The 122nd Diocesan Assembly of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America convened on Thursday, May 2, and continued through adjournment on Saturday, May 5, 2024. It was the second Diocesan Assembly to be presided over by Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, and the first since his consecration as a bishop last fall.
St. Mark Armenian Church of Springfield, MA, hosted the 122nd Assembly, with business and social functions taking place at the city’s Marriott Hotel. The weekend’s liturgical events took place at St. Mark Church.
The inaugural session was called to order on May 2. Delegates and guests were welcomed by host parish pastor Fr. Nigoghos Aznavourian and parish council chair David Jermakian.
A formal message from His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, was read to the delegates, after which Bishop Mesrop set the warm-hearted tone of the meeting with his welcoming words.
“We’ve come back together again with people we love,” he said, “in the arms of the spiritual home we all cherish—the spiritual home of the entire Armenian people: our Holy, Apostolic Church.”
In all, 148 parish representatives—clergy, parish council chairs, and Diocesan delegates—along with a substantial number of observers, gathered in person for the proceedings. Among the guests were two visitors from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin: Fr. Ruben Zargarian and Fr. Harutiun Kirakosian.
Elections and Reports
Under the guidance of Diocesan Assembly chair Diran Jebejian (St. Leon Church, Fair Lawn, NJ), business moved forward at a brisk pace. Serving alongside him were vice chair Thomas Garabedian and secretary Laurie Bejoian (both of Holy Translators Church, Framingham, MA).
Nominating Committee chair Gregory Saraydarian (Holy Martyrs, Bayside, NY) took to the podium to explain the secure method of voting that would be employed throughout the proceedings. Continuing an innovation that emerged from the experience of holding assembly meetings virtually during the pandemic, all voting was conducted using a secure online balloting platform.
The ballot was preceded by an official roll call of delegates, with the list of names read out by Diocesan Council member Dr. Garo Garibian (Holy Trinity, Cheltenham, PA). All offices were filled in a single ballot. (See below for the table of election results.)
As business went forward, Fr. Avedis Kalyajian (St. Mesrob, Racine, WI) presented the report of the Clergy Conference, which had met in the days prior to the main gathering. The delegates also heard a report on the Parish Council Chairs Meeting, which had immediately preceded the inaugural session. Jay Kapur (Armenian Church of Our Saviour, Worcester, MA) delivered the report on behalf of the assembled parish council chairs of the Eastern Diocese.
Diocesan Council chairman Richard Papalian (St. Gregory the Enlightener, White Plains, NY) delivered the report of the Diocesan Council, giving detailed information on the Diocesan operations, visualized graphically and projected onto display screens. Enhancing his presentation was an impressive Annual Report that had been printed for the delegates in advance of being distributed to the public.
The council report included remarks from the Interim Director of Diocesan Ministries, Fr. Hratch Sargsyan, as well as short presentations from the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA), Sacred Music Council, Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, and the Diocesan departments of Armenian Language Ministry, Children and Family Ministry, Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Multimedia Production, Communications, and Development.
In a departure from previous assemblies, reports from several Diocesan organizations were delivered during “breakout sessions,” in which groups of delegates rotated among different rooms to engage in small-group presentations and discussions. Presenters in this format included Aram Hintlian of the Ararat Youth and Conference Center; Fr. Mardiros Chevian of St. Nersess Seminary; Gregory Zorthian and Marie Vanerian of the Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF); and Bree Carriglio and Sarah Stites of the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), and its crowd-sourcing platform, “Ayo!”
In the general sessions, delegates also heard from Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director.
A special two-part presentation came from the St. Vartan Cathedral Renovation and Fundraising Committees. Richard Papalian walked the delegates through a detailed presentation on the large-scale project to renovate and restore the Diocesan Cathedral in New York City. During the previous assembly, the delegates had shown enthusiastic support for the comprehensive restoration projects, which has also been approved by the Diocesan Council and Board of Trustees.
The four-phase plan will (1) perform urgently needed immediate repairs to the cathedral’s roof and dome, (2) repair the cathedral’s exterior stone façade, (3) make mechanical improvements and update the interior systems of the cathedral structure, and (4) replace and repair the outdoor plaza and sidewalks. Phase 1 has been underway since the start of 2024, Richard Papalian said, illustrating his remarks with slides showing features of the structure in their pre- and post-repair states.
To address the fundraising needed to accomplish the project, Oscar Tatosian and Melanie Dadourian delivered an inspiring presentation on the efforts of the Fundraising Committee over the past year. They happily announced that the project has reached the half-way point to its ultimate goal of raising $28 million, and urged the attending Diocesan and local parish leaders to use the tools developed by the campaign—including printed posters and brochures; social media; and a website that explains the project, charts its progress, and provides a secure platform for contributions—in their home settings.
(Learn about and support the St. Vartan Cathedral Renovation campaign on its website: StVartan.org.)
Primate’s Addresses
In addition to presiding over the sessions, Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan delivered two sets of formal remarks during the Diocesan Assembly.
During Thursday’s session, the Primate addressed the delegates on the current state of the Eastern Diocese, offering his impressions of the previous year, and his plans for the months to come.
He touched on the recently-completed celebration of the Diocese’s 125th Anniversary, describing the activities that went forward throughout the year at St. Vartan Cathedral and in local parishes; thanking the anniversary committee co-chairs Bryan and Maria Stepanian; and screening a video shown at the April 6 Gala Banquet, titled “Letter from Home,” which dramatizes the words of advice given by Khrimian Hayrig, the Catholicos who established the Diocese of America in 1898.
Bishop Mesrop expressed the joy he felt when he was finally able to visit parishes in person, after regaining his ability to walk following his auto accident in the summer of 2022. With visible excitement he related that he had visited 45 parish communities in the past year, ordained more than 40 altar servers, and even consecrated a new church in Jacksonville, FL, named for St. Nerses Shnorhali.
