ARCHBISHOP ANOUSHAVAN JOINS CATHOLICOS ARAM I AS WESTERN PRELACY TOUR ENTERS WEEK TWO

On Tuesday, November 4, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, arrived in Fresno together with the members of his delegation after concluding his pastoral visit to the Los Angeles area. The delegation included the Prelates of the Eastern and Western Prelacies, His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan and His Eminence Archbishop Kegham. Archbishop Anoushavan arrived in Los Angeles from Chicago on Sunday, November 2, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy at All Saints Church in Glenview, Illinois.

The Catholicos was welcomed by the pastor of Holy Trinity Church of Fresno, the Very Rev. Fr. Ashot Vartabed Khachatryan, and the parish board of trustees. 

That evening, community members and benefactors attended a banquet in honor of His Holiness, during which Archbishop Anoushavan delivered remarks among other speakers, with Mark Shirin, a former Armenian Theological Seminary student and a member of the Western Prelacy’s National Executive Council, serving as master of ceremonies.  

In his closing remarks, Catholicos Aram I first referred to the motto of his pastoral visit: “Faith, Fidelity, and Unity.” He then briefly addressed two questions: What does it mean to be a Christian in today’s world, and how do we live our Christian faith? What does it mean to be Armenian, and how do we live our Armenianness? In the message he delivered in English, His Holiness noted that these questions should be approached not theoretically but existentially, because belonging both to Christianity and to Armenian identity is a matter of self-understanding and a way and guide of life. 

The evening concluded with the assembly singing “Giligia” in one voice. 

Archbishop Anoushavan is accompanying the Catholicos in the last leg of his visit to the parishes of the Western Prelacy as he prepares to arrive in New York on the occasion of the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of his enthronement. 

On Thursday, October 30, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I presided over the consecration of the altar of the Church of the Holy Archangels in La Crescenta. 

The Church of the Holy Archangels, acquired by the Armenian community of La Crescenta several years ago, has undergone extensive renovation and restoration thanks to the generosity of Mr. Varant and Mrs. Houri Melkonian. Although renovations to the church building are ongoing, His Holiness conducted the consecration of the holy altar to enable the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. 

During his pontifical visit to the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Church of North America, His Holiness met with community leaders and benefactors and visited several institutions and organizations, including the Ararat Home retirement community, the Armenian American Museum and Hamazkayin’s new headquarters. He also presided over the opening ceremony of the hospital purchased by benefactor Mike Sarian, commending the initiative and encouraging partnership with the Prelacy. 

On Tuesday, October 28, His Holiness was formally received at Los Angeles City Hall and later delivered a lecture at UCLA—highlights from an exceptionally packed schedule during the Western Prelacy’s celebrations of the 30th anniversary of his enthronement. 

At City Hall, accompanied by a high-level delegation, he was welcomed by City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, who lauded his worldwide spiritual, educational, and humanitarian work before inviting him to address the council. Thanking the “City of Angels” for its inclusive spirit and its role as home to one of the largest Armenian communities in the diaspora, His Holiness praised municipal service done for all and singled out youth engagement as essential for a thriving society. The historic session was carried live by several local media outlets. 

Later that day, at UCLA, His Holiness framed the ecological crisis as a spiritual and moral failure in a lecture titled “Saving Our Planet: A Top Global Priority.” Moving beyond the vocabulary of “global warming,” he argued that humanity has broken its covenant with creation. Rooting his appeal in Genesis, he urged stewardship over possession and proposed a fourfold path: produce less but better; reduce consumption; balance population growth in awareness of finite resources; and embrace renewables as wise use of God’s gifts. “The heart of the crisis is the human heart itself,” he said. “Earth is humanity’s only home. Saving it may now be more urgent than saving ourselves.”