The St. Nersess Armenian Spirituality Series is an undertaking of the Seminary faculty. Prayers, sermons and spiritual reflections by the great saints and teachers of the Armenian Church are presented in English translation with brief introductions. Drawn from the deep roots of the Armenian spiritual tradition, these small volumes offer readers ancient doors to a modern awareness of God’s presence.
- Twelve Saints – Twelve Prayers of the Armenian Apostolic Church [1998, 2001]
A selection of twelve prayers, each written by a prominent saint of the Armenian Church, whether native or adopted. The booklet is intended for private devotion, contemplation, and as a call to grow in the apostolic faith of our forebears. The prayers also serve as maps for our journey to God, uttered by saintly sojourners who knew the spiritual territory, and having arrived, now call us to join them. - Daily Prayers for the Week by Hovhannes of Garni (ca. 1180-1245) [2001]
The seven Daily Prayers of Hovhannes of Garni are penitential in spirit. They dwell on our human weakness and sinfulness. Like their biblical models they are rooted in the contrast between the righteousness of God and the sinfulness of humanity. The uplifting prayers demonstrate that true penitence is not an exercise in self-pity but is rather an appeal to God for salvation. - Hymns and Odes in Honor of St. Gregory the Illuminator [2001]
The poems and hymns presented in this booklet express the awe which centuries of Armenian Christians have felt as they thought about the life and figure of St. Gregory. Armenia’s Illuminator is in truth one of Christian history’s most spectacular examples of fruitful endurance for the faith. The life of Gregory remains a source of inspiration for all traditions and times. - Prayers of Catholicos Simeon Yerevants‘i (c. 1710-1780) [2005]
According to Simeon, prayer opens the door to God’s miraculous work in the world and can be practiced by anyone. There is no need for one to be a spiritual athlete in order to pray. Sickness, sin, need, sorrow, joy and thanksgiving can all be brought to God in prayer, which is a way of seeking God’s company in any situation. The Prayerbook of Simeon, from which these prayers have been translated, was the very first book ever published by the printing press of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin in 1772. - Prayers of Healing from the Spiritual Treasury of the Armenian Church [2007]
Often the occasions in life when we most feel the need to pray are moments when prayerful words fail us. This collection of prayers for healing, edited and translated from the Armenian Church’s liturgical and patristic heritage, are intended to provide time-proven words of prayer for those moments when we, and those we love, are suffering from illness and despair. The prayers are accompanied by full-color reproductions of medieval Armenian manuscript illuminations.
Other volumes scheduled to appear:
- Prayers of St. Ephrem the Syrian
- Evening Hour Prayers (Yeregoyan Zham)