Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian Enters His Eternal Rest (1926-2016)

It is with a heavy heart that we inform the passing of His Eminence Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian, one of the senior members of the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Archbishop Gizirian entered his eternal rest on March 18, 2016 at the age of 90. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians called the passing of the merited clergyman as a “great loss” for the Armenian Apostolic Church.

In a letter of condolence addressed to the Diocesan Primate, His Holiness stated in part "For nearly seven decades, Archbishop Gizirian served the flock of Christ with unrelenting dedication and enduring affection earning the love and respect from the faithful."

The Last Unction rite will be held at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York on Holy Wednesday, March 23, 2016.

At the instruction of the Primate, a Requiem Service for the repose of the soul of the late Archbishop Gizirian will be held at all Diocesan Parishes on Sunday, April 3, 2016.  

Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian, (baptismal name Zaven) was born in 1926 in Damascus, Syria, where he received his elementary education at the Tarkmanchats School.  In 1940, he was accepted as a student at the Seminary of the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon.  In 1944, he was ordained a deacon.  After completing his studies, he was ordained a celibate priest in 1947 by the late Bishop Terenig Poladian.

Within the Catholicosate of Cilicia, Fr. Gizirian served as the manager of HASK, the official publication of the Catholicosate, and as the overseer of properties.  He also taught at the seminary and the Mesrobian school.

With the permission of the late Catholicos Karekin I Hovsepian of the Great House of Cilicia, and at the invitation of the late Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, Fr. Gizirian came to the United States where he served as the pastor of the Holy Cross Church of New York City; St. John the Baptist Church of Miami, FL; Holy Mother of God Church of Newark, NJ; the Holy Savior Church of Worcester, MA; St. John the Baptist Church of Detroit, MI; Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of Wynnewood, PA; the Holy Trinity Church of Cambridge, MA; and the Holy Trinity Church of Toronto, Canada.

In 1958, Fr. Gizirian received the esteemed doctoral staff, and eight years later, in 1966, the doctor of theology degree was bestowed on him.  For a period of time he was appointed as the Vicar General of the Diocese and simultaneously he served as the editor of the Armenian Church, the official publication of the Diocese, and the dean of the Diocesan Sunday Schools.  He contributed articles toThe Armenian Guardian, the official publication of the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America.  He served on the Central Council of the Choir Association of the Diocese and acted as its chair.  He was also the chair of the publication committee of The Chants of the Armenian Church,and a member of the Diocesan Council as well as the Choir Association Conference Committee.

On February 14, 1982, Fr. Gizirian was ordained a bishop in the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin by His Holiness Vasken I, the late Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.  In March of that same year he began serving as Primate and Pontifical Legate of the Armenian Church of England. 

After 20 years of service as Primate and Pontifical Legate, the archbishop retired from active duty and returned to the United States. In 1993, Catholicos Vasken I elevated him to the position of archbishop in appreciation of his dedicated service to God.

Despite his advanced age, Archbishop Gizirian continued his spiritual service in the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.