News

With deep sorrow, the Eastern Diocese grieves over the loss of the Reverend Fr. Nersess Jebejian: longtime, stalwart clergyman of our Diocese, son of one of the Armenian Church’s pre-eminent priestly families, and father to the Very Reverend Fr. Aren Jebejian. Der Nersess passed away in the early hours of October 27, in Providence, RI. He was 87 years old.

Born in Aleppo, Syria, on December 17, 1934, he came to the United States to continue his education, which he did at Episcopal Theological Seminary, where he received bachelor’s and graduate degrees.

He was ordained to the holy priesthood by Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan—the late Diocesan Primate and Patriarch of Jerusalem, and dear uncle to Der Nersess—in October 1969, at the Holy Cross Church of New York. From the 1960s through early 2000s, he served at parishes across the breadth of the Eastern Diocese, including those in Cleveland, OH; Southfield, MI; Springfield, MA; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Houston and Carrollton, TX; Pinellas Park, FL; and mission parishes in Florida, Texas, Missouri, and Lousianna. He was especially instrumental in organizing the Armenian communities in Texas, and in laying the groundwork for what would become Florida’s St. Hagop Church.

An extensive biographical note appears below.

Der Hayr and his wife, Yn. Aurora, were blessed with two children, Rena and Aren—the latter of whom followed the calling of his family into the holy priesthood, and now serves as pastor of St. John Church in Southfield, MI. Der Nersess is survived by his beloved wife and children, his dear son-in-law Stephen Megrdichian, grandchildren Mari and Garen, and the extended Jebejian and Nersoyan family. Our prayers are with them all at this time.

The funeral arrangements are as follows:

Family and friends are invited to Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church in Providence, RI (70 Jefferson St., Providence) to pay their respects and express their condolences on Wednesday, November 2, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. The wake service (dahn gark) will begin at 7 p.m.

The Divine Liturgy and final anointing for Der Nersess Avak Kahana Jebejian will also take place at Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church in Providence, presided over by Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate and Ecumenical Director. The service will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 3. All are invited to attend the funeral as well as the burial service and hokejash to follow.

The family requests that in-lieu-of-flowers donations be made to Mer Doon Young Women’s Shelter, in Etchmiadzin, Armenia (make checks payable to St. John Armenian Church (Memo: Mer Doon), 22001 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield, MI 48075); or to the “Rev. Fr. Nersess and Diramayr Jebejian Endowment Fund” of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary (486 Bedford Rd., Armonk, NY 10504).

May our risen Lord remember Fr. Nersess Jebejian in his kingdom, and grant peace and consolation to his loved ones.

* * *

The Reverend Fr. Nersess Jebejian (1934-2022)

Biographical Notes

Nersess Jebejian was born in Allepo, Syria, on December 17, 1934, the first of three sons (including Hagop and Aren) to Sarkis and Mariam Jebejian. While growing up, Nersess attended the Grtaseeradz Aintabsi Elementary School and subsequently graduated from Allepo College. At a tender age, Nersess along with his younger brother Hagop developed a love for serving the church by frequently wearing robes and serving on the Holy Altar of St. Asdvadzadin Church, which served former natives of Aintab.

Nersess emigrated to the United States seeking a higher education. He arrived in New York in 1956 and stayed with his uncle and aunt, Dr. Hagop and Marie Nersoyan, in Forest Hills, NY. While in New York, he attended Adelphi University and graduated with a degree in Social Work. He subsequently went to Episcopal Divinity School of Harvard University and graduated with a Masters in Divinity.

In 1966, Dn. Nersess attended and graduated from the world-renowned Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva, Switzerland. Throughout his lifetime, both before and after his eventual priestly ordination, Fr. Nersess had a genuine passion for ecumenism. From his time in Cleveland to Springfield, all the way until his days in Texas, Fr. Nersess was deeply involved in the ecumenical movement and was well respected by many non-Armenian Clergy. He served in various capacities in the National Council of Churches (NCCUSA) as well as participating in numerous World Council of Churches gatherings over many decades.

In 1961, Nersess was ordained a deacon of the Armenian Church at St. James Church of Watertown, MA. He was assigned by then-Primate Archbishop Sion Manoogian to the St. Gregory of Narek Church of Cleveland, OH, as its Deacon-in-Charge, where he served from 1961 to 1964. While there, he oversaw the building of the new church, which was consecrated on April 12, 1964. He was subsequently assigned as the Youth Director of St. John Church of Southfield, MI. While there, he was in charge of the Church School which had over 900 attendees, from 1965 to 1969.

There, too, he met Aurora Melikian, who would become his wife. The couple married and began a family, first with the birth of their son Aren, and then their daughter Rena.

Deacon Nersess entered the holy priesthood on October 2-3, 1969, at Holy Cross Church of Armenia in Washington Heights, NY. He was ordained by the hand of his grand-uncle, Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, former Primate of the Eastern Diocese and Patriarch of Jerusalem. His ordination godfather was the late Edward Mardigian. The new Fr. Nersess celebrated his antranig badarak (or first Divine Liturgy) at New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral that same year.

In 1969, at the behest of then-Diocesan Primate Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Fr. Nersess and Yeretzgin Aurora were assigned to Armenian Church of Springfield, MA, at the time named for St. John the Divine. During his tenure in Springfield, Fr. Nersess brought together a diverse community from different walks of life, and planted the seeds of a new endeavor: to build a new church in Wilbraham that was consecrated St. Mark Armenian Church.

