Karekin Bekdjian

Karekin Bekdjian (baptized name: Dikran ; born December 12, 1942 in Constantinople ) is a bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church . He was Archbishop of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in Germany from 1998 to 2017 .

Life

Karekin Bekdjian received his education at the Mechitarist School in his hometown. In 1959 he began training as a priest at the Seminary in Scutari and was consecrated as an acolyte in 1960 by Patriarch Karékine I. Khachadourian . From 1962 further studies in classical languages, sociology and history at the University of Istanbul followed . In 1963 he became a deacon ordained, and on 25 July 1965 he received the priesthood . He then studied psychology and education at the German universities in Bonn and Bochum . In 1970 he was appointed Archimandrite by Archbishop Shenork Kaloustian . From 1973 he did pastoral work in Marseille as a priest at the local St. Karapet Church. From 1976 to 1991 he was pastor at the Armenian Cathedral in Marseille. During this time he started a radio program for children, gave lessons in the Armenian language , published a dictionary of Armenian first names with explanations, and wrote regularly in the magazine Armenia .

Commissioned by letter of June 1992 Catholicos Vazgen I. him with the establishment of a diocesan structure in Germany and donated him on 27 September of the same year in Echmiadzin the episcopal ordination . As a bishop he founded 14 Armenian Apostolic congregations in Germany.

On May 28, 1998 he was appointed Archbishop by Catholicos Karekin I. After reaching the age of 75, he resigned from his position at the end of 2017.

Fonts

• Baptême, mariage et rituel funéraire dans l'église arménienne apostolique . L'Harmattan, Paris 2003, ISBN 2-7475-5283-7 .

Web links

• Archbishop Karekin Bekdjian (English)

Footnotes

1. ↑ Old Archbishop , accessed on May 6, 2019.