From June 28 - July 7, the Deacons' Training Program welcomed a group of 32 young men who gathered together to learn the music and rituals of the Badarak and other services of the Armenian Church as well as their meaning and importance.  
 
This year the program was under the direction of the Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian, Dean, and led by Dn. Ari Terjanian of St. Gregory of Narek Armenian Church (Richmond Heights, OH) who served as the Program Director. Previously, Dn. Ari served as the Assistant Director under the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, the new Primate of the Eastern Diocese. 
 
The participants came from 12 states and the Republic Armenia. With great enthusiasm, the altar servers and prospective deacons participated in daily practical workshops, classes, discussions, Bible Study and worship.
 
For the second year, the program welcomed two participants from Armenia. Gevorg Abrahamyan, 16, and Hambardzum Tsaturyan, 15, are from the village of Ashtarak and serve at the altar at St. Marianeh Armenian Church in their village. They were recommended by the Very Rev. Fr. Anania Tsaturyan, who resided at St. Nersess for a year and a half and recently returned to Etchmiadzin in May.
 
The students' travel expenses were covered by generous donors, similarly to the program in place for students from the Sts. Tarkmanchatz School in Jerusalem who attend the High School Summer Conference. "We are happy to offer our American students the opportunity to learn from their peers from Armenia and Jerusalem," remarked Fr. Mardiros Chevian.
 
The teaching staff included the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, the Very Rev. Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, the Rev. Fr. Daniel Karadjian, the Rev. Fr. Tateos Abdalian, the Rev. Fr. Gomidas Zohrabian, Dn. Eric Vozzy, and Dr. Roberta Ervine, as well as seminary graduate Dn. Michael Sabounjian. Seminarian Dn. Timothy Aznavourian served as Assistant Director.
 
New this year, was an opportunity for participants over the age of 16 to serve at nearby Mt. Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry to distribute donated food. Because the theme of the 2018 Deacon's Training Program was "servant-leadership", the participants were presented with a great opportunity to live out the fullness of the diaconate by serving those marginalized by society. Director Dn. Ari Terjanian and Dn. Michael Sabounjian suggested the idea and Vice President of Mt. Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, Kelley Housman, helped to organize the event. The Deacons' Training Program hopes to make service to the local community an integral part of the St. Nersess summer conference experience in the future.
 
The participants also traveled to the diocesan complex in New York City, where they spent the day with Fr. Daniel and had a tour of St. Vartan Cathedral.
 
On the Fourth of July, the group was warmly welcomed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice and Azat Lahham in Jackson, NJ, to spend the holiday swimming and enjoying a festive barbecue.  
 
Click here for more photos.

​St. Nersess has given four Primates, 37 priests, and many lay ministers who are serving the Armenian Church today including Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Primate of the Diocese of Iraq; Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate of the Diocese of France; Bishop Nareg Berberian, Primate of the Diocese of Brazil; and Bishop-elect the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, the new Primate of the Eastern Diocese of Armenian Church of America.

With the recent election of Fr. Daniel, he is the latest alumnus of the seminary to be serving as a Primate of a Diocese. An American born priest, Fr. Daniel graduated from St. Nersess in 1989 and was ordained a celibate priest in 1997. He earned his doctorate in Liturgical Studies from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, and previously earned a Master of Arts degree in Musicology from the City University of New York, and a Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. He has been teaching at St. Nersess for over 20 years, served as its dean from 2000-2012, and most recently served as the Director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in New York City.
 
Archbishop Avak Asadourian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Iraq, received an M.A. in Philosophy from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, where he taught Philosophy prior to becoming a student at St. Nersess Seminary in 1973. In 1976, he received his Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary as a St. Nersess student. He was ordained a celibate priest in 1977 and was consecrated a bishop in 1982 by His Holiness Vasken I in Holy Etchmiadzin and elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1993. In 1998, he received a Ph.D. from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross affiliated with the Vatican with "Summa Cum Laude" qualification.  He has served as the Primate of the Diocese of Iraq for nearly 40 years. During his time as Primate, he has led his flock through the Iraq-Iran War, the Gulf War and more recently the conflicts in Iraq since 2003. In 1988 and then in 2015, he published the Service Book for Holy Week (complete and then abridged copies), a useful tool for altar servers as well as the faithful, which can be purchased through the seminary.
 
Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate of the Diocese of France, graduated from St. Nersess and St. Vladimir's Seminaries in 1989 and received a PhD in Biblical Studies from Fordham University in 1998. He was ordained a celibate priest by Archbishop Avak Assadourian and then began his service in the Eastern Diocese, first at the Holy Cross of Armenia in Washington Heights, NY, then at St. Leon Armenian Church, in Fair Lawn, NJ. Bishop Vahan served as the dean of St. Nersess for a year in 1999 before returning to parish life at Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Bayside, NY. He was consecrated a bishop in 2011 in Holy Etchmiadzin and served in the Diocese of the United Kingdom & Ireland before relocating to the Diocese of France in Paris.

Bishop Nareg Berberian, Primate of the Diocese of Brazil, graduated from St. Nersess and St.Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in 1991 with a Master of Divinity and received a Doctorate of Ministry in Theology and Pastoral Studies at Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, VA, in 1999. He was ordained a celibate priest by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian in 1992, his first ordination as the primate of the Eastern Diocese. Fr. Nareg served several parishes in the Eastern Diocese, including St. George Armenian Church in Hartford, CT, and St. David Armenian Church in Boca Raton, FL. In 2014, he was elected to lead the Diocese of Brazil and was consecrated a bishop.
 
Both Archbishop Avak Assadourian and Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian serve as members of the Supreme Spiritual Council of Holy Etchmiadzin.

On Saturday, June 2, the Adult Christian Education (ACE) ministry team of Holy Trinity Church in Cheltenham, PA held a one-day retreat at St. Nersess Seminary to discuss adult faith formation. The informal gathering was under the leadership of their pastor, the Rev. Fr. Hakob Gevorgyan.
 
Fr. Hakob commented on the purpose of the Forum: "We wanted to share the results of our new ministry at Holy Trinity where we provide opportunities for our faithful to grow in their faith. I believe there is a deep hunger for more substance among our people. My brother clergy have expressed interest in what we're doing so we thought this day might be the beginning of a new direction for our Diocese and assistance for our pastors."
 
Participants spent the day examining the nature of faith formation, looking at excerpts from writings of well-known theorists and also exploring and critiquing a few current studies in the field including the Terian Report which was commissioned by the Diocesan Council in 2006.
 
"Our goal was to bring together those who are working regularly on the parish level-in the trenches, so to speak. Hopefully this will be the start of something new and fresh - we have identified several projects which we would like to pursue," stated Nancy Basmajian who along with Fr. Hakob and Elise Antreassian organized the Forum.
 
Attending the Forum from the Diocese were the Primate, the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, the Director of Ministries, the Very Rev. Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, and Director of Christian Education, Elise Antreassian. The Dean of St. Nersess Seminary, the Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian was also present. Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Bayside, NY which also has identified adult faith formation as a goal was represented by Arthur Asadorian and Donna Sirounian. The sponsoring parish was represented by their seven-member ACE team which included Jeanette Der Hagopian, Brian and Joyce Hoyle, Albert Keshgegian, Leslie Movsesian and Merle Santerian.
 
St. Nersess encourages parishes to host their retreats and seminars at the seminary. To schedule, please call the office at 914-273-0200.