ORDINATION OF DEACONS AND PRIESTS
Divan of the Armenian Patriarchate

AZG Armenian Daily #135
19/07/2007

Armenian Church

By the arrangement of His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian,
Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, students of the Third Grade of the
theological Faculty of the Seminary, stall-bearers Samuel Safaryan,
Nareg Megerdchyan, Ararat Zargaryan, Pavel Garabedyan and Sahag
Hovagimyan, were ordained subdeacon on Friday, July 13, 2007, at the
Chapel of Holy Etchmiadzin of St. James Cathedral, following vespers,
and next day, on July 14, they were ordained deacon by the Grand
Sacristan His Eminence Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian.

Their Presenter was His Eminence Archbishop Aris Shirvanian.

The same afternoon following vespers, the ceremony of the Call to
the Priesthood of two graduated of the Theological Faculty of the
Seminary Deacon Avedik Alekyan and Deacon Pavel Tavtyan, as well as
of Deacon Arthur Paloyan, took place at St. James Cathedral.

Presiding over the ceremony was the Grand Sacristan.

Next day, on Sunday, July 15, on the Feast of Transfiguration
(Vartavar), the three ordinands were ordained celibate priests by His
Eminence during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Deacon Avedik
Alekyan was consecrated and renamed Father Vazken, Deacon Pavel Tavtyan
was consecrated and renamed Father Yeghishe, and Deacon Arthur Paloyan
was consecrated and renamed Father Shnork. Their Presenter was His
Eminence Archbishop Aris Shirvanian.

The same afternoon following vespers at St. James Cathedral, the
newly ordained priests received their cowls, symbol of celibacy.

The new priests will spend their forty-day period of preparation of
their new mission at the Armenian Convent in Bethlehem.