The 14th Annual Stewardship Luncheon will be held on Sunday, September 15, 2019 under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. The event, which will be held in the Nazareth and Sima Kalaydjian Hal,l will officially kick off the year-long celebration of the St. Leon (Srbots Ghevontiants) Armenian Cathedral’s 10th Anniversary.
The luncheon will celebrate and honor outstanding individuals whose selfless dedication and commitment have helped to rejuvenate the spiritual life of the Diocese with the gifts of their generosity that enable the mission to educate our clergy to become our spiritual leaders.
The Stewardship Program is invested in the education of clergy and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. Its mission is to fight for the preservation of the “light and salt” that we are called to be in this world.
Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
For more information or for reservations please call 818-558-7474.
St. Leon Armenian Cathedral: The Fruit of our Collective Labor
The Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America was founded in 1898 with the Pontifical Encyclical of His Holiness Mkrtich Khrimian (Khrimian Hayrig), the 125th Catholicos of All Armenians. The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America was founded twenty-nine years later, in 1927.
For over 80 years, Primates and faithful alike hung on to the dream of building a Diocesan Cathedral – a Cathedral, which would become the unifying center of close to 50 parishes and over a million faithful. The noble dream was realized during the Primacy of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian and the spiritual leader’s tireless efforts.
The organizational and planning efforts of the Cathedral’s construction commenced in the first year of Archbishop Derderian’s Primacy. Shortly thereafter, the Cathedral Building Fund was established comprised of two committees namely the Fundraising and the Construction Committees. The Building Committee was chaired by Mr. Armen Hampar. The Fundraising and Construction Committees were chaired by Mr. Antranik Zorayan and Mr. Robert Simonian, respectively.
Tremendous strides were made in the short period through the collective efforts of the aforementioned committees, Mr. Kaaren Khoudikian, the Chief Architect of the Cathedral and Sinanian Development, the Cathedral’s construction officially commenced in 2008.
Taking nearly two years to complete, the Cathedral was consecrated on September 11, 2010 by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and was named “St. Leon” (Srbots Ghevontiants). With the edifice’s exterior walls decorated in tufa stone from Armenia, the dome of a wondrous Cathedral in the traditional Armenian architectural style rose to the heavens.
The final look was not solely of a Cathedral but rather an entire church complex comprised of the Zorayan Museum, conference rooms, offices, and a state of the art television and media center. Through its exterior beauty and interior décor, St. Leon Armenian Cathedral attracted faithful from all walks of life introducing Armenia’s rich religious and cultural heritage in the process.
Today, the Cathedral has become the heart of the Armenian community of Los Angeles wherein thousands on a weekly basis flock the House of the Heavenly Father to meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A number of missions for adults, youth and children are realized within the sacred walls of the Cathedral.
