The 121st Diocesan Assembly is convening this week. St. Sarkis Church of Dallas will host the Clergy Conference (meeting May 2-4), and the Diocesan Assembly (meeting May 4-6), bringing together hundreds of Armenian Church leaders from the Eastern Diocese. The business sessions will take place at the Marriott Hotel in Plano, TX.
Diocesan Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan will preside over the gathering—which is the first Diocesan Assembly since his election as Primate last year.
This will also be the first full-scale Diocesan Assembly since 2019. St. Sarkis Church was slated to host the assembly in May of 2020, but the event was postponed with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the intervening years, the parish completed construction on, and consecrated, its impressive new church and cultural facility (above), which will provide a magnificent backdrop for the social and liturgical gatherings scheduled for the assembly weekend.
The General Sessions—scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 4 through 6—will go forward under the theme “Growing In Faith Together.” That name refers to the Diocesan “action plan” that was released to the public earlier this year. As part of his official address on Friday morning, the Primate will introduce the plan, and delegates will then spend time in roundtable discussions, exploring their ideas to implement the plan at the local parish level.
Other highlights include a presentation on the campaign for the restoration of St. Vartan Cathedral, and reports from the Fund for Armenian Relief, the Armenian Church Endowment Fund, and Diocesan program departments, ministries, and auxiliary organizations.
Assembly business will also include elections for seats on the Diocesan Council, and other official committees.
The annual awards banquet will take place at St. Sarkis Church, in its elegant “Hall of Lights” on Friday, May 5. At that time, Mr. and Mrs. Elie and Ela Akilian will be honored as this year’s “Armenian Church Members of the Year,” and architect David Hotson will receive the “Friend of the Armenians” award.
The Divine Liturgy, with the Primate presiding, will conclude the gathering on Sunday, May 7.
Find detailed information on the schedule of events by clicking here. Check the Eastern Diocese’s website and Facebook page for updates on the Diocesan Assembly proceedings.