NEW YORK — Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), recently appointed four priests to serve parishes in Waukegan, Ill., Cheltenham, Penn., Cleveland, Ohio and St. Paul, Minn.
The four priests — Rev. Paren Galstyan, Rev. Hagop Gevorgyan, Rev. Martiros Hakobyan and Rev. Hratch Sargsyan — completed their studies in Armenia and were ordained there prior to their arrival in the US, with the blessings of Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and at the invitation of the Primate.
They spent the last few years interning with clergy in the Eastern Diocese to learn more about the Armenian Church of America and to prepare to serve the local Armenian communities.
Rev. Paren Galstyan, who has been named interim pastor of St. George Armenian Church of Waukegan, is a native of Vedi, Armenia. He studied at the Vaskenian Theological Seminary in Sevan, the Gumri Theological Seminary, and the Gevorkyan Theological Seminary at the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin.
Following his graduation in 2006, he was ordained into the holy priesthood by Bishop Anooshavan Jamgochyan at the Holy See. He remained at Holy Echmiadzin, serving its chancellery until his departure for the US in 2007.
In the Eastern Diocese, Galstyan interned at St. James Armenian Church of Evanston, Ill. He assumed the position of interim pastor of the Waukegan community in November 2009, after the Primate announced the appointment during the parish’s 50th-anniversary celebration.
