Parish history

Armenian parish life in New Britain began in 1900. The present Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection on Stanley Street was consecrated in 1980.

Resurrection stained glass and Armenian carved cross at the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection

1900–1980

Historical overview

Armenian parish life in New Britain began in 1900. For roughly the first quarter century, services were held at St. Mark Episcopal Church on West Main Street. As the Armenian community grew, a building committee was formed, and St. Stephen Armenian Church on Tremont Street was built and consecrated in 1925.

Following the division within the Armenian Church community, a Parish Council purchased the Ukrainian Hall on Erwin Place in 1940. On March 19, 1941, His Eminence Archbishop Karekin Hovsepiantz consecrated it as the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection.

That church served the community for thirty-nine years. The parish purchased the present Stanley Street property in September 1969. When the City of New Britain acquired the Erwin Place property for neighborhood redevelopment in 1977, fundraising and planning for a new church moved forward.

The final design was settled on November 12, 1978. The official groundbreaking took place on April 1, 1979, with His Eminence Archbishop Torkom Manoogian presiding. Construction continued through 1980, aided by parishioners who cleared trees, painted walls, and worked throughout the new building.

On September 28, 1980, the present Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection was consecrated.

1900Armenian parish life begins

1941The Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection is consecrated

1969Stanley Street property purchased

1980Present church consecrated

Pastor

Rev. Fr. Haroutiun Sabounjian

Fr. Haroutiun Sabounjian grew up in Massachusetts and spent most of his youth at the Armenian Church of the Holy Translators in Framingham. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Boston College in 2015, with minors in Music and French. In 2018, he received a Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and a Certificate of Armenian Studies from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary. He then completed a one-year pastoral internship with Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin at Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church in Providence, Rhode Island. He was appointed to Holy Resurrection in February 2021 while serving as Deacon Michael Sabounjian and was ordained to the holy priesthood as Fr. Haroutiun in June 2021.

Pastoral history of the Armenian community in New Britain

1925–1927Rev. Karekin Deovletian

1928–1929Rev. Unzak Kazanjian

1931–1932Rev. Mesrob Hovhanesian

1935–1937Rev. Khoren Mamigonian

1940Formation of the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection begins

1940–1941Very Rev. Mesrob Semerjian

1942Very Rev. Terenig Poladian

1943Rev. Mugurdich Minasian

1948–1951Rev. Arnak Kasparian

1952Rt. Rev. Bishop Mampre Kalfayan

1953Very Rev. Alan Potookian

1954Very Rev. Isahag Ghazarian

1955–1956Very Rev. Muron Gourdjikian

1958–1967Rev. Michael Buttero

1967–Rev. Vartan DerAssadourian

Rev. Michael Buttero

Very Rev. Mesrob Semerjian

Rev. Deacon Hamlet Mehrabian

2003–2021Rev. Kapriel Mouradjian

2021–presentRev. Haroutiun Sabounjian