A Parish Born on Chicago's Northwest Side, Now at Home in Glenview
Armenian All Saints Apostolic Church and Community Center sits on Greenwood Road in Glenview, Illinois, just north of Chicago. The sanctuary and its adjoining multipurpose center are the heart of an active Armenian-American parish that traces its roots to 1943, when a small group of faithful in Chicago pooled $12,500 to purchase a church building at LeMoyne and Fairfield on the city's northwest side. By 1960, the surrounding neighborhood was changing and many parishioners were moving to the suburbs, so the charter members authorized a building committee to find a more suitable home. In 1967 they bought vacant land in Glenview, and on August 9, 1970, the Chicago church held its last service.
From September 1970 to September 1980 the congregation worshiped at St. Paul's Episcopal Church By The Lake on Ashland Avenue in Chicago while construction plans moved forward. Ground was broken in the fall of 1979, and the community center was completed the next year. In the spring of 1985 the parish acquired the property immediately to the east, including a house that became the parish house. Excavation for the sanctuary began in November 1987, and on April 2, 1989, Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian officiated at the first liturgy in the new building. Two years later, on June 2 and 3, 1990, His Holiness Karekin II presided over the ancient consecration ceremony of the sanctuary.
Parish Priest Fr. Samuel Ajemian
The parish is currently led by Fr. Samuel Ajemian, who was assigned as Parish Priest of Armenian All Saints Apostolic Church on April 7, 2024. Born in Aleppo, Syria, on January 3, 1996, with the baptismal name Sarkis, he attended the Sahagian National School and Karen Jeppe Academy before enrolling at the Armenian Theological Seminary of the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, for the 2008-2009 academic year. After completing the eight-year course of study, he was ordained sub-deacon in 2013 and deacon in 2014, and in 2016 received his seminary diploma.
Following a two-year compressed course of priestly studies and his marriage to Patil Arabatlian in 2018, he was ordained to the priesthood on October 7, 2018, receiving the name Fr. Samuel. He served as pastor of Holy Pentecost Church in Tripoli, Lebanon, from 2018 until 2020, then as pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church in Bourj Hammoud until November 2021. After arriving in the United States, he completed an internship at St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, and served as Parish Priest of St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church in New Britain, Connecticut, before his assignment to Glenview.
Sunday Badarak and the Life of the Liturgy
The Sunday Divine Liturgy, known in Armenian as the Badarak, is celebrated each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. Worshipers follow a centuries-old order that combines Scripture readings, hymnody, the prayer of the faithful, and the celebration of the Eucharist. To help the faithful follow along, the church offers downloadable pew books in multiple formats: Classical Armenian, Modern Armenian, English, English transliteration, and a combined Armenian, English, and Arabic transliteration edition. A separate book gathers the Sunday Morning Hours for All Saints.
For those unable to attend in person, the Badarak is livestreamed on the Eastern Prelacy's Facebook page. The parish also distributes the Sunday Bible Readings through the Prelacy in both English and Armenian. A volume of Holy Week services is available for download as well, including the Opening of the Portals, Great Tuesday (Ten Maidens Vespers), Holy Thursday with the Washing of the Feet and Tenebrae, and Good Friday (Karg Takman).
Bible Study and Sunday School
On the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., the parish gathers for Bible Study. Sessions cover the Psalms, hymns, the meaning of the Holy Mass, and interpretations of commonly used biblical verses and prayers. The first-timers who walk in can expect a study group rather than a lecture, with time for questions and conversation.
Sunday School runs from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., allowing children to attend Badarak with their families first and then take part in classes designed to teach them about the Christian faith and Armenian heritage. Parents register their children through the church office by phone or email.
The Seven Sacraments Made Available to the Parish
Armenian All Saints offers the full sacramental life of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Sacrament of Baptism represents spiritual birth and is celebrated together with Chrismation and First Communion as the rite of initiation into the Armenian Church. Through baptism the new Christian enters the Body of Christ and is cleansed of sin; through chrismation with Holy Muron oil, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit; and through communion they are nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ. Families schedule baptisms in advance through the church office.
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is celebrated according to the canons of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Couples obtain a marriage license from the county of their residence, and the wedding itself follows a fixed order that includes the Processional, the Lord's Prayer, the exchange of vows, the blessing of the rings, hymns in Armenian such as Aysor Yergnayink and Tak Bardzanats, the blessing of the crowns, and the recessional. Weddings cannot be performed on the Armenian Christmas period, the Great Lent season, and the feasts of the Transfiguration, St. Mary, and the Holy Cross.
