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Bishop Houssig Bagdasian passes away

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  • Bishop Houssig Bagdasian passes away

    PRESS OFFICE
    Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
    630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
    Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
    Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Website: www.armenianchurch.org

    July 29, 2004
    ___________________

    FUNERAL SERVICES FOR BISHOP BAGDASIAN TO BE HELD AUGUST 10

    Longtime Armenian Church leader, Rt. Rev. Bishop Houssig Bagdasian
    passed away on Tuesday, July 27, 2004.

    A wake will be held at the St. Mary Church in Livingston, NJ, on Sunday,
    August 1, 2004 with viewing from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 and the wake service
    at 7 p.m.

    The Divine Liturgy and last anointment, presided over by Archbishop
    Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
    America (Eastern), will be held at the St. Mary Church at 10 a.m. on
    Monday, August 2, 2004.

    A hokejash will follow. The St. Mary Church is located at 200 W. Mt.
    Pleasant Ave. in Livingston, NJ.

    Bishop Bagdasian will be buried in Providence, RI, where he was born in
    1934.

    "His entire life was devoted to serving our church and our people,"
    Archbishop Barsamian said. "As a pastor, his flock always held a
    special space in his heart. He left his mark by planting the seeds of
    leadership in people who lead our church today and the others who will
    in coming years."

    LONGTIME SERVANT OF THE LORD

    A graduate of the Seminary of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem,
    Bishop Bagdasian was ordained a priest in 1959. In 1960 he was
    appointed Patriarchal Vicar of Israel, and was responsible for the
    Armenian community in Israel as well as the properties of the Armenian
    Patriarchate.

    During his 11 years of service in the Holy Land, Bishop Bagdasian helped
    renovate several Armenian churches, including St. Nicholas in Jaffa, St.
    Elijah in Haifa, and St. Krikor Loosavorich in Jerusalem.

    Returning to the United States in 1971, he was assigned to the St. Mary
    Church, then in Irvington, NJ. He led the church in its move to
    Livingston in 1974. After the church was destroyed by fire in 1980,
    Bishop Bagdasian's leadership was key in helping the parish faithful
    pull together to rebuild the church, which was consecrated in March
    1982.

    His service to the Diocese was not limited to the St. Mary parish. He
    was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese and headed the Diocesan
    Finance Committee. He had also served as a member of the Diocesan
    Council. And he was dedicated to the Armenian homeland, leading a group
    of 26 ACYOA members to the region devastated by the 1988 earthquake to
    help with reconstruction efforts.

    Upon the recommendation of His Beatitude Patriarch Torkom Manoogian,
    Bishop Bagdasian was consecrated a bishop in Armenia in September 1992
    by His Holiness Vazken I, the late Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
    All Armenians.

    "He was a great leader, a dedicated pastor, and above all else, a kind
    friend to so many," Archbishop Barsamian said. "His dedication to the
    faith he was called to serve was strong, as was his love for his flock.
    He will surely be missed in Livingston, throughout the Diocese, and in
    the worldwide Armenian Church family."

    -- 7/29/04

    E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
    and Events section of the Eastern Diocese's website,
    www.armenianc}oOuh.org.

    PHOTO CAPTION (1): Bishop Houssig Bagdasian
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