ARMENIANS TO WITNESS HISTORY
By Waveney Ann Moore, Times Staff Writer
St. Petersburg Times, FL
Oct 10 2007
A pontiff will consecrate his first church in North America.
Parishioners of St. Hagop Armenian Church are preparing for a historic
visit by their world leader this week.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, will arrive Saturday for a two-day celebration during
which he will consecrate St. Hagop’s new $2-million church. It will
be the first time he has consecrated an Armenian Apostolic church in
North America.
Catholicos Karekin, whose ecclesiastical seat is in Etchmiadzin,
Armenia, is on an 18-city visit to the United States that includes
New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Detroit and two additional stops in
Florida – Boca Raton and Hollywood.
This Sunday all Armenian Apostolic churches in Florida will be
closed in honor of the visit and members of those congregations
are expected to be among those who will travel to Pinellas Park to
see the pontiff. He will travel to St. Hagop’s in a motorcade with
police escorts.
Members of the local congregation, who come from as far away as Citrus,
Pasco and Manatee counties, have been preparing for the pontifical
visit for a year. Last October, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian of New
York made St. Hagop’s a promise, said Dr. Hagop "Jack" Mashikian,
vice chairman of the parish council.
The archbishop, head of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America, told St. Hagop’s leaders that if they finished their church
before Catholicos Karekin’s pastoral visit to the United States,
he would arrange for the pontiff to consecrate it.
With that goal in mind, the congregation – the only full Armenian
Apostolic parish on Florida’s west coast – rushed to complete its
traditional Armenian-style church. In June, they held a ceremony to
top off the church with an 8- by 5-foot aluminum cross.
This weekend Catholicos Karekin will enter an almost completed
church. The altar and 19 crosses, all of which he will bless, are
scheduled to arrive late this week. The pews will arrive after the
consecration, but parish council president Arsen Bayandrian says the
temporary chairs will allow optimum capacity for Saturday and Sunday’s
historic celebration. An overflow tent with a video feed will be set
up on the church grounds, he said.
Father Hovnan Demerjian, 33, the church’s new priest, said he is
starting under auspicious circumstances.
"It’s a great way to begin," he said. It’s like you’re beginning with
a great boost of energy and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that the
church is being consecrated and also visited by His Holiness. It’s
like a double blessing."
This weekend’s celebration will begin with a turnpatzek, or "opening
the doors" ceremony, on Saturday. A private reception will follow.
The consecration and pontifical divine liturgy will take place the
next day, followed by a banquet at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
The ceremonies will be steeped in pageantry, though Sunday’s is
expected to be the more impressive. Demerjian, St. Hagop’s new priest,
said the consecration will be part of the normal Sunday liturgy.
"A main part of it is blessing 16 crosses that are sort of the pillars
of the church," he said.
Each cross has been dedicated to a saint, he said. Additionally,
a godparent has been appointed for each cross and like a godparent,
the role will be a supporting one.
In effect, Demerjian said, the godparents agree to support the church
"and raise it into a strong community of God."
The 250-seat church and planned multipurpose building have been
a long-held dream. Back in 1997, Catholicos Karekin’s predecessor
promised to consecrate St. Hagop’s new church during his 1998 visit.
Demerjian said it’s difficult to describe his emotions now that the
congregation’s dreams are being realized. "I feel that God has done
his job through us to erect this church," he said.
"We are proud that we are the first sanctuary that will be consecrated
in North America by this pontiff. It’s an honor that he has honored
us with his presence. There are no words to express the feelings that
we have.
Waveney Ann Moore can be reached at [email protected] or 727 892-2283.
If you go
The visit
Pontifical visit to St. Hagop Armenian Church, 7050 90th Ave. N,
Pinellas Park
7:30 p.m., Saturday, opening of the doors ceremony
10 a.m., Sunday, consecration of the sanctuary
Valet and off-site parking. Call (727) 545-0380.
About His Holiness Karekin II
1951 – Born in Armenia
1972 – Ordained a priest
1983 – Consecrated bishop
1992 – Named archbishop
1999 – Elected Catholicosof All Armenians
How to greetthe pontiff
Step 1: Say, "May God be your helper."
Step 2: Kiss his right hand