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The Providence Journal
Oct 4 2014
North Providence man ordained in Armenian church service
By Katie Mulvaney Katie Mulvaney, The Providence Journal
PROVIDENCE -- Harold Nazarian felt the pull of the church beginning at
a young age.
"I always had a rational reason that it just wouldn't work," Nazarian said.
He worked in the corporate world, then for years helped his wife with
a hair-removal business. They raised a son.
But the pull strengthened. More than a decade ago, he had visions of
Jesus shaking his head and saying "'Why didn't you trust me?'"
"It's difficult to have a vision and not follow the will of the Lord,"
Nazarian said in an interview last week.
He prayed on it. A fellow member of his Bible study group confirmed it
was truly a calling. Nazarian told his wife, Debra, and the Rev.
Gomidas Baghsarian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic
Church, in Providence.
"There was definitely a comfort in knowing that I was going to follow
the Lord's will," Nazarian, 55, said. Over the ensuing years, he
earned a master's degree in theology from Providence College; studied
the Bible, history, hymns and the Armenian language; and spent three
months at a seminary in Lebanon.
Hundreds of parishioners were on hand Saturday morning at Sts.
Vartanantz, at 402 Broadway, to watch those visions come to fruition
for Nazarian. He and Diran Der Khosrofian were ordained and anointed
as priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in a ceremony full of
pageantry and reverence, the church filled with the deep tones of
Armenian chant and whiffs of incense.
His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan came from New York to oversee
the ordination, giving each man a new name. Nazarian, of North
Providence, will now be known as the Rev. Gabriel while Der
Khosrofian, of Whitinsville, Mass., takes the name the Rev. Michael.
Both are named for archangels.
"When you are among people, your words and conduct should be an
angelic presence," Archbishop Oshagan said. The men had minutes
earlier knelt down before him as human beings; they rose to their feet
in robes and crowns as men of God, Archbishop Oshagan said.
Wearing a towering mitre and a robe that glinted in the light of
chandeliers, the archbishop anointed the men with oil called the Holy
Muron, a blend of pure olive oil and 47 other aromas and flowers. The
oil is revered within the church as it is believed to have been
blessed by Jesus. Every seven years, the remaining blessed oil is
combined with prepared oils so it persists across centuries.
This weekend's ordination was a twofold event. On Friday, the "calling
to the priesthood" took place in which the men swore off all evil and
heretics. They vowed to be disciples of the Armenian Orthodox faith.
On Saturday, the archbishop laid his hands on their heads and prayed --
all in Armenian -- that they would keep the rank of the priesthood
pure.
The men will now embark on 40 days of prayer and reflection in
solitude at Sts. Vartanantz. The time is intended to be in keeping
with the days Jesus spent in prayer and solitude.
The Armenian Apostolic Church has a rich history, dating to the year
301, in a remote kingdom north of Persia. For years, King Tiridates
III had engaged in a campaign of persecution of Christians. But then
the king, it was said, was healed of an incurable illness by Gregory
the Illuminator.
Filled with gratitude, Tiridates allowed Gregory to baptize him. He
then proclaimed that from that time forward Christianity would be the
official state religion.
Nazarian, now the Rev. Gabriel, will remain at Sts. Vartanantz after
the 40 days pass. There, he looks forward to returning to work with
the children of the church community.
"He's spiritually, in my opinion, very ready to do this work," the
Rev. Gomidas said.
http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20141004-north-providence-man-ordained-in-armenian-church-service.ece
From: Baghdasarian
Oct 4 2014
North Providence man ordained in Armenian church service
By Katie Mulvaney Katie Mulvaney, The Providence Journal
PROVIDENCE -- Harold Nazarian felt the pull of the church beginning at
a young age.
"I always had a rational reason that it just wouldn't work," Nazarian said.
He worked in the corporate world, then for years helped his wife with
a hair-removal business. They raised a son.
But the pull strengthened. More than a decade ago, he had visions of
Jesus shaking his head and saying "'Why didn't you trust me?'"
"It's difficult to have a vision and not follow the will of the Lord,"
Nazarian said in an interview last week.
He prayed on it. A fellow member of his Bible study group confirmed it
was truly a calling. Nazarian told his wife, Debra, and the Rev.
Gomidas Baghsarian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic
Church, in Providence.
"There was definitely a comfort in knowing that I was going to follow
the Lord's will," Nazarian, 55, said. Over the ensuing years, he
earned a master's degree in theology from Providence College; studied
the Bible, history, hymns and the Armenian language; and spent three
months at a seminary in Lebanon.
Hundreds of parishioners were on hand Saturday morning at Sts.
Vartanantz, at 402 Broadway, to watch those visions come to fruition
for Nazarian. He and Diran Der Khosrofian were ordained and anointed
as priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in a ceremony full of
pageantry and reverence, the church filled with the deep tones of
Armenian chant and whiffs of incense.
His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan came from New York to oversee
the ordination, giving each man a new name. Nazarian, of North
Providence, will now be known as the Rev. Gabriel while Der
Khosrofian, of Whitinsville, Mass., takes the name the Rev. Michael.
Both are named for archangels.
"When you are among people, your words and conduct should be an
angelic presence," Archbishop Oshagan said. The men had minutes
earlier knelt down before him as human beings; they rose to their feet
in robes and crowns as men of God, Archbishop Oshagan said.
Wearing a towering mitre and a robe that glinted in the light of
chandeliers, the archbishop anointed the men with oil called the Holy
Muron, a blend of pure olive oil and 47 other aromas and flowers. The
oil is revered within the church as it is believed to have been
blessed by Jesus. Every seven years, the remaining blessed oil is
combined with prepared oils so it persists across centuries.
This weekend's ordination was a twofold event. On Friday, the "calling
to the priesthood" took place in which the men swore off all evil and
heretics. They vowed to be disciples of the Armenian Orthodox faith.
On Saturday, the archbishop laid his hands on their heads and prayed --
all in Armenian -- that they would keep the rank of the priesthood
pure.
The men will now embark on 40 days of prayer and reflection in
solitude at Sts. Vartanantz. The time is intended to be in keeping
with the days Jesus spent in prayer and solitude.
The Armenian Apostolic Church has a rich history, dating to the year
301, in a remote kingdom north of Persia. For years, King Tiridates
III had engaged in a campaign of persecution of Christians. But then
the king, it was said, was healed of an incurable illness by Gregory
the Illuminator.
Filled with gratitude, Tiridates allowed Gregory to baptize him. He
then proclaimed that from that time forward Christianity would be the
official state religion.
Nazarian, now the Rev. Gabriel, will remain at Sts. Vartanantz after
the 40 days pass. There, he looks forward to returning to work with
the children of the church community.
"He's spiritually, in my opinion, very ready to do this work," the
Rev. Gomidas said.
http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20141004-north-providence-man-ordained-in-armenian-church-service.ece
From: Baghdasarian