New Primate Appointed for the Armenian Diocese of Australia and New Zealand

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin – 8/12/2012

By Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Grace Bishop Haykazun Najarian, has resigned his service as the Pontifical Legate of Central Europe and Sweden, and as of 1 January, 2013 His Grace will serve as the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Australian and New Zealand.

His Grace Bishop Haigazun Najarian (baptismal name Vrej) was born in 1952, in Aleppo, Syria.

He received his primary education at the Vahan Tekeyan Elementary School in Beirut, and graduated in 1964.  He continued his education in the Hovakimian-Manoukian secondary school in Beirut and graduated in 1967.

He entered the Gevorkian Theological Seminary at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1967 and graduated in 1973. In 1973 he successfully defended his thesis entitled “Mkhitar Gosh; Interpretation of the Prophet Yeremia”.

In 1973, in Holy Etchmiadzin, he was ordained to the diaconate by His Eminence Archbishop Husik Santurian, and in 1975, at the St. Sarkis Church in London, he was ordained as a celibate priest by His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian.

From 1973 to 1974 he worked as a secretary in the Chancellery of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

He continued his higher education at the St. Augustine of Canterbury School in England where he studied Pastoral Theology from 1974 to 1975. In 1975 he continued his education at the King’s College in London and graduated in 1978. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology (BD).

From 1978 to 1979 he studied at the St. Andrews School in Scotland. From 1979 to 1981 he served as the Spiritual Pastor of the St. Peter Church in London.

Returning to Armenia in 1981 he served as the Assistant Dean and Professor of New Testament and History of the Universal Church at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary until 1986.

In 1983, he presented and successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled “The Origin of the Monastic Movement in Armenia” and received the rank of Archimandrite at the St. Mesrop Church of Oshakan by His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian.

In 1986, he defended his doctoral thesis entitled “The Rules of St. Barsegh Kesaratsi” and received the rank of Senior Archimandrite at St. Mesrop Church of Oshakan by His Eminence Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian.

By the order of His Holiness Karekin I of blessed memory he was appointed to serve as the Vicar General for the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America and served in that position from 1986-1988.  From1988 to 1991 he served as the Spiritual Pastor of the Church of St. Stepanos in New Jersey.  In 1991, he returned to serve at the headquarters of the Eastern Diocese and was reappointed to serve as the Vicar General until 1995.

While serving in New York, he entered the University of Columbia in 1992 and graduated in 1993, receiving a Masters degree (MA) in History.

From 1995 to 1999 by the Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, he returned to Armenia and served as the Dean of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, and as professor of New Testament of the Seminary.

He returned to the United States in 2000, and served as the spiritual pastor of the St. Sarkis Armenian Church of Dallas, Texas, until 2002. In 2002 he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and served as the pastor of the St. Sahak and St. Mesrop Church in Philadelphia until 2007.  He concurrently served as the Vicar General of the Eastern Diocese, ending his service as Vicar General in 2010.

He moved to Sweden in 2010, and by Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, served as Pontifical Legate of Central Europe and Sweden until December 2012.

On 6 November, 2011 he was consecrated as a Bishop by His Holiness Karekin II, in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin.

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