The three Diocesan Primates of the Armenian Church in North America met on Friday, February 17, at the St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral Complex in New York City.
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western U.S. Diocese and Bishop Abgar Hovakimyan of the Diocese of Canada were welcomed and hosted by Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan of the Eastern U.S. Diocese. It marked the first time that the three churchmen have met formally in these capacities.
The church leaders discussed issues of common concern during three working sessions. The occasion also afforded them a chance to interact with Eastern Diocesan clergy from New York-New Jersey region.
Topics addressed by the Primates included current and future opportunities for collaboration among the three dioceses, especially in the areas of preparing clergy (and identifying suitable candidates for the priesthood); youth ministry and outreach; Christian and Armenian cultural education, including Sunday and Saturday school programs; enrolling men and women of the laity into the church’s ministries; music ministry; and expanding existing efforts in all three dioceses to use “digital ministry” to its best advantage.
The Primates concluded their meeting by recommitting themselves to supporting one another in their ministries. These meetings will take place on a regular basis and will be preceded by the meeting of the chairs of the three Diocesan councils.
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