Innovative New Gevorkian Seminary Dean Visits US

Last month was Fr. Hambardzumyan’s first visit to the United States. He said, “I was very impressed. I know that the Eastern Diocese is a great example from the point of view of organization. It is very organized. This is something to be studied for us, especially for us young clerics.” As Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the Primate of the Diocese, is his spiritual father, Hambardzumyan declared, “I am happy now to be in his diocese and to benefit from his hospitality and grace.” He thought that his time in the US would help him in understanding the local needs that clergy who will be prepared in the seminary must meet. He said, “I know what I need to prepare students for if they are going to serve in Armenia, but I did not know about conditions here. One month of course was not enough, but I still was able to get an idea of what preparations students will need to succeed in America.”

The seminary already provides, he said, preparation for being a priest in a variety of environments, and information is taught about the Armenian diaspora and the histories of various dioceses. Most importantly, he said, “We teach that you must be ready to listen, to easily adjust to new environments and not be narrow-minded. You must be ready for new possibilities, have meetings, and then make decisions in a flexible way.”

Languages are important for adjusting to new environments. Russian, English, Old Greek, and Hebrew are required languages for students, as well as Classical Armenian. A one-year class in Western Armenian is mandatory for all students. This was decided two or three years ago, prior to Hambardzumyan’s assumption of office. German or French (beginning this September) are optional.

At present, there are 12 or 13 graduates of the Gevorkian Seminary working in the US. Hambardzumyan said, “I learned from the kahanas [married priests] from Armenia that people are skeptical about priests from Armenia until they get to know them. Now it is good, and even others want them. I am happy that they have succeeded and are loved in their new communities.” He said that the seminary was always ready to send more clergymen if arrangements are made through the Catholicos of All Armenians. Furthermore, he said, “I am happy that in recent years we have enjoyed closer relations with St. Nersess Seminary in New York. There are only a few students there but they have the opportunity to serve or study at the Gevorkian Seminary too. This is good for US natives.”

At the Diocesan Clergy Conference, the visiting dean spoke to the American clergy about his seminary, and at the Diocesan Assembly he read the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians. He said that being at these meetings “gave me great hope that it is not just clergy but the people who are greatly involved. Few churches are like the Armenian Church where laymen play such a great role in church life. Of course there may be disputes and issues, but all this is to make the Diocese stronger and to serve the dissemination of the Word of God.”

Hambardzumyan realized about the clergymen serving in the US that “The Armenian remains Armenian. The kahana represents simple human values — modesty, wisdom, the ability to listen, and most important of all, his faith —

so that he can inspire. The clergyman must be charismatic, showing others how he loves God and inspiring them to behave in the same Christian way in their lives.”

Hambardzumyan explained the workings of the Gevorkian Seminary. It is the main seminary for the Church of Armenia. There is also a pre-seminary high school in Harich and a four-year seminary in Sevan which sends its graduates to the Gevorkian.

The Gevorkian Seminary consists of two sections. The first, the primary section, contains 92 students for those 21 years old and younger. A second section prepares people who have decided to enter the priesthood later in life. They often are already married and have gotten an education. They get three years of training and then may be ordained. This year 26 people graduated from the two sections: 20 from the seminary, as deacons and six from the priestly ministry program. Annually 40-50 people are admitted to both the Gevorkian and the Sevan institutions.

At present, the dean explained, graduates from Gevorkian work in a department in Echmiadzin as a deacon. Some marry and then apply for priesthood, and others decide to be a celibate priest. Examinations must be taken and if a committee decides that the candidate is ready, he can be ordained from six months after graduation up to ten years later. Then the individual may be sent to a diocese to serve as a deacon or a university for further study of theology and related topics. Many are sent abroad to universities in Russia, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Hambardzumyan has great ambitions for the seminary. He is planning to establish a PhD program at the seminary. Right now it can only give bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Biblical Studies, Dogmatics, Church History and Pastoral Theology are the four fields of advanced training. The new program will add two to three years more study. A nine-person committee with the Catholicos of All Armenians as its president, will create this, and the specialists already exist. Hambardzumyan thinks that as early as 2017 or 2018, the first doctoral student will be accepted into Gevorkian.

Of course, Hambardzumyan pointed out, there will always be students who decide not to go into the priesthood after graduation, but hopefully they will bring something positive that they have learned at the seminary into other realms of life. Two examples are Aksel Bakunts and Avetik Isahakian, who studied there and went on to become famous authors.

The new seminary dean has already introduced several other innovations. He established a digital or electronic magazine published every two weeks and sent to various organizations and clergymen throughout the world. It is also on the Facebook page of the seminary. Among other things, it serves as a tool to help seminarians learn how to express their thoughts.

He also began to organize pilgrimages throughout the year for students. Each individual class goes to a remote village in Armenia to do Bible studies. Often a famous person is invited, perhaps an author or an artist, to speak on various themes ranging from bioethics to art. Issues concerning modern society and priests are discussed.