St. Mark’s Armenian Catholic Church making history with ordination of married priest

Rev. Deacon Asadur Minasian (right) with Bishop Mikael Mouradian at his ordination to the diaconate in September.

The Armenian Catholic Church in America is about to make history again when it ordains the second married priest in its history. Officially known as the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg in the United States of America and Canada, it was created in 1981 by Pope John Paul II as the local jurisdiction over the region’s Armenian Catholic churches. While the notion of a married Catholic priest may sound contradictory, Asadur Minasian of St. Mark’s Church in Wynnewood outside Philadelphia will soon join the rare ranks of married Catholic priests.

One of the best-known disciplines of the Roman Catholic Church is that of clerical celibacy, which in its traditional meaning refers to priests remaining unmarried. What’s less known is that priestly celibacy is a discipline rather than a doctrine, meaning it is not universal. Within the global Catholic Church are the Eastern Rite Churches, which are in full communion with the Pope of Rome and yet maintain their own traditions. As such, the Armenian Catholic Rite, like the Armenian Apostolic Church, allows for its priests to be married, though until recently the Vatican confined the practice to each rite’s “traditional territories,” which did not include the United States or Canada.

The recent change to this rule opened new opportunities for married Armenian Catholics there who felt a calling to the priesthood but had been unable to pursue it. The first was Father Richard Shackil, a lifelong member of Sacred Heart Armenian Catholic Church in Little Falls, New Jersey, who was ordained in 2017. The second will be Asadur Minasian, who was born in 1971 to parents from Istanbul. As Minasian described: “One of the main factors for them leaving Turkey was because they did not want their children to live in a country where Christianity was suppressed. It was exceedingly difficult to be a practicing Catholic in a predominantly Muslim country, and my parents were staunch Catholics.” His parents moved to Philadelphia where they were welcomed into the local Armenian Catholic church St. Mark’s by Monsignor Stephen Stepanian, who had founded the church in 1924. Minasian was born shortly after, and started serving on the altar at the age of five. From a young age, he was inspired by the mass with its beautiful sharagans and felt multiple callings from God to serve the church.

“When you hear the phrase ‘God works in mysterious ways,’ believe it!,” posited Minasian. As an adult, the pieces started to come together one at a time. After meeting his future wife Arpy who was from New York, he learned that not only was she also Catholic, but her father was a lifelong altar-server and an encyclopedia on the badarak. This motivated him to begin learning the roles and responsibilities of the Diaconate under both his father-in-law Hovhaness Voskeridjian and St. Mark’s Jack Zarzatian. He felt a desire to do more, but he also felt an emptiness that the priesthood could not be an option for him. He considered joining a Diaconate program to be ordained a deacon, but being at the cusp of starting a new family, he was advised to take some time to get settled before dedicating himself to that undertaking. “I feel everything happens in its own time, and in fact this gave me the opportunity to learn and grow more,” reflected Minasian. He and Arpy had three children and opened a framing business.

Then came an opportunity that changed everything. In 2014, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Eastern Churches, signed an official decree which opened the way for married men of the Eastern Rites to be ordained outside the traditional territories. Minasian received the blessing of his family and His Excellency Bishop Mikael Mouradian to pursue this path. In 2018, he began his studies for a graduate degree in theology, which he completed last fall. While the pandemic resulted in delays to his ordination first as deacon and now as priest, Minasian has taken it in stride. “I believe things happen for a reason,” he said, “I waited 49 years to get here. I can wait a little longer.”

Finally, the Philadelphia community will gather on Saturday, December 18 for Minasian’s ordination to the priesthood by Bishop Mouradian. It is a particularly joyous moment for St. Mark’s parish, because while it has been well served by visiting pastors over the past years, it will once again have a permanent pastor in place. The Weekly will have continued coverage of the ordination day.

A scene from mass at St. Mark’s in Wynnewood outside Philadelphia.

"And you bring another modernist interpretation with your The NT church never know of the Catholic priesthood, that of a separate class of normatively celibate men whose primary unique function was to offer the Lord's supper as a sacrifice for sins Completely ignoring" "Matthew 19:12 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by people; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

Which means that it is you who is completely ignoring what is written, for rather than me ignoring the above, I said, "And which is speaking to the flock, and most particularly to youth and women, and is not focusing in elders. Those who have essentially "made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake" can be from any station in life. "He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." (Matthew 19:12)

How could you miss that, while imagining that this refers to "a separate class of normatively celibate men whose primary unique function was to offer the Lord's supper as a sacrifice for sins?" Where O where do you see this unique sacerdotal celibate class being those who are ordained as pastors, when instead what Scripture actually says is,

"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) (1 Timothy 3:2-5)"

Talk about completely ignoring!

