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: jakeg@armeniandiocese.org
Website:
September 7, 2005
PRIMATE HEADS TO TEXAS CAPITAL TO ORDAIN NEW DEACON
By Jake Goshert
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), traveled to the mission parish in Austin,
TX, on Friday, September 2, 2005, to ordain Ken Maranian as a deacon.
“Ken has a deep love for the Armenian Church and has worked hard to make
this ordination a reality,” the Primate said. “When you talk with Ken,
look in his eyes, you can tell that he is truly answering a heavenly
call to serve his beloved Armenian Church.”
More than 100 people turned out for the celebration of the Divine
Liturgy and the ordination and following banquet, including lay leaders
and deacons from Houston and Dallas and Fr. Mikael Devejian, pastor of
the St. Sarkis Church in Dallas, TX, and the visiting pastor for the
Austin community mission parish.
RETURNING TO THE PATH
Ken Maranian, son of Robert and Mary Maranian, grew up outside of
Watertown, MA, and attended the local St. James Church. He was
influenced by his early involvement in the Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America (ACYOA) and the St. Nersess Seminary summer
sessions. He later went on to study for a year at St. Nersess, and
three years at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA, earning a
master’s of divinity degree.
After spending a year as the part-time youth director at the Holy
Trinity Church in Cambridge and working with the mission parish in Cape
Cod, MA, Maranian moved to Austin for a job in the high-tech industry.
He now works as a computer engineer for Dell Computer.
He has assumed a spiritual leadership role in the mission parish,
leading monthly Jashu services.
“My grandmother, a Genocide survivor and a very faith-filled member of
the Armenian Church, played a large part in teaching me our faith and
love for our church,” Maranian said. “I’m being ordained because it
feels like the path I’ve been on is taking me there.”
“I’ve always had a deep love of the Armenian Church and our faith, and
have been serving on the altar since I was a child,” he added. “I guess
it always felt like a part of who I am. And this ordination feels like
a furthering of my commitment to the church: a deepening of the
commitment.”
SMALL, BUT GROWING
Moving from one of the Armenian hubs of the Northeast to the middle of
Texas 12 years ago meant a change for Maranian, but he luckily found a
small community that is growing. More importantly, he says, it is a
family-like community.
With more than 60 dues-paying members and a mailing list of 100
families, Maranian said his ordination is about more than him. It is a
community event.
“People have been asking about when I was going to be ordained, about
and how they can help me get ordained,” Maranian said. “It’s important
for us and our parish. It’s hard to describe why, but I think it’s a
step in our own mission parish’s development.”
And the community is indeed developing. About 50 people attend the
monthly services, and all join in singing since there is no established
choir. They have an active Armenian school for children, and just
started an adult class this month.
The parish is also blessed with a large number of young people who lead
the singing of sacred music, play the organ, and help organize social
events. Some are local high school students, others are students from
the nearby University of Texas.
And the Austin Armenians are proud of their ability to bring a lot of
events together, such as the first state-wide gathering of Armenians on
the steps of the state capitol this April 24.
“The Austin community is small, but it is a very tight-knit community, a
very hard working community,” Maranian said. “For the amount of people
we have here, we do get a lot done. We do a lot of activities and work
real hard to get things done.”
Lately Maranian has been impressed by the way the community is coming
together not just socially but spiritually.
“We’ve been growing quite a bit, but it’s been a slow growth. We’ve
been around for a while, but lately we’ve sort of become more formed
around the church,” he said. “We’ve started to form more of an identity
around the church and the spiritual aspect of our identity. So I guess
this ordination is a step along the way. It feels like it’s not just
for me, but like we are all going down this path together.”
The Primate met with the parish council members on Saturday, September
3, 2005, as well as with a group of area students who participated in
the ordination service. He stressed that the ordination of deacons is a
sacrament with Biblical origins, and that by ordaining a new deacon, the
community was establishing a foundation for future growth.
“The apostles saw the number of faithful growing and wanted to do
something to reach the people, so they ordained deacons,” the Primate
said. “And in Austin we did something similar, ordaining a young man to
help meet the needs of a growing, vibrant community.”
— 9/7/05
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 Eastern
Diocese, ordains Ken Maranian as a deacon in front of the Austin, TX,
Armenian community on Friday, September 2, 2005.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Ken Maranian kneels before the Primate during the
deacon ordination ceremony on September 2, 2005.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): Archbishop Barsamian is joined by Fr. Mikael
Devejian, right, visiting pastor of the mission parish in Austin, TX,
during the ordination of Ken Maranian as a deacon.
PHOTO CAPTION (4): The Primate meets with parish council members and
young parishioners from the Austin, TX, mission parish on Saturday,
September 3, 2005.
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