With Diocesan Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan visiting Armenia to meet with His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenian, Diocesan Vicar Fr. Simeon Odabashian has represented the Primate and the Eastern Diocese at special gatherings among our sister churches.
On the evening of July 3, Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director, and Fr. Odabashian attended the pre-consecration Vespers Service at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, in New York City.
For the Greek Orthodox community, it was a greatly anticipated occasion. The original St. Nicholas Church was destroyed in the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001; it was the only house of worship lost on that infamous day. The magnificent new church that now occupies the site at “Ground Zero” in Lower Manhattan is the result of two decades of effort, marshalling support from the national and international Greek Orthodox community.
Archbishop Elpidophoros, leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who led the Vespers service and the consecration on July 4, warmly welcomed the Armenian clergymen and asked them to convey his brotherly good wishes to Fr. Parsamyan as he begins his new role as Diocesan Primate.
A week later, on July 10, Fr. Odabashian and Fr. Diran Bohajian (pastor of St. Leon Church in Fair Lawn, NJ) represented the Diocese and Primate at the Mass celebrated by His Beatitude Raphael Bedros XXI, Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia for Armenian Catholics, on his first pastoral visit to the U.S. since assuming that role in the fall of 2021.
The service took place at Sacred Heart Armenian Catholic Church in Little Falls, NJ. Fr. Odabashian and Fr. Bohajian attended at the invitation of Bishop Michael Mouradian, head of the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of the U.S.A. A celebratory banquet at a nearby country club followed, where Fr. Odabashian expressed the good wishes of the Primate and people of the Eastern Diocese.
Above: His Beatitude Raphael Bedros XXI (center) with dignitaries including (proceeding right of center) Fr. Simeon Odabashian; Bishop Michael Mouradian; and Fr. Diran Bohajian.