Armenian Orthodox Church in the United States

United States   United States Church Records   Armenian Orthodox Church Records

History in the United States
The pioneers of Armenian immigration to the United States were young high school graduates who, beginning in 1834, arrived in small numbers in search of higher education at American universities.

Larger groups began arriving in the 1880s and 1890s to escape Ottoman Turkish oppression, especially the massacres of 1895-96. The influx of Armenian immigrants to the New World reached its peak in the aftermath of the 1915 Armenian Genocide when large numbers of Armenians living in Turkey were systematically persecuted, deported, and exterminated by the Ottoman regime.

Beginning in the 1950s and continuing through the 1980s, another wave of Armenian immigrants—originating from such countries as Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq—came to America, a result of the rising political unrest in the Middle East. Immigration from Armenia itself was rare during that country’s period under Soviet domination, but this trend reversed in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the establishment of a free and independent Republic of Armenia.

The first Armenian Church was built in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1891. The first Armenian clergyman had arrived earlier, in response to a petition by 300 Armenian residents of the city. By 1897, as the number of Armenian immigrants grew, there were six clergymen serving the Armenian Church in America. With the exception of Worcester, services were held in non-Armenian sanctuaries, notably Episcopalian churches. The Armenian Church of America was established officially by Catholicos Mkrtich Khrimian in 1898.

The Armenian Apostolic Church currently has two Sees:
 * The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the worldwide Armenian Church, the center of the faith of the Armenian nation – the Mother Cathedral of the Armenian Church, and the Pontifical residence of Karekin II. In the United States, there are two eparchies (dioceses):
 * Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church
 * Western Diocese of the Armenian Church


 * The Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia located in Antelias, Lebanon, is a regional See of the Armenian Apostolic Church and is an autonomous church with jurisdiction over certain segments of the Armenian diaspora. In the United States there are two prelacies:
 * Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church
 * Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America

The division of the two Catholicosates stemmed from frequent relocations of Church headquarters due to political and military upheavals. The division between the two sees intensified during the Soviet period and to some extent reflected the politics of the Cold War. The separation has become entrenched in the United States, with most large Armenian communities having two parish churches, one answering to each See, even though they are theologically indistinguishable. There have been numerous lay and clergy efforts at reunion, especially since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is distinct from the Armenian Catholic Church, the latter being a sui juris Eastern Catholic Church, part of the Catholic Church. When in the 1740s, Abraham-Pierre I Ardzivian, who had earlier become a Catholic, was elected as the patriarch of Sis, he led part of the Armenian Apostolic Church into full communion with the Pope and the Armenian Catholic Church was created.

There are also Armenian protestant churches, organized under the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America (AEUNA). Source: Wikipedia

Writing to a Local Church

 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. There is a problem with American clergy of the younger generation not being able to read records in Armenian.
 * Armenian Church Eastern Diocese Directory
 * Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church Parishes
 * Western Diocese of the Armenian Church Parish Locator
 * Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church Parishes Hover over "Parishes" in the top, then select a state from the pop-up menu.

Writing to Church Headquarters
Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church 630 Second Avenue New York, NY 10016 Phone: 212.686.0710 Email: publicrelations@armeniandiocese.org
 * Website

Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church 138 East 39th St. New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 689-7810 Fax: (212) 689-7168 E-mail: email@armenianprelacy.org
 * Website

Western Diocese of the Armenian Church 3325 N. Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank, CA 91504

Telephone: (818) 558-7474 Fax: (818) 558-6333 Email: info@wdacna.com
 * Website

Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church 6252 Honolulu Ave. La Crescenta, CA 91214

Tel: (818) 248-7737 Fax: (818) 248-7745 E-mail: info@westernprelacy.org
 * Website