Western Diocese

On November 23, 2007, with the youth of the parishes of the Western Diocese assembled in Visalia, California, the 58th Annual ACYO General Assembly began. This year’s ACYO Convention was hosted by St. Mary Armenian Church of Yettem, a historically significant community in the history of the Western Diocese with a vibrant congregation pastorally led by Archpriest Fr. Vartan Kasparian. The first business session was called to order by Central Council Chairperson Carina Karakashian, and opened with a prayer by His Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese.

This year’s Convention was historically important for many reasons, but most notably for the first presentation which was made during the Assembly. The Chair called three veteran leaders of the ACYO, Mr. Michael Hollis, Ms. Tammy Karakashian, and Dn. Matthew Ash to introduce and discuss with the young delegates a plan to reorganize the ACYO of the Western Diocese. As part of this reorganization the Junior chapters of the ACYO (Ages 12-17) will become entirely parish-based bodies that will receive increased focus from their local communities, and for whom special age-specific events will be organized in the future. Meanwhile, the Senior division of the ACYO (17-30) will operate under the responsibility of the ACYO Central Council. Likewise, more special events will be organized for them in the future which will focus on their more mature needs. This is a significant step in the life of the Western Diocese that will ultimately lead to the expansion of the Diocese’s youth movement and more spiritually and socially fulfilling programming for our youth. Regarding the reorganization the Primate said in his remarks that “this important step has been taken for the benefit of our beloved youth so that they may grow in the Church, and become core spiritual and lay leaders of our communities.”

Later Friday evening a successful youth dance was held with a Fiesta theme in St. Mary’s hall with over 100 young people in attendance. A Parent dinner was also held at the hotel which was well attended.

On Saturday morning the business session continued. The meeting began with the reverend clergymen in attendance offering their wishes to the youth in attendance. During their remarks they had the opportunity to encourage and bless the youth in their mission as ACYO leaders and discuss contemporary issues with them. Upon completing their remarks, the Primate offered his blessings and message to the Assembly, as he needed to leave in order to attend important meetings in Armenia. In his inspirational remarks he called on the youth to listen to God’s call in their lives, use their God given talents for the benefit of the Church and their community, and to grow together as one body under Christ. He offered his deepest gratitude to Fr. Vartan Kasparian, and the committee which worked hard in realizing the 58^th ACYO General Assembly, as well as the members of the ACYO Central Council for their dedication, especially Carina Karakashian for her four years of service.

The meeting then continued with a presentation regarding the successful CYMA mission by CYMA executive committee member William Dodd. He invited the delegates to take part in the program, as well as to attend the upcoming CYMA Dinner Dance to be held on November 30^th in the Long Beach, California. Another presentation was given regarding the 2008 ACYO Curriculum, a collection of Bible Passages, Dominical Feasts, Church and Saints Feasts, and prayer from the “Havadov Khosdavanim” that the ACYO chapters will be able to use to inspire discussions during their meetings and events. Elections were then held for the offices of the ACYO’s various committees and the Central Council. Results for the 2007-2008  ACYO Central Council are as follows:

·         Sossi Iacovides – Chairperson

·         Alex Giragosian – Vice-Chairperson

·         Aret Aramian – Treasurer

·         Lorena Ojakian – Recording Secretary

·         Ani Khatchadourian – Corresponding Secretary

·         Macrina Aivazian – Publicity Director

·         Karin Cemcem – Advisor

Following Lunch, the third business session continued with a workshop presentation by Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian, recruiter for St. Nersses Theological Seminary, and Meghan Jendian, a student of the seminary. During their presentation Fr. Stepanos presented the programs of St. Nersses to the delegates and encouraged them to participate in their summer sessions. He also encouraged the youth to listen to God’s Call and consider their vocations as clergymen and lay leaders of the Armenian Church. The Delegates broke into small groups and discussed the “Fruits of the Holy Spirit,” which they then made presentations about to the Assembly. The workshop was productive and inspiring. The meetings concluded with a presentation regarding the Western Diocese summer camp program, informing the youth that in the summer of 2008 there will be 4 weeks of summer camp, and that all young Armenians should consider participating in the wonderful camp experience.

On the evening of Saturday November 24, 2007 the Convention banquet was held at the Visalia Holiday Inn. During the program the new ACYO Central Council was installed, and the outgoing chair, Carina Karakashian, was duly honored for her four years of dedicated service as a Central Council member. Also, the Annual Award for Chapter Achievement was given to St. Mary, Yettem. Fr. Vartan Kasparian, representing the Primate, offered the benediction for the evening and gave his blessings to all ACYO members, past and present, in attendance. After the program a Dance Contest was held with music by famed Richard Hagopian. Many entrants competed for the Group and Solo awards, and many people enjoyed watching the amazing feats of Armenian Cultural Dance.

The 58^th Annual General Assembly was a true success and the Western Diocese offers its sincere gratitude to the members of the St. Mary, Yettem community that worked hard to ensure that the youth of the ACYO were hosted to a wonderful convention. The Western Diocese eagerly awaits the 2008 ACYO General Assembly which will be hosted by St. Vartan Armenian Church of Oakland, CA.