One Priest’s Inexhaustible Mission in Armenia

WHITINSVILLE, Mass.—When it comes to performing mission work in Armenia, look no further than Rev. Archpriest Aram Stepanian. In fact, look again, and maybe several other times.

The affable pastor of Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church has made the country his second home and embraces the population he serves so religiously and profoundly in the name of salvation. He visits it three to four times a year, often with his wife Margaret and family by his side.

If it isn’t operating a summer camp for orphans in July, it’s taking feeble tin shacks and turning them into respectable dwellings for the indigent. Over the past 15 years, 175 homes have either been constructed or refurbished.

“Lately, we’ve been purchasing flats and turning them into comfortable living quarters to meet the pressing need,” he says. “Donations are often slow and volunteers are not easy to find but we somehow manage through God’s help.”

Greenhouses are also built to supply resources and a livable standard of life. His mantra may be “the Voice of the Armenian Church.” In reality, it’s the actions of an individual who cares enough to do his very best.

“The greenhouses were a complement,” he concluded. “If you build a resource, people will benefit.”

And let’s not forget the Agape meal in Etchmiadzin that he’s been serving up to the elderly for the past six years. The guest list ranges from 70-75 and here again, volunteers kick in. More appropriately, they call it the “love meal.”

In the end, it’s creating a better world for those who need it most.

“It’s been a desperate calling to which I have answered as a conscientious Armenian priest,” says the 76-year-old. “Some people might call it a mission. I refer to it as a labor of love.”

The summer camp for orphans was organized four years ago. Each July, the priest and his corps of volunteers take to a place called Tsaghkadzor. Translated, it means “valley of flowers.” It’s located 50 kilometers north of Yerevan on the southern slope of the Teghenis Mountains near Lake Sevan.

The area is known for its skiing prowess, a place where Olympic athletes train and refine their skills. Somewhere in the miasma is this camp operated by the University of Yerevan where 50 destitute children arrive each year to spend a week of solidarity and comfort.

Their director is a guy who’s affectionately called “Brother Aram.” He prefers the informality. To him, they’re like his own kids.

The children range in age from 10-16 and more than half differ from year to year. They are chosen by the Eastern Prelacy and are desperately in need of care. Fun complements their enrollment.

The $10,000 it takes to fund the project annually is raised diligently through the sister churches, private contributions, and businesses. No shortfall is so big that it cannot be met through persistence.

“Because the children are coming from broken homes, with no father or mother, we’re able to create a big family atmosphere for them where they would experience comfort, love, compassion, and care,” he says.

“At the same time, we spread the word of God, teach them the Scriptures and history of the church. Baptizing 15 children is only one of my highlights. The gratitude shown is another,” Der Aram adds.

Two counselors were literally taken off the streets, served their younger counterparts, and wound up becoming public accountants. Others served with the military in Artsakh.

“I find myself getting motivated when I see lives being changed drastically,” he says. “They come to us under dire circumstances and we get them back on track in God’s world. The tears we shed are often tears of joy and comfort.”

One year, the good deed took a bad toll, sending him to the hospital. Recovery was imminent and he was back on the job with barehanded initiative.

They tell him there are no funds available. So he goes out and raises his own. The cost of building supplies have soared over the years. No matter. The priest finds a way.

It’s only been 14 years before he was assigned a church out of desperation. Since then, Soorp Asdvadzadzin has been his home. Prior to that, he was a preaching deacon, traveling the world—yes, universally—giving sermons and spreading the word of Christ.

Only when the hierarchy approached him with the need to take over a pastor-less church did he relent.

One year, Der Aram took 22 volunteers from his community to Armenia. Sixteen of them were from one family—the Zartarians of Boxboro. They came with their grandmother, aunt, children, grandchildren, and in-laws to personally help build the home, which was dedicated to the memory of Garbis Zartarian.

“For 14 days, these energetic people worked diligently in the oppressive 105-degree heat,” he recalled. “So many times, I tried to pull them aside to protect them from heat stroke. They wanted to be left alone to finish their work.”

One day, a hiatus had been scheduled from work. Instead of sightseeing or relaxing, Der Aram’s troops were mobilized on their own free will and reported for duty.

The house they built was in memory of Peter Felegian. A third was dedicated to the late Roy Talanian. Another was a condo purchased for a single mother with two sons and an adopted niece.

The Stepanians are a year away from celebrating their golden anniversary. They are parents to two children, Seta Mammola and Ara Stepanian, and have two granddaughters.

It was at St. Stephen’s Church in Watertown that Der Aram spent 37 years as a deacon and Sunday School superintendent before being ordained in 1999 by Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, prelate.

Prior to that, his deacon years were shared with a working life. The cleric worked as a car dealer and auto body mechanic. He sold cars and ran a rental business. There was the electronics side and a dry cleaning establishment.

The entrepreneur in him took a condemned building in Watertown and transposed it into a state-of-the-art enterprise with seven employees.

It’s been 14 years since he first arrived in Whitinsville, leading a flock of 160 members best known for its eclectic picnics that attract over 1,000. It’s a parish that sponsors some 15 students abroad through adulthood.

Much of his time is also rendered to the Northbridge Association of Churches, working with 11 non-Armenian parishes. Together, they perform all phases of charity work for a better community.

He was born in Der Zor, raised in Aleppo, and educated in Lebanon and England before arriving here in 1961 and securing a degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological School in Wenham.

“I remember bringing earthquake victims here for treatment and caring for their needs,” he recalled. “It’s left an indelible image with me.”

Not all has been bread and roses for Der Aram. Much as he hates to admit it, the loyalty often gets put aside in favor of expatriation.

“I see talented people leaving Armenia and going to places like Belgium, France, and Russia,” he notes. “It’s demoralizing the population.”

You never know what may transpire at customs. One day, he approached the gate with bags of clothing and wares for the orphans when the unthinkable occurred.

“They took all my packages away,” he groaned. “I told them they were for the orphans and they didn’t care. Twenty-two children were instantly deprived by callous individuals over-exercising their authority. “It wasn’t until I hooked up with an orphanage that I was allowed free access.”

Were there any other repercussions?

“Sometimes, you pay out of your pocket to customs,” he reluctantly admitted. “Whatever it takes, we manage to get the provisions through.”

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Tom Vartabedian

Tom Vartabedian is a retired journalist with the Haverhill Gazette, where he spent 40 years as an award-winning writer and photographer. He has volunteered his services for the past 46 years as a columnist and correspondent with the Armenian Weekly, where his pet project was the publication of a special issue of the AYF Olympics each September.

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