The Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church is affiliated
with and under the jurisdiction of the Holy See of the Great House of
Cilicia, located in Antelias, Lebanon. His Holiness Aram I is the Catholicos
of the See of Cilicia.
The Prelacy office was re-established in New York City in 1958 and since
that time the Prelacy churches in America have grown and the Prelacy has
been responsible for a continuing program of community-wide activities:
religious, educational, cultural, and social. Since the tragic earthquake
in Armenia in 1988 and with the advent of the fall of the Soviet empire
and the independence of Armenia, the Prelacy has expanded its mission
into Armenia where the Prelacy currently sponsors many religious, educational,
and charitable endeavors.
The Prelate and the Executive and Religious Councils oversee the implementation
of the policies and directives of the National Representative Assembly
(NRA) which convenes annually. Although the two councils are separate
bodies, they meet jointly as a single body under the presidency of the
Prelate. The Prelate is elected every four years by the NRA.
Armenia's Christian roots go back to the year A.D. 301, when the Armenians
accepted Christianity as their state religion. Thus, Armenia became the
world's first Christian nation. Since their conversion, the Armenians
have cherished their religious heritage and have merged it with their
historic culture to form an indivisible national tradition. Today, the
Armenian Church, which in 2001 commemorated the 1700th anniversary of
the acceptance of Christianity, continues to serve her people in the Homeland
and the Diaspora and remains a vital institution in the life of the people.
Having started with a relatively small number of churches, the Prelacy
originally served the entire United States and Canada. As the number of
churches grew and the membership increased, especially in California,
the Prelacy jurisdiction was divided into two parts, the Eastern and Western
Prelacies of the United States, including Canada as part of the Eastern
Prelacy. In 2002, a separate Prelacy of Canada was established. The actual
area covered by the Eastern Prelacy extends from the Atlantic Coast to
the Rocky Mountains. The demographic center of the Eastern Prelacy is
in the North East, the Armenian population being concentrated most heavily
in the U.S. Megalopolis ( DepartmentsNew
England to the District of Columbia ).
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