Fr. Armash Bagdasarian was born in Istanbul with the baptismal name Vahe. At a young age, he began serving the local Armenian Church as an acolyte and choir member. Der Hayr received his early education in the local Armenian School, Dadyan Varjaran, including the Isik Lyceum High School. Additionally, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople sponsored him to pursue in the Old and New Testament at the All Saints American Presbyterian Church.

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Upon Fr. Armash`s graduation from Istanbul`s Kultur University B. A. Liberal Arts and Philosophy in 1998, he moved to the New York City metropolitan area, where he continued serving at the Holy Cross Armenian Church of Union City, New Jersey.  With the encouragement and blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Fr. Armash enrolled in the “St. Nersess the Greater Masters Program” at St.Nersess Armenian Seminary in the Fall of 2012. While attending seminary, he took courses at the General Theological Seminary (New York) in Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Psychology, as well as at St Vladamir’sOrthodox Seminary (New York) in Patristic and Church History.  He graduated St. Nersess Seminary in the Spring of 2015.  Fr. Armash completed the Clinical Pastoral Education Program at the Palisades Medical Center in NJ while serving as pastoral intern at St. Leon Armenian Church (Fair Lawn, NJ) under the guidance of its Pastor, the Rev. Fr. Diran Bohajian.

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On July 24, 2016, Der Armash was ordained at St. Vartan Cathedral to the Holy priesthood by Archbishop KhajagBarsamian. He completed his karasoonk, or forty day seclusion period, at St. Nersess Seminary, then assumed the pastorate of Soorp Haroutiun Armenian Church in Orlando, FL, where he was the pastor until January 2018.

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Fr. Armash had served five and half years as Assistant Pastor at St. John Armenian Church (Southfield, MI) since January 2018. He is enrolled in the Masters Program of Pastoral Administration at St. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in West Bloomfield, MI.