Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On Sunday February 5, four more priests were ordained in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Three of the new clergymen are graduates of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary and one recently completed the Accelerated Academic Courses for the Priesthood. The ordinations were conducted during the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Grace Bishop Yeznik Petrossian.

Prior to evening services on Saturday, February 4, the Service of Calling was offered, whereupon the four young men confirmed their desire to be ordained the following day as priests in the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church.

During the Divine Liturgy, the ordaining bishop anointed the foreheads and palms of the four ordinands with Holy Chrism, and granted them new priestly names: Deacon Artak Grigorian was renamed Father Mkhitar; Deacon Davit Gulian became Father Levon; Deacon Gevork Davtian was renamed Father Kirakos and Deacon Gevork Mirzoyan became Father Untsa.

Later that same evening, the service of "Granting the Cowl" was offered, whereby Father Mkhitar, Father Levon and Father Kirakos took their oath of celibacy and allegiance to the Catholicosate of All Armenians.

With the addition of the three new celibate clergymen, the ranks of young priests in the monastic Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, not counting bishops and deacons, has increased to more than 90.

All four priests recently completed their 40-day period of fasting and seclusion, and celebrated their inaugural Divine Liturgies on Sunday, March 19.