WATERTOWN, MA—The New England community recently witnessed the centuries-old and inspiring ceremony of ordination to the holy order of priesthood. St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church was filled with the faithful from near and far to witness and celebrate this unique ceremony on the weekend of February 16 and 17. The two-day ritual, which attracted overflow attendance, was celebrated under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, who officiated the Service of Calling on Saturday evening and the Divine Liturgy and Ordination on Sunday. The sponsoring priest was His Grace Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar of the Prelacy; the Godfather of the ordination was Col. George Rustigian, USAF (Ret).

The site of the ordination, St. Stephen’s Church, is the parish Deacon Nishan attended and served for many years, and the parish where his father, Archpriest Rev. Antranig Baljian, has served as the pastor since 1994.

Service of Calling
The process of ordination began Saturday evening with Vespers and the Order of Calling to the Priesthood, with the candidate walking on his knees down the main aisle of the church as a sign of his humility and readiness to serve God. Through a series of questions Archbishop Oshagan confirmed the worthiness of the candidate and his willingness and ability to serve as a priest in the Armenian Church. The candidate then recited the orthodox faith of the Armenian Apostolic Church. This creed, attributed to St. Gregory of Datev, is more elaborate than the Nicene Creed recited during the Divine Liturgy. Making the sign of the cross over the candidate’s head, the Prelate prayed that the Lord would protect, bless, and illuminate him.

At the end of the evening service, the Barsoumian and Iskenderian families hosted a reception in the church hall prepared by the St. Stephen’s Ladies’ Guild.

Ordination and Consecration
The next morning, Sunday, February 17, St. Stephen’s Church was again filled beyond capacity. In the Armenian Church the ordination service is intertwined with the Divine Liturgy, as this is the liturgical context in which the priest will serve most visibly. The Divine Liturgy began with the Episcopal procession and continued until the scriptural readings, at which time the Prelate took his place on the Episcopal throne and Deacon Nishan, walking on his knees, and escorted by Bishop Anoushavan, was brought before the Archbishop. The Prelate placed his hands on the candidate’s head and prayed that he would be “worthy to keep the priestly rank spotless, and that he would be a worker who has no need to be ashamed, and that the Lord would grant him apostolic grace to heal, to preach, and to call upon the Holy Spirit to accomplish the Holy Sacraments.”

At the conclusion of this powerful prayer, Archbishop Oshagan, taking the deacon’s stole from the candidate’s left shoulder, placed it around his neck, saying, “Take the yoke of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His yoke is sweet and His burden is light.” The Liturgy resumed with scriptural readings and continued until the Kiss of Peace when once again the candidate was brought before the Prelate.

Deacon Nishan was then given the vestments of his office, one piece at a time. While he was being vested, the choir sang Khorhoort Khoreen (O Mystery Profound). Fully vested, the candidate was now ready to be anointed and receive his ordained name: “Blessed and anointed and cleansed be the forehead of the priest Der Stephan…” With these words, Archbishop Oshagan consecrated the new priest and handed the Holy Chalice to him as a sign of authority to offer the Holy Sacrifice, and invited him to give his blessing to the congregation.

In his sermon Archbishop Oshagan offered guidance to the new priest telling him, “The people must see Jesus in you, not Fr. Stephan.” The Prelate’s message focused on the words of St. Paul in his first letter to Timothy. “These are the things you must insist on and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in

purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:11-16)

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, hundreds of the faithful came forth to greet Fr. Stephan by kissing his hands and forehead, which had been anointed with holy oil during the service.

Archbishop Oshagan chose the name Stephan both as a crowning honor of the parish’s year-long 50th anniversary celebration and also in recognition of the candidate’s 12 years of service as a deacon in the Armenian Church and his ongoing commitment to deacons’ training. Saint Stephen is recognized as the universal church’s first deacon. After Christ’s Ascension, the apostles went about spreading the Word, and realized the need for more people to serve. A selection of seven worthy individuals was made, and called deacons. The most noteworthy of the seven was Saint Stephen, “A man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 6:5).

