Deacons' Training Program
August 1 -7, 2021

St. Nersess will be offering an in-person session this August.  A selection process will be in place to allow for a limited number of participants to comply with COVID-19 restrictions.  Masks will be required and precautions will be taken.

Altar servers are invited to attend our annual program at the seminary to learn how to participate in the liturgical services of the Armenian Church. This summer, through practical workshops and interactive classes, a team of seminary faculty, priests, deacons, and other specialists will teach participants the deacons’ chants for the grape blessing, water blessing, and Antasdan. Students who attend this program return to their home parishes with polished liturgical skills, a deeper understanding of the church’s worship services, a stronger faith, and strong network. Scholarships are available.
Co-Directors: Fr. Mardiros Chevian and Dn. Armen Terjimanian
$350 (includes tuition, room & board)

**REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED**
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2020: A Summer Like No Other!!!

Last summer, in 2020, due to the extraordinary circumstances created by COVID-19, St. Nersess launched a remote Deacon's Training Program. Virtual classes were held every evening, from 7-9:30 pm, led by clergy and lay instructors where participants had the opportunity to engage in topical lectures, fellowship, and Bible Study. 
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The St. Nersess Deacons’ Training Program is tailored for young men who would like to learn to participate in the liturgical services of the Armenian Church as deacons and altar servers.

Through personalized practical workshops and interactive classes, seminary faculty, priests, deacons, and other specialists teach participants the deacons’ chants of the Divine Liturgy and other services, while they take the mystery out of the rituals, the music, the symbols, and the chants. Students who complete the program return to their home churches with polished liturgical skills, a deeper understanding of the church’s worship, stronger faith, and new friends.

Beginners with little or no previous experience serving at the altar focus on the deacons’ chants and rituals of the Divine Liturgy, while advanced students will learn additional hymns, chants and rituals which are conducted in other services.

All participants benefit from daily study of the Bible and Liturgy, morning and evening worship, and Armenian language instruction. Sports, games, excursions, and the indescribable phenomenon of St. Nersess make the Deacons’ Training Program unique, rewarding and fun. The program is open to young men at least 14 years old. No previous experience is necessary.