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North Providence man ordained in Armenian church service

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  • North Providence man ordained in Armenian church service

    The Providence Journal
    Oct 4 2014

    North Providence man ordained in Armenian church service

    By Katie Mulvaney Katie Mulvaney, The Providence Journal


    PROVIDENCE -- Harold Nazarian felt the pull of the church beginning at
    a young age.

    "I always had a rational reason that it just wouldn't work," Nazarian said.

    He worked in the corporate world, then for years helped his wife with
    a hair-removal business. They raised a son.

    But the pull strengthened. More than a decade ago, he had visions of
    Jesus shaking his head and saying "'Why didn't you trust me?'"

    "It's difficult to have a vision and not follow the will of the Lord,"
    Nazarian said in an interview last week.

    He prayed on it. A fellow member of his Bible study group confirmed it
    was truly a calling. Nazarian told his wife, Debra, and the Rev.
    Gomidas Baghsarian, pastor of Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic
    Church, in Providence.

    "There was definitely a comfort in knowing that I was going to follow
    the Lord's will," Nazarian, 55, said. Over the ensuing years, he
    earned a master's degree in theology from Providence College; studied
    the Bible, history, hymns and the Armenian language; and spent three
    months at a seminary in Lebanon.

    Hundreds of parishioners were on hand Saturday morning at Sts.
    Vartanantz, at 402 Broadway, to watch those visions come to fruition
    for Nazarian. He and Diran Der Khosrofian were ordained and anointed
    as priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in a ceremony full of
    pageantry and reverence, the church filled with the deep tones of
    Armenian chant and whiffs of incense.

    His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan came from New York to oversee
    the ordination, giving each man a new name. Nazarian, of North
    Providence, will now be known as the Rev. Gabriel while Der
    Khosrofian, of Whitinsville, Mass., takes the name the Rev. Michael.
    Both are named for archangels.

    "When you are among people, your words and conduct should be an
    angelic presence," Archbishop Oshagan said. The men had minutes
    earlier knelt down before him as human beings; they rose to their feet
    in robes and crowns as men of God, Archbishop Oshagan said.

    Wearing a towering mitre and a robe that glinted in the light of
    chandeliers, the archbishop anointed the men with oil called the Holy
    Muron, a blend of pure olive oil and 47 other aromas and flowers. The
    oil is revered within the church as it is believed to have been
    blessed by Jesus. Every seven years, the remaining blessed oil is
    combined with prepared oils so it persists across centuries.

    This weekend's ordination was a twofold event. On Friday, the "calling
    to the priesthood" took place in which the men swore off all evil and
    heretics. They vowed to be disciples of the Armenian Orthodox faith.

    On Saturday, the archbishop laid his hands on their heads and prayed --
    all in Armenian -- that they would keep the rank of the priesthood
    pure.

    The men will now embark on 40 days of prayer and reflection in
    solitude at Sts. Vartanantz. The time is intended to be in keeping
    with the days Jesus spent in prayer and solitude.

    The Armenian Apostolic Church has a rich history, dating to the year
    301, in a remote kingdom north of Persia. For years, King Tiridates
    III had engaged in a campaign of persecution of Christians. But then
    the king, it was said, was healed of an incurable illness by Gregory
    the Illuminator.

    Filled with gratitude, Tiridates allowed Gregory to baptize him. He
    then proclaimed that from that time forward Christianity would be the
    official state religion.

    Nazarian, now the Rev. Gabriel, will remain at Sts. Vartanantz after
    the 40 days pass. There, he looks forward to returning to work with
    the children of the church community.

    "He's spiritually, in my opinion, very ready to do this work," the
    Rev. Gomidas said.

    http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20141004-north-providence-man-ordained-in-armenian-church-service.ece


    From: Baghdasarian
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