Celebratory Banquet
The ordination was followed by a banquet in honor of the newly ordained priest at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center..

In a stirring address Archbishop Oshagan encouraged the new priest, whom he called “one of the most learned young priests in our Prelacy,” to continue his education at the “university of the people.” Fr. Stephan holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a Certificate of Study from the Theological Seminary of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, and a joint Master of Divinity degree from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and St. Vladimir’s Seminary, both in New York. As Archbishop Oshagan emphasized, entry into the priesthood marks a dedication to life-long continuing education in the area of loving and serving the Armenian people. The Archbishop noted, “I have served the people for forty years, but I still must serve many, many years before they give me a diploma.”

Archbishop Oshagan also encouraged the people to remember an important component of the weekend’s message: “This church loves Jesus.” He emphasized that in the tradition of Saint Stephen, no other church has had as many witnesses and martyrs as the Armenian Church precisely because of the Church’s love for Jesus. Picking up on keynote speaker Dn. Shant Kazanjian’s explanation of the “royal priesthood,” of which all believers are a part (1 Peter 2:9), it is not just the priest who is called to love and dedication but the entire community.

During his comments, Fr. Stephan reflected on the meaning of the Greek word stephanos (crown), from which the name Stephen (or Stepan, as it is typically transliterated from the Armenian) derives. “The biblical character of Saint Stephen,” he explained, “earned a crown of glory and also reflected the glory of Christ through his own martyrdom, spilling his blood in witness to Christ’s death. Although an Armenian priest is not called, per se, to physically lose his life as Saint Stephen did, he is called to dedicate himself to serving God and the Church and to reflect Christ in his daily interactions.” Fr. Stephan asked everyone present at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center to pray for him and his wife, Alice, as they dedicate their lives to serving God in ministry to the Armenian people.

In a moving presentation, Rev. Archpriest Torkom Hagopian, pastor emeritus of St. Stephen’s Church, gave Fr. Stephan a hand cross that he had received more than 50 years ago. Rev. Hagopian asked Fr. Stephan to bless him with this cross, an act that brought tears to the eyes of many. The organizing committee, on behalf of the St. Stephen’s community and Board of Trustees, presented Fr. Stephan with a second set of vestments and a recently-published series of books on Armenian patristics. The Ordination Committee consisted of Rev. Archpriest Antranig Baljian, Pastor, Joshua Tevekelian, Chairman, Alice Baljian, Nayiri Baljian Bell, Albert Barsoumian, Ara Barsoumian, Gerard Barsoumian, Sabine Chouljian, Arek Hamalian, and Jirair Iskenderian.

Fr. Stephan’s religious sponsor, Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian, has known Fr. Stephan since childhood and witnessed his growth in the church. Fr. Stephan’s ordination godfather, Col. George Rustigian, was also his baptismal godfather and is the first cousin of Fr. Stephan’s father, Rev. Archpriest Antranig Baljian. Der Stephan is married to the former Alice Tchobanian of Belmont, a registered nurse, a graduate of both the Armenian and Sunday schools of St. Stephen's Church and a member of the church choir.

At the end of the ordination service Yeretzgin Alice received a special blessing from Archbishop Oshagan to strengthen her in her support of her own and her husband's ministry.

This landmark event will be remembered and revered by those who were honored to witness the emotive ceremonies. Missak Ourfalian, writing on behalf of the Boston Homenetmen chapter, called it an “historic moment.” Ordination committee chairman and St. Stephen’s Board of Trustees Vice Chairman Joshua Tevekelian described the ordination as “a rare opportunity to remember the past and celebrate the future of the Armenian Church and the Armenian people.”

Forty Day Seclusion
In accordance with the tradition of the Armenian Church, Der Stephan is retreating for forty days at Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, where he is under the supervision of his sponsoring priest, Bishop Anoushavan, and Rev. Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Church.

Following the forty-day seclusion, Der Stephan will celebrate his first Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday, March 16, at St. Stephen Church in Watertown. Archbishop Oshagan will attend and preside over the services.

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