Parish Spotlight: St. Mary Armenian Church - Yettem, Ca

St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church of Yettem, California, traces its roots to the earliest Armenian settlers of the Central Valley. The community’s first public prayer service was held on Pentecost Sunday in 1903, and the church itself was consecrated on July 3, 1911.

St. Mary later became one of the five original parishes of the California Diocese when the Western Diocese was established in 1927. After the original church was destroyed by fire in the 1940s, the parish rebuilt on the same site, and the present sanctuary was consecrated in 1947. For more than a century, St. Mary has remained a spiritual and communal home for generations of Armenian families in Yettem, preserving faith, tradition, and a remarkable legacy of perseverance.

Today, the parish is served by Rev. Fr. Mashdots Keshishian, who continues that legacy through his pastoral ministry and service to the community.