ACYOA Juniors from 16 Diocesan parishes enthusiastically gathered at St. James Church in Watertown, MA, over Memorial Day weekend, for the 48th annual Hye M’rtsoom ACYOA Juniors Sports Weekend.
The St. James ACYOA Juniors chapter hosted nearly 300 of their peers, together with adult chaperones, led by Diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministries coordinator Serien Keleshian.
On Friday evening, participants gathered with anticipation as buses began to arrive from out of town to kick off the weekend, which went forward under a theme selected by the ACYOA members themselves: “Hye Spirit.” Parish Youth Minister Maria Derderian and local ACYOA members warmly welcomed the participants and chaperones from across the Diocese.
Saturday’s events began with a morning prayer service led by Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, along with parish pastor Fr. Arakel Aljalian and visiting clergy. Following blessings for a fruitful day of activity, the sporting events began with volleyball, basketball, and individual sports. Competition was intense, and by Saturday evening participants were eager to enjoy games, fellowship, and dancing.
On Sunday, the juniors packed the beautiful St. James sanctuary to worship alongside local faithful and ACYOA Seniors in town for the annual General Assembly and Sports Weekend. Bishop Mesrop celebrated the badarak and blessed the youth as they prepared for their final day of games.
The champions were crowned during an evening celebration, with Serien Keleshian presenting the various Diocesan awards to exemplary ACYOA juniors.
Bishop Mesrop, Fr. Arakel, visiting clergy, host families, chaperones, volunteers, and the young participants gathered for breakfast on Monday morning before returning home with new friends made and new memories formed.
See below for the listing of the 2026 Hye M’rtsoom award and sports winners.
Click the following link to view a gallery of photos from the weekend.
* * *
2026 ACYOA Juniors Diocesan Award Winners
Rev. Fr. Haroutiun and Yn. Patricia Dagley Award:
Sonia Kailian Placido, St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church, Wynnewood, PA
Abp. Tiran Nersoyan Service Award:
Mane’ Sargsyan, St. Gregory of Narek Church, Cleveland, OH
Grigorii Abramian, Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, MA
Abp. Tiran Nersoyan Leadership Award:
Gracie Ramoundos, St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church, Wynnewood, PA
Abp. Tiran Nersoyan Vision Award:
Levon Placido, St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church, Wynnewood, PA
Juniors Chapter “A” Award:
Sts. Vartanantz Church ACYOA Juniors, Chelmsford, MA
* * *
2026 Hye M’rtsoom Award and Sports Winners
INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION
Beginner Tavloo
1st Place: Lucas Terkanian, Holy Trinity Church, Cheltenham, PA
2nd Place: Garo Tateosian, Holy Martyrs Church, Bayside, NY
Beginner Chess
1st Place: David Gyulnazaryan, Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, MA
2nd Place: Aram Papoyan, Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, MA
Advanced Tavloo
1st Place: Armen Avetisyan, Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, MA
2nd Place: Allen Mirek, St. Leon Church, Fair Lawn, NJ
Advanced Chess
1st Place: Nazaret Aghazaryan, Sts. Vartanantz Church, Chelmsford, MA
2nd Place: David Stepanian – Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church, Providence, RI
Girls Ping-Pong
1st Place: Nina Asatrian, St. Leon Church, Fair Lawn, NJ
2nd Place: Alina Babikian, St. Leon Church, Fair Lawn, NJ
Boys Ping-Pong
1st Place: Harout Keledjian, St. James Church, Watertown, MA
2nd Place: Armen Sharoyan, St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church, Wynnewood, PA
* * *
TEAM SPORTS
Girls Basketball
1st Place: St. James Church “1”, Watertown, MA
2nd Place: St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church “1”, Wynnewood, PA
Boys Basketball
1st Place: Sts. Vartanantz Church “A”, Chelmsford, MA
2nd Place: St. James Church, Watertown, MA
Volleyball
1st Place: St. Leon Church “A”, Fair Lawn, NJ
2nd Place: St. Leon Church “B”, Fair Lawn, NJ
Sportsmanship Awards
Alex Belekian, St. James, Watertown, MA
Julietta Barseghyan, Holy Trinity, Cambridge, MA
Overall Champion
St. Leon Church, Fair Lawn, NJ
# # #