Based on Handwritten Documents
The Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in America was founded in 1898. On this occasion, the Catholicos of All Armenians, Mkrtich A. Khrimyan, mentioned in his “Kondak” that “the free flow of Armenians has not yet reached far to America, but in recent years this place has also been filled with Armenians. Therefore, it is necessary to have an independent diocesan organization.”
At the beginning of the 20th century, the number of Armenians increased in the western states of the USA, primarily in California. Influenced by various factors within this growing and economically developing community, the idea of creating a separate diocese gradually gained momentum. The Western Diocese of America was officially founded in 1927.
This publication recounts the first meetings, programs, and other foundational steps of the diocese to highlight the path the Western Diocese took during two to three decades before its formal establishment. This article is based on handwritten documents of the Western Diocese and press publications from the 1900s–1920s.
Among these documents, the protocol of the first deputy assembly holds great historical and significant importance. The protocol notebook measures 22×32 cm, has 140 pages, and is written in fine handwriting. This document is an important testimony to the formation of the Armenian community and church in California.
Another document is a letter from the Armenians of California to the Armenian Catholicos, in which six points outline the arguments for establishing a new diocese. These points can be briefly formulated as follows: the Armenians of California seek to have an independent diocese in order to:
a) stop the “hunt” by missionaries of foreign and wealthy churches,
b) have the opportunity to train clergy,
c) manage the establishment of schools,
d) resolve complex marital issues,
e) clarify rules consistent with the traditions of the Armenian Church and national customs,
f) unite the dispersed Armenians of the colony.
The protocol notebook is preserved in the office of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the USA, which we accessed with the permission of Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. The documents are being published for the first time.