Armenian Prelacy of Canada

The Armenian Prelacy of Canada (Armenian: Գանատայի Հայոց Թեմ), is a diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church affiliated with the Holy See of Cilicia, formed in 2002. The prelacy building is located at 3401 Oliver Asselin in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

As of 2016, the diocese has 7 churches under its jurisdictions. Archbishop Papken Tcharian is the primate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada.

History

In 1958 the Armenian Prelacy of America was established. There were only few churches, and the Prelacy included all of the United States of America and Canada. As the number of Churches grew over the years, the Armenian Prelacy of America was split into two jurisdictions, Eastern and Western. As years continued to go by, more churches were built, and in 2002 the Armenian Prelacy of Eastern America was split into two yet again, this time establishing the Armenian Prelacy of Canada.

The stated mission of the diocese is the spiritual nourishment of the faithful, with the foremost responsibility of preaching the Fatherhood of God, the salvation of men through the Holy Cross of our Lord and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Churches

Holy Mother of God church of Toronto

As of 2016, the diocese has 7 churches under its jurisdiction:

• Saint Hagop Armenian Cathedral of Montreal, Quebec, headed by Archpriest Rev. Fr. Karnig Koyounian.
• Saint Kevork Armenian Church of Laval, Quebec, headed by Priest Rev. Fr. Kapriel Kamayan.
• Saint Mary Armenian Church of Toronto, Ontario (opened in 1990). Headed by Priest Right Rev. Fr. Keghart Kosbakian
• Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church of Vancouver, British Columbia, headed by Priest Very Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian.^[2]
• Saint Nshan Armenian Church of Cambridge, Ontario (opened in 1983), headed by Priest Very Rev. Fr. Hovhannes Saghdejian.
• Saint Boghos Armenian Church of St. Catharines, Ontario. A visiting pastor celebrates Divine Liturgy.
• Saint Vartan Armenian Church of Winnipeg, Manitoba. A visiting pastor celebrates Divine Liturgy.

Prelates

*Archbishop Khajag Hagopian (May 2002 - 10 May 2014)

Sarkis Hagopian was born in Syria on June 20, 1946. At a young age, he and his family relocated to Lebanon, where he received his education at Torkomian School and in 1961 entered the Seminary at the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias. In 1965 he is ordained a deacon by then Bishop Karekin Sarkisian, who later became the Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia and the Catholicos of All Armenians.

In 1968, Deacon Hagopian was ordained a celibate priest and later in 1971 he received the title of Very Reverend -Vartabed.

Very Rev. Fr. Khajag Hagopian was elected the Locum Tenens of Jezireh, Northern Syria Prelacy. After serving in that capacity for eight years, he returned to Lebanon where he resumed his academic studies at the Middle East Theological institute. In 1981, at the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, then the Prelate of Eastern US and Canada, Very Rev. Fr. Hagopian relocated to New York where he served as special assistant to the Prelate.

In 1983, he became the first parish priest of the newly established St. Mary Church in Toronto. In 1985 he was ordained a Right Reverend by Archbishop Ashjian. In 1994, Right Rev. Fr. Hagopian was assigned to served as the parish priest of the Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Encino. He was ordained Bishop in 1997 and was elected as Prelate of Canada in 2004.

*Bishop Meghrig Parikian (10 May 2014 - 16 February 2016)

In July 1994, he was given the title of Very Reverend – Vartabed, by His Eminence Archbishop Ardag Manougian, after presenting his thesis on the Letters of His Holiness, Catholicos Nerses of all Armenians. The following year, in 1995, Father Parikian was appointed Sacristan at the Catholicosate. His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholicosate, bestowed Parikian with the right to wear a pectoral cross in January 1996.

Throughout the next couple of years, he attended the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, where he followed the “Overcome Violence” educational program. As a Deacon, Parikian had begun studying the piano under the direction of Setrag Setragian, and continued his piano studies during his service in Lebanon.

In 1997, he moved to New York to attend Mannes College, The New School for Music and was instructed by Peter Bellino until his departure in 1999.

Upon his return to Lebanon, he took on the duty of director of the Birds Nest Armenian Orphanage in Jbeil until 2002. In May of that year, he is given the title of Right Reverend by His Grace Bishop Zareh Aznavourian and on the same day, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholicosate, bestows him the right to wear the official purple cassock of the Armenian Catholicosate. Later that year, he is appointed as the parish priest for the St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Toronto and served the local Armenian community for 12 years.

In 2010, under the Auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, the former Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, then Right Rev. Fr. Meghrig Parikian Parikian was named as the Rector of the province of Ontario. His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, appointed Right Rev. Fr. Parikian as Vicar General on December 17, 2013.

On April 27, 2014, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia ordained Father Parikian as a Bishop. He was elected Prelate of Canada on May 10th, 2014.

*Archbishop Papken Tcharian (14 May 2016 - Present)

His Eminence Archbishop Papken Tcharian (baptismal name Hagop) was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1965, and received his primary education at the Hayashen Torkomian National Elementary School in Beirut.

In 1976, he was admitted to the Seminary of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, and following his graduation from the clerical college, he was ordained as Deacon. Three years later, he completed his education in Theology and Armenian Studies, was ordained as a celibate priest by His Eminence Archbishop Datev Sarkissian, and renamed Fr. Papken. Following his appointment, he worked as a teacher and superintendent at the Seminary. During those years, he also taught at the Bird’s Nest Orphanage and at the Hayashen Torkomian National Elementary School.

In 1989, he completed his thesis “The Great Loss of the Armenian Clergy during the Armenian Genocide,” upon which His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, ordained him as Very Reverend Father. During his tenure at the Seminary from 1986-1993, he also occupied the posts of Official Staff Bearer and Personal Secretary to the late Catholicos, His Holiness Karekin II. During those years, he was also the Director of the Seminary’s clerical courses and taught Armenian, Armenian History, Armenian Geography and Theology for seven years at the Apkarian National School. From 1993-1996, he became the first pastor to serve the Armenian communities in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates, where he taught Armenian at the one-day Armenian schools.

In 1996, he was nominated to the clerical council of the Armenian Church University Student Association (ACUSA).

From 1996 to 2002, he served at the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, as pastor of the St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco. During this time, he was also elected as Chairman of the Prelacy’s Religious Council.

In 1998, His Holiness Aram I elevated him to the rank of Most Reverend Father. Following his service at the Western Prelacy of the United States, he moved to Syria, where he served the community of Qamishli as Vicar General from 2002 to 2004.

In August 2004, he was elected Prelate of the Prelacy of Isfahan in Iran and served the community for 12 years.

In June 2006, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, ordained him Bishop. In 2014, on the 30th anniversary of his ordainment as priest and on the 10th anniversary of his election as Prelate, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos elevated His Grace Tcharian to Archbishop. On May 14, 2016, the CANAR elected Archbishop Tcharian Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada.

See also

• Armenian Apostolic Church
• Holy See of Cilicia
• Aram I
• Armenian Diocese of Beroea
• St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church, Toronto

References

External links

• Former prelates of Prelacy