The tenth annual Reclaim Conference was held March 6–8 at St. Mary Armenian Church in Yettem, California, under the auspices of Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate. This year’s theme, “Reclaiming Monasticism,” invited participants to rediscover how the spiritual wisdom of the monastic tradition can enrich and guide our daily Christian lives.
Inspiring presentations were offered by Fr. Vazken Movsesian, Fr. Avedis Abovian, Bishop Daniel Findikyan, Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian, Fr. Mesrob Ash, Gregory Beylerian, and Mr. David Menedian. Their talks explored themes such as reclaiming faith, the importance of spiritual retreat, building the Body of Christ, finding sacred silence in a noisy world, and cultivating a structured spiritual life through everyday monastic practices.
A central message of the conference was that monasticism is not simply about life behind monastery walls. In the Armenian Church, monasteries have long served as vibrant centers of prayer, learning, and service—places where the spiritual life of the Church was nurtured and shared with the wider community.
Participants were also introduced to several valuable spiritual resources, including Epostle.net a digital portal of the Armenian Church Western Diocese with resources focused on education, outreach, and heritage preservation., the 2Bishops YouTube series featuring Bishops Daniel Findikyan and Vahan Hovhanessian, and the Fast and Pray app, which helps support a meaningful personal practice of fasting and prayer.
In reflecting on the Conference and on this occasion, Fr. Vazken thanked everyone and announced that a special matching fund in the amound of $100,000 was set up by Jim Kaplan to further the work of Epostle. Donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar. More will be shared in the coming weeks about this generous gesture.
In Reclaim tradition, the Agape meal gave everyone an opportunity to share their thoughts and joys with one another along with the unique “handwashing” service. On this occasion Chuck Simonian, who designed and built the Yettem Cross which stands as a gateway to the church, presented miniature versions of the cross to Abp. Hovnan, Bp. Daniel and Fr. Vazken as a reminder of this very special place in the heart and soul of the Armenian community.
The conference came to an end with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. His Grace, Bishop Daniel Findikyan offered the homily at the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian.
Appreciation is extended to all the presenters, attendees, the St. Mary parish priest, parish council and ladies society and to the Circle of Faith and Circle of Love Bible Study group for their help and support.
The conference sessions were recorded and will be made available soon at https://epostle.net/reclaim2026.
