Sunday, December 5, St. John Armenian Church celebrated the 80^th anniversary of the consecration of the St. John Altar. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Fr. Mesrop Ash, followed by Requiem Service conducted for the souls of the Rev. Fr. Ghevont Parounak, former pastor of St. John who designed and helped build the altar, and also the soul of Yeretsgin Aghavni and the souls of deceased members of St. John Armenian Church. Upon the conclusion of the Services, Fr. Mesrop Ash invited Mr. Terry Callen the grandson of Fr.

On July 27, 2018 St. John Armenian Church hosted a community briefing by the Armenian Assembly of America. Community members gathered for the informal wine & cheese reception, followed by the briefing, and a lively Q&A. After welcome remarks by Rev. Fr. Mesrop Ash, Western Director Mihran Toumajian and Executive Director Bryan Ardouny made an in-depth report of the Assembly's activities. The Armenian Assembly was excited to invite everyone to their upcoming advocacy event on September 24-25, 2018. For more information visit aimhye.com.

While we fasted for Lent, we consumed with our eyes a thought-provoking art exhibit by artists Armine and Suren Vardanyan.  Armine was a graduate of Mer Hooys Orphanage in Yerevan. While there she studied at Terlemezyan Fine Art College, where she met art partner and now husband, Suren.

February 28th marked the 30th Anniversary of the Massacres of the Armenian community of Sumgait, and subsequently the Armenians throughout our Azerbaijan. To honor his occasion St. John proclaimed February Sumgait Commemoration Month.

For over one year St. John has been offering seasonal religious education courses with unique, focused, and engaging topics. This program is continuing in 2018 with the newly Winter courses that will be offered from January 30 to March 6. The offerings include last seasons “Whats the Difference?” course and the newly designed “On Living Simply” course. As always, all courses are free, meet 4 to 5 times, and last about an hour.

In commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the consecrations of both St. Vartan Oakland and St. John San Francisco a first-of-its-kind joint pilgrimage was organized by Fr. Hovel Ohanyan and Fr. Mesrop Ash. This group consisted of 54 faithful from the area and throughout the Western Diocese, who signed up to reconnect with their ancestral homeland and commit themselves to spiritual renewal.

With heavy hearts, St. John Armenian Church offered prayers for the Lord's Mercy for the victims and their families of the unprecedented mass shooting in Orlando, Florida on June 11. In subsequent days, the nation learned more about the circumstances surrounding the horrific event.

In the light of this knowledge, the member clergymen of the Eastern Church of the Bay Area (ECoBA) have issued a joint statement expressing their common mourning and condemning the use of violence to promote fear and intolerance.

Bay Area, June 14, 2016

Under the direction of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, a very special pilgrimage took place within the Western Diocese called “7 Churches in 3 Days.” From November 20-22, the Rev. Fr. Vazken Movsesian, parish priest of the St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale led the pilgrimage which included stops at Armenian Churches in the Central Valley and Bay Area of California.

With Veteran’s Day fast approaching we begun eagerly preparing for our Annual Veteran’s Day Event, wherein we honor all of those who have honorably served in the Armed Services. As part of our tradition, the money raised from this event benefits various charities. Last year the proceeds were devoted to the Chaplaincy program of the Armed Services of the Republic of Armenia that serves both active servicemen and veterans. We were so pleased with the results stemming from our contributions that we have decided to once again support the efforts of the chaplaincy.