Newly Appointed Locum Tenens of the Armenian Diocese of Bulgaria

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
10/2/2011

By the Pontifical order (dated February 9, 2011) of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Very Reverend Father Abgar Hovakimian is appointed to serve as the Locum Tenens of the Armenian Diocese of Bulgaria as of 01 March 2011.

Father Abgar Hovakimian (baptismal name Samvel) was born in 1972, in Batoumi, Georgia.

From 1979-1989 he received his elementary education in the S. Shahumian Armenian school.

From 1989-1995, he studied in the Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin defending his graduation thesis entitled “The Echoes of Armenian Doctrinal Thinking in the Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew by St. Nerses the Graceful”. Upon graduation, he was ordained a deacon by His Grace Bishop Anania Arabajian.

On June 2, 1996, he was ordained a celibate priest by His Eminence Archbishop Shahe Ajemian, and given the priestly name of Abgar.

By Pontifical Order, he continued his higher education at the Theological University of Salzburg, Austria from 2001-2004, and received a Master’s Degree.
In 2004 he returned to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and by the Pontifical order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, he was appointed to serve as Vicar General in the Armenian Diocese of Georgia, under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Primate of Georgia.

In 2007 he defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Dionysius Areopagite in Armenian Bibliography” and received the rank of Archimandrite.

From 2005-2009, Father Abgar served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Syunik.
In 2010 Very Rev. Fr. Abgar Hovakimian was been appointed to serve in Montreal, in the Armenian Diocese of Canada.

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