Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan Appointed Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Baltic States
armenianchurch.org
OCP News Service and armenianchurch.org – 04/04/2025
Yerevan-Armenia: His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, has appointed His Eminence Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan as the new Primate of the Armenian Diocese of the Baltic States. The appointment, made by Patriarchal decree, will take effect on March 25, 2025.
Archbishop Mirzakhanyan will be leaving his current position as Director of the Department of Church Conceptual Affairs of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to assume his new role.
A Life of Dedicated Service
Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan (born Edvard Mirzakhanyan on July 21, 1965, in Artimed) has a long and distinguished history of service within the Armenian Apostolic Church.
- Education and Early Ministry: He graduated from the Gevorkian Theological Seminary in 1989 and was ordained a deacon in the same year. He served in the Soviet Army from 1984 to 1986. He was ordained a celibate priest in 1991 and elevated to the rank of Archimandrite in 1996.
- Episcopal Service: He was consecrated a bishop in 2003 and elevated to the rank of Archbishop in 2023.
- Extensive Experience: His tenure includes roles as Secretary of the “Etchmiadzin” monthly, Supervisor of the Cathedral Museum, lecturer at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, Executive Director of the Sunday School, Director of the Christian Education Center, Locum Tenens in the Diocese of Aragatsotn, and Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia from 2002 to 2019. He has also held significant positions within the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, including his most recent role as Director of the Department of Church Conceptual Affairs.
- Academic and Administrative Roles: He has been a member of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary since 2007, served on the Monastic Disciplinary Committee, and chaired the Armenia-Diaspora Committee.
Source:
OCP News Services and armenianchurch.org
