On the weekend of February 21 and 22, Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan will visit St. Sahag Church of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, where he will ordain Deacon Serop Krajekian into the Holy Priesthood of the Armenian Church.
Originally from Syria, Dn. Krajekian previously served at St. Sarkis Church in Charlotte, NC. “Although I have served in the church since childhood, I never thought I would be a priest,” Dn. Serop said. “But God’s plans are always surprising. Since my arrival in Charlotte in 2015, I served in St. Sarkis Church and was ordained deacon in 2019.”
When the parish entered a period of transition without a pastor in mid-2020, Dn. Serop led deacons’ Sunday services, and delivered the homily, for three years. “I’m grateful to the parishioners and clergy who recognized my potential in serving the church, and encouraged me to enroll at St. Nersess Seminary,” he said.
Dn. Serop served the parish throughout the difficult pandemic period, providing for the spiritual needs of the faithful. And even after the pandemic ended, and a new pastor arrived in the person of Fr. Norayr Kazazian, Dn. Serop continued his service to the parish.
On January 1 of this year, he began his service to St. Sahag Church, as its Deacon-in-Charge. The parishioners of St. Sahag Church organized a special service and reception on that day to welcome Dn. Serop, his wife Sevan, and their children Aram and Meghry to the community.
The schedule of services for his priestly ordination this week will be as follows:
The Service of Calling will take place on Friday, February 21, at 5:30 p.m., followed by a fellowship hour in Yerevan Hall.
The Divine Liturgy and Service of Ordination on Saturday, February 22, will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a formal banquet in Ararat Hall. The sponsoring priest will be Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, and the ordination godfather will be Avo Toghramadjian.
Bishop Mesrop will preside over the services and confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders on Dn. Serop—marking the first time he is ordaining a priest in the Eastern Diocese. (Previously he has ordained clergy in Armenia.)
All the services will take place at St. Sahag Church, located at 203 North Howell Street, in St. Paul, MN.
“As I prepare for my ordination to the Holy Priesthood this Saturday, I cannot but thank our Primate, Bishop Mesrop, for his trust in me,” Dn. Serop said. “I pray that God will enable me to spare no effort in carrying forward the church’s mission, with reverence and holiness.”
Plans call for the ordination services to be broadcast live over the St. Sahag Church Facebook page, with a recording to be released on YouTube later.
Click the following links to learn more on the St. Sahag Church website.
Above: Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan and Dn. Serop Krajekian, during the latter’s graduation from St. Nersess Seminary in 2023.