PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
April 6, 2005
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FR. BEDROS ORDAINED IN NEW YORK CITY
By Jake Goshert
Tears of joy were visible on the faces of Ara Kadehjian’s family as they
approached to kiss his hand. Their joy was understandable, since in the
past few moments they had seen their son, husband, and brother reborn as
Fr. Bedros.
His ordination to the priesthood on Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3,
2005, was the culmination of years of work, study, and devotion. But it
was not the end of his responsibility.
“Fr. Bedros, an important responsibility is now given to you. You are
going to be a leader of the Armenian Church in this new era in this
blessed land of America,” said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, who ordained
Fr. Bedros at New York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral. “This ancient but
living Armenian Church is in your hands, in our hands. Now you are one
of the ones with the responsibility for not only preserving our ancient
heritage, but adding something on top of it.”
The son of Papken and Shaken Kadehjian, Fr. Bedros and his wife, Yn.
Tina, recently had their first child: a daughter, Arev. Charles
Pinajian, a parish leader from the St. Leon Church of Fair Lawn, served
as godfather of Fr. Bedros’ ordination, and Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean
of St. Vartan Cathedral, was the sponsoring priest. Fr. Bedros’
ordination was praised by his family, ordination godfather, and
sponsoring priest, as well as other leaders of the Armenian Church,
under whom Fr. Bedros studied and grew.
“It’s a great joy whenever a young man comes forward and receives the
sweet yoke of the Lord, to serve His church,” said Fr. Daniel Findikyan,
dean of St. Nersess Seminary. “It must be a great sign of the life that
comes from the Easter season when we see a young man who works and
studies so he could serve our church.”
Fr. Bedros is now in his traditional 40-day seclusion at the seminary.
He will celebrate his first Divine Liturgy at St. Vartan Cathedral on
May 15.
SHARING A PASSION
During the banquet following his ordination, Fr. Bedros spoke about
clergymen as friends and guides, sharing their love of Christ with those
around him. Quoting a passage from the book “Sleepers” by Lorenzo
Carcaterra, he read about a priest in a tough New York City parish who
loved blues music and comic books, and bought pizza for the poor
children he served.
“This priest was able to share his faith with young people. Young
people do look up to priests and there were many priests who were role
models for me,” Fr. Bedros said, citing Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian and Fr.
Nareg Berberian — both of whom knew Fr. Bedros as a young man growing
up at St. Vartan Cathedral and in Queens — as two priests who showed an
interest in growing the next generation of clergy. “They didn’t make us
feel like they were high and above us. They just opened up my eyes more
to see the possibility of going into the priesthood.”
It was their encouragement, and that of then-dean of St. Nersess
Seminary, Dn. Hratch Tchilingirian, that lead Fr. Bedros to the
priesthood after a trip to Armenia.
“Sometimes priests receive ‘the call’ after something tragic or
extraordinary, or after seeing a vision,” Fr. Bedros said. “But I
believe the Holy Spirit works in many different and mysterious ways. He
can even work through other clergy and lay leaders, and that’s how ‘the
call’ occurred with me — by people taking an interest and encouraging
me to pursue the priesthood.”
DOMELESS CHAPEL
Fr. Bedros recognized the importance and power of the church inside a
run-down, dirty, roofless neighborhood chapel in the small Armenian town
of Abaran. He had traveled to the newly-independent Armenia in 1992 as
part of St. Nersess Seminary’s Mission to Armenia. The group traveled
around the country, cleaning, rehabilitating, and holding services in
churches long-shuttered by the communist authorities.
During the trip, the young participants in the program — seminarians
and altar servers — would stay in the homes of locals. In Abaran, Fr.
Bedros and another altar server from St. Vartan Cathedral stayed in the
home of a woman who had keys to a small neighborhood church. The two
visitors asked the woman to take them inside the long-closed church,
whose dome and cross had been torn down by communist atheists to show
that religion was no longer important.
Word quickly spread through the village and the two altar servers
quickly found themselves surrounded by the villagers, eager to have some
sort of worship service. So they began singing the deacon and choir
parts of the Divine Liturgy.
“When you see the somberness in the room, and you see the way little
kids were standing at attention with candles they ran home to get, it
does something to your heart and soul that I can’t describe in words,”
Fr. Bedros said. “These types of events, they just do something to you.
You can really feel the Holy Spirit when you’re there, surrounded by
people and sharing your faith with them.”
UNITING A COMMUNITY
Building a community and sharing his love for the church is what Fr.
Bedros sees as his mission as a priest. His current work as the interim
coordinator of the Diocese’s Mission Parish Project has brought home to
him that parishes serve different types of people: American-born,
Armenians who have settled in America years ago, more recent immigrants,
and non-Armenians.
“The challenge to clergy is that we have to talk and serve and work with
all these people and become one family,” Fr. Bedros said. “We have to
make the Armenian Church talk to us and become a part of our lives.
Priests have to engage people, to help them feel the same love and
devotion we have for our faith.”
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), puts priestly vestments on
newly ordained Fr. Bedros Kadehjian during his ordination on Sunday,
April 3, 2005, at New York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Charles Pinajian, who served as godfather, and Fr.
Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan cathedral and the sponsoring
priest, look on during the ordination of Fr. Bedros Kadehjian.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): Archbishop Barsamian anoints Fr. Bedros Kadehjian
during the second day of his two-day ordination service at St. Vartan
Cathedral in New York.
PHOTO CAPTION (4): The newly-ordained Fr. Bedros Kadehjian addresses
the crowd inside New York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral on Sunday, April
3, 2005.
PHOTO CAPTION (5): Family and friends line up to kiss the hand of Fr.
Bedros Kadehjian following his priestly ordination by Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian on Sunday, April 3, 2005.
PHOTO CAPTION (6): Archbishop Barsamian blesses Yn. Tina Kadehjian
during her husband’s priestly ordination at St. Vartan Cathedral on
Sunday, April 3, 2005.
PHOTO CAPTION (7): Yn. Tina Kadehjian and the parents of Fr. Bedros —
Papken and Shaken Kadehjian — watch the ordination ceremony at St.
Vartan Cathedral on Sunday, April 3, 2005.
PHOTO CAPTION (8): Fr. Bedros Kadehjian blesses the crowd at a banquet
honoring him following his ordination to the priesthood by Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, in New York City’s St.
Vartan Cathedral on Sunday, April 3, 2005.
— 4/6/05
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