Armenian Church

SOUTH GLENDALE — A 23-year-old Glendale man who allegedly used a sledgehammer to smash a sacred monument outside St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church could face felony vandalism charges, police said. Victor Petrescu was arrested about 10 a.m. Tuesday after he was seen using a sledgehammer to break off pieces from the church's monument on the 500 block of South Central Avenue, causing roughly $80,000 in damage, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Petrescu told police he was Jewish, and that "it said in the Bible he must destroy sacred pillars," Lorenz said.

Dozens of parishioners demonstrated outside St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in the rain Sunday to express their anger over the transfer of a popular reverend who was forced to leave the country because his visa expired. His supporters said church officials did not work to extend Fr. Rev. Barthev Gulumian's visa because of internal politics, sparking a campaign on social media against the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Gulumian was removed from his Glendale post, where he has worked for the last six years, and transferred to Venezuela.

Several hundred people filled the Nazareth and Sima Kalaydjian Hall on Friday at the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church to commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of journalist and editor Hrant Dink. Dink, 53, was fatally shot in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007, outside the bilingual Armenian and Turkish newspaper Agos, where he served as editor. Agos is considered one of the foremost voices for Turkey’s Armenian population. The program Friday opened with a slide presentation showing snapshots of Dink’s life, including several trips to the United States and a shot of him cradling the Henri Nannen Prize for the Freedom of the Press.

With the headlines gone and the arrests made, Armenians in Burbank and Glendale are now struggling with the perceptions of their cultural identity after a massive crackdown on the organized crime ring Armenian Power. The cultural perceptions — egged on by media bias, according to some, cultural fractions within their own community that hinder progress, according to others — have prompted many to dig deeper to address societal issues that many say are the root of the problem.

Several events commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian genocide will be held in Glendale over the next several days. The genocide resulted in the murder of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1918. The main local event of the week will be a city-sponsored Armenian genocide commemoration ceremony at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd. The 90-minute event will feature several traditional Armenian dance and musical performances by local students.

Rima Shah Top leaders of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America will help local residents celebrate the birth and life of Jesus Christ today. The Day of Epiphany, often known as Armenian Christmas, is celebrated annually on Jan. 6. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the diocese's Primate, will appear at the annual Christmas reception from 4 to 8 p.m., 3325 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western United States, will lead services at St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church Thursday morning.

From the outside, it seemed as if the Glendale High School auditorium was housing one of the nation's most popular celebrities Friday morning -- eliciting roaring cheers, whistles, standing ovations and flash photography from audience members. Audiences packed the school auditorium for for one of the most prominent leaders of the Armenian church, his Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. "It was really exciting," said Burbank resident Dona Abdo, an eighth-grader at La Crescenta's Chamlian Armenian School.

Vazken Movsesian In this week's In Theory, Vazken Movsesian of St. Peter Armenian Church & Youth Ministries' Center reflects on His Holiness Karekin II's visit to Glendale. Karekin II is the spiritual and administrative head of the Armenian Church, a position that is akin to that of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Regular In Theory contributors will return next week. As a young Latina girl stood up to receive a blessing from His Holiness Karekin II, the staff at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles drew near to them.

Rima Shah This year's Armenian Christmas bore special poignancy, one of the most important leaders in the Armenian Church said Thursday in a special ceremony. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, primate of the Armenian Church of North Western Diocese, presided over the ceremony at the Western Diocese Headquarters in Burbank. The primate is the most important position in the Western Diocese and the second most important position in the world, said Matthew Ash, youth director of the Western Diocese.

The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church will host its inaugural Festival of Faith and Culture on Saturday and Sunday at the Western Diocese headquarters in Burbank. "It's a good tradition to have for the Armenian church," said Shoghig Giragosian, festival committee chair. "Once a year, it's for people to get together, to get to know the various diocese and to know the services that are available to them." The festival will begin at 10 a.m. today with the opening ceremonies starting at 11 a.m. Thousands are expected to attend, Giragosian said.

Several events commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian genocide will be held in Glendale over the next several days. The genocide resulted in the murder of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1918. The main local event of the week will be a city-sponsored Armenian genocide commemoration ceremony at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd. The 90-minute event will feature several traditional Armenian dance and musical performances by local students.

