Armenian Prelacy of Canada

The Armenian Prelacy of Canada (Armenian: Ազգային Առաջնորդարան` Գանատայի Հայոց Թեմին) was established in 2002. The Armenian Prelacy of Canada is located at 3401 Oliver Asselin in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has seven churches under its jurisdictions. It belongs to the Holy See of Cilicia. Aram I was elected Catholicos of the church in 1995. Since the establishment of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, the Prelacy as of 2015 had had only two Prelates. Bishop Meghrig Parikian was elected Prelate on May 10, 2014.

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. During this time, Aram I appointed Bishop Khajag Hagopian as Locum Tenens of the Canadian Diocese. In February 2004 Archbishop (elevated in 2003) Khajag Hagopian was elected Prelate of Canada becoming the first Prelate of the newly established Armenian Prelacy of Canada. On May 11, 2006, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian was reelected as Prelate of Canada for another term, during the Canadian Armenian National Assembly of Representatives conference in St. Catharines, Ontario. On May 8, 2010, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian was reelected for the third time as Prelate of Canada at the Canadian Armenian National Assembly of Representatives conference in Toronto, Ontario. On May 10, 2014, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian retired from Prelate duties. During this time, the 56/13th Canadian Armenian National Representatives Assembly was held in Montreal, Canada. The Representatives at the Assembly, elected Bishop Meghrig Parikian as the new Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada.

After 12 years of establishment the Armenian Prelacy of Canada had seven churches under its jurisdiction.

1. Saint Hagop Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Montreal, Quebec.

2. Saint Kevork Armenian Apostolic Church in Laval, Quebec.

3. Saint Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Toronto, Ontario.

4. Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church in Vancouver, British Columbia.

5. Saint Nishan Armenian Apostolic Church in Cambridge, Ontario.

6. Saint Boghos Armenian Apostolic Church in St. Catharines, Ontario.

7. Saint Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Misson

The stated mission of the Prelacy 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.

Prelates

Archbishop Khajag Hagopian

Archbishop 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 Arch. 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 Arch. Ashjian. In 1994, Bishop Hagopian served as the parish priest of the Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Encino only to return to New York in 1995, where he led the congregation at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church.

In June of 1997, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia ordained him Bishop, and in 2002 the Catholicos appointed Bishop Hagopian as the Locum Tenens of the Canadian Prelacy.

On May 28, 2003 he was elevated to Archbishop by an Encyclical from His Holiness Aram in February 2004 he became the Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada.

On May 11, 2006 he was reelected as Prelate of Canada for another term, during the Canadian Armenian National Assembly Representatives meeting in St. Catherines.

On May 8, 2010, Archbishop Hagopian was reelected for the third time as Prelate of Canada at the Canadian Armenian National Assembly Representatives meeting in Toronto.

On May 10, 2014, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian retired from the prelacy.

Bishop Meghrig Parikian

Garabed Parikian was born in Beirut, Lebanon on January 3, 1968. He received his primary education at the "Aksor Kasardjian" and "Mihran Karageozian" elementary schools and in 1982 he entered the Zarehian Seminary of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia. He was ordained a Deacon by Archbishop Datev Sarkissian on May 6, 1985, and after completing his education at the seminary, he was ordained a celibate priest by Bishop Zareh Aznavourian on May 28, 1988. Between 1988-1995 he served the Seminary as a Monitor and Choir Master, while directing the Catholicosate’s "Shenorhali" choir. In July 1994, he was given the title of Very Reverend – Vartabed, by 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. Catholicos Aram I bestowed on Parikian 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. In 1997 he moved to New York, USA 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 became Director of the Birds Nest Armenian Orphanage in Jbeil until 2002. In May 2002, he was given the title of Right Reverend by Bishop Zareh Aznavourian, and on the same day Aram I, bestowed upon him the right to wear the official purple cassock of the Armenian Catholicosate. Later that year, Father Parikian was appointed as the Parish Priest of St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church in Toronto and served the local Armenian community for 12 years. In 2010, under the auspices of Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, the former Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, Father Parikian was named as the Rector of the Province of Ontario. Hagopian appointed Parikian as Vicar General of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada on December 17, 2013.

On April 27, 2014, Aram I consecrated and ordained Parikian to the rank of Bishop. On May 10, 2014, Parikian was elected as Prelate of Canada by the Canadian Armenian National Assembly Representative. During his years of service, Bishop Parikian wrote 11 religious books, 2 volumes of music, hundreds of articles, and edited 10 collections. He composed or produced 15 DVDs and CDs of music, musical pieces, and compositions, 5 symphonies and an oratorio cantata^[2]

Saint Hagop Armenian Apostolic Cathedral

Parish Priest is Archpriest Rev. Fr. Karnig Koyounian.

Saint Kevork Armenian Apostolic Church

Parish Priest is Rev. Fr. Kapriel Kamayan.

Saint Mary Armenian Apostolic Church

Saint Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church. Toronto's Armenian Community Centre and A.R.S. Day School were opened in 1979. However, the Holy See of the Catholicosate of Cilicia had no Armenian Church. At the end of in 1982 a petition was delivered to the Prelacy of Canada and Eastern United States regarding establishing the foundation of a new church in Toronto. On February 28, 1983 approval was given by the Prelacy.

Archimandrite Khajag Hagopian became the church's first pastor. The Church was officially established in 1983, and the first Holy Mass was celebrated on Sunday, April 10, 1983. Services were conducted at St. Augustine Anglican Church located on Bayview Ave. in Toronto until a new church was built.

On August 16, 1987, the foundation was laid for the new church building . On May 27, 1990 the new building was consecrated and its first Holy Mass was celebrated for its newly built altar. The Church was officially named St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church. As of 2015 St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church had four parish priests, and one assistant parish priest. The pastor was Fr. Stepanos Pashayan, and Archpriest Gomidas Panossian was the assistant pastor.

Saint Nishan Armenian Apostolic Church

During the early 20th century, many Armenians began to settle in the Southern Region of Ontario, specifically Waterloo, Kitchener, London, Guelph, and Cambridge, taking refuge from the Armenian massacres. These early Armenian Canadians held monthly Divine Liturgies in a nearby rented church, celebrated by visiting pastors.

In 1983, under the direction of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, Prelate of Eastern America and Canada, the Orthodox Armenians of Southern Ontario built an Armenian Community Centre and Armenian Church. The community of Cambridge opened and consecrated St. Nishan Armenian Apostolic Church in November 1983. As of 2015 the pastor was Fr. Keghart Kosbakian, the fifth pastor.

Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church

Saint Gregory's Parish was first established as an ecclesiastic community in August 1980. The construction of the Church and the community center’s Lazarian Hall ended in 1986. The anointment according to the Armenian Apostolic Church’s 17th-century tradition and opening took place on November 22, 1986 under the auspices of Archbishop Mesrob Ashdjian, former Prelate of the Eastern Diocese of America. As of 2015 the pastor was Fr. Fr. Hrant Tahanian, the sixth pastor.

The Church served the Armenian community of Greater Vancouver.^[3]

Saint Boghos Armenian Apostolic Church

A visiting pastor celebrates Divine Liturgy

Saint Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church

A visiting pastor celebrates Divine Liturgy.

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