Newly Ordained Priest Begins his Ministry in Milwaukee
By David Luhrssen
On Sunday, May 23, Rev. Fr. Guregh Hambardzumyan returned to his new home following 40 days of seclusion. It was the newly ordained priest’s first Sunday celebrating divine liturgy at St. John the Baptist Armenian Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. May 23 coincided with the feast day of Pentecost in the Armenian Church, commemorating the birthdate of the apostolic church after the Holy Spirit descended upon the early followers of Christ, 50 days after Easter. This year St. John marked Pentecost as a new beginning in a parish that had been without a fulltime pastor since 1994.
Fr. Guregh came well prepared for his new ministry. Born in Yerevan, he was ordained a deacon in Jerusalem, where he lived for eight years at the seminary, immersed in the traditions of the Armenian Church. After arriving in the U.S. in 2016, he received his master’s degree from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and St. Vladimir Orthodox Seminary and did a pastoral internship in Florida. He was still called Deacon Albert when he arrived in Milwaukee with his wife Sylva last October as St. John’s new pastor. Although his ordination was delayed by concerns over COVID-19, he was finally elevated to the priesthood at the Milwaukee church on April 10 by Bishop Daniel Findikyan. Afterward, Fr. Guregh spent the traditional 40 days of contemplation at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in Armonk, New York with his spiritual mentor, Rev. Fr. Mardiros Chevian.
At his first liturgy, Fr. Guregh was joined by his sponsoring priest, Very Rev. Norayr Kazazian; the godfather of his ordination, Deacon Dr. Garo Garibian; St. John’s longtime visiting pastor, Rev. Fr. Nareg Keutelian and Deacon Carl Bardakian of Pasadena. The ancient rites were livestreamed throughout the world.
Pentecost was the theme for the day. Fr. Gueregh’s sermon emphasized the gifts of the Holy Spirit, manifested in the miracle of the first Pentecost that endowed the original disciples with the ability to speak in the languages of many people and spread the message of the new faith. Fr. Guregh added that Armenian may have been among those languages. At the luncheon and program that followed, Dr. Garibian continued to address Pentecost, saying that the feast day’s theme of spiritual rebirth, was an especially appropriate occasion for Fr. Guregh’s inaugural liturgy.
Related articles:
https://www.stjohnarmenianchurch.org/anewpastorforchrist/
