Rev. Fr. Paren Galstyan
Տեր Փառէն Քահանա Գալստյան
(January 1, 2019 - )
Rev. Fr. Paren Galstyan was born on September 3, 1979, in Vedi, a town in the Ararat region of Armenia. He completed his secondary education in 1996 and pursued theological studies at the seminaries in Sevan (1996–1997) and Gyumri (1997–2000). From 2000 to 2006, he continued his studies at the Gevorkyan Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. In June 2006, he graduated with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from the Georgian Theological Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin.
On February 23, 2005, he was ordained as a deacon by Archbishop Nerses Bozabalyan. Later, on December 3, 2006, he was ordained to the holy order of priesthood by Bishop Anoushavan Jamgochyan at Holy Etchmiadzin, receiving the priestly name Paren. From October 2006 to June 2007, he worked at the Chancellery of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
In July 2007, with the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Fr. Paren was assigned to serve in the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. He was first appointed as interim pastor at St. James Armenian Church in Evanston, IL, while also studying English at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago.
On October 29, 2009, he was appointed interim pastor of St. George Armenian Church of Waukegan, IL. A month later, on December 1, 2009, he was formally assigned as the pastor of both St. George Armenian Church in Waukegan and Holy Resurrection Armenian Church in South Milwaukee, WI.
In the summer of 2010, Fr. Paren completed and graduated from the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, IL. In February 2014, he was assigned as the pastor of St. David Armenian Church in Boca Raton, FL.
Since January 1, 2019, Fr. Paren has served as the pastor of Soorp Haroutiun Armenian Church of Orlando, FL. As of June 2020, he also serves as the visiting pastor of St. Nerses Shnorhali Armenian Church in Jacksonville, FL.
Fr. Paren is married to Yn. Anna Lusi Galstyan, and they are blessed with two sons, Grigor and Aren.