Newly Appointed Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Great Britain
9/2/2010
Armenian Apostolic Church-Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
With the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenian, Very Rev. Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian will begin his service as Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Great Britain starting February 10, 2010.
Rev. Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian was elected Primate during the meeting of the Armenian Community and Church Council held in December 2009. The election of the Primate was confirmed with the blessing of the Pontiff of All Armenians. Father Vahan has been the pastor of the Church of the Holy Martyrs in Bayside, New York..
Rev. Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian (baptismal name Sarkis) was born in 1963 in Baghdad.
He was ordained to the diaconate in 1988 by His Eminence Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Iraq and left for the USA to continue his education at St. Vladimir Theological Seminary in New York.
In 1990 he was ordained a celibate priest by His Eminence Archbishop Avak Assadourian and given the priestly name of Vahan.
In 1995 he successfully defended his thesis and received the rank of Archimandrite (Vardapet) by His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese.
In 2006 he successfully presented and defended his thesis “Third Epistle to the Corinthians” and received the rank of Senior Archimandrite (Dzayraguyn Vardapet).
During his service in the Eastern Diocese, he served as the pastor of the Church of the Holy Cross, New York, the Church of Sts. Ghevondiants, New Jersey, and the Church of Holy Martyrs, Bayside, New York. He also served as Sacristan of the St. Vartan Cathedral of New York.
He received his Doctoral Degree from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education.