"And Rev 14:4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from mankind as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. "

Likewise, where O where is this shown to refer to NT pastors and thus your priesthood? And while it actually literally refers to virgins cf. virgin, 7 Mat_1:23, Luk_1:27, 1Co_7:28, 1Co_7:34, 1Co_7:36-37 (2), 2Co_11:2; virgins, 6 Mat_25:1, Mat_25:7, Mat_25:11, Act_21:9, 1Co_7:25; virgin’s, 1 Luk_1:27) of the hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel? (Revelation 7:4)

"And 1 Corinthians 7 1 Now in regard to the matters about which you wrote: “It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman,... 6 This I say by way of concession,[d] however, not as a command. 7 Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I am, but each has a particular gift from God,[e] one of one kind and one of another...."

Again, you completely ignore that I dealt with that, saying, While being celibate as a Christian so that one may be able to more singularly focus on personal holiness and the formal work of the Lord is affirmed, it is for those who have that gift and call - especially in the context of "present distress" and imminent societal trial - which is the pre-70 AD context of 1 Corinthians 7:7-9, 26-38...And since Paul states that celibacy is a gift (not that this necessarily make celibacy easy) that not all have, (1 Co. 7:7) therefore to presume all who are called to the pastorate have that gift is an unscriptural and even dangerous presumption.

And regardless if you disagree with some of what I said, it remains that the NT church never know of the Catholic priesthood, that of a separate class of normatively celibate men whose primary unique function was to confect and offer the body and blood of Christ (under the appearance of non-existent bread and wine) as a sacrifice for sins, and provide it to the flock as spiritual life-giving food.

Rather, while it should be expected that pastors would have usually conducted the Lord's supper even if they are not actually described as doing so in Acts onward, yet what is shown is that NT presbuteros/episkopos were usualy married, and that their primary work (besides prayer) is that of preaching. (Act 6:3,4; 2 Tim.4:2) By which they “feed the flock” (Acts 20:28; 1Pt. 5:2) ) for the word is called spiritual "milk," (1Co. 3:22; 1Pt. 1:22) and "meat," (Heb. 5:12-14) what is said to "nourish" the souls of believers, and believing it is how the lost obtain life in themselves. (1 Timothy 4:6; ;Acts 15:7-9; cf. Psalms 19:7) In contrast to the Catholic corruption of the Lord's supper, nowhere in Acts onward (which reveals how the NT church understood the gospels and OT) is the Lord's supper described as sacrifice for sins nor as spiritual food, and the means of obtaining spiritual life in oneself.

Thus vain attempts to read into the inspired record what you can only wish is is there fail. Once again.

"Typical you go with The RC argument While all of the Churches before the 16th century have celibate bishops - whether the Assyrian or the Coptic or the Ethiopian or the Orthodox or the Catholic."

Wrong Again. None of the NT churches (which certainly became before the 16th century) are known to have had celibate presbuteros/episkopos (nor were the two referring to separate persons) aside from Paul, whose requirements for such do not include of celibacy, while, as said, being a father managing a family well is presented as a positive credential for the pastorate.

And that clerical celibacy was a later development. For contrary to you and your history, a most honest description is that "at least the Apostle Peter had been married, and that bishops, presbyters and deacons of the Primitive Church were often family men. It is also clear from epigraphy, the testimony of the Fathers, synodal legislation, papal decretals and other sources that in the following centuries, a married clergy, in greater or lesser numbers was a normal feature of the life of the Church. Even married popes are known to us." And that clerical celibacy, as "the inability to enter marriage once a higher Order had been received," was a later and progressive development into being what is now evolved into by your church as canon law (but not dogma), consistent with its accretion of unscriptural teachings.

And "the RC argument" simply refers to what I have read from such, not your cousins.

"Wow. It's a good thing we have this "evidence," otherwise the One True Religion would have remained lost forever, instead of just for over a thousand years. "

Rather, no person or church need to possess comprehensive doctrinal purity for salvation, nor would I say any see everything perfectly, and there were always true regenerate believers down thru the ages since salvation is mainly that of the heart. For "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit," (Psalms 34:18) casting all their faith in the mercy of God in Christ, the scapegoat and sin offering (Lv. 16) for man. Thus the redeemed are those who come to God as sinners knowing their desperate need of salvation, not as a souls saved by their works or church affiliation, but as destitute of any means or merit whereby they may find salvation, and with a humble and penitent heart believe on the crucified risen Lord Jesus who alone can save them on His account, by His sinless shed blood and righteousness. And thus are baptized and follow Him. Thanks be to God.

And thus the only one true church always existed, being that of the spiritual body of Christ, (Colossians 1:18) to which He is married, (Ephesians 5:25) the "household of faith," (Galatians 6:10) since it uniquely only and always consists 100% of true believers, and which spiritual body of Christ is what the Spirit baptizes ever believer into, (1Co. 12:13) while organic fellowships in which they express their faith inevitably become admixtures of wheat and tares, with Catholicism and liberal Protestantism being mostly the latter.

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