Dozens of parishioners demonstrated outside St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in the rain Sunday to express their anger over the transfer of a popular reverend who was forced to leave the country because his visa expired. His supporters said church officials did not work to extend Fr. Rev. Barthev Gulumian's visa because of internal politics, sparking a campaign on social media against the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Gulumian was removed from his Glendale post, where he has worked for the last six years, and transferred to Venezuela.

Nearly 60 volunteers marched the streets of Glendale and Burbank on Monday to raise awareness and gain support for a new domestic violence help center that they hope will make inroads with Armenian families. Volunteers met in front of St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church in Glendale and walked to St. Leon Armenian Apostolic Church in Burbank, marching under the slogan “Violence Hurts, Love Conquers.” Fr. Vazken Movsesian of St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church in Glendale formed the domestic violence task force under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.

Sitting in his Glendale office, Steven Hovagimian clicks through Facebook pictures at his desk. One shows him in a dress, wig and jewelry pretending to be an old Armenian woman in a comedy skit to raise money for Glendale’s Unified Young Armenians group. In that same photo, the real woman standing next to him, he said, is his wife. “She says I’m crazy, but says, ‘You’re doing all this for the kids, so, why not?’” He supports Unified Young Armenians (UYA) with encouragement, time and his endearing sense of humor when he’s not working as a social worker for Los Angeles County or as a deacon with the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church or as a TV show host on “Cornerstone” (“Himnakar” in Armenian)

With the headlines gone and the arrests made, Armenians in Burbank and Glendale are now struggling with the perceptions of their cultural identity after a massive crackdown on the organized crime ring Armenian Power. The cultural perceptions — egged on by media bias, according to some, cultural fractions within their own community that hinder progress, according to others — have prompted many to dig deeper to address societal issues that many say are the root of the problem.

GLENDALE— A 23-year-old Glendale man who allegedly used a sledgehammer to smash a religious monument outside St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony vandalism, officials said. Victor Petrescu appeared in a Los Angeles County Superior Court in Glendale to answer to a list of charges that included felony vandalism of religious property — with an enhancement charge for damages exceeding more than $50,000 — a misdemeanor count of possessing a sledgehammer with the intent to commit vandalism and graffiti, and having a suspended and revoked driver's license, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

SOUTH GLENDALE — A 23-year-old Glendale man who allegedly used a sledgehammer to smash a sacred monument outside St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church could face felony vandalism charges, police said. Victor Petrescu was arrested about 10 a.m. Tuesday after he was seen using a sledgehammer to break off pieces from the church's monument on the 500 block of South Central Avenue, causing roughly $80,000 in damage, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Petrescu told police he was Jewish, and that "it said in the Bible he must destroy sacred pillars," Lorenz said.

GLENDALE — The La Crescenta-based Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America filed a $105-million lawsuit Tuesday against the J. Paul Getty Museum, claiming the institution illegally bought seven pages from a sacred Bible. The Western Prelacy claims that the seven pages, which date back to 1256, were ripped from the Armenian Orthodox Church's Zeyt'un Gospels during the Armenian Genocide, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The church is also requesting that the pages be returned.

Armenian Christmas started early for Glendale Memorial Hospital patients, who received a visit and a celebratory snack from employees Monday morning. Round loaves of gata bread, a sweet bread that many Armenians eat on Christmas, were a part of the room-to-room surprises offered by Chaplain Larry Johnson and other participants Monday who hoped to brighten up the holiday experience for patients. “As you walk in, people’s faces light up,” Johnson said of the difference the holiday visits made for patients.

Armenians from the La Crescenta and La Cañada area gathered in Lanterman Auditorium (which serves as the site of the Armenian Apostolic Church every Sunday) on Easter Sunday to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Christ. The service commenced at 10:30 a.m. and ended at 1:30 p.m. and was led by Archpriest Hovsep Hagopian. He also led a special prayer at the end of the service blessing the four corners of the Earth. After his sermon, the archpriest read Archbishop Hovnan Derderian’s Easter message, preaching, “the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ our Lord offers the vision to embrace the Gospel of the Lord with its message of salvation, which enlightens our mind and soul with divine love.