by Elise Nakhnikian
St. John's Armenian Cathedral and the headquarters of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church are located just a few blocks from historic Hollywood and Vine Streets. Once considered the center of the movie industry, with film studios, the first homes of early actors like Clark Gable and Rudolph Valentino, and cemeteries where noted film stars are buried, the area is a famous tourist attraction.
The Cathedral, purchased in 1973, now serves the heavily populated and growing Armenian immigrant population in Hollywood. "During the communist regime," Primate Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian says, "many of the immigrants from Armenia were afraid to come to church but in the last few years, since glasnost and the democratic elections in Armenia, our church is overflowing on Sundays. The parishioners have to take turns attending services. Every Sunday we are asked to give over 50 memorial prayers for loved ones by families. Unfortunately, the services are getting longer and longer."
With the rapidly expanding population, the move to suburban communities and distant states, Archbishop Hovsepian and his Diocesan Council are consecrating new churches every year. Last year it was Phoenix and this year Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Other Mission parishes are being established in La Verne and Palm Springs, California and in Seattle, Washington. Currently 22 parishes comprise the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church.
Every summer, 500 children attend the recently acquired million-dollar Diocesan summer camp in the Sequoia Mountains near Fresno. Spread over 160 acres with two lakes and a variety of sports facilities, the camp is utilized by the Diocese's Armenian Church Youth Association along with various other Armenian organizations.
