Fr. Gabriel Vardanyan

Fr. Gabriel Vardanyan  was born on May 18, 1981, in the village of Voskehat, in the Ejmiatsin district of Armenia’s Armavir province.

He completed his secondary education at the Voskehat School in 1998, and went on to study at the Shirak Spiritual Seminary (1998–2000). He continued his theological education at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary from 2000 to 2006, graduating with honors and receiving a Master’s degree in Theology.

On February 23, 2006 he was ordained as a deacon by Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian. That same year, he defended his thesis titled “Archaisms in Artistic Language (Classical Armenian Elements)”, earning a commendable evaluation.

In June 2006, by the directive of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, he was appointed Administrative Secretary at the Karekin I Theological Center, where he also prepared for publication Vahan Vardapet Bastamyants’ “Canonical Writings.”

From 2007 to 2012, he pursued further theological studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, specializing in the field of Church doctrine. He successfully defended his master’s thesis on “The Infallibility of the Church.”

Upon his return to Armenia in 2012, he served at the Vazgenian Theological Seminary as a supervisor and lecturer, teaching courses such as Biblical Studies and Christian Doctrine.
Later that year, he was appointed Supervisor at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, where he also taught Biblical Studies, Introduction to the Old and New Testaments, and Dogmatic Theology at both seminaries.
 

On April 21, 2013, he was ordained a married priest by Bishop Gevork Saroyan and continued his pastoral and academic duties at the Gevorkian Seminary.

In June 2018, Fr. Gabriel was appointed Deputy Dean of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary while maintaining his teaching responsibilities.
 

Throughout his academic career, he has translated and published several theological works from Greek, including:

• “Ecclesiastical Rhetoric” by Georgios Phileas

• “The Old Testament: Content and Theology” by Ieremias Foundas

• “Introduction to the Old Testament” by Stavros Kalantzakis

He also prepared for publication:

• “The Ten Commandments or Spiritual Guidebook” by Fr. Arsen Bagratuni

• “A Glorious Page of History,” dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Karekin II
   

Fr. Gabriel has served as editor of numerous theological publications and has supervised over ten thesis projects. In parallel with his seminary roles, he conducted regular Sunday services at the Holy Shoghakat and Holy Hripsime Monasteries in Ejmiatsin.
 

He has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bible Society of Armenia.
 

On January 11, 2025, by the decree of His Holiness Karekin II, Fr. Gabriel Vardanyan was appointed Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada.

He is married and the father of three children.