SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID VISITS ST. GARABED CHURCH

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

Senator Harry Reid and his wife visit the newly constructed St.

Garabed Churh in Vegas

LAS VEGAS-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his wife, Landra,
visited the newly-completed St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church on
Tuesday afternoon.

Upon arrival the Senator was met by Archpriest Father Avedis
Torossian, Parish Council Chairman Adroushan Armenian and Building
Committee members Koko Darakjian and Levon Gulbenkian. Vreij Taslakian
representing the Church Consecration Committee and Lindy Schumacher
representative of Kirk Kerkorian’s Dream Fund at UCLA were also
present.

The Senator and Mrs. Reid entered the church after lighting their
candles. Father Avedis provided a brief background about the Church
and its services. Darakjian and Gulbenkian described the Church
construction process and the Senator was impressed that the project
was completed within only seven months from laying the foundation to
its completion.

Vreij Taslakian briefed the Senator about the growing Las Vegas
Armenian Community and Schumacher explained Dream Fund’s support
of the Saturday Armenian School and plans to equip the school with
advanced modern language and history learning techniques.

Adroushan Armenian explained that St. Garabed is the Armenian
translation for St. John the Baptist and shared with the Senator photos
of St. Garabed Monastery of Moush, Historic Armenia, which legend has
was built on the remains of St. John the Baptist in the fourth century
He also told how the Church and monastery were destroyed by the Turkish
army in 1915 during the Armenian Genocide, and they discussed House
Resolution 306 which calls upon the Republic of Turkey “to safeguard
its Christian heritage and to return confiscated Church properties”.

At the end of the visit, Father Avedis presented Senator Reid with a
traditional Armenian cross-stone commemorating this special visit. The
Senator congratulated the Parish Pastor and Church representatives,
and promised to provide St. Garabed Church with a U.S. Flag that has
flown on the Capitol in order to fly on the first Armenian Church in
the city of Las Vegas.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress