His Eminence Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian
Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church of America
BRIEF BACKGROUND ABOUT THE WESTERN PRELACY OF THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF AMERICA
The year 2008 is the 35th anniversary of the Western Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America which was established in
1973. Previously, the churches and the schools in North America
functioned under one entity; The Armenian Prelacy (East, West and
Canada). The Prelacy was headquartered in New York. In the early
70’s, the Armenian community in California and the western United
States in general experienced rapid growth making it difficult for
the Prelacy in New York to follow and oversee the activities of the
churches and the schools on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, the
establishment of an independent Prelacy in each region was
necessary.
The Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church is
under the jurisdiction of the Catholicosate of the Holy See of the
Great House of Cilicia, which was established in the coastal city of
Antelias, Lebanon after the Armenian Genocide and the persecutions
of the Armenians from their homeland in Armenia and Cilicia in 1915.
The Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church has
its By-Laws that govern the churches and the schools of the Prelacy.
The Prelate is the head of the structure and presides over the
Religious and Executive Councils. Representatives of parishes form
the Representatives Assembly, which convenes at least once a year to
plan and execute the activities of the Prelacy, as well as the
Councils and the committees functioning under its auspices. The main
mission of the Prelacy is to preserve the traditions and the
cultural values of the Armenian Church and provide spiritual,
religious, and cultural services to the Armenian Community.
Four high-ranking clergymen have served as
Prelates since the establishment of the Western Prelacy, including:
Archbishop Sempad Lapajian (the first Prelate who help found the
Prelacy and served form 1973 to 1977); Archbishop Yeprem Tabakian
(1977-1985); Archbishop Datev Sarkissian (1985-1995); and Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian (since 1995).
The first headquarters of the Western Prelacy was in
Hollywood working from a small office on Santa Monica Boulevard.
Later on, as the activities of the Prelacy grew and spread to new
areas and western states, the Prelacy moved to a new office in
Hollywood on Russell Street. Presently, the Prelacy has acquired a
new office building in La Crescenta, Calif., which will house all of
the functioning committees and organizations under the auspices of
the Prelacy.
There are twelve churches and over a dozen schools (high
schools, elementary schools and pre-schools) that function under the
auspices and guidance of the Western Prelacy. The Mother Church of
the Western Prelacy is St. Garabed Church in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
The oldest of the churches is the Holy Trinity Church in Fresno,
which was founded in 1900 and is the first Armenian Apostolic Church
in the Western United States. The second oldest church of our
Prelacy is the Holy Cross Church in Montebello, founded over 80
years ago. The other churches are: St. Gregory (San Francisco), Holy
Martyrs (in Encino), St. Mary’s (in Glendale), Forty Martyrs (in
Orange County), St. Sarkis (in Pasadena), Armenian Apostolic Church
of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region, Armenian Apostolic Church
of Corona, Riverside County, the Armenian Apostolic Church of
the Crescenta Valley, and the Armenian Apostolic Church of Las
Vegas.
The Prelacy’s region in California extends from San
Francisco to Fresno, Los Angeles and Orange County. The Prelacy also
provides services and spiritual assistance to the Armenian
communities in other states in the western United States, including:
Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada.
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the Church of the Armenian people. The Armenian Community is involved in all of the day-to-day religious, educational and spiritual activities of the Prelacy, churches and schools. The community generously provides the financial and other means that allow the Prelacy to function. Being a non-profit organization, the Prelacy depends completely on benevolent donations of the philanthropists and members of the community.
After many years of commendable efforts, the Western Prelacy has a new headquarters, and has ensured that every parish has a permanent priest to serve the spiritual needs of the Armenian faithful throughout the West Coast.
