St. Nersess Armenian Seminary "Wish List"

1. Scholarships

Benefactors are sought to underwrite one-time or annual scholarships for a variety of Seminary programs. Benefactors are invited to meet with, and to follow the progress of their scholarship recipients. For further information contact the Seminary.

Sponsor a young person to attend the St. Nersess Summer, Christmas, or Deacons' Training Conferences ($500)
Sponsor a young person from Armenia or Jerusalem to attend a St. Nersess Summer Conferences ($2000)
Provide a partial or full scholarship for a St. Nersess Seminarian (up to $35,000)

2. Library

The St. Nersess Seminary library seeks to develop and maintain a highly specialized collection of print and electronic resources to support its research and teaching in the area of Armenian Church Studies. The Seminary welcomes donations of any and all books and manuscripts in Classical Armenian, which are used by the faculty and students on a daily basis. Check with the Seminary before donating books in English, Modern Armenian or other languages.

The Seminary also welcomes financial contributions to underwrite the cost of acquiring subscriptions to electronic library resources ($500-$5000). For further information contact the Seminary.

3. Teaching Fellowships

The Seminary seeks sponsors to underwrite the costs of inviting scholars and teachers from Armenia, Jerusalem and elsewhere to visit St. Nersess for periods of one month to one year. Visiting scholars live in the Seminary community, teach the seminarians, give lectures at the Seminary and elsewhere, conduct research in Armenian Church Studies, and interact with the faculty and student body. ($3000 and up).

4. Sponsor a Lecture or Lecture Series

Each semester the Seminary organizes lectures on topics of relevance to the Armenian Church. Past lecture series have been devoted to: Armenian Sacred Music, Armenian Church Art and Architecture, Sts. Sahag and Mesrob and the Holy Translators, Armenian Philosophy, St. Gregory of Datev. Renowned experts from throughout the world are invited to lecture at St. Nersess. Funds cover travel expenses and honorarium for the speakers, promotional costs, and a reception. Those sponsoring lectures or lecture series are acknowledged at the lecture and in promotional materials. ($2000 to sponsor a lecture; $15,000 to sponsor a lecture series).

5. Publications

The Seminary seeks donors to underwrite the costs of its publications. Benefactors may sponsor a book, journal issue, booklet or newsletter in memory of, or in honor of a loved one. These dedications, including the name(s) of the sponsors, are printed in the publication. Benefactors may underwrite issues of:

The AVANT series (Treasures of the Armenian Christian Tradition). Full-length books containing English translations of important theological, spiritual, historical and liturgical works of the Armenian Church, with the purpose of exposing these treasures to English-speaking Armenians. ($25,000)
The St. Nersess Theological Review is the only English-language theological journal devoted to the Armenian Church. The journal appears annually and contains studies written by the St. Nersess faculty as well as other Armenian and non-Armenian experts in fields related to Armenian Church Studies. ($12,000)
The St. Nersess Armenian Spirituality Series is comprised of pocket-sized booklets containing prayers, sermons and spiritual reflections by the great saints and teachers of the Armenian Church in English translation. Distributed freely by the Seminary, their purpose is to make the spiritual treasures of the Armenian Church available to a wide audience, and promote spiritual growth among our people. ($10,000)
St. Nersess Newsletter. The Seminary prepares and distributes at least two newsletters per year, containing updates, photos and information on the seminarians, faculty, progress and outreach. ($15,000)

6. Sacred Music Lab: An Electronic Archive of Armenian Sacred Music

St. Nersess Armenian Seminary seeks funding to further develop its Sacred Music Lab, an electronic library of resources for teaching the sharagans [hymns], chants and services of the Armenian Church. To date mp3 recordings and pdf musical notation of over 200 hymns have been prepared and posted to the Sacred Music Lab on the Seminary's website. These serve primarily as instructional resources for the Seminary's liturgical music courses. In addition, thousands of choir members, youth and other Armenians and non-Armenians interested in learning the Armenian Church's sacred music art have accessed the Sacred Music Lab to download audio recordings and to print out musical notation of specific hymns and liturgical pieces. Benefactors are acknowledged on the website. (from $500)

7. Furniture and Appliances

The Seminary is in continual need of furniture and various household appliances. Please contact the Seminary before donating for a list of specific needs.

8. Home Sweet Home

The seminarians and especially the young people participating in the St. Nersess Summer Conferences always appreciate home-made foods of all kinds, especially cookies, sweets and other delicacies. Please contact the Seminary for details.

9. Endow Chairs/Professors

Perpetually-endowed professorships are the bedrock of any educational institution. Sponsors of endowed chairs make a major gift to establish and sustain a professorship in a specific area of studies. The gift is invested in an endowment fund whose principal is never touched, but whose annual income covers the salary and program expenses of the professor in perpetuity. St. Nersess Seminary is eager to establish endowed chairs in the following areas: Armenian Language and Literature; Armenian Sacred Music; Armenian Church Studies; Armenian Theology; Pastoral Outreach and Youth Ministry. Those establishing an endowed chair have the privilege of naming it, for example: The Hagopian Family Chair in Armenian Language and Literature at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary. (from $2 million). For further information contact the Seminary.