Primate Delivers Message At Los Angeles Council Board Of Supervisors Meeting

On April 10, 2018, the Diocesan Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian attended the Los Angeles County Supervisor's Meeting.

During the opening session, April 24 was designated as a Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. In a motion authored and introduced by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, April was declared as Armenian History Month. 

In his message, the Primate commended the noble initiative of the Supervisors and highlighted the importance of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Below is the Primate’s message to the Supervisors in its entirety:

Honorable Supervisors,

Esteemed guests,

This is a very sacred moment for us, for our nation when we honor the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide together with our friends and citizens of the City of Los Angeles.

Surrounded by clergy and Glendale City Council members and community leaders, we not only commemorate the memory of the victims but also celebrate life.

It was only a month ago when we celebrate 400 years of history and legacy of the Armenians in the United States. The honor which is graced upon us by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors strengthens us in our commitment to remember the saints of our nation and equally we bring our respect, our homage to the memory of all genocides and the holocaust. Today’s commemoration enlightens us all to remember that life is graced upon us by God and all of us together have the duty to honor the life of all people.

We live in a world where on the one hand we witness progress in science and economic advancements while on the other hand, the human mind fails to uphold justice and truth.

Throughout the last century, our nation has experienced upheavals, whether in historic or in present-day Armenia. However, having embraced the living faith, we have learned to be a resilient nation, to look forward to be creative and above all, to celebrate the lives of the newly canonized 1.5 million saints whose souls rejoice victoriously in the heavens.

I extend my sincere gratitude to Supervisor Kathryn Barger for her noble initiative to defend and voice the irrefutable truth. On behalf my spiritual brothers, the Diocesan Council, and the entire faithful of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, we welcome and embrace your loyalty in continuing your tradition of declaring the Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide and the Month of April as Armenian History Month for the County of Los Angeles.