Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada Elects New Primate
03.06.2003
On Friday, May 30, the Annual Diocesan Assembly of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada convened at Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Toronto, Canada. During the business session on Saturday, May 31, a new Diocesan Primate was elected to succeed His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, who was recently elected as Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, headquartered in Burbank, California.
The delegates attending the 20th Annual Diocesan Assembly from throughout the parishes of the Canadian Diocese, elected Very Rev. Fr. Bagrat Vardapet Galsdanian, Locum Tenens of the Diocese of Aragatsotn (Armenia), to be the new Primate of their diocese. Fr. Galsdanian, a member of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, becomes the third Primate of the Diocese of Canada since 1983. Prior to that date, the Armenian Community living in Canada was under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
On June 3, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, blessed and officially confirmed the election of the new Primate in a Pontifical Letter that was sent to the Diocesan Headquarters in Outremont, Quebec.
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Biography of Very Rev. Fr. Bagrat Vardapet Galsdanian
Father Bagrat Vardapet Galsdanian was born in Gyumri, Armenia, on May 20, 1971 and was baptized Vazgen. From 1978 to 1988, he attended School #156 in Yerevan.
In 1988, he was admitted to the Gevorkian Theological Seminary in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. On December 25, 1993, he was ordained a deacon by His Grace Bishop Anania Arabajian.
In 1994, Deacon Vazgen graduated from the Seminary with an overall grade of "Excellent", and he defended his double theses entitled: "Biographical Notes on Bishop Khosrov Andzevatsi" and "Revelation of Church Orders - Text and Theology".
On June 23, 1995, Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Karekin I, of blessed memory, ordained him a celibate priest and renamed him Bagrat. He then taught courses at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary including Church Music and a Commentary on the Divine Liturgy. He also worked on the editorial staff of the official journal of the Mother See, the "Etchmiadzin" monthly.
In 1996, upon the order of His Holiness Karekin I, he was assigned as editor-in-chief of the "Etchmiadzin" monthly. Concurrently, he was lecturing at Lake Sevan's Vaskenian Seminary.
In 1998, Father Bagrat departed for the United Kingdom, where he continued his higher education at the Holy Resurrection Theological College in Mirfield, and the University of Leeds.
Following his graduation in July 2000, upon the Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Father Bagrat returned to the Mother See. On August 1, he was assigned as the new Dean of the Vaskenian Seminary of Sevan.
In February of 2002, he was assigned as President of the Committee for Information Services for the Mother See, while continuing in his capacity as Dean.
In March 2002, he defended his thesis entitled "The Sacrament of 'Anointing the Sick' in the Armenian Church", and received the rank of Vardapet (Archimandrite) of the Armenian Church.
Upon the Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, on October 14, 2002, Very Rev. Fr. Bagrat Vardapet Galsdanian was appointed as Locum Tenens of the Diocese of Aragatsotn in Armenia.
On May 31, 2003, Very Rev. Fr. Bagrat Vardapet Galsdanian was elected as the new Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada
