ARKA News Agency
July 26 2005

24 REPS OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN CANADA INVOLVED IN RECONSTRUCTION OF
CHURCH OF SAINT BLESSED VIRGIN IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, July 26. /ARKA/. Twenty-four young Armenians from Canada are
involved in the reconstruction of the Church of Saint Blessed Virgin
in Armenia. Head of the Canadian diocese of the Armenian Apostolic
Church Bagrat Galstanyan reported that the work is being carried out
under Canadian youth mission to Armenia program launched by the
diocese 12 years ago. According to him, about 400 young people from
Canada have visited Armenia to take part in the reconstruction of
educational institutions and churches. Galstanyan stressed that the
visits are of great importance for young people that grew up in a
different cultural environment. According to him, they discover
Armenia for themselves and come to realize that it is their country.
He claimed that this feeling accompanies them all their life and will
influence their future families and activities. The goal of the
program is not leaving a building constructed at a high level, but
taking a spiritual building to Canada, he said. He added that each
group returns to Canada “more Armenianized and Christianized.”
Armenia is a wonderful country, where each plot of land is
besprinkled with the blood of saints and martyrs, and the young
people step on it with trepidation, Galstanyan said. He pointed out
that the group members live in ordinary village families to feel the
pulse of life in Armenia. He added that the Armenian community in
Canada provides its support to the program.
The Church of Saint Blessed Virgin in the village of Artimet,
Echmiadzin region, Armenia, was constructed in 1876 and was destroyed
suing the following years. In 1970, the church was reconstructed due
to the efforts of a family that lived in the village. During the last
year it has fallen into decay. P.T. -0-