St. John the Baptist Church of Milwaukee, WI, observed its 80th anniversary on Sunday, November 13, with special liturgical and social celebrations.
The parish was first established 82 years ago, when a parish council was approved by the late Diocesan Primate Archbishop Karekin Hovsepian (later Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia). Two years later, the original church was constructed and consecrated by Archbishop Hovsepian.
At that time, the main godfather and benefactor of the parish, Sahag Mouradian, desired that the church be named in memory of his father Hovhannes (John) and his paternal uncle Megerdich (Baptist): thus, the church was consecrated in the name St. John the Baptist. That name was maintained when the community built a new sanctuary in 1986, where its faithful still gather to worship.
For the 80th anniversary event, Bishop Vahan Hovhannesian, former primate of the Armenian Church Diocese of France, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, visiting the parish to represent Eastern Diocesan Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan.
A requiem service was conducted for all the departed souls of St. John, especially the founders of the parish, godfathers, clergy who served at St. John over the years and parishioners responsible for constructing the current sanctuary in 1986.
At the conclusion of the church services, parish leader Ara Cherchian was presented with the St. Nersess Shnorhali Medal and encyclical, awarded by His Holiness Karekin II. Bishop Vahan, representing Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, presented the medal to Mr. Cherchian for his selfless service to the church.
A banquet and program followed in the culture hall. Master of Ceremonies and parish council chair Lyle Dadian welcomed the community and offered a toast encouraging everyone to follow in the footsteps of the founders of St. John’s in keeping the Armenian Church community vibrant for future generations.
St. John’s pastor Fr. Guregh Hambardzumyan read a congratulatory letter from Fr. Mesrop, offering his thoughts on the occasion. “You have accomplished so much here over these eight decades, under many worthy pastors,” wrote the Primate in his message. “And I know that in recent years, under the spirited leadership of Der Guregh, this elder parish of our Diocese has seen a new burst of youthful energy and activity among its faithful. I am confident that many more excellent developments are on the horizon.”
A multimedia presentation, “A Walk Through St. John’s Memory Lane,” featuring photographs from the community’s early days through present day, was screened, and letters of congratulations from former St. John parish priests were read. These included missives from Fr. Tateos Abdalian, who presided over the new church’s construction in the late 1980s, and Fr. Untzag Nalbandian, who led the parish in the early 1980s.
During the program, Alice Matosian was recognized as Woman of the Year with the Diane Blinka Service Award for her nearly 80 years of service. A highlight of the afternoon was a performance by the Hamazkayin Sardarabad Dance Ensemble of Chicago.
Fr. Guregh offered remarks about the “great and awesome responsibility” of community members to continue the work of the past 80 years. He ended his remarks by singing “Lake Sevan,” accompanied by Jan Avakian Kopatich on piano.
The afternoon concluded with comments by Bishop Vahan, the community’s singing of Der Getso led by Fr. Nareg Kutelian, and the benediction.