Rev. Fr. Karekin Haroutunian Appointed Dean of the Vazkenian Theological Seminary of Sevan
01.04.2003
As of April 1, 2003, upon the pontifical order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Rev. Fr. Karekin Haroutunian is appointed Dean of the Vazkenian Theological Seminary of Sevan. The Vazkenian Seminary, named after His Holiness Vazken I of blessed memory, was founded in 1990 by Archbishop Karekin Nersissian, the Vicar of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese at that time.
Fr. Karekin was born in Yerevan in 1975. His baptismal name was Haroutiun. After studying in Yerevan’s School Number 164, he enrolled in the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and graduated in 1997.
On December 26, 1996, he was ordained to the diaconate by His Eminence Archbishop Housik Santourian. From 1996 to 1997, he worked in the Secretariat of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
On July 30, 1998, he defended his graduation thesis, entitled: "The Theory of Hans Kung’s Ecumenical Theology." Upon the pontifical order of His Holiness Karekin I of blessed memory, he continued his education in the Ecumenical Institute of Bosse (Switzerland), where in 1988, he defended his thesis entitled: "The Ecumenical Interpretation of the Holy Bible".
In 1999, upon the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Karekin Bekdjian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Germany, he studied in the Theological University of Eichschtet (Germany).
On July 28, 2001, he was ordained as a celibate priest by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada.
On January 21, 2003, he defended his doctoral thesis, entitled: "The Young Generation’s Spiritual Education by the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Post-Communist Period of Armenia" and was granted the title of Candidate of Theological Sciences.
Fr. Karekin replaces Very Rev. Fr. Bagrat Galsdanian, who was appointed as Vicar of the Diocese of Aragatsotn in October 2002.
