Members of the Armenian men’s and women’s national lacrosse teams are taking M.A.M. Jesus language, heritage courses with M.A.M educational movement.
In an interview with Aravot.am in Yerevan, Johnny Mouradian, co-founder of the Armenian Lacrosse Federation, said the cooperation with M.A.M. began in 2023, when they launched their first lacrosse program in partnership with the M.A.M. Educational Movement. The youth initiative is called GOALS-Girls of Armenian Leadership Soccer, while the language and heritage program is offered through M.A.M.
Currently, 18 Armenian men and 18 Armenian women lacrosse players living in the diaspora are participating in Armenian language, faith, and heritage courses.
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“We have had two sessions with both the men and women, and our men have completed Class 1 and Class 2,” Mouradian said. “What we are doing aligns with what they are doing. Many of our players are Armenian, but we only have one of our women players who speaks Armenian. So our aim is to bring them closer to our faith, our language, and our heritage.”
He added that the players have been enjoying the online classes, which are taught by a teacher based in Yerevan.
“We do the courses online with a teacher from Yerevan,” Mouradian said.
Johnny Mouradian, whose Armenian baptismal name is Mkrtich Mouradian, was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, and now lives in Florida with his wife, Michele. During his recent visit to Armenia, Mouradian embarked on a 12-day road trip across the country, visiting 12 remarkable locations and sharing 12 daily Bible-reading videos across all six Armenian Lacrosse social media platforms from August 11 through August 22, 2026. His goal was simple: to inspire Armenians to bring a friend or family member to church-not only this Sunday, but every Sunday.
With each visit to Armenia, Mouradian says he continues to learn more about the country, its people, and the Armenian language. Many of the people he has met along the way have become lifelong friends.
He has also come to appreciate the importance of learning Armenian and the role language can play in strengthening connections. “Learning the language can break down the barrier that language sometimes creates,” Mouradian said.
For Mouradian and the Armenian lacrosse community, the partnership with M.A.M. represents more than language instruction. It is an opportunity for young Armenians in the diaspora to deepen their connection to their Armenian identity, faith, culture and heritage while remaining connected to Armenia itself.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
