Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian
Director of the Clergy and Youth Training Programs
● General Information
Born in 1963 in Baghdad, Iraq. Baptismal name: Sargis.
1968–1980 - Primary and secondary education.
1980–1985 - College of Electrical Engineering, University of Baghdad.
1985–1989 - St. Nersess Armenian Seminary of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (New York) and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (New York).
1994–1998 - Fordham University (New York); coursework in “Coptic Reading: The Testament of Thomas,” “Talmud and Rabbinics,” and “Islam and the Qur’an.”
● Ecclesiastical Ranks and Ordination
1987 - Ordained to the Diaconate by His Eminence Archbishop Avak Asadourian.
1990 - Ordained a Hieromonk by His Eminence Archbishop Avak Asadourian.
1994 - Received the four degrees of the Archimandrite rank from His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian. Thesis: “The Third Epistle to the Corinthians in Armenian Church Literature.”
2006 - Received the rank of ProtoArchimandrite from His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian. Thesis: “New Testament Apocryphal Texts and the Armenian Translation of the Bible.”
2011 - Consecrated Bishop by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
● Tenure
1990 –1991 - Pastoral ministry in the Armenian communities of Baghdad and Mosul.
1991–1992 - Visiting Pastor of Holy Cross Armenian Church, New York.
1992–1993 - Sacristan of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, New York.
1993–1999 - Pastor of St. Ghevond Armenian Church, Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
1999–2000 - Acting Dean of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary.
2000–2010 - Pastor of St. Martyrs Armenian Church, New York.
2006–2022 - Editor-in-Chief of the publications of the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies at Peter Lang Publishing (New York); Consultant to the Editorial Board of the St. Nersess Theological Review.
Since 2008 - Member of the Committee for the Evaluation of the Vardapetate Theses at the Gevorgian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; Chair of the “Bible in Eastern and Western Orthodox Traditions” Section of the Society of Biblical Literature.
2010–2014 - Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Great Britain.
2014–2022 - Primate of the Armenian Diocese of France.
2023 - Service at the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
2023–2025 - Director of the Garegin I Educational Center of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Since 2025 - Director of Clergy and Youth Training Programs at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
