St. Nersess Armenian Seminary
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Major Developments at 43rd Annual Meeting of the St. Nersess Board of Directors

9/24/2004

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September 24, 2004

The Board of Directors of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary convened for their 43rd annual meeting on Saturday, September 18 at the Seminary in New Rochelle, New York. Even the remains of Hurricane Ivan, dumping rains down on New Rochelle, could not stifle the undeniable spirit of accomplishment and excitement surrounding the visible growth taking place at St. Nersess.

"No one can deny that we have turned the corner," said the dean, V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, during his report to the Board.

Following several years of fallow enrollment, the seminary began this academic year with twelve students preparing for ministry in the Armenian Church, ten of them preparing for priesthood, and two anticipating ministries in youth ministry and education. Eleven of the seminarians are attached to the Eastern Diocese. One student is an ordained priest from Bulgaria, who is pursuing a special one-year program in pastoral ministry. The Seminary also serves the Western and Canadian Dioceses.


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Presiding at Saturday's meeting were: His Eminence Abp. Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church and President ex officio of the Board; and His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Primate of the Diocese of Canada andex officio Vice-President. His Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese and the other ex officio Vice President was unable to attend.

Also present were the elected officers of the Board: Mrs. Artemis Nazerian (Secretary), Dr. Raffy Hovanessian (Treasurer), Rev. Karekin Kasparian (Asst. Secretary) and Mr. Sarkis Bedevian (Asst. Treasurer).

Other members participating in the annual meeting were: Mr. Haig Dadourian (Chairman of the Eastern Diocesan Council), Mr. Shahe Jebejian, Mr. Asbed Zakarian, Mr. John Amboian, Ms. Elise Antreassian-Bayizian, Mrs. Barbara Merguerian, Mr. Antranig Ouzoonian (Chairman of the Building Committee), Rev. Fr. Karekin Kasparian, and Rev. Kevork Arakelian.


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St. Nersess to Create Its Own Accredited Master's Program
In a particularly exciting development, the Board authorized the seminary faculty to create a new Master of Divinity program (M.Div.) and curriculum, which would address the specific needs of Armenian clergy in North America. It is this program that will be submitted to federal and state agencies for accreditation. 

For 35 years St. Nersess has offered its students a joint M.Div. degree in collaboration with nearby St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. Our collaboration with St. Vladimir's permitted our seminarians to earn a recognized theological degree by completing effectively all of the course requirements at St. Vladimir's plus a few specialized courses at St. Nersess. The collaboration worked well as long as the Armenian Studies requirements of St. Nersess remained relatively light. 

During the past few years, St. Nersess has developed a qualified full-time faculty. Consequently its course offerings in specifically Armenian subjects have grown substantially (Classical and Modern Armenian language, music, liturgy, history, theology, patristics, canon law, preaching, parish administration and others). The number of courses required by St. Nersess and St. Vladimir's has increased to the point that the joint-program is no longer tenable. Currently our seminarians are pursuing the equivalent of almost two full Master's degrees.

New Program Will Be Tailored to Meet Needs of Armenian Church Parishes in North America
"For the last few years we have felt that we were the dog being wagged by the tail," said Dr. Abraham Terian, Academic Dean. "The program that our seminarians followed was largely determined by St. Vladimir's, which ultimately granted the degree. By creating our own M.Div. curriculum, we will eliminate redundancy in coursework and reshape the program, focusing on courses and objectives that are most important for an Armenian Priest in North America," Terian said. 


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New Program Will Be Tailored to Meet Needs of Armenian Church Parishes in North America
"For the last few years we have felt that we were the dog being wagged by the tail," said Dr. Abraham Terian, Academic Dean. "The program that our seminarians followed was largely determined by St. Vladimir's, which ultimately granted the degree. By creating our own M.Div. curriculum, we will eliminate redundancy in coursework and reshape the program, focusing on courses and objectives that are most important for an Armenian Priest in North America," Terian said. 

"St. Nersess will not discontinue its relationship with St. Vladimir's," said Dr. Roberta Ervine, Associate Professor of Armenian Studies. "But the number of courses our students take there will be greatly reduced. Meanwhile, we will have the opportunity to send our students to other area institutions such as Fordham, Yale, and Princeton Universities for select courses," she said.

Fr. Findikyan added, "The faculty has long desired to organize semesters abroad. We'd like to shut down the seminary and transport our students, faculty and courses to a sister seminary in Armenia or Jerusalem for one semester . We would offer there, for the benefit of all, whatever courses we would otherwise be teaching here. At the same time, our students would benefit from all that the great centers of our church have to offer, studying, traveling, making friends. I can't imagine a more exciting and mutually beneficial exchange program. All of this will become possible once our new M.Div. makes us masters of our own destiny," he said. 


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The Board has authorized the faculty to create and implement the program as soon as possible, if necessary, even before formal accreditation is received. Once accreditation is granted, those who have successfully completed the St. Nersess program would automatically be eligible to receive the accredited degree retroactively. 

"By authorizing this monumental step, you have steered the Seminary on a path of continued growth and development in recruitment of students and faculty, as well as development of our financial base," Fr. Findikyan said, addressing the Board. "This will be a great challenge, but I believe that it will bear abundant fruit for our church and our people."

Catholicos Karekin I Theological Center
The Board also discussed the imminent construction of a new library facility on the Seminary grounds, to be known as "The Catholicos Karekin I Theological Center" of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary. Adjacent to the Theological Center will be an Armenian chapel. Both have been made possible by the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Haig and Elza Didizian, their children and their family. While the entire cost of construction has been assumed by the Didizian family, some funds will need to be raised for interior furnishings. (For more information about the Theological Center and the Seminary's building plan click here).