In concert with these personal visits, the Primate also led “virtual visitation” meetings with church leaders in more than 30 local parishes. During these online gatherings, the pastors, parish council members, and Diocesan delegates of each community shared with Bishop Mesrop their successes and challenges.
Drawing on those conversations, the Primate gave an overview of the strengths and obstacles currently confronting the Diocese overall. He identified declining church attendance, a lack of volunteers in parish life, and concerns about youth participation as challenges faced by nearly every parish.
But balancing these, he observed, are advances in strengthening parish connections, engaging the youth via camp and ministry programs, and blossoming social outreach efforts in which parish communities interact with those in need.
Bishop Mesrop’s second formal address came on Friday morning, when he spoke on the Assembly theme, “Be My Witnesses”—a reference to Christ’s call to His followers to act on His behalf in the wider world (Acts 1:8).
In an engaging talk, the Primate encouraged listeners to live out their Christian faith more fully and visibly in their everyday lives.
“Witnessing is not just about speaking,” he said; “it’s about living. It’s about how you conduct yourself at home, at work, and in your community. Every day, we are given opportunities to be a testament to the love and grace of God through our actions. When we choose kindness over anger, patience over frustration, and forgiveness over grudges, we are witnessing the power of Christ in our lives.”
Several personal testimonies, including a video titled “By My Witnesses” produced by the Diocesan Ministries department, were presented after the Primate’s remarks.
Delegates then heard from a guest speaker: Orthodox Christian scholar Dr. Ann Bezzerides, of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Hellenic College, and the CrossRoad Institute, who led an illuminating “roundtable discussion” session titled, “Preparing Ourselves to be Witnessing People and Parishes.”
Final Blessings
The final Assembly session began with a requiem service for departed delegates, clergy, and Diocesan leaders who had passed away in the previous year.
It also saw the passage of a balanced revised budget for 2024 and a balanced budget for 2025—both introduced and explained in a detailed visual presentation by Diocesan Council treasurer Alex Topakbashian.
Two proposals were considered during the assembly. The first, which sought to make the choice of online participation a permanent feature of the Diocesan Assembly, was voted down by delegates. The second, which involved creating a “ministries liaison” position in each parish, was tabled until next year so it can be discussed in greater detail.
As the final session drew to a close, the delegates felt moved to formally express solidarity with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, as the Armenian homeland endures a period of trial and tension in the aftermath of war and ethnic cleansing in Artsakh. In a reply to Catholicos Karekin II’s message to the 122nd Diocesan Assembly, the delegates added these words of support:
“Vehapar Der: We the participants of the Diocesan Assembly want to make a special point in today’s current situation that we are more than deeply concerned by events in Artsakh, Tavush, and other regions, where Armenians, our churches, and civilization are threatened by ongoing genocidal efforts. We support the heroic role our church continues to play during these difficult times. We want to thank you for your leadership and express to you our strong support in the role of our church in protecting our heritage and our people against the onslaught of forces from outside our Armenian Christian faith. We remain committed to our role in support and defense of the right of Armenians throughout the world.”
Before adjourning the 122nd Diocesan Assembly, Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan reflected on the faithful men and women remembered in the requiem service—and renewed the tone struck at the start of the gathering, of gratitude and togetherness.
“As your Arajnort for two years now, I am inspired by your dedication and moved by your love for God, for the Armenian Church and for each other,” he told the delegates. “I feel more optimistic about the prospects before us than ever before. And having shared so much time and energy among you and our people this year, sharing our common heritage and faith, I feel more inspired, more uplifted, more eager to meet the challenges and build the future together: hand in hand, united in devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ, to our holy church, and to our people.”
Click here to view photos of the 122nd Diocesan Assembly sessions (by photographer Mano Baghjejian).
The 122nd Diocesan Assembly was also the occasion for the Annual Awards Banquet, the Diocesan Clergy Conference, and the 35th Women’s Guild Assembly. Look for expansive treatment of these gatherings in the near future.
The 123rd Diocesan Assembly, meeting in May of 2025, will convene in Bradford, MA, hosted by the Armenian Church of Hye Pointe, whose new sanctuary is scheduled to be consecrated in October of this year.
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Election Results of the 122nd Diocesan Assembly
122nd Assembly Officers
Dn. Diran Jebejian (Fair Lawn, NJ)—Chair
Thomas Garabedian (Framingham, MA)—Vice Chair
Laurie Bejoian (Framingham, MA)—Secretary
Diocesan Board of Trustees (10-year term)
Oscar Tatosian (Evanston, IL)
Nominating Committee (1-year term)
Laurie Onanian (Providence, RI)—Chair
Fr. Tadeos Barseghyan (Worcester, MA)
Fr. Guregh Hambardzumyan (Milwaukee, WI)
Lisa Kouzoujian (White Plains, NY)
Gregory Saraydarian (Bayside, NY)
1st Alternate: Steven Omartian (Springfield, MA)
2nd Alternate: Fr. Norayr Kazazian (Charlotte, NC)
Proposals Committee (1-year term)
Dn. Ara Jeknavorian (Chelmsford, MA)—Chair
Fr. Tavit Boyajian (Palos Heights, IL)
Michelle Babikian (Chicago, IL)
Dn. Serop Demirjian (Cleavland, OH)
Antranig Garibian (Cheltenham, PA)
1st Alternate: Bruce Ashbahian (Bayside, NY)
2nd Alternate: Peter Babigian (Watertown, MA)
Auditing Committee (3-year term)
Sarine Zenian (Washington, DC)
1st Alternate: Russell Kaishian (Milwaukee, WI)
2nd Alternate: John Hanamirian (Cheltenham, PA)
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