Bagrat Galstanyan

Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan - Armenian: Բագրատ Եպիսկոպոս Գալստանեան (born May 20, 1971). former Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Canadian Diocese.

Bagrat Galstanian was born in Gyumri, Armenia, on May 20, 1971, and was given the name Vazgen at his baptism. Having attended the Gevorgyan Seminary of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, in Armenia, he received the ordination of deacon, in 1993 from Bishop Anania Arabajyan. In 1995 he received excellent mark for his thesis on “The Commendatory and Theology of Khosrov of Andzrev on Daily Prayers of our Church.” The same year the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin I, ordained Vazgen a celibate priest, in the name of Archbishop Bagrat Vardazarian, who had been martyred in 1937 repressions.

In 1995, while holding the position as director of St. Gregory the Illuminator Sunday of School in Holy Etchmiadzin, Bishop Bagrat was appointed as vice-president of the newly established Centre of Christian Education and Preaching. During this period, his responsibilities included the teaching of the Holy Liturgy, Church History and Theology and Armenian Church hymns, in the Gevorgyan and Vazgenyan Seminaries in Armenia.

In 1996 he became editor-in-chief of Etchmiadzin, a monthly official publication of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Also, he was involved in the preparation of religious teachers in five regions of Armenia through the Christian Education and Preaching Centre. These included the American University in Yerevan, and in the regions of Etchmiadzin, Armavir, Masis, Artashat, and Aparan. He was one of the founding members of “Gantegh” religious television programming.

From 1996 to 1998 Bishop Bagrat assisted Karekin I as secretary in his pontifical visits to South America, Moscow, U.K., and Austria. In Austria, he participated, as a delegate, in the second Council of European Churches in Graz.

On the recommendation of Karekin I in 1998, he was sent to England to study at the University of Leeds. He attended studies at the Holy Resurrection Theological College of Mirfield, at the same time assuming the position of visiting priest of Manchester’s Holy Trinity Armenian Church, until the year 2000. From 1996 to 2000 Bishop Bagrat was an active contributing member of the organizing Executive Committee of the celebrations for the 1700th. Anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia.

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