Leader of Armenian Catholic Church visits Fresno. ‘Our hearts were resounding with joy’
The leader of the Armenian Catholic Church, His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, visited Fresno on Monday.
The visit culminated with an evening prayer service that he led at St. John’s Cathedral in downtown Fresno, followed by a reception, before he departed for Northern California. The Vespers service included chants in Armenian and thanks from Minassian for the Fresno welcome he received.
“Our hearts were resounding with joy,” said Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno in sharing his thanks.
Minassian serves under Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. Lebanon-born, Minassian was the bishop of Armenian Catholics in Eastern Europe prior to his election as patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church last year and previously served as a parish priest in the United States for 15 years. He was also chosen earlier this month to represent Catholics at the Middle East Council of Churches.
His visit to the central San Joaquin Valley was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for community member Bryan Tellalian.
“We’re kind of in a diaspora situation, and so even amongst Armenians, Armenian Catholics are a small group, so it just means a whole lot to us that our patriarch thought of us to come here to Fresno,” Tellalian said. “We’re very grateful, and we feel very blessed.”
There are approximately 800,000 Armenian Catholics throughout the world, the Diocese of Fresno said.
Tellalian shared his thanks at the end of the prayer service as a representative for Fresno’s Armenian community. Many are descendants of Armenian genocide survivors. Minassian visited the Armenian Genocide Monument at Fresno State earlier in the day.
In helping announce his visit, the Armenian Museum of Fresno stressed that there’s a need for more charity in Armenia, Lebanon, and the Middle East as thousands there are suffering from the effects of war and an economic crisis and that those interested in helping can donate to the Armenian Catholic Eparchy.
Some Valley clergy from the Armenian Apostolic Church joined in on Monday’s prayer service. The Armenian Catholic Church is different from the Armenian Apostolic Church, but Minassian told the Catholic News Agency that they share many similarities: “They have the same creed. They have the same liturgy. They have the same prayer.”
Also on Monday, First Armenian Presbyterian Church of Fresno held a Memorial Day picnic to celebrate its 125th anniversary. First Armenian described itself as California’s oldest Armenian church.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
