Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan Elected to 2nd Term as Primate of the Eastern Diocese

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.armenianchurch.us

May 4, 2026
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ATTENTION EDITOR: Photo attached, with caption below.

HEADLINE:
Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan Elected to 2nd Term as Primate of the Eastern Diocese

His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan was re-elected as Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, during sessions of the 124th Diocesan Assembly meeting in Milwaukee, WI, on Friday, May 1, 2026.

In all, 150 delegates and clergy, representing all the parishes of the Eastern Diocese, cast ballots in the election. Bishop Mesrop will now enter his second four-year term as Diocesan Primate, pending confirmation of the election by His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, in accordance with Diocesan Bylaws.

Bishop Mesrop was first elected as the 13th Primate of the Eastern Diocese during the 120th Diocesan Assembly in 2022.

Following the announcement of his re-election, Bishop Parsamyan was led into the Assembly meeting room in a procession of the clergy of the Eastern Diocese, singing the church’s traditional Hrashapar welcoming hymn.

In a gracious acceptance speech, Bishop Mesrop said, “I receive your trust today with a grateful and humble heart.”

He went on: “Four years ago, you placed your confidence in me to serve as your Primate, and I want you to know that I have never taken that trust for granted. It has guided me, strengthened me, and inspired me every day in this sacred ministry.

“Over these years, I have been blessed to share so many moments with you—visiting your parishes, entering your homes, listening to your concerns, your hopes, and your dreams. In every handshake, every conversation, I have felt your faith, your love for our church, and your devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ.

“You have welcomed me not only as a servant, but as a brother. For that, I am deeply thankful. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve you, as together we serve Christ and His Holy Church.”

Bishop Mesrop also expressed his respect and appreciation to his fellow candidates in the election—Fr. Mamigon Kiledjian and Fr. Movses Sargsyan—for their faithful ministries to the Armenian Church.

The Diocesan Assembly sessions were held in Milwaukee’s historic Pfister Hotel, with the city’s St. John the Baptist Armenian Church hosting the gathering.

Some background on Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan appears below. Please pray for him as he begins his second term as our Diocesan Primate.

Click
here to view photos of the Diocesan Assembly session.

* A Spirit of Forward Momentum

A native of Yerevan, Bishop Mesrop began his studies at the Vaskenian Seminary in Armenia’s Lake Sevan region, and went on to attend Gevorgian Theological Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2003, and thereafter served as staff-bearer for His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians. He earned a Master’s degree in Theology and Religious Sciences from the University of Strasbourg (France), and studied in Dublin (Ireland), at the International Study Centre. He had pastoral assignments in Brussels (Belgium), Nice (France), Geneva (Switzerland), and Marseille (France), before coming to America in 2015 to take up the pastorship of Holy Shoghagat Church in Belleville, IL.

In 2017 he accepted a position at the Diocesan Center in New York City as its Director of Ministries, and was appointed as Vicar of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in 2018. In the autumn of 2019, Fr. Parsamyan answered the call of His Holiness Karekin II, to return to the Mother See as Dean of Gevorgian Seminary. He led the seminary through Armenia’s ensuing years of trial and affliction—including the COVID pandemic, and the Artsakh war of 2020—before completing his mission for His Holiness, returning to the U.S. in late 2021, to serve the Eastern Diocese again as its Director of Ministries.

His election as Primate took place during the 120th Diocesan Assembly, meeting in New York City and online, in May 2022. With the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, then-Fr. Parsamyan assumed the office of the 13th Diocesan Primate. However, the promise of this new era seemed in jeopardy two months later, when Fr. Mesrop was injured in an automobile accident. But by the grace of God—and thanks to expert care from medical professionals, an outpouring of prayer from faithful people around the world, and Fr. Mesrop’s own faithful conviction—the Primate was walking again by early 2023.

A spirit of forward momentum has become a hallmark of the Primate’s leadership, as he has eagerly embarked on a schedule of personal visits to parishes across the Diocese, and has worked to invigorate the ministries, outreach, and administration of the Diocese as a whole. His first term as Primate saw him inaugurate a pastoral plan for the Eastern Diocese, titled “Growing In Faith Together” (GIFT); launch a celebration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Church’s Diocese in America; and move forward, with a team of experts and Diocesan leaders, on an ambitious project to repair and restore the Diocese’s “mother sanctuary,” New York’s St. Vartan Cathedral.

On October 8, 2023, Fr. Mesrop was consecrated as a bishop by the hand of Catholicos Karekin II, at Holy Etchmiadzin. By the appointment of Catholicos, Bishop Mesrop serves on the Supreme Spiritual Council, alongside other leaders of the worldwide Armenian Church. Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan is proficient in Armenian, English, French, and Russian, reflecting his commitment to cross-cultural understanding and international communication.

—5/4/26

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PHOTO CAPTION:
His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan was re-elected as Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, during sessions of the 124th Diocesan Assembly meeting in Milwaukee, WI, on Friday, May 1, 2026.

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