Leon Chechemian
Leon Chechemian (born 1848 - died 1920 ), was a Armenian born clergyman and the third Patriarch of the Ancient British Church.[1][2][3]
He was consecrated on 23 April 1878 by and Armenian Catholic Archbishop called Leon Chorchorunian (1822 to 1897). Beteeen 1878 and 1881 he served as an assistant bishop in his home town of Malatia.[1]
He became a protestant and emigrated to the United Kingdom, where he found work as a general labourer to help afford studies at the New College. He obtained a doctorate and moved to Belfast, Ireland to work for the Presbyterian Church. He became a notable lecturer at various churches in the city and in 1889 founded a meeting place for a mix of protestant denominations called the Free Protestant Church of England. On 15 August 1890, he founded the United Armenian Catholic Church to provide for fellow British Armenian refugees with a non-Catholic option. His efforts were supported by William C. Plunket, a Baron who was Primate of the Church of Ireland and Archbishop of Dublin.[1]
He was ordained as Third Patriarch of the Ancient British Church and Archbishop of Selsey on 4 May, 1890 by Charles Isaac Stevens, taking the religious title 'Mar Leon'.[4] He was also consecrated by James Martin and Alfred Spencer Richardson.
Chechemian formed the Free Protestant Episcopal Church of England on 2 November 1897, at St. Stephen's Church in East Ham, London by uniting the Ancient British Church with the Free Protestant Church and Nazarene Episcopal Church. Checkemian led the new church as a seperate organisation from the United Armenian Catholic Church as an separate organisation from this union. George W.L. Maaers and Frederick Boucher were consecrated by James Martin to assist with it's leadership. On 3 December 1920 Checkemian died and the leadership of the United Armenian Catholic Church fell to Andrew Charles Albert MacLaglen.[1]
The Free Protestant Episcopal Church of England was officiall recognized by the British Government as a legally constiuted denomination in early 1917 in a test case for the 1916 Military Service Act. Ernest A. Asquith helped obtain this recognition that allowed clergymen exemption from Military service in World War I.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e The Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume V04, Page 585, 1911.
- ^ Henry R. T. Brandreth (1 September 2007). Episcopi Vagates and the Anglican Church. Wildside Press LLC. pp. 50–. ISBN 978-0-89370-558-9. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ^ John Fenwick (24 August 2004). The Free Church of England: Introduction to an Anglican Tradition. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 122–. ISBN 978-0-567-08433-0. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ^ Gary L. Ward; Bertil Persson; Alan Bain (December 1990). Independent bishops: an international directory. Apogee Books. ISBN 978-1-55888-307-9. Retrieved 10 November 2012.