The Armenian community in Washington state is devastated by an incident that took place late last week. During this already difficult time, when much of the world is in quarantine, and Christians around the world celebrated Easter in isolation, the community was shocked to find the Armenian Apostolic Church in Redmond, WA desecrated.
On Sunday morning, when the pastor went inside the church, he found the glass window behind the altar shattered by a brick, which lay on the Altar, surrounded by glass shards. After investigating the perimeter of the Church, he found that a stained glass window portraying Jesus Christ was also broken, with two large rocks still lying next to the window. To make matters worse, it appears the brick used to break the Altar window was taken from a Memorial Wall on Church grounds, dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, commemorated by Armenians around the world on April 24th (later this week). A police report was filed after the service; the Redmond Police department is investigating.
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The Armenian community consists of over three thousand families in the Greater Seattle Area, many of whom live in Redmond, WA. The Holy Resurrection Armenian Apostolic Church is the only Armenian church in Washington State, and acts as the epicenter of the community. It is flanked by a community center, home to social gatherings, as well as Armenian classes for youth. This act is not only difficult financially, but also spiritually for the community.
Rev. Fr. Vazgen Boyajyan