Simultaneously, during the early 1970s he served as Youth Director for the Diocese and would travel weekly to the Diocesan headquarters to invigorate the youth program. He led Diocesan youth on four ACYOA Armenian Studies Program trips to the Armenian homeland during this time.

At home with Yn. Aurora and the children, Der Nersess loved to relax with his family while tending their backyard garden of 60 tomato plants, 40 pepper plants, zucchini, beans, cucumbers, eggplant, asparagus rhubarb, not to mention the huge blueberry bushes. They also enjoyed summers with the Jebejian and Nersoyan relatives in Mattituck, Long Island.

While making preparations for a new sanctuary in Springfield by identifying new land for a new church, Fr. Nersess was invited to be the Dean of the Alex and Marie Manoogian Seminary at the Armenian Patriarchate of Sts. James in Jerusalem. While there, he brought discipline and a new sense of educational attainment to a generation of seminarians—many of whom today are clergymen within the Eastern Diocese and throughout the world.

Fr. Nersess returned to the United States in 1981. Archbishop Torkom assigned him to develop the blossoming Armenian Church community in Fr. Lauderdale, FL, which eventually became St. David Armenian Church of Boca Raton.

In 1982, St. Kevork Armenian Church of Houston, TX, was in need of steady leadership. While in Houston, numerous projects were undertaken and the community came together under “one dome.” While serving as fulltime pastor in Houston, Fr. Nersess was also assigned by the Primate as the Mission Parish Coordinator for the communities emerging in the Diocese’s Southern Region and elsewhere. The communities Fr. Nersess worked with included: Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, TX; Baton Rouge, LA; Nashville, TN; Jacksonville, Orlando, and Naples, FL; Charlotte, NC; Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; Minneapolis, MN; Ann Arbor and Lansing, MI. During his tenure as Mission Parish Coordinator, the Dallas community began to grow and was consecrated as St. Sarkis Armenian Church. Fr. Nersess became its first pastor, serving from 1994 to 2000.

During the early days of his service to St. Sarkis Church in Dallas, Fr. Nersess had suffered a brain aneurysm in October of 1994. He recovered fully, and continued his missionary work to the parish and the Diocese.

It was also in this period that Armenia suffered the massive earthquake of 1988. As rescue efforts began to be organized, it soon became evident that the cause of relief to the homeland would not be short lived. In 1991, Fr. Nersess was assigned by then-Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian to travel to Armenia and become the first director of the Diocesan Fund for Armenia’s Recovery (precursor to the Fund for Armenian Relief). In Yerevan, he lived at the Hrazdan Hotel from 1991 to 1993 among officials who were setting up their country’s new government following Armenia’s independence in September 1991. For his efforts during this critical time, Der Nersess was honored with an Encyclical from His Holiness Vasken I, of blessed memory, the late Catholicos of All Armenians. The honor was conferred in 1994, to mark the 25th anniversary of Fr. Nersess’ priestly ordination.

In 1993, Fr. Nersess and Yn. Aurora witnessed the marriage of their daughter Rena to Stephen Megrdichian of Providence Rhode Island, at Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Church. Just a few years later, they welcomed twin grandchildren, Mari and Garen. Throughout the years, Mari and Garen became the main focus for Der Hayr and Yeretzgin, as Stephen, Rena, and the children enjoyed traveling to visit with the Jebejians in Pompano Beach, FL.

A new chapter of ministry began in 2000, when Der Nersess became the new pastor of the Armenian Church of Pinellas Park, FL. Once again Fr. Nersess and Yn. Aurora were called to guide a mission parish as it blossomed into a full-fledged church, eventually consecrated in 2007 as St. Hagop Church.

In April of 2004, Der Hayr and Yeretzgin were blessed to witness their son’s ordination to the holy priesthood at St. Vartan Cathedral. Fr. Nersess, proudly, was Fr. Aren’s spiritual sponsor, and subsequently traveled to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to stand at his son’s side as he celebrated his first Divine Liturgy at the main altar of the Mother Cathedral, following Fr. Aren’s 40 days of seclusion in Armenia.

For over a half century, Fr. Nersess was a figure who spoke with dignity and authority during meetings at annual Diocesan Assemblies and ACYOA Assemblies. In addition, Fr. Nersess was intimately involved with the Diocese’s Choir Association, which he chaired during the mid-1980s.

Following Der Hayr’s retirement, the Jebejians enjoyed their time in Pompano Beach, FL, with frequent visits from their children, the Very Rev. Fr. Aren Jebejian and Rena (Jebejian) Megrdichian. They loved and enjoyed their time with their son-in-law Stephen Megrdichian as well as their grandchildren Mari and Dn. Garen. The Jebejians were known for their hospitality and preparation of gourmet meals, wth Der Nersess’ passion for Armenian cuisine being inspired by his mother, Diramayr Mariam Jebejian. Der Hayr was also known as a connoisseur of wines, especially French wines.

Fr. Nersess Jebejian passed away on October 27, after a relatively brief illness. He died peacefully in Rhode Island, with Yeretzgin, Fr. Aren, Rena and Stephen at his side. He was survived by his beloved wife, Yeretzgin Aurora; children Fr. Aren and Rena and Stephen Megrdichian; grandchildren Mari and Dn. Garen Megrdichian; brothers Hagop and Aren; nephews and nieces Sarkis Jebejian, Maria Stepanian, Talia Bouldoukian, Dn. Diran Jebejian, and Gregory Melikian; in-laws Roslyn Basherian and Gary Melikian; and numerous family members throughout the world.

May our risen Lord Jesus Christ remember his servant Der Nersess Jebejian, and receive him into the Kingdom on the great day of his judgment.