AREA PILGRIMS TO MAKE JOURNEY TO ARMENIAN HOLY SITES.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

BURBANK - Like many Armenian-American youths, what 17-year-old Ara Krikorian knows about his homeland comes secondhand - learned mostly from his studies at an Armenian school.

Seeking a closer connection with his ancestors, Krikorian will embark this weekend on a 16-day pilgrimage to Armenia, joined by about 100 young people from around California and their families.

``I am hoping to see everything we have learned in school,'' Krikorian said, ``to see the whole country - the people and the lifestyle of living.''

Organized by the Burbank-based Armenian Church Youth Organization, the pilgrimage is being led by Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America and the Rev. Shnork Demirjian, parish priest of St. Peter Armenian Church in Van Nuys.

The pilgrimage falls on the 1,700th anniversary of Armenia's acceptance of Christianity.

Once in Armenia, the group will meet up with hundreds of other Armenian youths from around the world at Khor Virap, the deep pit where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years because of his Christian faith. St. Gregory is credited with converting King Trdat of Armenia to Christianity in 301 A.D.

Together, the young pilgrims will walk from Khor Virap to Etchmiadzin, the Armenian equivalent of the Vatican, for Mass and Communion. The pilgrimage will culminate at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

``This is not a vacation for us. We are not tourists. What we are looking for is a spiritual journey,'' said Matthew Ash, 20, chairman of the Central Council of the Armenian Church Youth Organization.

``This is as much going back to our cultural heritage as understanding what it means to be a Christian. As a result of the pilgrimage, we may be stronger as a people, but also as individuals spiritually stronger.''

The youth organization, which last undertook a pilgrimage in the 1980s, has spent nearly a year planning for the trip and raised about $50,000 with the help of local churches to cover expenses for those who otherwise cannot afford it. Leaders of the group hope to have annual pilgrimages in the future.

At a time when an estimated 4 million Armenians live outside the country and 3 million inside, pilgrimage organizers said cultural preservation is all the more important.

``This is a new situation that has risen that we are trying to deal with,'' Ash said. ``As a result of communism and the genocide, us as a people have splintered. This is about bringing us back together.''

Many Armenians fled their homeland to escape the Armenian Genocide in the early part of the 20th century, while others left after collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.

As a result of the migration, many Armenians are increasingly disconnected from their homeland.

Noelle Keshishian, 16, one of the pilgrims, said her father was born in Syria and raised in Lebanon, while her mother was born in the United States.

``At first I didn't want to go, but I realized this is something my ancestors would want me to see,'' she said. ``Everyone who has been to Armenia has said it's a life-changing experience. That's why I want to go.''

As part of the pilgrimage, the group will also bring with them clothing donations and other practical gifts for needy families.

``When they were communist, they didn't have very many things. Now they have all these products, but nobody can afford them,'' said Lena Maranian, 20, another pilgrim.

The group hopes to build lasting bonds with other pilgrims from around the world and create an international Armenian youth network and return to their country someday to help.

``We are all like foreigners going there. But once we are there, we will bond with our people,'' said Ara Soghomonian, 25.

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David Yaldezian of Woodland Hills packs for a trip to Armenia, where he will join 100 other California youths.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer