Armenian Orthodox parish to mark first year
By Eugene Tong, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News
May 6 2005

CANYON COUNTRY — Santa Clarita Valley’s Armenian Orthodox parish is
celebrating its one-year anniversary this weekend with two special
Masses — one in honor of a slain sheriff’s deputy of Armenian
heritage.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, head of the Western Diocese of the
Armenian Church of North America, will lead Mass on Sunday at the
Santa Clarita Armenian Apostolic Church congregation. He also will
conduct a special service in honor of Deputy Hagop “Jake” Kuredjian.

The Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was gunned down in 2001 while
assisting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in serving a
warrant at a Stevenson Ranch home.

The services will be held at Rio Vista Elementary School, where the
congregation of some 25 regular parishioners meets biweekly. The
diocese established the fledgling parish here last May as the local
Armenian community grew to include more than 500 families, according
to church estimates.

John Toungaian, chairman of the church parish council, said the
congregation is working hard to increase turnout and to move services
from the elementary-school campus to a local church.

“They’re getting to know that we’re here,” he said. “Last year, we
had a picnic at which we had about 150 people attending. This year,
we had an Easter egg hunt. We’re doing things to let the Armenian
community know that, hey, we’re here.”

Still, Toungaian acknowledged it takes time to persuade local Armenians
to attend services close to home when most are accustomed to attending
Mass at St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church in Van Nuys.

“People are going to be going to St. Peter because they’ve been
doing it all their lives,” he said. “We’re considered a satellite —
a mission church. We’re on a mission to gather the Armenian people
in the community. It takes time to build them up. It takes time to
gather the sheep.”

The Santa Clarita Armenian Church services are slated to begin Sunday
at 10 a.m. at Rio Vista Elementary School, 20417 Cedarcreek St. in
Canyon Country. Sunday Mass led by Derderian will begin at 10 a.m.,
and a special service honoring Kuredjian will start at noon.