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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.net
April 11, 2006
___________________
FR. KEGHAM ZAKARIAN RETIRES TO HOLY LAND
Three communities in upstate New York said good-bye to their longtime pastor
this March, as the V. Rev. Fr. Kegham Zakarian retired from active ministry
and returned to the Holy Land.
And while he may have retired from his parish appointments in the United
States, Fr. Zakarian is far from finished with his ministry.
"Of course, there is a sense in which the word 'retirement' is a relative
term," said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), during a banquet held to honor Fr.
Zakarian. "Service to our Lord, our church, and our people is simply a part
of Fr. Kegham's makeup -- like his blood, flesh, and bone. His retirement
will not alter that fact; and indeed, I am certain that our Jerusalem
Patriarchate is anxiously awaiting Hayr Sourp's arrival, so it can actively
benefit from his vast wisdom and experience."
PASTOR AROUND THE GLOBE
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1938, Fr. Zakarian studied at the St. James
Seminary in Jerusalem, and was ordained a celibate priest in 1960.
After serving in the Monastery of St. James, he was appointed pastor to the
Armenian community in Calcutta, India, for eight years. From there he was
sent to Lyon, France, and then St. Catherines, Canada.
He came to the United States in 1985 at the invitation of then-primate
Archbishop Torkom Manoogian. In America, Fr. Zakarian served three
communities in upstate New York: the St. Paul Church of Syracuse, the St.
Sarkis Church of Niagara Falls, and the mission parish in Rochester, where
he lived.
"Fr. Kegham is a man of significant gifts, and it is frankly impossible to
sum up his importance in just a few words," the Primate said. "As a young
man growing up in Beirut, he could have excelled in any walk of life he
chose. But he chose to devote his life to the service of God. And that
choice proved to be a great blessing for our church."
Fr. Zakarian held his last Divine Liturgy at the St. Paul Church of
Syracuse, NY, on March 26, 2006. The parish held a banquet to honor him.
Earlier in the month the other two parishes held their own banquets to bid
farewell to their beloved pastor, before he left for Jerusalem's St. James
Monastery.
"Hayr Sourp has always loved to relate his memories of the Holy Land, and
many of us regard him as a true historian -- a walking encyclopedia -- of
the Armenian presence in Jerusalem," the Primate said at the retirement
banquet. "Certainly, a place like Jerusalem leaves a powerful, lifelong
impression on everyone who comes into contact with it. But the same can be
said for certain people, as well. And I want to affirm tonight that Fr.
Kegham's presence here has left a powerful impression of its own."
"So many people have been inspired by his personal piety, and by his solid
Armenian character," the Primate added. "The love he has shown for the
people will always be a strong memory, a vital force, in the life of the
sister parishes in Syracuse, Rochester, and Niagara Falls. Hayr Sourp's
leadership will always be a source of pride, a badge of honor, for you all."
-- 4/11/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese's website, www.armenianchurch.net.
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), thanks Fr. Kegham Zakarian for his
20 years of service to three upstate New York parishes during a banquet at
the St. Paul Church of Syracuse, NY, on March 26, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Parish leaders from the St. Paul Church of Syracuse, NY,
present Fr. Kegham Zakarian with a gift during his retirement banquet on
March 26, 2006.
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.net
April 11, 2006
___________________
FR. KEGHAM ZAKARIAN RETIRES TO HOLY LAND
Three communities in upstate New York said good-bye to their longtime pastor
this March, as the V. Rev. Fr. Kegham Zakarian retired from active ministry
and returned to the Holy Land.
And while he may have retired from his parish appointments in the United
States, Fr. Zakarian is far from finished with his ministry.
"Of course, there is a sense in which the word 'retirement' is a relative
term," said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), during a banquet held to honor Fr.
Zakarian. "Service to our Lord, our church, and our people is simply a part
of Fr. Kegham's makeup -- like his blood, flesh, and bone. His retirement
will not alter that fact; and indeed, I am certain that our Jerusalem
Patriarchate is anxiously awaiting Hayr Sourp's arrival, so it can actively
benefit from his vast wisdom and experience."
PASTOR AROUND THE GLOBE
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1938, Fr. Zakarian studied at the St. James
Seminary in Jerusalem, and was ordained a celibate priest in 1960.
After serving in the Monastery of St. James, he was appointed pastor to the
Armenian community in Calcutta, India, for eight years. From there he was
sent to Lyon, France, and then St. Catherines, Canada.
He came to the United States in 1985 at the invitation of then-primate
Archbishop Torkom Manoogian. In America, Fr. Zakarian served three
communities in upstate New York: the St. Paul Church of Syracuse, the St.
Sarkis Church of Niagara Falls, and the mission parish in Rochester, where
he lived.
"Fr. Kegham is a man of significant gifts, and it is frankly impossible to
sum up his importance in just a few words," the Primate said. "As a young
man growing up in Beirut, he could have excelled in any walk of life he
chose. But he chose to devote his life to the service of God. And that
choice proved to be a great blessing for our church."
Fr. Zakarian held his last Divine Liturgy at the St. Paul Church of
Syracuse, NY, on March 26, 2006. The parish held a banquet to honor him.
Earlier in the month the other two parishes held their own banquets to bid
farewell to their beloved pastor, before he left for Jerusalem's St. James
Monastery.
"Hayr Sourp has always loved to relate his memories of the Holy Land, and
many of us regard him as a true historian -- a walking encyclopedia -- of
the Armenian presence in Jerusalem," the Primate said at the retirement
banquet. "Certainly, a place like Jerusalem leaves a powerful, lifelong
impression on everyone who comes into contact with it. But the same can be
said for certain people, as well. And I want to affirm tonight that Fr.
Kegham's presence here has left a powerful impression of its own."
"So many people have been inspired by his personal piety, and by his solid
Armenian character," the Primate added. "The love he has shown for the
people will always be a strong memory, a vital force, in the life of the
sister parishes in Syracuse, Rochester, and Niagara Falls. Hayr Sourp's
leadership will always be a source of pride, a badge of honor, for you all."
-- 4/11/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese's website, www.armenianchurch.net.
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), thanks Fr. Kegham Zakarian for his
20 years of service to three upstate New York parishes during a banquet at
the St. Paul Church of Syracuse, NY, on March 26, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Parish leaders from the St. Paul Church of Syracuse, NY,
present Fr. Kegham Zakarian with a gift during his retirement banquet on
March 26, 2006.