Eastern Diocese
The Armenian Church in America
St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church of Charlotte is a parish of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in America (Eastern), which currently comprises 62 fully formed and mission parishes, along with four mission communities, active in 21 U.S. states.
The Armenian Church of America was established officially by Catholicos Mkrtich Khrimian in 1898. The Church has two dioceses in the U.S: the Eastern Diocese—known officially as the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America—has jurisdiction over all of the United States except California, Washington, Nevada and Arizona. The Western Diocese, consisting of the above western states, was constituted in 1928. There are 63 organized and mission parishes in the Eastern Diocese. A third diocese governs all of Canada.
The head of the Eastern Diocese is the Primate—currently His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan —who is elected by clerical and lay representatives of the parishes at the Diocesan Assembly, which meets annually. The Primate is president of the Diocesan Council, consisting of lay and clerical members, which governs the affairs of the Diocese.
Bishop Mesrop presides over St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York City. The Cathedral, consecrated in April 1968 by the late Catholicos Vasken I, resembles the world's first cruciform church, the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, built in the 4th century near Yerevan, Armenia.
Adjacent to the St. Vartan Cathedral is the three-story Gulbenkian Cultural Center and Diocesan House. The complex includes a cultural center, museum, library, religious and language departments, office and meeting rooms and various other facilities. The center also contains the Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium, as well as the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, a research facility dedicated to scholarship and the dissemination of information about Armenian-related topics.
(Source: www.armenianchurch.us.)
The Cathedral and The Primate of The Eastern Diocese
St. Vartan Cathedral and Diocesan Headquarters
The 1960 Pontifical Visit marked the first time an Armenian Catholicos traveled to America from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The three-story building opened in October of the following year, just seven months prior to the arrival of His Holiness Vasken I, the late Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The 1960 Pontifical Visit marked the first time an Armenian Catholicos traveled to America from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
“It will be for us, at Holy Etchmiadzin, a day of great rejoicing when we hear that the construction of the cathedral in New York has begun,” His Holiness told the Armenian-American community. “I am confident that the Armenian-American people, who already have realized marvelous things, will accomplish this also, and that once more we shall meet here on that holy day on American soil.”
His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate
His lifelong, passionate interests in Christian spirituality, service to the Armenian people, and humble dedication to Jesus Christ have led Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan on a remarkable journey to his present role as the 13th Primate of one of the world’s largest Armenian Church dioceses.
His election as Primate took place during the 120th Diocesan Assembly, meeting in New York City and online, on Friday, May 6, 2022. With the blessing and confirmation of His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Fr. Parsamyan assumed the office of the 13th Diocesan Primate on May 17, 2022.
On October 8, 2023, Fr. Mesrop was consecrated as a bishop by the hand of Catholicos Karekin II, at Holy Etchmiadzin. By the appointment of Catholicos, Bishop Mesrop serves on the Supreme Spiritual Council, alongside other leaders of the worldwide Armenian Church. Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan is proficient in Armenian, English, French, and Russian, reflecting his commitment to cross-cultural understanding and international communication.
During the 124th Diocesan Assembly His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan was elected to serve as the Primate of the Eastern Diocese for the second term.