The St. John Charitable Fund exists to turn the generosity entrusted to our parish into concrete acts of care. A recent project shows what that can look like: in partnership with the Lorik Humanitarian Fund, St. John helped provide a permanent home in Etchmiadzin for Lyuba Abgaryan and her children.
Lyuba is the widow of Armo Abgaryan, a serviceman from the Martuni region of Artsakh who was killed in action in June 2023. After the family was forcibly displaced from Artsakh, they continued rebuilding their lives in Armenia. The home provided through Lorik’s housing program was renovated and furnished, giving the family a stable place to live.
St. John’s $20,000 contribution was part of the support that made the home possible. This was more than short-term relief; it helped create a permanent home and a foundation for a new chapter.
To the St. John Charitable Fund, the home was more than a place of shelter. It was essential that the home be blessed, cementing the family’s pastoral relationship with the Armenian Church. On September 3—Armo’s birthday, following Artsakh Independence Day—representatives of the Lorik Humanitarian Fund accompanied Lyuba and her children to Yerablur to remember Armo and other fallen servicemen. Later that day, Der Hovannes blessed the family’s new home in Etchmiadzin.
This project reflects the purpose of the St. John Charitable Fund: to steward parish resources faithfully, partner with trusted organizations, and stand with Armenian families facing profound hardship. We are grateful to the Lorik Humanitarian Fund and to everyone whose generosity sustains St. John’s charitable work.
Through one family’s new home, the Charitable Fund has helped turn remembrance into action—and compassion into a lasting place of safety and belonging.
Read the original report from Oragark: St. John Armenian Church of San Francisco Helps Provide Home for Family of Fallen Artsakh Hero.