Der Kosrofian/Helvagian/Minassian
Mikael Der Kosrofian was born in Pazmashen, an entirely Armenian village in the kaza of Kharpert, Armenia in 1894. His surname honors Mikael’s grandfather who was Der Kosrof, the pastor of Soorp Asdvadzadzin church in Mikael’s native Pazmashen. Mikael left Pazmashen for America in 1912; he was married, but his wife stayed behind in the village, as the journey was not intended for permanent emigration. He sailed on the Merion, which departed Liverpool on December 4 and arrived in Philadelphia on December 19. On the ship registry, he listed his occupation as weaver, and he was on his way to join his Uncle Kevork Ohanian who was living in Whitinsville. Mikael was the only traveler on this ship from Pazmashen, but he would be joining a small and growing community of villagers from Pazmashen who were working at the Whitin Machine Works. Mikael’s first home in Whitinsville was in New Village, and he started work at the factory.
As the Armenian Genocide unfolded, word of his wife’s death reached Mikael, who, like so many of the other Armenian men in town, now realized there would be no return to Pazmashen. Whitinsville would be Mikael’s new home. In January 1922, Mikael, now living in Plummer’s Corner, married his second wife, Vartouhi Helvagian, in Northbridge, on Spring Street. The new couple began their family life together, moving to Church Street where Mikael purchased his own home from the Ampagoomian family. Mikael and Vartouhi had three children:
- Garabed (Charles), born in 1924, died at age 9 in 1933, and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery.
- Levon (Leo), born in 1925, married Mary Tomasian in 1964; they had one child, Michael. Leo died in 2008; Mary died in 2011; they are buried in Worcester.
- Tamam (Thelma), born in 1935, married Yervant (Edward) Kooyomjian and had two children, Mark and Minnae. Thelma died in 2014 and is buried in Hope Cemetery.
Mikael was one of the five original founders of the Armenian church in Whitinsville. After many years of fundraising, planning, and building, the church was consecrated in 1957 and named after the church in Pazmashen where Mikael’s grandfather had served as priest. Mikael was the original treasurer for the newly formed parish in Whitinsville and served many years as a deacon on its altar.
In 1968, Vartouhi passed away, and once again Mikael was a widower. Soorp Asdvadzadzin’s pastor at the time, Der Vatche Naccachian, and his Yeretsgin Lusazine invited one of their former neighbors from Aleppo, now living in New York, to visit them in Whitinsville and to introduce her to Mikael. Mary Minassian, who was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1918, married Mikael and moved to Whitinsville. A few years later, in 1974, Mary learned from relatives in Syria that her brother’s young sons, Diran and Levon, had been orphaned. She asked her husband Mikael if they could adopt them. Mikael’s response to the request was “Tsakus, we’ll be saving two Armenian orphans”, and the decision was made.
Diran and Levon arrived via airplane from Beirut on January 11, 1975 – Diran was 9 and his brother Levon was 6. They did not know English, but they were joining a loving home built by “Mikael Dada” and their aunt. Vicky Gigarjian took them for their vaccinations at the Congregational Church, and eight days later, on a snowy Monday, they started at the Cross Street School. Although Diran was in the 3rd grade in Syria, he was placed in the 1st grade because he was learning English. There were no Armenian-speaking students in his class to help Diran, but Oscar Asadoorian who was a janitor at the Cross Street School would translate for him as needed. Dorothy Arakelian and Joyce Torosian worked as lunch ladies at the school and would also help. Diran remembers that lunch on the first day was hot dogs – a food he did not recognize. When he asked Oscar what this strange food was, Oscar literally translated “Dak Shoon” – Armenian for a dog that was hot. Diran would not eat it and thought Americans were crazy to be eating dog meat; when he returned home hungry, his aunt explained that hot dogs were a type of sausage. The second day lunch was tuna – it smelled terrible and again he wouldn’t eat it. But slowly Diran learned more English and adapted to his new country. Over the course of the Spring and Summer, Diran learned enough English to start school with children his own age that Fall.
In December 1975 Mikael passed away; he is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery. Mary raised the boys in Whitinsville with the help of their grandmother, Verkine Minassian, who had joined the family from Syria; she passed away in 1981 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery. Mary taught Diran the value of money as the children grew up, sharing that Mikael’s salary at the shop had once been 9 cents an hour, and after asking for a raise, his salary rose by half a cent an hour. Diran took these lessons about hard work and the value of money to heart and worked as a paperboy, delivering for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette during his childhood. Diran also began serving his new church, Soorp Asdvadzadzin, from age 10. When then Sunday School Superintendent Coke Gigarjian learned Diran spoke Armenian, he moved Diran from the Sunday School classroom to the altar where he started serving as acolyte.
After graduating from Northbridge High School, Diran joined the U.S. Army and served at Fort Benning, Georgia where he went to airborne school. His years in the Army took him to North Carolina, Germany and Fort Knox in Kentucky. His army career ended in 1992, and Diran married and moved to New York City (Astoria Queens), starting a 12-year career in the car rental industry. Diran had two children before his first marriage ended in divorce. He returned to Whitinsville, continuing his career in the car rental business, traveling to Rhode Island for his work. Der Zareh Sahagian was serving as priest at Soorp Asdvadzadzin, and on Sundays, Diran started serving on the same church altar as Mikael Dada had once served. Diran had felt a calling to become a priest and had a preliminary conversation with Der Zareh about this; he continued his career and serving on the altar.
In 1999, Mary passed away; she is buried at Pine Grove Cemetery. In that same year, Der Aram Stepanian started serving as pastor at Soorp Asdvadzadzin. In the early 2000’s, Diran spoke with Der Aram about his calling and began part-time lessons with Der Sarkis in Worcester. In 2003, Diran traveled with Der Aram and others from Whitinsville for a seven-day trip to Armenia. It was on this trip that Diran met his wife Susana. Susana’s sister was Der Aram’s tour guide, and Susana had accompanied her to Etchmiadzin to meet the group and to pray at the cathedral. Within five days of meeting, the relationship blossomed, and four months later Diran returned to Armenia to marry Susana. Together they have three children (Yeva, Vahan, and Nune’).
By 2011, Diran’s religious studies had progressed to full time with Skype lessons 3 to 4 times a week. Diran flew back to the same airport in Beirut he had left 39 years earlier to go to seminary. After three months of intense study in Lebanon, Diran along with fellow student Harold Nazarian continued his basic studies in America and was ready for ordination as a priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Archbishop Oshagan asked him if he had a preference for his priestly name and he asked for and was granted Mikael, in honor of Mikael Dada. Harold was to be named Der Kapriel.
Der Mikael and Der Kapriel were ordained on October 4, 2014 at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Providence, RI. Each celebrated their first Badarak/Divine Liturgy on November 9, 2014 which was the feast day of the archangels (Michael and Gabriel). Der Mikael has served as pastor of Soorp Asdvadzadzin in Whitinsville since his ordination.
