PRELATE’S BIOGRAPHY

H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian was born in Beirut, Lebanon.

He was ordained deacon on June 23, 1979, by H.E. Arch. Datev Sarkissian.
He completed his studies at the Seminary of the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia in 1981, and in the same year, on June 21, 1981 he was ordained a celibate priest, by H.E. Arch. Datev Sarkissian.

In 1984 he presented his dissertation focusing on “Modern Arab Christian Literature.”

H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian pursued his theological education at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon, studied Arabic literature at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, and studied law at the Lebanese University.

He has held multiple positions within the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia and has served as a member of the seminary’s administrative committee. He has been an instructor at the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia seminary on subjects concerning the history of the Armenian Church and National Constitution.

1986-1995 he served as a pastor of the Orthodox Armenian community in Thessaloniki, Greece.
In 1995, he was appointed as Locum Tenens of Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon.
In 1997, he was elected as Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon, and served in that role until 2013.
On February 20, 2000, he was ordained a bishop and on May 29, 2010 he received the title of Archbishop.

He received his master’s degree in theology from the Lateran Canon Law University in Vatican City in 2017 and in the same year he was elected as the Prelate of the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Greece, and held the position until 2024.

He has participated in various inter-church and inter-religious meetings, and from 1996-2008 served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches.

H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian continues to serve as the Co-Chairman of the Central Religious Council of the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia.

On April 19, 2024 H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian was elected as the Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the United States.