By Florence Avakian
In a centuries-old inspiring ceremony replete with
Armenian religious tradition, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), ordained Deacon Justin
Avedis Ajamian into the holy priesthood, at the St. Sarkis Armenian Church of
Dallas, TX on Sunday morning, August 25. Hundreds of parishioners as well as
the young priest's family members and several priests took part in the
inspiring ritual.
The newly-named Rev. Fr. Ghevond Ajamian is now at St.
Nersess Armenian Seminary in New York for the traditional 40-day solitary
period of introspection, meditation, prayer, and fasting.
Following his seclusion, Fr. Ghevond will return to
Dallas to take up his pastoral duties. It will be the latest step in a journey
that began when he was a boy.
Justin Avedis Ajamian was 15 when he realized that he
wanted to be a priest, said the newly ordained priest in a phone conversation
with this writer.
"My family had moved to a new town, Waldwick, N.J.,
which was close to St. Leon Armenian Church [in Fair Lawn]. And I was forced to
go to the St. Nersess Summer conferences by my uncle Vartan Ajamian, who was a
1988 seminary graduate and a deacon at Bayside's Holy Martyrs Armenian Church.
Once there, though, I enjoyed the priests, participants, morning and evening
services, and courses in Armenian history and culture."
Receiving a Calling
Around that time the Rev. Fr. Diran Bohajian, pastor of
the St. Leon Church, asked Justin to serve on the holy altar-and that's where
he received a calling. When he graduated from Waldwisk High School, Justin
"knew and wanted to go to St. Nersess," where he was greatly
encouraged and inspired by the seminary dean, the Very Rev. Daniel Findikyan
(who was the sponsoring priest at the August 25 ordination).
The Rev. Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian and the Very Rev. Fr.
Ghevont Samoorian also took him under their wings.
While attending Ramapo College (where he majored in world
history) the teenage Justin attended classes at St. Nersess once a week.
Following his college graduation in 2006, he attended classes full time at both
St. Nersess and St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary for four years. "My stay
at the seminaries helped me to become a better future priest for the
American-Armenian community," he said with obvious pride.
In 2003, he made his first pilgrimage to Armenia, which
he continued to do through 2005 with the Diocesan ACYOA's "Armenian
Service Program." There he studied Armenian history and classical Armenian
at Yerevan State University and served at Yerevan's Holy Trinity Church.
His studies continued in 2011 with a six-month period at
Jerusalem's Armenian Patriarchate where he strengthened his knowledge of
liturgics, hymnology, classical and modern Armenian. This was followed with an
internship at the St. David Church in Boca Raton, Fla., with the Very Rev. Fr.
Nareg Berberian. In 2011 the deacon was assigned to the St. Sarkis Church in
Dallas.
A New Chapter
In the days prior to his priestly ordination, having
already served two years as deacon-in-charge of a parish, and having embarked
on life as a husband and father, Dn. Justin still expressed a sense of awe over
the next chapter in his ministry.
"I do sometimes feel overwhelmed about serving God
in a different capacity-about joining the ranks of the apostles, and the many
priests of our church," he said reflectively.
"And St. Sarkis is a special church" he
revealed, adding that it was the first church that Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
consecrated after becoming Primate.
"With one chapter of my life closing and this new
and very significant chapter now beginning, I look forward to ministering to
the people, celebrating the Divine Liturgy and preaching God's message. As the
head of this parish, it means I will take responsibility. As President Harry
Truman once said, ‘The buck stops here.'"
Justin Avedis Ajamian was born 29 years ago in Akron,
Ohio, to an Armenian father and a non-Armenian mother. He was named after his
great grandfather Avedis Koondakjian-only one of five brothers to escape the
Armenian Genocide.
"Ours was not a typical Armenian household, where
you have pilaf and dolma every night," he recalled. "I knew I was
Armenian when I went to the summer conferences at St. Nersess. My mother-who is
of Irish, Sicilian, and German heritage, and whose brother was a Roman Catholic
priest-was very accepting of my life choice."
During his 13 trips to Armenia he met his future wife
Hasmik, whom he married in 2008. Their daughter Noelle Srbouhi was born two
years ago.
"This chapter of my life which began at age 15 has
come to fruition," he said in conclusion. "We are now in the process
of building a new church in Dallas on a four and a-half acre property."
Most of the parishioners of St. Sarkis have come from
Beirut, Turkey, Iran, and Armenia. But their children are born here, he
explained. "We needed a larger church to get these two generations involved."
The new Fr. Ghevond Ajamian says he is happy he grew up
in America. "It means that I know what the youth are going through, and
might go through in the future."
The new church will have a Sunday school, Armenian
school, large hall and gym. "We hope to break ground by 2015, the 100th
anniversary of the Genocide, to celebrate a new chapter in our history, in a
place I never thought Armenians existed."
"We need this new church for future
generations," he remarked with gusto, already dedicated to his new
ministry, and enthusiastically mapping out his future goals.
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