LOS ANGELES: BOND BETWEEN ARMENIAN, EPISCOPAL CHURCHES INTENSIFIES
By Pat McCaughan
Episcopal-Life, NY
September 17, 2007
[Episcopal News Service] Fragrant incense mingled with the lilting
voices of Armenian and Episcopal choirs as St. John’s Episcopal
Church on September 15 hosted the 80th anniversary celebration of the
Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America,
solidifying a growing bond between the Los Angeles-area churches.
Some worshippers were moved to tears, others reached out in reverence
and blessing to touch, some to kiss the gold-threaded robes of
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian and Bishop J. Jon Bruno of the Episcopal
Diocese of Los Angeles during the solemn Evensong procession Saturday
into St. John’s sanctuary. About 750 of the faithful gathered for
the anniversary celebration, characterized by unity and hope, and
followed by an outdoor reception beneath a pitched tent.
"Welcome to our house. I feel like we’ve been adopted by the Armenian
Church into the Holy See; we’ve wandered apart too long," Bruno told
the gathering during a sermon frequently interrupted by applause.
Derderian presented Bruno with a hand-carved Armenian stone depicting
the cross, the theme of the celebration which was held the day after
Holy Cross Day, "in recognition of and appreciation for Bruno’s
leadership, collaboration with our church [and his] open heart for
all," Derderian said.
"His love is for everybody," Derderian said of Bruno.
"This is the great gift he has brought to the Christian community
and all other denominations. He has always opened doors and hearts in
assisting and accommodating the Armenian church, helping us to open
churches while helping us maintain our identity, with the respect
and recognition of our rich history and traditions."
Ecumenical dialogue: bringing ‘peace into hearts of communities’ The
anniversary celebration grew out of an ecumenical dialogue between the
churches, initiated by Derderian, which has blossomed into an ongoing
relationship between leadership and laity, said the Rev. Dr. Gwynne
Guibord, ecumenical officer for the Diocese of Los Angeles.
"His Eminence has been very intentional in reaching out ecumenically
to the various communities; our first dialogue was in November,
2005 and we have been meeting on a fairly regular basis since."
Since an initial gathering of leaders the dialogue has expanded to
include youth and women’s groups.
Committees focusing on religious education, social justice, liturgy
and youth ministry have been established and plans are in the works
for future collaboration and projects, said Guibord, who has chaired
the dialogue group.
The 1,700-year-old Armenian Apostolic Church’s roots date to the fourth
century, when St. Gregory the Illuminator formally established the
church in Armenia. He was raised a Christian in Cappadocia, and was
consecrated the first bishop of Armenia by Leontius, the metropolitan
of Caesarea. According to tradition, he saw a vision of Christ who
told him where to build the church. He is called St. Gregory the
Illuminator for enlightening the nations with the light of the Gospel
through baptism. The Armenian church broke with the orthodox church
after the Council of Chalcedon.
The church’s primate is the catholicos of Yejmidzin, Armenia; Karekin
II became catholicos in 1999. Like the Episcopal Church, its priests
may marry.
The first Armenian Church in the United States was built in Worcester,
Massachusetts in 1891. The church has grown with each wave of
immigration, particularly after the 1915 Armenian genocide at the
hands of the Turkish Ottoman Empire and, more recently, because of
political unrest in Iran, Lebanon and Iraq and the dismantling of
the Soviet Union, Derderian said.
The western diocese was officially established November 28, 1927, and
encompasses the area west of Mississippi, including Hawaii and Alaska,
Derderian said. Headquartered in Burbank, California, it includes more
than 50 churches and is the largest outside Armenia. It is believed
there are about 300,000 Armenians in Southern California and about
one million in the United States.
He and other church leaders recently consecrated a new church in
Pasadena and there are plans to break ground for a Burbank cathedral
in October, and to build churches in Palm Desert, and possibly in
Seattle and other areas in the near future.
Genocide remembered; future charted Guibord said that the dialogue
groups have also commemorated, for the past several years, the 1915
Armenian genocide, and "other genocides that have taken place and
continue to take place."
"One of the great heartaches is that there are many people who don’t
believe the Armenian genocide ever happened and it is not possible
to heal without it.
And of course, the huge concern for any body of people that has
suffered through any violence is that it’s going to happen again,"
she said.
Ecumenical dialogue is a way to acknowledge it and to come to a deeper
understanding. "The more we understand one another, the more relational
we are with people of other faiths in our daily lives, the less likely
we will harm in any way theologically, psychologically or spiritually,
our brothers and sisters," Guibord said.
Derderian said the ecumenical dialogues offer hope, "because genocide
against Armenians, if it is not recognized, is genocide against
humanity.
"As Christian leaders, we have the moral obligation to be in good
dialogue, genuine dialogue, because we believe in the same God.
"The Word of God should not and cannot be a reason for separation,"
he added. "At times in the history of Christianity, the interpretation
has separated nations and people and communities and that is, to my
understanding, against the spirit of Christianity.
There is more reason for dialogue, if there are differences."
— The Rev. Patricia McCaughan is senior associate for parish life
at St. George’s Church in Laguna Hills and senior correspondent for
the Episcopal News Service.