The Armenian Church in America
Encyclopedia
The Armenian Church in America
When Armenian
immigrants settled in the United States in the 19th century, they carried with them a Christian
heritage dating back to the apostolic age. Evangelized by Christ’s apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, Armenia became the world’s first Christian nation in A.D. 301. Christian Armenia fought a war for religious independence in 451. Its unique alphabetic script (sponsored by the national church) fostered a thriving literary culture. And it distinguished itself in art, music, liturgy, and monasticism.
Though isolated Armenians had come to the New World as early as 1618, the pioneers of Armenian immigration were young men, mostly from Constantinople
, who beginning in 1834 arrived seeking education at American universities. Larger groups arrived in the 1880s-90s to escape the Ottoman Empire
, especially during the massacres of 1895-96.
They built small communities in the country’s industrial centers, and established institutions in America—chiefly Armenian churches, with the first being built in 1891 in Worcester, Massachusetts: the Armenian Church of Our Saviour (Sourp Prgich). The first Armenian priest in America, Fr. Hovsep Sarajian, based himself in Worcester, and traveled to cities where Armenian churches had sprung up throughout the 1890s: New York, Boston, Providence, as well as Fresno (California). In 1898 a diocesan jurisdiction for the New World was established by Catholicos Mgrdich Khrimian.
The influx of Armenian immigrants to the New World reached its peak in the aftermath of the 1915 Armenian Genocide
, when Armenians living in Turkey were systematically persecuted, deported, and exterminated by the Ottoman regime. Immigration of Genocide survivors continued through the 1920s, but abated as the Great Depression
began.
A growing controversy over the credibility of Soviet Armenia (which had been declared a Soviet republic in 1920) and the status there of the historic Mother See of the Armenian Church, Holy Etchmiadzin, polarized political factions in the community and led to a formal split in the Armenian Church. This reached a crisis in 1933 with the assassination of the primate of the Armenian Church of America, Archbishop Ghevont Tourian, during services in New York City. The formal division endures to the present day, with the large majority of Armenian churches remaining under the authority of the Catholicate of Holy Etchmiadzin, in Armenia. (Since 1957, the less numerous separated churches have considered themselves under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Catholicate of Cilicia, located in Lebanon.)
Beginning in the mid-1940s, diocesan primate Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan
led the church through a “second founding,” which saw the framing of by-laws to govern the diocese; the creation of a nation-wide youth organization; the initiation of a project to build an Armenian cathedral in Manhattan; and the entry of the Armenian Church into the ecumenical movement.
The middle 1950s saw an uptick in immigration and a building boom of Armenian churches, with new communities proliferating across the United States. A generation of leaders born in America also began to exert itself. The first American-born Armenian priest was ordained in 1956. In 1961, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary was established in Illinois (later, it would move to New York).
The dream of an Armenian cathedral in New York was fulfilled at this time. The sanctuary—designed along classic Armenia lines—was consecrated as “St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral” by His Holiness Vasken I, Catholicos of All Armenians, in 1968.
A spirit of renewed vigor was embodied by Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, who governed the diocese as primate from 1966 to 1990. The Armenian cathedral became a hub of social and civic activity in Manhattan; the church became deeply engaged in the ecumenical movement, and took up a role in America’s political culture, advocating for governmental recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
The period saw a large influx of Armenian immigrants from the Middle East after the start of the Lebanese civil war (in 1975), and continuing through the Iranian revolution in the late 1970s. The late 1980s and ’90s saw a wave of immigrants from Armenia, Russia and other former Soviet states—a result of the expulsion of Armenians from Azerbaijan, the Armenian earthquake of 1988, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the birth of the Republic of Armenia in 1991. These developments refocused the priorities of the Armenian Church in America. The need for humanitarian relief to the Armenian homeland, as well as outreach to refugees settling throughout the U.S. (concentrated in New York and Los Angeles), led to the creation of the Fund for Armenian Relief—through which the church delivers material and medical aid to Armenia.
Currently, three dioceses operate in North America: the Eastern (est. 1898), the Western (est. 1927), and the Canadian (est. 1984) dioceses. More than 120 Armenian parish communities exist on the continent, with two-thirds operating as fully organized churches with sanctuaries.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian is primate of the Eastern Diocese (since 1990); Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western Diocese (since 2003); and Bishop Bagrat Galstanian of the Canadian Diocese (since 2003).
The three dioceses maintain strong connections to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the current Supreme Patriarch, His Holiness Karekin II, the 132nd Catholicos of All Armenians (elected in 1999).
Within the context of the worldwide Armenian Church, the American dioceses have exerted a profound influence. “American” practices related to church governance, the election of officials, social and youth organizations, education, and finances have now been incorporated into the operations of the Armenian Church globally, most notably in Armenia itself.
In America, spiritual life in the Armenian Church continues to center around the Divine Liturgy, which is celebrated in classical Armenian and is richly melodic—reflecting enduring cultural attachments to Armenian language, music, and the preservation of tradition. Non-Armenian converts are rare, except in the case of spouses.
The sense of an inherited connection to a heroic past is genuinely present in Armenian spiritual life, and remains a source of pride and inspiration. By practical measures, however, the exemplars of spiritual achievement are remote (the most contemporary Armenian saint lived in the 14th century, e.g.). Among recent generations, consciousness of the victimization Armenians suffered during the 1915 Genocide is the prevalent unifying factor.
The church has been subject to the usual generational challenges involving language and a deficiency of vocations (e.g.). Nevertheless, considering that many Armenian families have lived in America for four generations or more, the sense of a heritage where religion and ethnicity are deeply intertwined has proved surprisingly robust.
