Habitat’s International Board Member Receives Prestigious Award

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, legate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America and international board member of Habitat for Humanity, was presented in May the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

The award was established in 1986 to recognize different ethnic groups that contribute to America’s diversity. Recipients of the medal are individuals who took an active role in strengthening their communities and building bridges between races.

The archbishop Aykazian has been active in ecumenical efforts, including the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches, of which he was recently elected president. He is also a great Habitat for Humanity supporter who helped to institute a partnership with the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Since 2006, the archbishop serves on the international board of directors of Habitat for Humanity and is a member of its Europe committee. His activities range from raising funds, encouraging volunteers to support families in need in Armenia through to volunteering himself at the build sites. He is taking the Armenian Apostolic Church at the lead of the fight against poverty housing in the country.

Over the past decade, Armenia has suffered a devastating 1988 earthquake which left 500,000 homeless; the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which hampered rebuilding; the collapse of the Soviet regime and a newfound independence. According to the Council of Europe, about 40 percent of its population still lives in poverty.

Archbishop Aykazian was born in Siirt, Turkey in 1951. He was educated at the Armenian patriarchate of Jerusalem and became a priest in 1971. In 1992, became a bishop and two years ago was elevated to the rank of archbishop. The following year he began serving as president of the National Council of Churches.

he Ellis Island Medal of Honor has been recognized by both the US House of Representatives and the Senate, and recipients are entered into the congressional record each year. Past awardees include six US presidents, a number of Nobel Prize winners and various religious leaders.