Worship

Get Involved: Dn. Ara Jeknavorian

Deacons do more than serve on the altar, they serve the community. Dn. Ara Jeknavorian was presented with the St. Nersess Shnorhali Medal and a pontifical encyclical from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, based on his years of service to the Armenian Church and his strong leadership among the larger Armenian-American community.

Jeknavorian serves as a deacon at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Chelmsford, MA, and is the co-founder of the Armenian Heritage Radio Hour. He also serves his parish as a delegate to the Diocesan Assembly.

Along with his service to the church, Jeknavorian, his wife Milka, and their three children are active in a number of other organizations and efforts in the community.

“He is indeed the model of a deacon,” Archbishop Khajag Barsamian said. “Not only is he concerned with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, but he works, as well, to tend to the needs of his community.”