Very Reverend Father (Hayr Soorp) Oshagan Minassian

Father Oshagan was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria; son of Karnik & Sirvart Minassian. His elementary and secondary education was at the Haygazian High School in Aleppo. He studied at the Armenian theological Seminary in Antelias, Lebanon; earning his B.A. He was transferred to the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem where he was ordained a celibate priest. He came to the United States in 1953 to serve as pastor of the Holy Cross Armenian Church in Lawrence, MA until 1955. He terminated his active pastorate in l955 due to a tragic accident which severely damaged his spinal cord. When Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church of Whitinsville was consecrated on November 24, 1957 the church did not have a permanent parish priest assigned to serve the community. Very Rev. Fr. Oshagan Minassian was asked to come to Whitinsville to form a church choir and perform various duties until the church was assigned a permanent priest. Under Father Oshagan’s tutelage a choral group was organized and performed its first concert in April 1958. Father Oshagan taught the church community the Divine Liturgy (Soorp Badarak) and its meanings and introduced the congregation to the rites and ceremonies of the Armenian Apostolic Church. As a brand new church and congregation, the parish was excited to have such a teacher with us during the church’s formative years.
In 1965, Father Oshagan was appointed choir director at Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Cambridge, MA and founder and director of the Erevan Choral Society in Cambridge until 2008.
Father Oshagan held a Masters Degree in Religious Education (1962), a Ph.D. in Church History, (l974), and a Masters Degree in Music in l982 from Boston University. In appreciation for his work and choral activities, Father Oshagan received many letters of recognition and plaudits from both professional individuals and institutions and citations from the Union of Composers of Armenia in l986 and from the Ministry of Culture in Armenia in l994.

Personal Reflections of Hayr (Father) Oshagan Minassian
By Jeff Kalousdian

As a child during the late 50’s and early 60’s, I remember Hayr Oshagan’s warm smile as my father led me to the chancel to greet and kiss his hand every Sunday after Badarak (the Divine Liturgy) was over. As this period of his life was post-accident, he was always in his wheel chair which at that time I didn’t fully understand. Like myself, Hayr Oshagan collected postage stamps and almost every Sunday, he pulled an envelope out of his dark jacket pocket filled with stamps from Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria and placed them in my hand. Fifty years later, I still have those stamps in my Ambassador stamp album. Hayr Oshagan, Diramayr (his mother) and quite often his sister Alice would often join our family at my grandparent’s house on Willow Street in Whitinsville for Sunday dinners, usually chicken and pilaf. My grandfather made sure a canvas tarp was placed on top of the clotheslines to provide shade for everyone. I would have never guessed that I would become a member of Hayr Oshagan’s Erevan Choral Society during the very late 70s and early 80s. I’d often attend his concerts in Belmont or Cambridge and he’d often call me to join the chorus since he needed tenors. Once he heard I had moved to Boston during the late 70s, I gave in and greatly enjoyed my time with him, the chorus and several students from Boston University who often sang with us or were part of the orchestra. He’d invite me from time to time to have dinner at one of his favorite steakhouses with others and entertain us with his jokes. Hayr Oshagan would drive to Whitinsville during our annual August church picnics, sometimes sitting with the clergy, other times remaining in his specially-equipped car. He’d ask me to go find so and so and bring him to the car so they could chat. There is one person in Whitinsville who was a dedicated friend and assistant to Hayr Oshagan throughout his life that I can reminisce with; Nancy Moscofian, who helped me compile this very brief summary of Hayr Oshagan’s once tragic but very full life filled with purpose and music. His music, humor, positive outlook and warm smile made lasting impressions for many.