Blog Archives
New Priest Ordained, Installed at Soorp Haroutiun Armenian Church Orlando
ORLANDO, FL – In July, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), ordained Deacon Vahe Bagdasarian to the holy priesthood in an inspiring service at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York City.
The two-day ceremony began on Saturday evening, July 23, at St. Leon Armenian Church in Fair Lawn, NJ. Dn. Bagdasarian before the altar in a traditional calling service that symbolizes a deacon’s formal presentation to the Lord as a candidate for the priesthood.
On Sunday, July 24, Archbishop Barsamian ordained Dn. Bagdasarian to the priesthood during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at St. Vartan Cathedral. More than 1,000 people gathered to witness the special service. Choirs from local churches joined the cathedral choir, under the direction of Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, to sing the hymns of the Divine Liturgy.
The Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, where Dn. Bagdasarian completed a course of study, served as the sponsoring priest for Dn. Bagdasarian.
Answering God’s Call
Fr. Armash Bagdasarian was born in Istanbul, Turkey, where from a very young age, he began serving the Armenian Church as an altar boy and choir member.
“I often attended the various services that take place throughout the week in our churches in Istanbul, and I was inspired to pursue the priestly vocation during those years,” Fr. Bagdasarian said. “I saw as examples church leaders like Patriarch Shnork Kalustyan, Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan, numerous clergy with whom I was close, as well as the very devoted faithful of all of our churches throughout the city.”
Upon his graduation from Istanbul’s Kultur University in 1998, Fr. Bagdasarian moved to the United States, where he continued service at the Holy Cross Armenian Church in Union City, NJ, and worked as a diamond setter in New York’s Diamond District.
In 1999, he was elevated to the rank of sub-deacon by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and thereafter to deacon in 2002. With the encouragement of Archbishop Barsamian, he began his studies at the St. Nersess Seminary during the fall of 2012 and graduated in the spring of 2015. He completed his Clinical Pastoral Education at the Palisades Medical Center and interned at St. Leon Armenian Church of Fair Lawn, NJ, under the guidance of the local pastor, the Rev. Fr. Diran Bohajian.
Reflecting on the ordination service, Fr. Armash Bagdasarian said it was awe-inspiring to take up the yoke of Christ in the presence of friends and loved ones. He said his priestly name echoes the historic Armenian monastery of Armash, which served as an important spiritual and educational institution in Historic Armenia until it was destroyed in the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
“I always heard about the Armash Monastery as a young boy,” Fr. Bagdasarian said. “I even had the opportunity to meet Armenians who knew residents from the immediate area around that monastery. So it was very moving for me to hear Archbishop Barsamian pronounce the priestly name ‘Armash’ when he ordained me at St. Vartan Cathedral.”
Fr. Bagdasarian, his wife Yn. Maran, and their son Nathaniel will move to Orlando, FL, this fall, where Fr. Bagdasarian will serve as the pastor of Soorp Haroutiun Church.
“Der Armash brings to his priesthood seriousness, humility, dedication, love of God, love of nation, and love of those that have been entrusted to his pastoral care,” said Fr. Mardiros Chevian. “I am certain that through his ministry, he and his family will draw many closer to God and to the Armenian Church.”
Armenia Represented at Oak Ridge High School Culture Day
By Sarah Suzanne Kechejian Dinquel
FLArmenians Guest Columnist
ORLANDO, FL – For many high school teachers, Homecoming Week is a week of fun filled stress. Each day is a different crazy dress up day where teachers don costumes that normal people wouldn’t be seen in out in public, much less seen in at work. These costumes become more outlandish it becomes realized that school spirit awards will be based on who has dressed the most spirited or “craziest” for the week and teachers all hope to win the coveted “most spirited” award.
At Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, where I teach eleventh grade business law, we had a great Homecoming Week. We had “clique day,” where we dressed up like our fellow teachers, “tacky tourist day,” where we dressed up like…you guessed it…tacky tourists; “spirit day,” where we dressed up in school pride apparel and colors; “throw back Thursday,” where we wore our clothes of yesteryear, and “culture day,” where we got to express our favorite culture through our apparel. I thought about dressing in some outlandish wacky cultural costume that I knew I could win most spirited in, but then I realized this would be a great opportunity to gracefully share my culture, one that most of my students know nothing about.
On culture day I wore my Armenian Coat of Arms t-shirt, red pants to represent the red in our flag, and carried the Armenian flag everywhere I went. Many students, teachers, and other staff asked what culture I was representing and I had the opportunity to tell them all about Armenia and the wonders of our amazing culture. I have already talked about Armenia and Armenian culture with the students in my classes, so they were already knowledgeable; but this was a great opportunity for me to share our culture with our entire school of over three thousand students.
I encourage you all to share our culture. Wear your Armenian colors and apparel. Don the Armenian jewelry and talk to others about our culture. In these times of fighting, war, and economic and political turmoil, stories of survival and perseverance are important for people to hear. So be proud and talk about our culture, we are an amazing culture with a wonderful story of survival and perseverance.
Florida Armenians 