Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On October 29, on the feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians offered a Pontifical Divine Liturgy at the St. Leon Mother Cathedral of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.
Present were the clergy of the Diocese, led by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate; members of the diocesan and parish orgnizations; representatives of national institutions; numerous faithful and state officials.

In his sermon addressed to the pious people, His Holiness reflected on the wonderment of the day, and the meaning of the cross in the past and present of the Armenian people and in the life of Armenian-Americans. His Holiness stated in part: “Throughout history, the Cross of the Lord has been a sacred symbol. We lived and created, we overcame tribulations and hardships by putting our trust in it. The Cross became for us  literature and culture, it became for us a weapon when others wanted to destroy us, it became power to conquer difficulties and to revive. It is through the Cross that we survived the Genocide and created our new resurrected life in the land of our ancestors in all the corners of the world. Against difficulties, we always gave great importance to the veneration of the Cross, in accordance to the words of the Apostle “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” This church that bears the sacred name of St. Leon the holy martyr, also conveys to us the spirit and legacy of the faith of our forefathers.

Indeed, our identity, our existence and perpetuity, are based on our Cross-shaped faith and our Cross-anointed homeland and national heritage, which today as well, are the cradle of our national and spiritual-moral essence. Our courageous sons freed Artsakh by keeping the victorious power of the Cross in their hearts and souls, and by carrying the sign of the cross on their uniforms. It is with this same faith that we  reestablished our independent statehood and now continue to rebuild our life with the vision of progress and prosperity, to protect our borders and to safeguard the peace in our homeland. With the same spirit of faith our brothers and sisters in Syria and Iraq have overcome the calamities of warfare. Our people all over the world voice solidarity and join in prayers for them.”.

His Holiness emphasized that existing difficulties and problems can be overcome through confidence in God, and the mystery and strength of the cross. The Catholicos of All Armenians also expressed his appreciation for the support provided by American-Armenians to the Homeland, Syrian-Armenian and Iraqi-Armenian brothers and sisters, urging them to rely on the saving power of the Lord's cross to stay firm in the mission of faith and national life, and faithfully observe the spiritual message and homeland treasures.

In the evening, an official dinner was held on the occasion of the pontifical visit, which was attended by clergy; Mr. Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles; Mr. Grigor Hovhannisyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the US; state officials; philanthropists and faithful Armenians.

During the dinner, a film dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Church Western Diocese of the United States was shown, and a film produced by Shoghakat TV about the Harichavank Turpanjian seminary-high school.

During the official program, a musical performance of spiritual and folk songs was offered by the seminarians of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary who were alumni of the Harichavank Turpanjian seminary-high school.

At the conclusion of the dinner, His Holiness conveyed his Pontifical remarks and message to the guests, expressing his happiness, congratulations, and best wishes on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Western Diocese. His Holiness reflected on the passed way of the Armenian-American community and current successes. The Catholicos of All Armenians assessed the efforts and contributions of the Armenian-Americans in overcoming the challenges facing the Homeland, the support to the programs of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the support of devout Armenians to the mission of our Holy Church and urged to continue supporting the Homeland and Church with zeal.

Expressing his appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Gerald and Patricia Turpanjian on the occasion of the official dinner, His Holiness reflected with satisfaction on their good initiatives and heartfelt donations for church-building and nation-building programs. Highly appreciating the great contribution of the Turpanjian family in the national-ecclesiastical life, the Catholicos of All Armenians awarded Mr. Gerald Turpanjian the High Pontifical order of “Knight of Holy Etchmiadzin”.