Western Diocese

On April 26, 2009, the Armenian Apostolic Church of Ventura County (AACVC) held a joint ecumenical prayer and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide with their host church, the St. Patrick's Episcopal Church of Thousand Oaks, CA. The commemoration was held following Soorp Badarak and a special requiem service led by AACVC pastor, Father Hovel Ohanyan.

Ecumenical Joint Prayer and Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Member of the AACVC and St. Patrick's parishes shared a wonderful lunch of traditional Armenian cuisine while viewing the most recent documentary by noted Armenian film director and scholar, Dr. J. Michael Hagopian. Following the screening, Dr Hagopian himself provided perspective on the film and answered questions from a lively audience.

After the lunch and movie screening, parishioner from both churches participated in a solemn joint service led by Father Hovel and the Episcopal minister, Father David Galletly. This service incorporated elements of the Episcopal and Armenian Apostolic traditions in a moving and contemporary manner, including music of both Churches performed by both the St. Patrick's and AACVC Choirs.

"Just amazing," commented several member of AACVC, referring to the joint service.

"I had no idea," said one St. Patrick's parishioner. "The Armenians clearly have much justification for their proud traditions and cultural identity."

The event was sponsored by the AACVC Parish Council.