New primate for Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church

(Armenian-NED) - Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, conveyed the prayers, love and best wishes of the Northeast American Diocese to the new Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, the Very Reverend Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan.

Father Mesrop was elected as 13th Primate on May 6th by the 120th Assembly of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church. On May 17th, His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II of Armenia, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, confirmed the election of Father Mesrop as the new Primate.

The new Primate, Father Mesrop, received his Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Gevorgian Theological Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin. He was ordained into the holy priesthood in 2003, and thereafter served until 2004 as the staff-bearer for His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians.

He earned a Master’s degree in Theology and Religious Sciences from the University of Strasbourg, France, and studied in Dublin, Ireland, at the International Study Centre. In 2011 he received the rank of Archimandrite: the Doctoral degree of the Armenian Church.

As a professor at Gevorgian Theological Seminary from 2007 to 2011, Fr. Mesrop taught Christian Ethics, and simultaneously served as deputy-chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan came to the United States in 2015, and took up the pastorship of Holy Shoghagat Church in Belleville, IL, for a period of two years. In 2017 he took up a position at the Diocesan Center in New York City as its director of Ministries. He was appointed as Vicar of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in 2018.

In 2019, Fr. Parsamyan answered the call of His Holiness Karekin II, to return to the Mother See and take up a new role as Dean of Gevorgian Seminary and later returned to the United States in 2021.

The prayers, and best wishes of the clergy and faithful of the Northeast American Diocese were conveyed to theVery Reverend Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, by our Diocesan Metropolitan.