Armenian Community Sets Sights On Church
By CHRISTOPHER KAZARIAN
CapeNews.net, Massachusetts
Aug 4, 2006
When George Shalian, chairman of the parish council for the Armenian
Church of Cape Cod, drives by 646 Old Barnstable Road in Mashpee,
he does not see a vacant three-acre lot. He sees what will one day
be there-an Armenian church and cultural center.
A sign that reads "Future Site of Armenian Church & Cultural Center"
sits on the lot, representing not just Mr. Shalian’s vision, but
those of the Armenian Church of Cape Cod and its members.
Some of those members are from Falmouth, he said, including Lucy
Kayajanian of Chilmark Drive, the parish council’s treasurer.
Shahkeh Yaylaian Setian of Mashpee, a retired educator, said the
idea for building an Armenian church and cultural center began in
the early 1980s with a small population of dedicated and devoted
Armenian-Americans.
In February 2005, that goal moved closer to becoming a reality when
the Mashpee parcel was purchased for $280,000. The church raised the
bulk of that money through the years from donations of church members
who shared the goal of establishing an Armenian church on Cape Cod.
Without the generosity of parishioners, Mr. Shalian said, "I don’t
think we would have this land."
Mashpee was chosen because of the town’s accessibility to the rest
of Cape Cod and the price of the lot, he said.
Another reason this area was chosen: "There is a big Armenian community
in Falmouth," he said. While some are members of the church, he hopes
more will become involved in the near future.
The church will be situated between Leather Leaf Lane and Leisure
Green Drive near Mashpee High School.
Now that the church has an actual site, parishioners are focusing
their efforts on fundraising, he said.
On Saturday, August 19, the church is sponsoring an Armenian Family
Kef and Dance at St. George Greek Community Center in Centerville.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 children and include lamb and
chicken kebabs and music by Roger Krikorian and his ensemble.
Residents can call Sharlene Mourian at 508-771-2352 for more
information.
The kef, which means a celebration in Armenian, is now in its seventh
year, Ms. Mourian said. All proceeds will go toward the future church
and cultural center.
Once the building is complete, parishioners will have a place to
worship on a weekly basis. Mr. Shalian said the church averages
anywhere between 20 to 30 people who attend the monthly services at
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Wianno Avenue in Osterville.
This Sunday parishioners of the Armenian Church of Cape Cod will
welcome the Reverend Father Vasken Kouzouian and an organist from the
Holy Trinity Church of Cambridge to St. Peter’s Church in Osterville.
Father Kouzouian, a guest celebrant, will preside over the service for
church members. The service begins at 2 PM and constitutes the only
public worship offered by the Armenian Church of Cape Cod this month.
Mr. Shalian said, "We used to do it once a week." Because the church
is considered a mission parish, it has to hire priests from outside
the area to officiate its Eucharistic services. "Hiring a priest is
expensive," he said.
He estimates there are roughly 600 Armenians living on Cape Cod. In
addition, a number of summer residents who currently attend services
and events will also benefit from having an Armenian church in the
area, Mr. Shalian said.
Dr. Setian, who teaches a course in the Academy of Lifelong Learning
at Cape Cod Community College titled, The History of Genocide: Using
the Armenian Genocide as a Case Study, hopes the church will prove to
be a resource for all Cape residents to learn about Armenian culture.
The daughter of parents who survived the Armenian genocide, Dr.
Setian said the Armenian church "is what has kept the culture alive
during all these massacres, not just at the hands of the Ottoman-Turks
[in 1915], but before that as well."
Part of what makes Armenians so unique, she said, is that "they have
maintained their culture through all these adversities."
Although there are no definitive plans yet, Dr. Setian said, she
hopes that the cultural center will offer visual displays of Armenian
history, host lectures, and foster the language and dance that make
the culture distinct.
While many details still have to be worked out, Mr. Shalian said,
the most important part is that "we are looking forward…We will
have our own church."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress