Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America upon the celebration of its 80th Anniversary.
The Diocese of the Armenian Church was established on July 2, 1898 under the direction of Khrimian Hayrig, placing all Armenian Churches in the United States and Canada under the jurisdiction of the Diocesan Headquarters in Worcester, Massachusetts.
On November 28, 1927, the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church was officially established by an Encyclical issued from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin by His Holiness Kevork V. Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The creation of the Western Diocese was a response to a continued and vigorous growth of the Armenian community in California and the vast distance separating the Armenian Churches in the West from the Headquarters in the East.
From its creation, the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church progressed and expanded to serve the Armenian population throughout California. In 1928, the newly established Western Diocese consisted of five parishes. By 1953, the number of parishes had expanded to eight, and an additional three were added by 1957 – the year that the Diocesan Headquarters relocated to Hollywood.
The Diocesan Headquarters remained in Hollywood until the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Later that year, the Diocesan Assembly decided to purchase a new Headquarters. On May 16, 1997 the Western Diocese moved to its new Headquarters in Burbank. Today, the Western Diocese is the proud owner of a multi-purpose complex where it is currently headquartered and will be the future site for the Mother Cathedral.
In addition to providing places of worship, the Western Diocese has made a strong commitment to community service. In 1963, the Diocese began to provide youth throughout the community with the opportunity to participate in a Summer Camp. In 1967 the Diocese purchased the Alta Sierra Camp providing year-round camping facilities for children, families, and organizations. The Western Diocese also publishes the bi-monthly periodical, "The Mother Church," reaching 28,000 people worldwide.
I consider it a great privilege to recognize the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America for its eighty years of service to the Armenian community and I ask all Members of Congress to join me in congratulating the Western Diocese for its remarkable achievements.