Mikael Bassalé, I.C.P.B. (; born 16 January 1969) is a Lebanese-born

Armenian Catholic Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

clergyman. He served as an Apostolic Administrator of the Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe from 17 May 2022 until 26 September 2024.

Life

Father Bassalé was born in a diasporan

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

family in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

on 16 January 1969. After completed his primary education in

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

, he subsequently joined the Minor Seminary of the Patriarchal Congregation of Bzommar in Aleppo, where studied during 1986−1987, and continued his studies at the Major Bzommarian Seminary in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, where he made a solemn profession. He was ordained as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 21 December 1997, after the postgraduate studies in the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. After his ordination to priesthood, he served in the different Bzommar institutions in Lebanon, Armenia, Georgia and Russia and in the same time made a pastoral work for the Armenian Catholics. Last years Fr. Bassalé served as a parish priest of the Holy Cross in

Belmont, Massachusetts Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a western suburb of Boston and is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, its population was 27,295, an increase of 10.4% from 2010. H ...

, in the United States of America. On 17 May 2022 Father Bassalé was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Eastern Europe, that remained vacant almost 9 months, when the previous ordinary

Raphaël François Minassian Raphael was an Italian Renaissance painter. Raphael or Raphaël may also refer to: Music * Raphael (band), a Japanese rock band active 1997–2001 * ''Raphael'' (opera), an 1894 opera by Anton Arensky *Raphael (musician), American musician and c ...

was elected as the Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bassalé, Mikael 1969 births Priests of the Armenian Catholic Church Bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church Lebanese Eastern Catholics Lebanese people of Armenian descent Living people Members of the Patriarchal Congregation of Bzommar Religious leaders from Beirut Pontifical Gregorian University alumni