The Armenian Apostolic Church in the United States, 1898-2007

Part V:  The Primacy of Archbishop Hovnan Derderian (2003-present)

On May 3, 2003, at the 76th Diocesan Assembly held at the Diocesan Headquarters in Burbank, California, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian was elected Primate of the Western Diocese, thus becoming the eighth Primate of the Western Diocese.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese

On May 19, 2003, at St. Peter Parish in Van Nuys, the Service of Installation was conducted in the presence of hundreds of faithful. During the service, there was the official reading of the encyclical of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, ratifying Archbishop Hovnan's election and establishing him as the duly elected Primate of the Western Diocese.

The new Primate celebrated his first Divine Liturgy in that office at St Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Pasadena on June 22, 2003. Then, on November 15, 2003, there was an official Welcome Banquet tendered in his honor at the Kalayjian Hall at the Diocesan Headquarters.

The primacy of Archbishop Hovnan has thus far gained its own recognizable characteristics:

• Church and administrative reorganization
• Securing and preparing candidates for the priesthood
• Instruction in the Christian religion and ethics
• Regular conferences and lectures for the clergy
• New plans with the parishes for speedy implementation and follow-up
• Lively and quick enforcement of decisions
• Granting of medals to benefactors of the church and community workers within the Diocese

These are the obvious characteristics of Archbishop Hovnan's church mission and national labors, because the Armenian Church is now in the 3rd millennium and has its contemporary needs.

From the first day of his primacy, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian was aware of the many needs of the Diocese, particularly in view of the fact that the large Armenian community of Los Angeles is considered to be the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia and is made up of America Armenians, immigrants from the various Middle Eastern countries and Armenian immigrants from former Soviet countries.

He is working on general plans for immediate implementation. He is also carrying out plans for Diocesan, church, liturgical, ethnic, cultural, and instructional publications as well as working on inter-church relations.

them to further accomplishments, he has granted the title of archpriest to a number of the Diocesan clergy. He has ordained deacons and sub-deacons. He has established new mission parishes.

Also, during his primacy, the Western Diocese has a continuing television program featuring spiritual, church, religious and cultural topics. This television program is shown in the Los Angeles area on a regular basis.

He gives strong impetus to ecumenical activities and inter-church and inter-faith activities. He pays particular attention to our sister Assyrian and Coptic Church relations. Along with these, he pursues ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican-Episcopalian Church, always fostering mutually helpful relations and meetings.

He directed special attention and attempted to re-structure and strengthen the youth movement and its activities and attached various missions to them both within the Diocese and in Armenia: the Sanahin Institute, Christian Youth Mission to Armenia, Brighter Future for Armenia, Etchmiadzin Children's Fund, and Mer Doon (Our Home). He has also endeavored to strengthen the Western Diocese Endowment Fund and the Armenian Church Youth Organization (ACYO). In the same way, he has given impetus to and pursued the publication of books dealing with religion, the Church, and liturgical topics, as well as prayer books and books of sermons.

He exhibits the same interest and persistence in the education of candidates for the priesthood, their preparation for pastoral life and the securing of proper financial assistance for them, as well as their university preparation.

With great interest, he has indicated a gap in the achievement of cultural programs within the Diocese. He has also formed the Armenian Professional Society, whose purpose it is to encourage and financially assist aspiring and promising Armenian students.

For those clergy serving in the Western Diocese, he has organized beneficial lectures and conferences.

He has organized the Diocese's Arakel and Shahke Aga-Sarkisian Library, having it properly arranged and organized and securing new volumes. The official opening of this Library was on June 6, 2005 and was conducted by His Holiness Karekin II during his second pontifical visit to the Western Diocese. He also established the Baydzar Turpanjian Book Store which was officially opened on June 15, 2007 by Archbishop Hovnan Derderian.

Along with all this, he honored with patriarchal encyclicals and various medals the benefactors of the Diocese and the Church and community cultural leaders. With great ability, he organized the building of the Diocesan Cathedral, which is to be built adjacent to the existing Diocesan Headquarters. The actual building began in 2007. The official and most beautiful groundbreaking services were conducted on June 4, 2005 by His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, with the presence and participation of other Archbishops and Bishops, clergy, as well as hundreds of the faithful.

For the history of the Diocese we feel it appropriate to record an event which took place during Archbishop Hovnan's primacy. The Very Rev. Dajad Yardemian, a former member of the Mekhitarist Brotherhood, by special arrangement and decision of His Holiness Karekin II, officially received the veghar (cowl) at Holy Etchmiadzin on February 19, 2004. Later, on March 2, 2004, he was officially received as a member of the clergy of the Western Diocese. One year later, he was appointed the Vicar General of the Western Diocese by Archbishop Hovnan Derderian and was appointed the Grand Sacristan of the proposed Diocesan Cathedral. The Primate has entrusted him with many responsibilities at the Diocese.

During Archbishop Hovnan's primacy, the year 2007 coincided with the 80th anniversary of the official establishment of the Western Diocese. His Eminence spared no effort to commemorate this historic event in the best manner possible on all levels — church, religious, and cultural. With eight decades of rich work, rich rewards, and a rich heritage. Eight decades from American Armenian Church life which positively created organization, religious and educational community improvement.

During the primacy of Archbishop Hovnan, the Western Diocese has had the opportunity to host the visit of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, from October 1-2, 2007. His Holiness' previous pastoral visit to the Western Diocese was from June 1-20, 2005.

Dr. M.S. Kaprielian, in his article "What Does the Armenian Community Lose and What Does It Gain," written almost 100 years ago in 1912, with surprising conviction and faith has written his thoughts which even today have maintained their relevance and must be taken into consideration by individual Armenians living in America and by the public. Dr. Kaprielian says, "Convinced, I say that the most valuable gift that the Armenian race today can give to the civilized nations is its Church — the Armenian Church. With Her great Illuminator and imposing patriarchs, Her numberless martyrs and saints, Her endurance throughout history with steadfastness and martyrdoms, with Her simple yet majestic beauty and music and Her cheery aroma of the old, is capable of providing Christian inspiration and a strong liturgical influence for American Armenians. I have no doubt that the Armenian Church will be more loved here... if we first appreciate Her great value and recognize our obligations toward Her."

Our good wishes and prayers are that this important truth not be overlaid with dust, and that the presence of the Armenian Church not be absent from our individual and community life, because

"The Armenian Church is the mighty fortress of my forefathers' faith, raise by them from the Earth stone by stone" (Vahan Tekeyan)

— Written by The Very Rev. Dajad Dz. V. Yardemian, Diocesan Vicar General (translated by the Rev. Fr. Vartan Archpriest Kasparian) and published here courtesy of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church