Dean Travels to Holy Etchmiadzin

From February 15-20, the Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian traveled to Armenia for his annual trip to meet and interact with the dean of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Very Rev. Fr. Garegin Hambardzumyan. During this visit, he also participated in a meeting of a newly formed committee appointed by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. Following the meeting, Fr. Mardiros had an opportunity to meet with His Holiness privately.

Invited to participate in this new committee were representatives from the four Armenian seminaries from around the world – the Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Theological Seminary of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Armenian Theological Seminary of the Catholicosate of Antelias, and St. Nersess Armenian Seminary. Also serving on the committee are clergy and lay people from Armenia and outside the country, including Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, former primate and president of the St. Nersess board of directors, as well as educators, including Dr. Thomas Samuelian, a former St. Nersess faculty member.

This was the first meeting in which they laid the ground work of what direction the committee will take. Discussions included curriculum, admissions, and graduation qualifications. Fr. Mardiros shared with the committee members the joint curriculum of St. Nersess Seminary and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York.

Chairing the meeting was Archbishop Yeznik Petrosyan, General Secretary of the Armenian Bible Society and Primate of the Tavush Diocese in Armenia. The next committee meeting that Fr. Mardiros will attend will take place in May during the ordination weekend of the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan when he is elevated to the rank of bishop.

While Fr. Mardiros was in Etchmiadzin, he also met with seminarian Dn. Timothy Aznavourian, who is studying at the Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for the 2018-19 academic year.