On August 5, 2018, Archpriest Fr. Vahan Gosdanian celebrated his first Divine Liturgy as the newly appointed pastor of St. Garabed Church of Las Vegas.
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, presided over the Divine Liturgy and introduced the newly appointed pastor who will succeed Rev. Fr. Arsen Kassabian, who served at St. Garabed Church since 2013.
Members of the church and community representatives were present during the Divine Liturgy.
Prior to the sermon, the Prelate formally introduced the new parish priest, speaking on his many years of service. During the past 25 years, Archpriest Fr. Vahan Gosdanian served as pastor at the Armenian Apostolic Church of Pasadena (now known as St. Sarkis,) and at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Fresno. The Prelate spoke on the challenges that the clergy face on a daily basis, inviting the parishioners to support the newly appointed priest in his new endeavors.
Archpriest Fr. Vahan Gosdanian thanked the Prelate, members of the Joint Meeting on their confidence in him. He thanked the pastors of St. Garabed Church; Archpriest Fr. Avedis Torossian and Rev. Fr. Arsen Kassabian, also the parish council for their support.
In his address to the faithful, Archpriest Fr. Vahan Gosdanian reflected on the verse from John 13:34, “A new command I give you. Love one another, as I have loved you.” He emphasized on the importance of Divine love, especially in the life of the Church which is expressed through our love for each other. “Because without Divine love, we cannot be a Church and reach our goals” stressed Archpriest Fr. Vahan Gosdanian.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the faithful gathered around the Prelate and the newly appointed priest and took a memorable photo. Thereafter, a meet and greet was held at the church hall.
