ahead to the 100th anniversary of our St. James parish, and beyond.

St. James Winter Ball
2026-01-31 19:30 - 23:30
Saturday, January 31 - Join us for a St. James Winter Ball featuring live Armenian music by the Yerakouyn Band (Shant Massoyan, Raffi Massoyan, and Steve Vosbikian) and international music by DJ Rams!
Proceeds will benefit the 2026 ACYOA General Assembly & Sports Weekend hosted by the St. James ACYOA Seniors. Mezze included. Cash Bar. View flyer.
Open to the community - all are welcome!
Advance Purchase Only by January 25th.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE.

Book Club Gathering
2026-02-04 19:00 - 20:30
**Rescheduled to Wednesday, February 4th due to snow.**
We are pleased to announce that our next St. James Book Club gathering will take place on Monday, January 26 at 7pm. We will discuss The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox. For planning purposes, please RSVP to Yn. Natasha by e-mail or text. All are welcome!

St. James Hye Cafe
2026-02-06 18:30 - 20:30
Save the date and join for Hye Cafe, featuring delicious Armenian food, fellowship, and live Armenian music!
Doors open at 6:15pm – Kitchen opens at 6:30pm.
Table reservations for parties of 6 or more may be made by calling the Church office at 617.923.8860 no later than 4pm on Thursday, February 5th.

Vartanantz Community Commemoration
2026-02-12 18:30 - 20:30
Thurs, February 12 - Community Commemoration of the Feast of Sts. Vartanantz. This year's gathering will be held at St. James, with the participation of the Boston Area Armenian Churches, and the Knights and Daughters of Vartan Ararat Lodge and Arpie Otyag.
6:30 pm Vespers Service, followed by a special musical program on the occasion of the 110th Anniversary of the Knights of Vartan. Dn. Asatur Baljyan, Choir Director. Traditional Harissa Dinner & Reception to follow.
View flyer here. Open to the public. All are welcome.

Soup Lunch Fundraiser
2026-02-15 12:30 - 13:00
Warm up on a winter day with Madzoon (yogurt) Kufta Soup, boreg, and a sweet treat for $10 per person.
Hosted by the St. James Craft Group - all proceeds will help offset expenses for their parish winter outreach effort.
Immediately following Church services, prior to the Town Hall Meeting. All are welcome.

Weekly Lenten Vigil Service & Lenten Dinners
2026-02-18 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-25 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-04 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-11 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-18 19:00 - 20:00
Wednesday evening vigil services will take place weekly during Lent at 7:00 pm. The first service will be held on Wednesday, February 18. Services will be conducted in Armenian and English. All are welcome.
Lenten Dinners will once again be held each Wednesday beginning at 6 pm, prior to the Lenten Service. A $10 donation is requested.

Women's Guild February Meeting
2026-02-19 18:30 - 20:30
Women of all ages are invited to become members of our St. James Women's Guild! Join us for our February gathering. Please RSVP to Laura Bresnee.

Khash Breakfast
2026-02-21 09:00 - 13:00
Join us for a traditional Armenian Khash breakfast! Khash is a hearty bone-broth style soup, served with crispy lavash, garlic, salt, and more. Due to the long process involved in its preparation, fellowship gatherings around the khash table are also part of the tradition. All are welcome. View flyer.
Advance reservations are required by February 14th. $75 per person, includes khash, continental breakfast, and dessert. Please RSVP online at this link or in the Church office.

Blessing of Children Service
2026-02-22 11:30 - 12:30
Each year, on the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple, it is a custom in the Armenian Church for parents to bring their newly-born babies to the Temple of the Lord to present the child to God.
In keeping with this tradition, we invite all parents wishing to receive a blessing for their child for a special blessing immediately following church services.
All are welcome to take part in this ancient and meaningful tradition. Please RSVP to Tina Panian.

Real Life. Real Issues. A Bioethics Course
2026-02-26 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-05 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-12 19:00 - 20:30
SAVE THE DATES - We are pleased to announce the return of our Bioethics course at St. James. The "Real Life. Real Issues." course will be held on 3 consecutive Thursday evenings beginning February 26th. Full details to follow. All are welcome.

St. James Kids Gathering (Ages 5-9)
2026-02-27 17:00 - 19:00
Introducing a new fellowship opportunity for parish children ages 5-9 and parents! Join us for a casual small group gathering on Friday, February 27th from 5-7 pm. View flyer for full details.
RSVP is required for planning purposes, and space is limited. Please click here to RSVP.

Little Saints Gathering
2026-02-28 10:00 - 11:00
The next Little Saints gathering will take place on February 28th at 10 am. All children birth through age 4 are welcome to attend with a parent or grandparent. Gatherings include open play, arts & crafts, a trip to the Sanctuary, and circle time in Church with an object lesson.
Click here to register and RSVP (new and returning families.)

Men's Club Monthly Dinner Meeting
2026-03-02 18:15 - 20:30
Monday, March 2 - Men's Club Monthly Dinner & Gathering with Guest Speaker Brett Dean, President and CEO of Watertown Savings Bank.
6:15 pm Mezze. 7:00 pm Dinner. $25 per person. All are welcome.

Hye Cafe With Lenten Menu
2026-03-06 18:30 - 20:00
Friday, March 6- Join us for delicious Armenian food, fellowship featuring a Lenten Menu of baked haddock, imam bayeldi, vospov kheyma, and more.
Dine-in and take-out available.
Doors open at 6:15pm – Kitchen opens at 6:30pm.
Table reservations for parties of 6 or more may be made by calling the Church office at 617.923.8860 by 4pm on Thursday, March 5.

Annual Parish Assembly
2026-03-08 13:00 - 15:30
The 2026 Parish Assembly, the annual meeting of our church, will take place on Sunday, March 8 at 1:00 pm.
Elections will be held for Parish Council, Nominating and Auditing Committees. All 2025 Dues-Paid members are encouraged to attend and participate.
Copies of the Annual Report book will be available for dues-paid members to pick up after Church services on Sunday, March 1st or in the Church office beginning on Monday, March 2nd.
To request a copy by mail (dues-paid members), please contact the Church office.

St. James Women's Lenten Retreat
2026-03-14 09:00 - 14:00
SATURDAY, MARCH 14 - Women of all ages are warmly invited to the St. James Women's Lenten Retreat - hosted by our Women's Guild - for a day of reflection, connection, and restoration. 9am-2pm. RSVPs are required for planning purposes. View flyer.
Please RSVP by March 9th using this link, or by contacting Yn. Natasha via e-mail or phone.

Book Club Gathering
2026-03-16 19:00 - 20:30
Our next St. James Book Club gathering will take place on Monday, March 16 at 7pm. We will discuss The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. For planning purposes, please RSVP to Yn. Natasha by e-mail. All are welcome!

Easter Baking Sessions
2026-03-19 09:00 - 13:00
The Easter preparations continue! All are welcome to lend a hand at two baking sessions this month. Help our Women's Guild members bake manti and delicious choreg for their Easter bake sale, Easter Sunday fellowship, and other events! No prior experience necessary. Lunch will be served.

Yoga Class Fundraiser
2026-03-19 19:00 - 20:00
Thursday, March 19 - All are welcome! Join us for an all-levels yoga flow class designed to help you stretch, strengthen and relax! Class Instructor: Arev Kazanjian. Organized by the St. James ACYOA Seniors to benefit this year's 2026 ACYOA Senior General Assembly & Sports Weekend. $25 per person. View flyer. Please RSVP here.
