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:
September 12, 2006
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PRIMATE INVITES YOUNG PRIEST FROM ARMENIA TO DIOCESE
By Jake Goshert
On Sunday, September 10, 2006, Fr. Khatchadour Kesablyan will celebrate the
one-year anniversary of his priestly ordination by celebrating the badarak
at his new home, the Holy Trinity Church of Cambridge, MA.
Born and raised in Armenia, Fr. Kesablyan was invited to join the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian,
Primate, with the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians. He and his wife, Anna, and their 9-month-old
daughter, Maria, arrived in Cambridge on August 6 for a one-year posting as
a pastoral intern.
"I am pleased Fr. Khatchadour accepted my invitation to join us here in the
United States," Archbishop Barsamian said. "He is a faithful young man,
anxious to share his energy and passion for Christ with our parishioners. I
know he will be warmly welcomed by all the Armenians in his new home."
YOUNG FAITH
Fr. Kesablyan was born in the city of Etchmiadzin in Armenia in 1976. With
several priests in his extended family, he saw the power of faith close-up
from an early age.
"I was raised in a family full of faith," he said. "The idea of God was
always in my heart because I saw it in the eyes of my family as they came
and went to church. I also had many relatives who were priests, and they
noticed in my faith and desire to serve God and his people."
With the encouragement of his family, at the age of 15 he enrolled in the
Kevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Following his graduation in 1998, he taught history and the New Testament at
the seminary for a year. Fr. Kesablyan then spent two years as a chaplain
in the Armenian army.
>From 2002 to 2005, he was the executive secretary of the Department of
Intern-church Relations for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
He was ordained into the priesthood on September 11, 2005, and served in the
Diocese of Siunik in southern Armenia.
"What I am called to do is to serve not only God, but his people in whatever
way I can," Fr. Kesablyan said about his ministry.
NEW HOME
While in Cambridge, Fr. Kesablyan is adjusting to life in America and taking
English lessons. He is also actively serving the parish alongside its
pastor, Fr. Vasken Kouzouian. He will be working with Sunday and Armenian
School students, aiding youth programs, visiting shut-ins and nursing homes,
and serving in other pastoral ways. His wife is singing in the choir and
will be joining Fr. Kesablyan in working with the junior choir.
"The community loves this man and his family," Fr. Kouzouian said. "They
see how warm and welcoming he is. Overall, we’re very excited to have him
with us."
Fr. Kesablyan said he is pleased by his welcome, and that he is enjoying
learning about life in an Armenian parish in America. He is energized to
see the effort being made in America to retain the Armenian nature of the
church.
"I am positively impressed with the Armenian community here in the United
States, so many thousands of miles away from our homeland, yet they retain
their faith and ties to national traditions — the Armenian spirit, our
culture and language, and of course our fundamental traditions," he said.
"To keep these things here in America is a very difficult task, but the
Armenians are doing it."
"I would like to express my gratitude and respect to His Holiness Catholicos
Karekin II and Archbishop Barsamian, who have offered their blessing to this
new phase in my ministry and life," Fr. Kesablyan said. "Also, I want to
thank the pastor of Holy Trinity, the parish council, and the community here
for their warm welcome and hospitality."
ASSISTING THE TRANSITION
Fr. Kesablyan is the first young priest to come to the United States at the
invitation of the Eastern Diocese as part of a new effort to provide
Armenian-born clergy with the understanding and knowledge to effectively
serve parishes in America.
Under the internship program, clergy coming from the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin will spend at least one year serving under an experienced pastor
in the Eastern Diocese. The interning priest will meet with his mentor
pastor on a weekly basis and be evaluated every two months by both the
mentor and the Primate. The purpose of the evaluations is to give proper
help and additional guidance to the interning priest.
Along with his mentor-priest, the interning clergy will meet with various
other leaders of the Diocese to discuss the responsibilities of priests in
America. They will meet with Fr. Daniel Findikyan and Dr. Roberta Irvine
from St. Nersess Seminary to study educational and homiletic issues. They
will meet with Fr. Karekin Kasparian and Fr. Untzag Nalbandian to discuss
their psychological readiness. Fr. Simeon Odabashian will instruct the
clergy on Diocesan and parish organization and functionality. Fr. Vasken
Kouzouian will work with the interning clergy to improve their English and
knowledge of American customs. Yn. Arpi Kouzouian will meet with the
yeretzgins from Armenia to summarize expected duties.
"This is part of an effort to make new clergy from Armenia comfortable and
capable of serving in parishes throughout the Eastern Diocese," Archbishop
Barsamian said. "While the word of God remains the same worldwide, our
expectations and the demands we put on priests here in America are quite
different than those faced by clergy in Armenia. And we want to diminish
any barriers — cultural, linguistic, psychological — that would keep a
devoted young Armenian clergyman from serving the flock here in America."
— 9/12/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): At the invitation of Archbishop Khajag Barsamian,
Primate of the Eastern Diocese, and with the blessing of His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Fr.
Khatchadour Kesablyan, a priest from Armenia, has begun serving a one-year
pastoral internship at the Holy Trinity Church of Cambridge, MA, under the
parish’s priest, Fr. Vasken Kouzouian.