Our Pastor
The Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin
NEW-Watch a video of Fr. Shnork being interviewed by Austrian TV at Haghardzin Monastery in Armenia August 2007 click here
Fr. Shnork's Mission Statement
My mission is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ according to the holy apostolic teaching and doctrine of the Armenian Church in order to equip the parishioners of St. Mary Armenian Church with faith, hope and love, to live and as members of His Church in a wholesome Armenian Christian Family.
Der Shnork
Links
Biography
Fr. Shnork Souin, named Gregory Haig Souin, was born and raised in Toronto Ontario, Canada on January 16, 1961 and is the first and only Canadian born priest of the Armenian Church. He was baptized and raised in Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Toronto Ontario. Following High School, he attended Ryerson Polytechnical University, in Toronto, where he received a Diploma in Business Management. In 1987, he was married and moved to St. Catharines, Ontario where he worked as a sales representative for a large Canadian company.
Following his calling, he entered seminary in 1992 as a full time student of theological studies. He obtained a Master of Divinity at Concordia Theological Seminary in the Fall of 1997, having prepared a translation of the Rite of Penance according to the Euchologion of the Armenian Church toward completion of his Degree. He has also taken classes toward completion of a Doctor of Ministry, which he hopes to some day complete.
Ordained a deacon in October of 1993, Fr. Shnork was ordained to the priesthood on March 4, 1994 by Abp. Hovnan Derderian, the primate of the Canadian Diocese. He served as the parish pastor of St. Gregory Armenian Church in St. Catharine's Ontario since October 1993. During this time he was also appointed the vicar of the Southern Ontario region taking care of the spiritual needs of the tri parishes of the Niagara Region.
In addition to his pastoral duties, which included mission work in the Armenian communities of Alberta, Fr. Shnork served as a governor of the Canadian Council of Churches and was elected as one of three Vice Presidents of the executive of the CCC in May of 2000, being nominated by the caucus of the Orthodox Churches.
During the summers of both 1995 and '96, he led the Canadian Youth Mission to Armenia, a mission of the Canadian Diocese. The month long missions combined pastoral visits to remote regions of Armenia, focusing on work among those who lost loved ones during the war with Azerbaijan, construction and renovation projects as well as overseeing day camps for hundreds of orphans. Work among youth for youth and with youth has always been a priority for Fr. Shnork.
He was called and installed as the pastor at St. Mary Armenian Church in Livingston New Jersey in September 2001 by His Eminence, Abp. KHAJAG Barsamian, the Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in America. Since his arrival, he has initiated new programs and ministries, as well as seeing to the upkeep and enhancement of the facilities and technology. Pastorally, he has encouraged the engagement of young families, creating the CSA and places great emphasis on the participation of the faithful in the sacramental and liturgical life of the church.
He serves on the Board of Directors for the Diocese's Ararat Center, and has served as the Associate Director of the St. Nersess Summer Conferences High School Session A since the summer of 2003. In addition to his ministry, Fr. Shnork enjoys ecumenical work, youth ministry and the opportunity for appearances on the Armenian Radio Hour of New Jersey. For relaxation and recreation, Fr. Shnork still plays competitive ice hockey in the Twin Oaks Men's League of Morris County and sings in the Bass section of the Morris Conservatory Symphonic Chorus as well as the Chamber Choir. He lives in Denville New Jersey with his family.
