Armenian Catholic Church in the United States

United States Church Records  Armenian Catholic Church Records

History
Presently, around 1.5 million Armenians live in North America, of which 35,000 belong to the Armenian Catholic Church.

In the 19th century Catholic Armenians from Western Armenia, mainly from the towns and cities of Karin (Erzurum), Constantinople, Mardin etc., came to the United States seeking employment. At the end of the same century, many survivors of the Hamidian Massacres had concentrated in several U.S. cities, chiefly in New York. Catholic Armenian communities were also founded in New Jersey, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, and other cities of California.

Many Armenians came to the United States and Canada from the Middle Eastern countries of Lebanon and Syria in the 1970s and in later years. Also many Armenians immigrated from Argentina, because of the economic crisis. At the same time, many Catholic Armenians inside the United States moved to San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami and Indianapolis.

In 2005, by Pope Benedict XVI's decision, the Catholic Exarchate of the USA and Canada was advanced to the status of a diocese. It serviced 35,000 Catholic Armenians in the United States and some 10,000 in Canada. According to a Monday, May 23, 2011 news release by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pope Benedict XVI, named Archpriest Mikaël Antoine Mouradian, superior of the Convent of Notre Dame in Bzommar, Lebanon, as the new bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in New York for Armenian Catholics. Source: Wikipedia In 2012, the name was changed to the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in the United States of America and Canada and headquarters are now located in Glendale, California. The eparchy has also been known as Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in Glendale. Source: Wikipedia

Information in the Records

 * Baptism records: includes date of baptism and birth, parents names including the mother's maiden name, parish where the family is residing, legitimacy of the child, godparents names.
 * Confirmation records: in most cases about the age of 13 or 14, but also known to be at the age of 7.
 * Marriage records: includes date and place of marriage, names of the bride and groom, names of both sets of parents, including the mother's maiden name.
 * Death and burial records: includes name of the deceased and date of death and burial. Often includes the names of surviving spouse or parents, cause of death and age at death.
 * Cemetery records: includes name of deceased, date of death, burial date and place, sometimes age and cause of death. These are kept at the diocese level archives.

Writing to a Local Church
See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Our Lady of Nareg Parish List