St. Nersess Armenian Seminary FAST FACTS
ESTABLISHMENT & LOCATION
- St. Nersess was established in 1961 through the vision of Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan.
- The original location of St. Nersess was in Evanston, IL.
- St. Nersess has called 150 Stratton Road in New Rochelle, NY, home for more than 30 years (1978-2010).
- The Seminary currently sits on nine acres of land in this Westchester County.
- St. Nersess is the only Armenian seminary in the Western hemisphere.
- St. Nersess falls under the auspices of all three Dioceses in North America (Eastern, Western & Canadian)
STUDENT BODY PAST & PRESENT
- All but one of this year’s students are children of our Armenian communities in the United States.
- All St. Nersess seminarians have a minimum of a four-year bachelor’s degree in such fields as natural sciences, sociology, psychology, history, criminology and law.
- St. Nersess Armenian Seminary has more alumni working full-time for the Armenian community than any degree-granting center of Armenian Studies in North America.
- In total, 39 clergy and nine lay men and women serving the Armenian Church today have completed a graduate theological program at St. Nersess and eleven more have studied at the Seminary for special courses.
- St. Nersess recently graduated four students who are preparing for ordination in the Eastern Diocese.
- Out of 38 active clergy in the Eastern Diocese, 23 are St. Nersess graduates (60%). If we include eight others who have studied at St. Nersess for special courses or shorter periods of time, the total percentage approaches 80%.
- The largest Armenian Church parishes in the United States are pastored by St. Nersess alumni: St. Peter, Van Nuys, CA – Fr. Shnork Demirjian; St. John, Southfield, MI – Fr. Garabed Kochakian; St. James, Watertown, MA – Fr. Arakel Aljalian; Holy Trinity, Cambridge, MA – Fr. Vasken Kouzouian; Holy Martyrs, Bayside, NY – Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian; St. Leon, Fair Lawn, NJ – Fr. Diran Bohajian.
- Fr. Kevork Arakelian, raised in Southern California, was the first graduate of St. Nersess to be ordained a priest (graduated 1971 ordained 1973). He served as pastor of St. Gregory Armenian Church (Binghamton, NY) for seven years and St. Gregory Armenian Church (Fowler, CA) for 26 years.
- Five St. Nersess alumni currently serve at the Armenian Diocese in New York. (Fr. Mardiros Chevian, Fr. Tateos Abdalian, Elise Antreassian, Nancy Basmajian, and Megan Jendian)
- All of the Eastern Diocese’s youth programs are directed by St. Nersess alumni: St. Nersess Summer Conferences – Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian; St. Vartan Camp – Fr. Vasken Kouzouian & Fr. Krikor Sabounjian; Hye Camp – Fr. Aren Jebejian & Fr. Tavit Boyajian; ACYOA Leadership Conference – Nancy Basmajian
YOUTH OUTREACH
- Nearly 200 youth ages 12 thru 24 participate yearly in the St. Nersess Conferences in the Summer and at Christmas.
- Fr. Karekin Kasparian, Fr. Mardiros Chevian, Fr. Arakel Aljalian and Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian have served as Summer Conference Directors.
- In the last ten years, the number of St. Nersess youth conferences held at the Seminary has increased from three to seven: three high school conferences, two college conferences, a junior high school conference, and a deacons’ training program
- It is estimated that more than 5,000 young people have benefited spiritually and culturally from the summer conferences since its inception in 1963.
- More than 60 St. Nersess Summer & Winter Conference alumni are currently serving on Parish Councils or as delegates in the Eastern Diocese.
- St. Nersess organizes visits of young people to Armenian Nursing homes in New York and New Jersey.
- In addition, college students and prospective seminarians are rallied to participate in Seminary Mission Trips, where they travel with Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian, shadowing him in his priestly duties to a community that is without a spiritual leader. The Mission trips give a first-hand experience of what it is like being a priest in an Armenian Church.
ACADEMIC FACTS
- Deans of the Seminary have included Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, Dn. Hovanness Kasparian (now Fr. Karekin), Fr. Arshen Aivazian, Dn. Michael Chevian (now Fr. Mardiros), Dn. Hratch Tchilingarian, Fr. Arakel Aljalian, Fr. Vahan Hovannessian, Fr. Daniel Findikyan (current dean).
- St. Nersess has more faculty members devoted to Armenian Studies than any university in the US.
- More Armenian language courses are offered at St. Nersess than at any other place in the Western hemisphere.
- St. Nersess works in conjunction with St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, located only 10 minutes from St. Nersess.
- All courses taught at the Seminary are at the graduate level and are accredited by the American Theological Society through the Seminarians affiliation with St. Vladimirs.
- Master of Divinity degrees are granted through St. Vladimir’s Seminary and a diploma in Armenian Church Studies from St. Nersess.
- Before ordination, all graduates of St. Nersess Seminary spend one year in Holy Etchmiadzin to perfect their liturgical and language skills, to experience the Armenian Church in its birthplace, and to partner with colleagues in the ministry.
- St. Nersess publishes the only theological review of the Armenian Church in English, the St. Nersess Theological Review, now in its 15th year.
- The AVANT series of books published by the Seminary (four volumes so far and many more in the works) is the only ongoing celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Christianization of Armenia.
- The St. Nersess Global classroom is a virtual portal to Armenian Church studies and our theological heritage.
- The Sacred Music lab has MP3 downloads and sheet music in Armenian and English. This is the most extensive repository of Armenian liturgical resources on the Web.
- You can download and listen to various Liturgical Services right on our website.
FINANCIAL FACTS
- St. Nersess is incorporated and registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious organization.
- Six Armenian Church parishes in the U.S. have a line item in their annual budget to support St. Nersess Seminary: St. John (San Francicso, CA); St. Gregory (Fowler, CA); Holy Virgin Mary & Shoghagat Armenian Church (Belleville, IL); Holy Cross (Union City, NJ), St. Leon (Fair Lawn, NJ), St. Gregory (White Plains, NY).
- The Seminary relies on the generosity of friends and benefactors for more than 65% of the operating budget.
- There is a Guardians of St. Nersess giving program in place for those interested in pledging annually to support the mission of the Seminary (Guardian - $5,000/year; Shepherd - $1,000/year).
