Nerses Der Nersessian, C.A.M (16 November 1920 – 24 December 2006)[1] was an Armenian Catholic archbishop and first ordinary for the Armenian believers in Eastern Europe.[2]

Nerses Der Nersessian, C.A.M.
Coadjutor Ordinary of Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe
ChurchArmenian Catholic Church
Appointed13 July 1991
Other post(s)Titular Archbishop of Sebaste of the Armenians (1991–2006)
Orders
Ordination8 September 1946 (Priest)
Consecration17 November 1992 (Bishop)
by Pope John Paul II
Personal details
Born
Nerses Der Nersessian

(1920-11-16)16 November 1920
Died24 December 2006(2006-12-24) (aged 86)
Gyumri, Armenia

Life

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Born on 16 November 1920 in Berlin, Nerses Der Nersessian studied in Bucharest's and Sofia's schools and at Murat-Rapaelyan College in Venice (1933–1939). He became a member of the Mekhitarist Congregation of Venice in 1940. Nersessian was ordained priest on 8 September 1946 by the Mekhitarist order.

He graduated from Pontifical Gregorian University in 1947, was the "Mkhitaryan Family" magazine editor (1948–1952), "Bazmavep"'s editor (1957–1979, with interruptions), general secretary of the Congregation (1964–1976 and since 1982), archives director (1976–1982). For many years he taught in the St. Lazarus' Heritage School and Murat-Rapaelyan College. Nersessian also published Arakel Syunetsi's Documentary (1956, Prologue, Study and Dictionary, Ter-Nersisyan), Mkhitar Sebastatsi's "Thinking Against the Rescuer" (1969, The Prophets of Ter-Nersisyan) and others. He has also featured some articles on Dante's "Divine Comedy" translate them to Armenian language, Voskan Yeremans' grammatical perceptions and the history of the Mekhitarist Congregation in Armenian language spelling, and so on.

After his priestly ordination, Father Nersessian also worked in 1982 as a librarian at the Mekhitarist monastery on the island of San Lazzaro in Venice.[3] Later he was Abbot General of the Mechitarists in Venice. On 13 July 1991 he was appointed archbishop "ad personam"[4] at the same time ordinary of the Armenian Catholic Church in Eastern Europe.

After his appointment as titular Archbishop of Sebaste of the Armenians on 9 July 1992 he received from Pope John Paul II on 17 November 1992,[5] his episcopal ordination. His co-consecrators were the Patriarch of Cilicia Archbishop Hovhannes Bedros XVIII Kasparian, ICPB, Bishop Grégoire Ghabroyan, ICPB, of Paris and Vartan Achkarian, CAM, who was Auxiliary bishop in Beirut.

From 17 February 2001 to 2 April 2005 Archbishop Vartan Kechichian (Titular Archbishop of Mardin of the Armenians) was appointed as Coadjutor bishop. After his retirement on 2 April 2005, he served as Professor Emeritus of Eastern Europe until his death on 24 December 2006, succeeding Nechan Karakéhéyan, I.C.P.B.

He died in 2006 in Gyumri.

References

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  1. ^ zarkfoundation.com/
  2. ^ "After the collapse of the Soviet regime, Pope John Paul II established a new Armenian Catholic hierarchy and appointed the Mechitarist Nerses Der Nersessian Ordinary for all Catholic Armenians in Eastern Europe (Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine and Russia)." Kath.net: "Armenia holds a record: it is the oldest Christian state in history" [1] 5 January 2012
  3. ^ "Research on Byzantine legal history, ed. Dieter Simon, Volume 21" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Ad personam = related to one person", Juristenlatein.com – Latin legal terms, phrases and sayings [2], aufgerufen 5. Januar 2012
  5. ^ Ordination of Nerses Nersessian by Pope John Paul II, 17 November 1992 (Italian) [3]
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