Eastern & Oriental Catholic Directory

Armenian Catholic Church

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Rite: Armenian

Liturgical Form: Soorp Badarak (Holy Sacrifice) - Liturgy of St Gregory the Illuminator

Liturgical Languages: Armenian

The Armenian Catholic Church is a Church sui iuris of Patriarchal status.

Isolated instances of communion between Rome and Armenian Christians may have existed after the Armenian Church separated from the Eastern and Western Churches in consequence of the Council of Chalcedon. However, it was not until early in the 12th century that negotiations were undertaken with the objective of achieving formal reunion between the two Churches

Those culminated in 1198 with an agreement reached at Cilicia which formally re-established communion between the Latins and Armenians. That status remained in effect for somewhat more than 200 years, although never fully accepted or endorsed by Armenian hierarchy outside Cilicia itself. The combination of that continued opposition to union, the Tatar conquest of Armenia in 1375, and struggles for primacy within the Armenian Church itself, combined to effectively terminate the relationship between the two Churches. While no formal date is put to it, the actual break is usually cited as occurring about the beginning of the 15th century, but no later than 1450.

Although, reportedly, there continued to be pockets of communion through the next three centuries, none were of sufficient duration or strength to merit erection of a Catholic jurisdiction until 1740. That year, the election of an Armenian hierarch sympathetic to union resulted in a call for Rome to nominate a Patriarch, which it did in 1742. The current Armenian Catholic Church is ordinarily dated from that time.

The Church is organized under a Patriarch whose title is Catholicos & Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenias for All the Catholic Armenians. Traditionally, each incumbent takes Bedros (Peter), as one element of his patriarchal name. The Church has canonical jurisdictions on every continent except Antarctica.

A photograph of Blessed Archbishop Ignatios Shoukrallah Maloyan, ICPB, accompanies the link to listings for this Church. At the outbreak of World War I, he was Archeparch of Mardin of the Armenians in Turkey, when government persecution of Christians began, in what would later come to be known as the Armenian Genocide.

Anticipating arrest and his own likely death, Archbishop Ignatios met with the Chaldean and Syriac Catholic Eparchs of Mardin and commended the canonical care of his ecclesiastical jurisdiction and the pastoral care of its faithful to the omophorion of his fellow bishops. Not long afterwards, he was arrested and tortured. Subsequent to a mock trial, he and 447 other Armenian Christians were marched into the desert. The Archbishop served the Soorp Badarak for his fellow prisoners and then was forced to watch as they were summarily executed.

After refusing once again to renounce his Faith, he himself was martyred in odium fidei on 11 June 1915. Archbishop Ignatios was beatified on 7 October 2001.

Icon: Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Patron of Armenian Christianity

Argentina

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Argentina

Armenia

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Armenia

Australia

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Australia, by state

Austria

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Austria

Brazil

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Austria

Canada

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Canada, by province

Egypt

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Egypt

France

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in France

Georgia

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Georgia

Greece

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Greece

Iran

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Iran

Iraq

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Iraq

Israel

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Israel

Italy

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Italy

Jordan

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Lebanon

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Lebanon

Mexico

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Mexico

Poland

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Poland

Romania

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Romania

Russia

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Russia

Sweden

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Sweden

Syria

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Syria

Turkey

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Turkey

Ukraine

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Ukraine

United States

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in the US, by state

Uruguay

All Armenian Catholic parishes and missions in Uruguay

Metro Area: Philadelphia (PA)

St Mark Armenian Catholic Church

Metro Area: Paterson - Clifton - Passaic (NJ)

Sacred Heart Armenian Catholic Church

Metro Area: Detroit (MI)

St Vartan Armenian Catholic Church

Metro Area: Boston (MA)

Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church

Status: ACTIVE CHURCH

Metro Area: New York City (NY)

St Ann Armenian Catholic Cathedral

Historical Entry: Relocated

Teachings of Christ

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 ESV)

Saint Nicholas of Myra

The truth of your deeds has revealed you to your flock, * as a rule of faith, an image of meekness, and a teacher of abstinence. * Therefore, you attained the heights through humility, * and riches through poverty. * O Father and Hierarch Nicholas, * pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved. (Troparion, Tone 4)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

In Myra, You were shown to be a servant of the sacred things, O Holy Nicholas, * for, fulfilling the Gospel of Christ, you, O Venerable, laid down your life for your people, * and saved the innocent from death. * Therefore, you were sanctified as a great initiate of the grace of God. (Kontakion, Tone 3)

Random Proverb

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7 ESV)

Pray Without Ceasing

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Sidebar

Armenian Catholic Church

NY: Brooklyn (Greenpoint)

PA: Wynnewood

NJ: Little Falls

MI: Livonia - 2

MA: Belmont

NY: Manhattan - 6

Teachings of Christ

Saint Nicholas of Myra

Random Proverb

Pray Without Ceasing

Wisdom from the Church Fathers