Funerals follow a three-part shape: the wake or prayer service held the day before, the church service with prayers over the casket, and the cemetery service in which the soil is blessed and the coffin is sealed with the words, You are soil, to the soil you will return. After the funeral it is traditional to share a hokejash, a repast in memory of the deceased, often in the church hall. Memorial services can also be requested on the seventh day, fortieth day, and first anniversary of a passing during the Sunday Requiem.
Home Blessing is offered on occasions such as the Nativity, the Resurrection of Christ, or moving into a new home. The priest brings wafer and incense, blesses bread, water, and salt, and asks God's blessing on the household. The bread represents the Word of God, the salt represents the Christian seasoning the world with wisdom, and the water represents the cleansing of baptism.
Taniel Varoujan Armenian School
The Taniel Varoujan Armenian School, known as TVAS, is a collaboration between the parish and the Armenian Relief Society Chicago Zabelle Chapter. Since 1966 TVAS has taught Armenian Studies and has graduated more than 450 students. The school previously met at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood before relocating to Glenview. Its curriculum includes reading, writing, speaking, and understanding the Armenian language, along with Armenian history, cooking, music, and the distinctively Armenian expression of Christianity.
The Ladies Guild and the Governing Boards
The Ladies Guild has been part of the parish since December 1943 and remains an active organization affiliated with the National Association of Ladies Guilds of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Eastern Prelacy. All proceeds from its activities go directly to the church to assist with its financial needs. The Guild's chairwoman is Mrs. Susan Chitjian Erickson, working alongside advisors Mrs. Kohar Ohanian, Mrs. Astine Kokuzian, Mrs. Vanouhi Ohanesian, and Mrs. Stephanie Killian.
The parish is governed by a Board of Trustees elected by the membership at the yearly general meeting, with each member serving a two-year term. The Board's current chairman is Mr. Mike Demirjian, who also serves as an NRA Delegate. Mrs. Kathy Volpi serves as Secretary and Mrs. Sylva Jerikian as Treasurer, with advisors Mr. Hovig Vartanian, Mr. Ari Killian, Mr. Vahe Talatinian, and Mr. Chris Arsalanyan. National Representative Assembly delegates include Mr. Ara Surenian, Mr. Mike Demirjian, and Mr. Armen Alexanian. The Auditing Committee and Nominating Committee are elected yearly by the membership.
A Community Center Filled with Armenian-American Organizations
The All Saints Community Center is the shared home of a remarkable constellation of Armenian-American organizations. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest Armenian-American grassroots political organization, and the Armenian National Committee of Illinois, founded in 1972, is its local chapter. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), founded in 1890, has been represented in Chicago since 1896 through the Christapor Committee; many ARF members were charter members of All Saints when it was first organized in 1943. The Armenian Relief Society (ARS), founded in 1910 as the Armenian Red Cross and now an international NGO with members in twenty-six countries, maintains its Chicago Zabelle Chapter at the parish. The Armenian Youth Federation, with its Chicago Ararat chapter formed in 1933 by General Karekin Nejdeh, brings young Armenians together through educational, athletic, and cultural activities.
The community center also houses Homenetmen, the Armenian Physical General Union founded in 1918, whose Chicago chapter was established in 1974. Homenetmen works to develop the moral character and physical fitness of young Armenians through scouting, athletics, seminars, and publications. Hamazkayin, the Armenian Cultural and Educational Society, was founded in Cairo in 1928 by nine intellectuals including writer Levon Shant, and its Chicago chapter has been active since September 18, 1981.
Part of the Eastern Prelacy and the Catholicosate of Cilicia
Armenian All Saints became affiliated with the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in 1957. In the United States, the parish falls under the Eastern Prelacy, established in New York in 1958 and now covering the Atlantic Coast to the Rocky Mountains, including Canada. The Prelacy is responsible for religious, educational, cultural, and social programs across its affiliated churches, and it operates under the jurisdiction of the Holy See of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon. The Eastern Prelacy at armenianprelacy.org offers Sunday Bible Readings, news, and resources for affiliated parishes.
Membership, Giving, and Joining the Parish
Parish membership is open to anyone willing to fulfill the obligations of dues and involvement. Members who are at least eighteen years old, dues-paying, and recorded in the Membership Register for at least six months before a general meeting may vote and hold office. The church accepts donations in person by cash, check, or gifts of needed goods, and online through PayPal or credit card. Members also pay annual dues through the parish. Online giving is available to anyone who wishes to support the work of the parish.
Those planning to visit can find the parish at 1701 Greenwood Road in Glenview, with the church office reachable at 847-998-1989 and by email at info@armenianallsaints.org. The Badarak is celebrated every Sunday at 10:00 a.m., Sunday School follows from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Bible Study meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The community center and its affiliated organizations are continuously being improved and upgraded to meet the changing needs of an engaged Armenian-American parish.