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Growing Interest in Western Diocese
Representing the Western Diocese was Rev. Fr. Kevork Arakelian, Pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church (Fowler, CA). Fr. Kevork is the first St. Nersess alumnus to be ordained a priest.

Fr. Arakelian transmitted warm greetings from Abp. Hovnan Derderian, who was unable to attend this meeting, but expressed his full support for the work and continued growth of St. Nersess. Fr. Arakelian announced that in the next two years, Hovnan Srpazan would be sending four students to St. Nersess, with a steady flow of students coming in subsequent years. His Eminence also expressed his desire that the Dean visit the Western Diocese on a regular basis, and at least yearly, in order to promote the Seminary's work. He also announced that two pages would be reserved for St. Nersess to contribute news items, essays, and educational articles in each monthly issue of The Mother Church, the official publication of the Western Diocese. His Eminence's proposals were enthusiastically received by the Board members.

New Board Members Elected
Re-elected to six-year terms on the Board of Directors were Rev. Fr. Karekin Kasparian, Rev. Fr. Garabed Kochakian, and Mrs. Barbara Merguerian. Also elected were three new members: Mr. Hagop Kouyoumjian (Holmdel, NJ), Mr. John Ohanian (San Diego, CA) and Dr. Edward Sarkisian (Northville, MI).

Before adjourning the meeting, Abp. Barsamian publicly thanked Mr. Sarkis Bedevian, outgoing Board member, for his many years of dedicated service to the Seminary and to the Armenian Church at large.


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Autumn 2004 St. Nersess Newlsetter In the Mail

9/24/2004

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September 24, 2004

A brand new issue of St. Nesess Seminary's newsletter has just been released. It is being mailed out this week, free of charge, to all those on the Seminary's address list. 

The twelve-page issue contains cover stories on the recent Groundbreaking for the "Catholicos Karekin I Theological Center" and chapel being built on the seminary grounds. The other cover story concerns the dramatic jump in seminary enrollment this year. Twelve students are registered for the Fall semester. 

Other stories include an interview with Mr. and Mrs. Haig and Elza Didizian, benefactors of the Theological Center and chapel; coverage of this summer's youth conferences, details of the Seminary's upcomingYooghapereets workshop for deacons; upcoming St. Nersess Weekends in Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit; an essay by the dean, and Alumni News.

The issue contains dozens of crisp and beautiful photographs. 

The newsletter is published quarterly.

If you would like to be placed on the Seminary's mailing list, send us your name and address in an email.


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Abp. Khajag Barsamian Visits with St. Nersess Seminarians

9/23/2004

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September 23, 2004

His Eminence Abp. Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America and President of the Board of Directors of St. Nersess Seminary paid a visit to the seminary on Thursday evening, September 23. It has become a tradition that the Primate visits the Seminary at the start of each semester. 

Present to greet him were the dean, V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, and eight of this year's twelve seminarians. Present as well was Rev. Fr. Daniel Karadjian, an ordained priest from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, who is pursuing a special one-year course of studies at St. Nersess concentrating on practical and pastoral ministry. Seminary administrator Mr. John Aslanian was also present.

His Eminence joined the seminarians in their evening prayer (Yeregoyan Zhamerkutyoon). Thursday being the commemoration of the early fourth-century holy fathers Saints Barlaam, Anthimus and Irenaeus, the seminarians sang the beautiful hymn appointed for the day,Hantisatsyalks.

The seminarians and dean then led Srpazan into the dining room, where a delectable Armenian meal was waiting for them, courtesy of the seminary's devoted chef, Mr. Noray Ohanian.

Addressing him in Armenian, the dean officially welcomed His Eminence back to St. Nersess, thanking him for his unrelenting support and leadership of the Seminary and its mission, not to mention his ever enthusiastic encouragement of the seminarians.

In his remarks to the seminarians, Srpazan focused on the theme of love and respect, which he called the pillars of church ministry. "St. Paul has taught us very clearly," the Archbishop said, referring to the exquisite discourse on love in 1Corinthians 13, "That no matter what achievements an individual or an institution may make, if they are not rooted in love, they are worthless."

An animated discussion ensued, as Srpazan invited the seminarians to ask questions, or simply share their thoughts and concerns.

First-year seminarian Ara Karamanian, of Erie, Pennsylvania, asked the Primate to comment on the reorganization of the ministries and departments within the Eastern Diocese and their potential impact on Christian Education. Srpazan responded that with the hiring of a college-ministry facilitator (Jason Demerjian, who is also studying at St. Nersess in preparation for the priesthood), more human resources were devoted to youth and education. He added that he was counting on St. Nersess to prepare more worthy men and women to assume positions in Christian Education and youth ministry at the Dicoese.

Dn. Sebuh Oscherician then spoke of his own experience as pastoral intern at St. Leon Armenian Church (Fair Lawn, NJ), where he and the Pastor, St. Nersess alumnus Rev. Fr. Diran Bohajian, are struggling to be able to assist the many immigrants who are in desperate need of assistance in finding housing, work, health care, and other basic services. "We cannot reach out adequately to all the people that need our help," he said poignantly. 

In response, the Primate recalled that several years ago the Diocese retained a full-time social worker to assist the parishes in meeting the needs of recent immigrants and others in need of basic social services. While budget cuts necessitated the elimination of that position, he expressed hope that funding could be made available to revive it. "In the meantime," he said, "I encourage each parish to organize committees of lay people, making use especially of specialists in this field and related fields. We have numerous parishes where such committees are doing wonderful work, truly reaching out to people in need, and at the same time building up the parish."

Following his closing prayer, the Archbishop spent almost two hours meeting privately with each seminarian. 


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Preparing leaders for service in the
Armenian Church since 1961
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