On Wednesday, June 27, 2018, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, travelled to San Francisco, where he presided over the Northern California Clergy Regional meeting at St. John Armenian Church. The planning of an inter-community retreat and the re-organization of the region’s mission parishes was discussed. The Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan, Pastor of St. Vartan Armenian Church of Oakland, the Rev. Fr. Mesrop Ash, Pastor of St. John Armenian Church of San Francisco and the Rev. Fr. Yeghishe Ksachikyan, Pastor of St. James Armenian Church of Sacramento participated in the meeting.

To strengthen the ecumenical ties and dialogue between the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Diocesan Primate and Bay Area clergy Archpriest Fr. Datev Harutyunian, the Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan and the Rev. Fr. Mesrop Ash visited His Eminence Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco on Thursday, August 9, 2018.  

The clergy sought to explore areas of cooperation through joint prayer services and other ecumenical events.

On April 1-2, 2017, thirty-six members of the Junior ACYO traveled to Dunlap, California, the site of the Armenian Church Summer Camp of the Western Diocese. Nine St. John ACYO members participated in the retreat under, led by Dn. Charles Cherezian and Kathy Kapehgian. The retreat was designed to tackle the issues relevant to the youth on the social, religious and ethical levels. 

Captivated by the wonder of God’s creation and the scenic beauty of the campsite, the youth enjoyed hiking, sports and participating in lively discussions.

In light of the tragic news that has captivated our community, regarding the dozens of lives lost in the defense of the border of Nagorno-Karabakh against unwarranted Azeri aggression, St. John Armenian Church will be hosting a prayer vigil on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at 7:00pm.

St. Vartan Armenian Church of Oakland was host to the 67th Annual ACYO Convention which was held over Thanksgiving Weekend, November 27-29, 2015. More than 30 ACYO delegates from chapters across the Western Diocese participated in the convention presided by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the Diocesan Primate. 

Under the leadership of Fr. Mesrop Ash, St. John ACYO Jr. Members participated in the Assembly and attended the elegant banquet, where they had lots of fun dancing and spending time with their friends.

This year’s Christian Youth Mission to Armenia (CYMA) Trip is just around the corner. For one month, (July 1-31) the youth of the Diaspora will learn about our rich history and will be immersed in the current lifestyle through internships, interactions with youth, and social projects. CYMA’s participants will visit Armenia’s historic churches and landmarks. They will enjoy the wondrous beauty of the Motherland and will rediscover their roots!

We are excited to announce that Parish Priest, Fr. Mesrop Ash, will be leading a pilrimage to Armenia from September 24 - October 10, 2014. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the faithful of the Bay Area to experiance the Hayrenik, our ancestral homeland.

This pilgrimage will travel to all the essential sites of Armenian heritage, including Holy Etchmiadzin, Khor Virab, Lake Sevan, Dilijan, Artsakh, and more.

On April 15, 2013,His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, accompanied by Diocesan clergy Rev. Fr. Datev Harutyunian, Rev. Fr. Asoghig Jamgotchian, Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan and Rev. Fr. Mesrop Ash, and community members gathered at State Capitol in Sacramento where His Eminence delivered the opening prayer before the Assembly.

On Thursday, February 28, his Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian visited the community of St. John Armenian Church of San Francisco.