St. Vladimir’s Seminary Alumnus Dn. Narek (now Fr. Andrew) Garabedian was ordained as a priest of the Armenian Church of America on Friday, June 28 and 29, 2019. Father Andrew was ordained by the hand of fellow Alumnus His Grace, Daniel (Findikyan), primate of the Eastern Diocese, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church, Chicago, IL.
Father Andrew was born in Yerevan, Armenia on January 12, 1988. At that time his father, Archpriest Keghart Garabedian, was the personal secretary of His Holiness, the late Vasgen I, Catholicos of All Armenians. In 1989, Fr. Andrew’s family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where his father served under His Eminence, the late Archbishop Vasgen Keshishian. The archbishop assigned the family to the parish of St. Vartan Armenian Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Father Andrew attended primary and secondary schools in Vancouver and studied philosophy and political science at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia. In 2009, by the blessing of His Eminence, Bishop Bagrat Galstyan, Fr. Andrew moved to Montreal, Quebec, where he was assigned to work alongside Fr. Myron Sarkissian as assistant youth and Christian education director. Father Andrew graduated from St. James’ Armenian Seminary of Jerusalem at the top of his class in 2013 before attending St. Nersess and St. Vladimir’s seminaries in New York. He graduated from St. Vladimir’s with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in 2016.
Since 2017, Fr. Andrew had been serving St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church, Chicago as full-time deacon-in-charge and pastor. Following his ordination, he is now assigned to St. Gregory as the parish priest.
May God grant the newly-ordained Fr. Andrew and his wife, Yeretzgin Nune, many years!
Sections of this article are reprinted from the website of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church.
