We are happy to inform the faithful community that the Rev. Fr. Nerses Hayrapetyan has been appointed by the Primate as the Pastor of St. John Garabed Armenian Church in San Diego. Father Nerses was ordained into the Priesthood on October 16, 2008 by the Diocesan Primate His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. In his previous pastoral assignment, Father Nerses served as the Pastor of St. Sarkis Armenian Church of Santa Clarita. The clergyman will assume his newest assignment as Pastor of the San Diego Parish effective July 1, 2016.
Rev. Fr. Nerses Hayrapetyan: Brief Biography
Father Nerses Hayrapetyan was born on July 7, 1981, in Ararat, Armenia. From 1988 to 1998 he attended the local elementary and secondary schools, namely ‘School No. 1’ and “Targmanchatz” School. In 1998, he was admitted to the Vazkenian Theological Seminary in the province of Sevan, Armenia.
After graduation, he pursued his advanced theological studies at the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, On December 25, 2003, he was ordained to the Diaconate by His Grace Bishop Sion Adamyan in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. In 2004, he graduated from the Gevorgyan Thelogical Seminary and was assigned to serve at the Department of Finance and Economy of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (2004-2006). In 2005, Father Nerses submitted his seminary thesis for examination, titled: “The New Age Movement and the Root Causes.”
In 2006, he was assigned as the Staff-Bearer for the Pontiff and served in the same capacity until 2007 when he was reassigned as Staff-Bearer Assistant before moving to the United States upon the instruction of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. Father Nerses Hayrapetyan graduated from the Claremont School of Theology in 2011 with a Master of Arts degree in Divinity.
