The Western Prelacy announced that the new La Crescenta Church, whose benefactors are Mr. & Mrs. Varant and Hoori Melkonian, will be named “Holy Archangels” Church, with the blessing from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.
Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan on May 2 hosted a meeting at the Prelacy attended by the Melkonian, as well as the the chair and vice-chair of the Prelacy Executive Council Vahe Hovaguimian and Meher Der Ohanessian, with the Religious Council being represented by Archpriest Vicken Vassilian. Also attending the meeting were Dikran Der Sarkissian, the chairman of the La Crescenta Church Board of Trustees.
Highly commending Varant and Hoori Melkonian for their dedication to the Armenian Church, Prelate Donoyan praised the couple for their generosity and the decision to dedicated the church in memory of Varant Melkonian’s father, Melkon and to honor his mother, Angel, for whom the church will be named “Holy Archangels.”
This was the first meeting of a commission set up to usher in the new church, which will occupy an existing church building on the newly-purchased grounds near the Chamlian school. High on the agenda was a thorough examination of possibilities of “Armenianizing” and modernizing the present structure and turning it into a “spiritual gem in our lives,” the Prelacy said in a statement.
It was decided to appoint relevant sub-committees to achieve the goals within the set time period.
The Prelacy said that more information about the progress of the project will be publicized in coming weeks.
