On Monday morning, June 2, 2025, H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the United States, welcomed the 5th and 6th grade students of Ari Guiragos Minassian (AGM) Armenian School of Santa Ana to the Western Prelacy. The students gathered at Dikran and Zarouhi Der Ghazarian Hall and were joined by Principal Mrs. Ani Shahnian-Sarkissian and their teachers. Also attending was Rev. Fr. Karekin Bedourian, Pastor of St. Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church in Santa Ana.
Principal Shahinian-Sarkissian shared in her remarks that the visit to the Western Prelacy was planned ahead of the students’ upcoming trip to Armenia. They had come to receive the Prelate’s fatherly blessing before departing for the homeland. She also expressed appreciation for Prelate’s continued care and encouragement toward the AGM school community.
H.E. Archbishop Khacherian warmly welcomed the group and attentively watched the students’ presentation of a cultural program, which included prayers and patriotic recitations. The Prelate commended the students, teachers, and school administrators for their efforts in preparation of the cultural program. H.E. Archbishop Khacherian then addressed each student personally, offering words of encouragement and a fatherly blessing advising them to keep a journal during their time in Armenia, to record the emotions and memories of what he described as an unforgettable first encounter with the homeland, memories which they could reflect on in the future.
The program continued inside the St. Dertad and St. Ashkhen chapel of the Prelacy, where the students and teachers gathered for a moment of prayer and reflection, beneath the chapels luminous walls. H.E. Archbishop Khacherian shared with the students stories and events from Armenian national and church history, pointing to the chapel itself as a living reminder of that heritage.
Standing side by side with their spiritual leader, the young students joined in singing prayers and anthems before saying their farewells. In parting, H.E. Archbishop Khacherian told the students, “The Western Prelacy is your second home.” The students left the Western Prelacy taking with them the Prelate’s fatherly blessings, and words of encouragement with a promise to return.
