His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese, paid a pastoral visit to St. Paul Armenian Church parish in Fresno on Sunday, November 24. He celebrated the Divine Liturgy, which culminated in the awe-inspiring, multiple ordinations of a host of young altar services. Parish priest Father Yessai Bedros presented the candidates to the Primate, solemnly vouching for their worthiness to receive the sacred ranks.
The Armenian Church deacons and altar servers ordination services are exceptionally beautiful, rooted in liturgical tradition, spirituality, and symbolism that reflect the deep Christian faith of the Church.
The ordination service is conducted during the Divine Liturgy (Badarak). Special prayers and hymns are offered dating back over a millennium.
The ordination itself involves deeply meaningful actions, most notably, the “laying of hands” (tsernatrutyun)—when the bishop places his hands on the ordinand's head, invoking the Holy Spirit in a gesture that traces back to the times of the apostles.
The presentation of liturgical items to the candidates is another beautiful symbolic act. The bishop places the stole (oorar) on the shoulders of the candidates, symbolizing their readiness to serve; he hands them the Gospel and the censer, emphasizing their role in spreading the Word of God among the congregants.
The deacons, sub-deacons, stole-bearers and the acolytes are charged with serving the altar and assisting the priest during the liturgical services.
Upon ordaining them, Archbishop Hovnan addressed the new young servants of the altar and the church and said: “Be transformed spiritually through the Holy Spirit, be stronger in your faith in God, remain steadfast to serve the Lord and his Holy Church, and serve your community with love and dedication."
The inspiring and solemn service moved the parents, family and the entire congregation into applauds and joyous celebration of this special and most memorable occasion in the life of St. Paul’s parish community.
The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church congratulates and wishes God-pleasing service to the newly ordained deacons Ari Adams and Haik Boyadjian; sub-deacon Keghart Bedros; stolebearers Alen Aghakanyan, Nazar Iskenyan, Gagik Khachatryan, and Garo Tadevosyan; acolytes Ohannes Bayrakdarian, Shant Bayrakdarian, Haig Bayrakdarian, Sarkis Bayrakdarian, and Ari Kradjian.
At the conclusion of the service, the Primate bestowed the Hye Spirit Award to three parishioners whose service and dedication were recognized by the parish. The honorees were Gayane Harutyunyan (since 2010) and Manik Ajamyan (since 2015) for their service as teachers in the Saturday School of St. Paul Armenian Church; and Rosa Pashayan for her 30 years of service as choir member and, for the last 15 years, as choir director.