When Armenian
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
immigrants settled in the United States in the 19th century, they carried with them a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
heritage dating back to the apostolic age. Evangelized by Christ’s apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, Armenia became the world’s first Christian nation in A.D. 301. Christian Armenia fought a war for religious independence in 451. Its unique alphabetic script (sponsored by the national church) fostered a thriving literary culture. And it distinguished itself in art, music, liturgy, and monasticism.
Though isolated Armenians had come to the New World as early as 1618, the pioneers of Armenian immigration were young men, mostly from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, who beginning in 1834 arrived seeking education at American universities. Larger groups arrived in the 1880s-90s to escape the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, especially during the massacres of 1895-96.
They built small communities in the country’s industrial centers, and established institutions in America—chiefly Armenian churches, with the first being built in 1891 in Worcester, Massachusetts: the Armenian Church of Our Saviour (Sourp Prgich). The first Armenian priest in America, Fr. Hovsep Sarajian, based himself in Worcester, and traveled to cities where Armenian churches had sprung up throughout the 1890s: New York, Boston, Providence, as well as Fresno (California). In 1898 a diocesan jurisdiction for the New World was established by Catholicos Mgrdich Khrimian.
The influx of Armenian immigrants to the New World reached its peak in the aftermath of the 1915 Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
, when Armenians living in Turkey were systematically persecuted, deported, and exterminated by the Ottoman regime. Immigration of Genocide survivors continued through the 1920s, but abated as the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
began.
A growing controversy over the credibility of Soviet Armenia (which had been declared a Soviet republic in 1920) and the status there of the historic Mother See of the Armenian Church, Holy Etchmiadzin, polarized political factions in the community and led to a formal split in the Armenian Church. This reached a crisis in 1933 with the assassination of the primate of the Armenian Church of America, Archbishop Ghevont Tourian, during services in New York City. The formal division endures to the present day, with the large majority of Armenian churches remaining under the authority of the Catholicate of Holy Etchmiadzin, in Armenia. (Since 1957, the less numerous separated churches have considered themselves under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Catholicate of Cilicia, located in Lebanon.)
Beginning in the mid-1940s, diocesan primate Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan
Tiran Nersoyan
Tiran Nersoyan was Patriarch-elect of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem very briefly in 1957-1958 but never received his position as Patriarch....
led the church through a “second founding,” which saw the framing of by-laws to govern the diocese; the creation of a nation-wide youth organization; the initiation of a project to build an Armenian cathedral in Manhattan; and the entry of the Armenian Church into the ecumenical movement.
The middle 1950s saw an uptick in immigration and a building boom of Armenian churches, with new communities proliferating across the United States. A generation of leaders born in America also began to exert itself. The first American-born Armenian priest was ordained in 1956. In 1961, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary was established in Illinois (later, it would move to New York).
The dream of an Armenian cathedral in New York was fulfilled at this time. The sanctuary—designed along classic Armenia lines—was consecrated as “St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral” by His Holiness Vasken I, Catholicos of All Armenians, in 1968.
A spirit of renewed vigor was embodied by Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, who governed the diocese as primate from 1966 to 1990. The Armenian cathedral became a hub of social and civic activity in Manhattan; the church became deeply engaged in the ecumenical movement, and took up a role in America’s political culture, advocating for governmental recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
The period saw a large influx of Armenian immigrants from the Middle East after the start of the Lebanese civil war (in 1975), and continuing through the Iranian revolution in the late 1970s. The late 1980s and ’90s saw a wave of immigrants from Armenia, Russia and other former Soviet states—a result of the expulsion of Armenians from Azerbaijan, the Armenian earthquake of 1988, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the birth of the Republic of Armenia in 1991. These developments refocused the priorities of the Armenian Church in America. The need for humanitarian relief to the Armenian homeland, as well as outreach to refugees settling throughout the U.S. (concentrated in New York and Los Angeles), led to the creation of the Fund for Armenian Relief—through which the church delivers material and medical aid to Armenia.
Currently, three dioceses operate in North America: the Eastern (est. 1898), the Western (est. 1927), and the Canadian (est. 1984) dioceses. More than 120 Armenian parish communities exist on the continent, with two-thirds operating as fully organized churches with sanctuaries.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian is primate of the Eastern Diocese (since 1990); Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western Diocese (since 2003); and Bishop Bagrat Galstanian of the Canadian Diocese (since 2003).
The three dioceses maintain strong connections to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the current Supreme Patriarch, His Holiness Karekin II, the 132nd Catholicos of All Armenians (elected in 1999).
Within the context of the worldwide Armenian Church, the American dioceses have exerted a profound influence. “American” practices related to church governance, the election of officials, social and youth organizations, education, and finances have now been incorporated into the operations of the Armenian Church globally, most notably in Armenia itself.
In America, spiritual life in the Armenian Church continues to center around the Divine Liturgy, which is celebrated in classical Armenian and is richly melodic—reflecting enduring cultural attachments to Armenian language, music, and the preservation of tradition. Non-Armenian converts are rare, except in the case of spouses.
The sense of an inherited connection to a heroic past is genuinely present in Armenian spiritual life, and remains a source of pride and inspiration. By practical measures, however, the exemplars of spiritual achievement are remote (the most contemporary Armenian saint lived in the 14th century, e.g.). Among recent generations, consciousness of the victimization Armenians suffered during the 1915 Genocide is the prevalent unifying factor.
The church has been subject to the usual generational challenges involving language and a deficiency of vocations (e.g.). Nevertheless, considering that many Armenian families have lived in America for four generations or more, the sense of a heritage where religion and ethnicity are deeply intertwined has proved surprisingly robust.